something withered, something bloomed | taekook

Chapter 9: Heavy Is The Sword Of The King

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For centuries vampire society has kept a tight hold on it's numbers. A turning must be approved and carefully observed, and the new fledgling's information is meticulously logged and stored away. There are always those who wish to grow their numbers, who want to expand until the humans are merely a brief smear of history - but Taehyung has never found himself among their numbers. He might despise them, but humans have their uses.

Regardless, however, it is only inevitable that even with such tight control there are those that fall between the cracks. Perfection does not exist beyond Jeongguk, and there is always a margin of error. Taehyung himself has sat in on many meetings regarding the unregistered covens that slipped through the fingers of the citadel's upper echelons.

"They know how to hide better than any of us do," Jimin had said as they brainstormed, rain pounding on the motel windows.

"Never thought I'd hear you admit you were lacking." Taehyung couldn't help the jab, his brain as exhausted as every other part of him. Jeongguk's hand is warm in his own, his thumb brushing over the slowly fading bruising on his fingers. The difference is nearly minute, but Taehyung is getting as familiar with the purpling splotches on his body as he is with the curves of his own face. Every night that passes is another where this broken vessel of his becomes his new normal.

Jimin only scowls, but there's no heat behind it. There never is. He leans back where he's slumped against the wall, his head knocking back against the door. His katana hasn't left his hands in the last three days and Taehyung isn't blind to how tense his shoulders have gotten, or how shadowed his gaze is when he looks at Taehyung when he thinks the former king isn't looking.

"My expertise lies elsewhere, thank you," Jimin snips and Taehyung's chest warms at the light laugh Jeongguk lets out, his face buried in Taehyung's uninjured shoulder. Yoongi is lounged back in the only other chair, his legs kicked out and his hands crossed over his chest. His eyes are closed, pretending to rest, but Taehyung sees the faint curl of a smile on his lips. "I'm just saying that they might be a resource we take advantage of."

"The covenless don't have, like, a leader though, right?" Jeongguk asks. "There's not exactly someone we can call up."

"Yes, and no," Yoongi says before Taehyung can, his eyes still closed. "While we don't have names or faces, the kid was able to put a number to the covenless using his gift. We know how many there are, and where they live - even if we don't know their identities."

"There are several pockets in North Korea and scattered across Russia, a few with major numbers in India - another in Jordan." Taehyung nods, remembering the hours spent scouring the minds of those who lived on this side of the world.

"That's pretty far away," Jeongguk worries. Yoongi is quiet but his eyes crack open, peering up into the popcorn ceiling.

"Yes, but don't fear, lovely," Taehyung drops a kiss to the top of his head, squeezing Jeongguk's hand. "In the last decade Namjoon has been working to include the covenless in Citadel affairs - even if in an unofficial capacity."

Jimin nods, stretching out his legs. "While they don't have major numbers here in the city, there are a few small pockets who we might be able to get ahold of," he says. "We just need to find the right channels to do that."

"And we can't just call Namjoonie," Jeongguk sighs and Taehyung can't help his fond smile. "This sucks."

It pulls a bark of a laugh from Yoongi's throat and they both look up to see the man slowly sit up, wiping a grin from his face. "Yeah, it does," he agrees. "But we know which businesses are Citadel owned, it's not a leap of logic to avoid those. That already cuts out a pretty significant portion of the city."