This Mask of Mine Volume Two

13

This time, Yujin helped make dinner with them. Jimin needed to hear about the pack from someone who lived their entire life in it, and he also wanted to hear about Yoongi's biological family.

Yujin typically liked wearing shorter sleeves and lower cut shirts, but wanted to make a good impression on Yoongi's mate that she decided to pack a few of her more modest shirts. She explained to him that she had long since gotten over the pain of looking at the scars and instead flaunted them as a type of self love.

They talked about the pack alpha issue and how Yujin would have little to no risk of becoming pregnant for both personal reasons she preferred not to disclose but also because she had no wish to find a partner. It was tradition that a male Min would lead the pack, and the elders tried to cling onto those since almost everything else was stripped away.

The elders would be upset that Yujin and Yoongi had disappeared with a note on their beds, but would cool off when they saw Yoonji.

Jimin had picked his daughter up from Chaein with Yoongi, where they had a long talk about the decision, the absence, and the possible future. Yoongi was allowed to touch Yoonji and hold her hands, but Jimin didn't feel comfortable with him holding her completely until they were home again. He promised after dinner he could hold her.

She started getting fussy while they were cooking and talking, and Yoongi watched as Jimin set his spoon down and headed to the play pen. He picked her up with a soft groan and held her on his hip.

"I'll be back in a moment, she's probably hungry."

Jimin pulled the curtain to the bedroom shut and Yoongi and Yujin were left standing in the kitchen. Yujin stirred the pot a few times and Yoongi shifted his weight as Yoonji's fussing turned into crying and Jimin let out a exasperated sigh.

"Yoongi?" He called out, the alpha straightening up.

"Y—Yes?"

"Could you get one of the bottles of milk from the ice box?"

"Of course."

Yoongi ducked into the pantry behind the kitchen and opened up the panel in the floor. Jimin had taken out the meat they used to store there and replaced it with goat's milk and his own when his body decided to start producing.

"Does it matter which one?"

"One from the back is fine."

Yoonji was still crying when Yoongi entered the bedroom. Jimin's shirt was open because he couldn't close it with a squirmy baby in his hands, but he took the bottle with an appreciative sound. He wrestled Yoonji to lay in his arm and bit off the protective cap of the bottle, holding it in his teeth and pressing the soft bottle top to Yoonji's mouth. She fussed and cried a bit more before she finally took the bottle.

Jimin's shoulders relaxed in a tired sigh, his eyes closing for a moment in the relief of quiet before opening again to watch her.

"Do you want me to take the cap?"

He leaned forward and Yoongi took it from his teeth.

"Thank you."

"Is she usually like this?"

"Mn. She has different cries based on what she needs, but feeding is especially difficult. She used to not be able to keep milk down until we found out she does okay with goat's milk."

"She doesn't like yours?" Yoongi's face turned hot. "Sorry, that was—ah..."

"What are you apologizing for? You can talk about my milk. She does okay with it, but some days it makes her feel bad and she makes it known. If I can't produce, then I usually go with the goat's milk."

"You have trouble... producing?"

"Yes. We don't know why. It tends to come at night and it hurts, but there's times during the day I start lactating. It's never enough for a full bottle, though, so she's still hungry at the end."

Yoonji's arms still squirmed as she fed from the bottle, dark eyes blinking up at Jimin's face.

"Every day I wondered how you would be as a father," Jimin started, shifting Yoonji in his arm again. "I wondered if she would be calmer if her other father was here."

"I'm sorry."

"I was told you were probably dead by too many people."

Yoongi looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry."

"I didn't say I believed them."

He looked back at Jimin's face.

"If I don't come to the Min pack, would you stay? Or would you go back? Would you visit?"

"Jimin, if being separated from you has told me anything, I cannot be happy without seeing you every day. I want to be with you and Yoonji. Anywhere you go, I will come with you. I could never do visits because it would hurt so much to leave and be away."

"If I wanted to stay?"

"I'll stay with you."

"What about the Min pack?"

Yoongi sighed through his nose. "I don't know if I could leave them either."

Jimin took the empty bottle from Yoonji's lips, sighing when she fell asleep and settled her in her crib.

"How long is the trip between packs?"

"Around a week."

"So traveling every other week wouldn't be wise."

Yoongi shook his head. "No. Yoonji will need somewhere permanent when she gets older."

Jimin began buttoning up his shirt.

"Maybe... Maybe I could stay for a month. Before I make a permanent decision, I need to experience the pack."

Yoongi nodded, his face brightening up. "Of course."

"That doesn't mean I'm mating with you right away."

"I know."

"I might want to leave after the month is over."

"I know."

Jimin looked up at Yoongi from where he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Will Yoonji have everything she needs? A crib? Toys? I can imagine we'd be packing light."

"We can make her a crib. Toys we can get from other packs and older parents."

"What kind of structures is the pack based in? Wood? Stone?"

"The pack alpha and the elders share a cabin. Everyone else is in waterproof tents. The insides are lined so it's warm and safe to burn fires. Dinners are in the center of the pack around a bonfire."

Jimin still stared at him.

"If you ever feel uncomfortable or unhappy, I will bring you back."

"Give me one more night."

Yoongi nodded.

"And... stay. We still haven't finished talking."

"We'll talk as long as you like."