noctivagant | park jimin | ✓

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ chapter seven ⋆｡°☽° ｡⋆｡☁︎°｡⋆

The feast the coven provided was excessive and delicious. Jimin couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the dining table overflowing with a variety of foods. Large plates were filled to the brim with scorched meat and grilled vegetables. Bowls of freshly washed fruit such as grapes, melon, and strawberries were scattered along the table. There were three types of salads, each with a unique dressing and toppings. Small bowls of rice were placed at every chair with smooth, rounded tops. All with the promise of dessert.

The smell was hypnotizingly amazing. Jimin was shocked they were able to pull together so much food in such a short amount of time.

When he asked Seokjin how he was able to do it, he simply replied, "Yoongi and I love to cook. We work well together in the kitchen. It goes quickly."

Jimin sat down and Hoseok and Taehyung quickly took the spots beside him. He eyed Taehyung as he settled into his chair. He wanted to ask how he vanished earlier, but his chest was tight with shyness.

Jungkook waved his arm. "What does everyone want to drink?"

Jimin reflexively shrunk into his chair.

"On the rocks!" Taehyung declared as he relaxed into his chair. His body seemed built for lounging.

"I'll have the same," Hobi chimed in. He turned to Jimin with an expectant smile. "What will you have?"

Jimin hesitated. "Can I have some water?"

"Are you thirsty?"

He wanted to lie and claim that he wanted to wash the taste of blood from his mouth. However, hazy memories of attacking Namjoon for his bloody arm resurfaced. He was more afraid of losing control than losing his humanity. Jimin slumped further into his chair, wishing he could vanish into the thin air. "Yeah."

"Then he'll have the same," Taehyung told Jungkook without batting an eye.

This forced Jimin to sit up and face the terrifying vampire. He didn't want anyone to speak for him. He already felt humiliated, but he could still make his own decisions. "I didn't say that I did."

Taehyung coolly raised his eyebrow. "You don't want ice in your drink?"

Jimin frowned. "Maybe I don't."

He did. He really did.

Taehyung shrugged, brushing off Jimin's hard stare as if it meant nothing. "Trust me. You'll like it."

"I can make my own decisions," Jimin added firmly. "I don't need to be spoken for."

This made Taehyung frown in return. He looked over at Jimin with mild confusion in his dark eyes. "Oh," his voice fell with realization. "Oh, you're upset. I'm sorry. I thought... I just wanted to..."

There was a sharp kick in his heart at the sight of Taehyung's sad expression.

Jimin's throat clenched as words struggled to form. "I—, I mean I didn't—, I just wanted to..." Somebody shoot me. He fumbled to remedy his mistake. "God, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

Hoseok laid his hand on Jimin's shoulder. "It's alright. Just a little communication error. That's all."

Taehyung's lips remained downturned. His large eyes were similar to a puppy in one of those tear-jerker commercials about donating to the local kennel. The type of commercials that used to make Jimin bawl his eyes out. The trauma was so deep-rooted in him that he would start tearing up if he heard the background music. And Taehyung—gorgeous in every way-was looking at him with a myriad of sad emotions.

"I'm sorry," Jimin apologized again.

Finally, Taehyung's expression shifted to a lighthearted one. "No worries. But I shouldn't have assumed. Sorry, I'm just a bit excited. We haven't had a new fledgling in a while."