Scentless

TIME TO HEAL

"Meaningless worries, for a moment. Lay them down, for a moment. Let's enjoy it among ourselves, the little island in the middle of the blue ocean that we reminisce about together." – Telepathy – BTS

Days pass slowly as Yoongi heals and learns more about what happened in the aftermath of the fight against Wraith. Despite his injuries, Jungkook had carried Yoongi from the underground labyrinth. He'd stayed with Yoongi the whole way back to the hospital, surrounded by the others. Yoongi had been unconscious for nearly a week.

Seokjin had made sure that Yoongi's mother was well taken care of. She was stable, in an induced coma to prevent her from hurting herself and allow the doctors to do as much as they could to keep her alive. Whether or not the pup would survive was uncertain. The strange wolf curled at her feet rarely left and, while Yoongi knew they must come and go, they never did so while he was awake.

Each day, Sire's proteins in his blood decrease. He's still denied visitation with Jungkook, but that's not the worst of it. An unexpected side effect had presented itself. As Sire's claim on him weakened, he began to crave his presence. It made him feel like a monster. How could he possibly crave the presence of someone who had done such terrible things to him? He'd been reluctant at first to tell the others about it, but when Taehyung confronted him about the things he was uttering in his sleep, he decided to speak up.

Namjoon, concerned about the development, began researching what even the doctor couldn't explain, but he struggled to find any answers.

Yoongi wondered if Hoseok might be able to shed some insight, but he'd yet to see the green-eyed alpha. Hoseok was kept busy, spending most of his time helping interrogate those who survived the ambush. Yoongi would be lying if he said he hadn't missed the cheery alpha's presence, but he understood why Hoseok wanted to help. He wanted to help the northern wolves find peace, and since they couldn't leave until Yoongi was no longer a danger to anyone, Hoseok may as well do what he could.

But it still hurt that the alpha had yet to come back from wherever he was to see Yoongi.

Despite the absence of Jungkook and Hoseok and the strange need to have his dead father around, he's never really lonely and rarely alone. Every night, one or more of his future pack mates sleep tucked around him in the tiny hospital bed. And every night, he contemplates asking Namjoon about the mating bite. Only, he never has the time alone with him to bring it up.

Besides, why would he want you? You're a pawn at best, and a burden at worst.

He tamps down that voice. He knows it's wrong. Knows the seven of them belong together. But it's hard to fight years of belief that he doesn't deserve to be loved.

On the day he finally resolves to ask Namjoon, he has a rather promising exam with the doctor. His body is practically healed, though he still has to keep in the IV. It contains a solution that helps flush out the foreign proteins in his body. He wouldn't mind so much, he wants the cravings gone as soon as possible, but the solution makes him woozy and lightheaded most of the time. After the exam, the doctor leaves, forgetting to open the curtain between Yoongi and his Mother's bed yet again.

Slowly, Yoongi rises to his feet. He's unsteady, but he makes it to the curtain. He pulls it back, relief that Mother is still there washing over him. He steps up to her bed, smoothing back her hair.

I wish she would wake up. She's the only one who can truly understand what I'm going through. The only one who might know what to do. She was there. She knows what it was like.

He brushes a finger over her sharp cheekbone. She's still thin, but some of the color has returned to her cheeks.

Probably because of the IV.