Devour

Too Late

Jungkook had missed the weight of his necklace around his neck. It reminds him of his mates and of their scents. Today's he's even wearing his silver rings for the extra effect.

The tattoo parlor he works in is always busy. He isn't an artist yet, but he hopes that eventually he'll be more than the kid at the front desk. Most of the customers are familiar faces at this point. There are a lot of them that come for far too many consultations with the main artist and owner, Yoongi, than to be normal. Jungkook has suspected that there may be drug dealings involved, but he doesn't care in the slightest. It's not his job to snoop.

"Where have you been?" Yoongi asks Jungkook the second the shop slows down.

"Sick," Jungkook answers without looking up.

"Right," Yoongi says with a click of his tongue. He leans against the front desk and Jungkook can't help but feel intimidated. Even though Yoongi has never been muscular, he always emits a sense a power that Jungkook never understood. "Where were you really?"

"I was sick," Jungkook repeats more firmly.

"Then when you'd have time to buy that new charm for your necklace?" Yoongi asks. Jungkook curses the elder for being so observant. "Or get those hickeys peeking out from under your shirt?"

Jungkook fixes his shirt to hopefully hide his guilt. "Please don't count it against me."

Yoongi smiles in triumph. "I won't, but I want details."

"Hyung!" Jungkook exclaims. "Isn't that a bit personal?"

"We're friends aren't we?" Yoongi says.

"Yeah," Jungkook replies. He rubs his forehead.

"Then you'll take my advice?"

"Sure."

"Don't hang out with people that keep you out of work for two days and leave that bad of marks," Yoongi says. "I've seen that type. It doesn't end well."

"Hyung-"

"No really Jungkook." Yoongi's seriousness isn't something Jungkook's seen before. "People who do that shit aren't good for you."

"They didn't mean any harm," Jungkook explains. He opens his mouth to continue but Yoongi cuts him off.

"They? How many's they?" Yoongi asks.

"It doesn't matter," Jungkook sighs in frustration. "Just, I need you to trust me. I know what I'm doing."

Jungkook takes Yoongi's hand in his as an act of assurance, but the second he touches the elder he retracts his hand like his been burned. Jungkook stares at him curiously. He sees red welts forming on Yoongi's skin and realizes he was burned.

"I need to get back to work," is all Yoongi says before he trods off.

Jungkook looks down at his hand and his silver rings. It clicks in his head in a matter of seconds. He whips his head around to where Yoongi disappeared. Vampire or werewolf, Yoongi would've smelled Taehyung's pack on Jungkook.

Jungkook curses himself for being so stupid all the time and pulls out his phone. He stares at the screen for a moment. His first instinct was to call Taehyung and Jimin, but did he really need to? Yoongi is Jungkook's friend. He has been for years, long before he started working for him. Did Yoongi being a supernatural being change that? At most, Jungkook's angry that Yoongi's been lying to him.

The rest of the day, Yoongi avoids the front desk. He doesn't come to chat during his breaks or tease Jungkook when the regulars flirt with him. Jungkook feels horribly guilty for making the older feel the need to avoid him. He can't blame Yoongi though. Jungkook likes to hide too.