Fateful (book 1 of the OT7 series) ✔️

Chapter 9

On the car ride to the hospital, Yoongi turned to Aerin and asked, "Did Tae get what he needed for his sketch?"

"I think so. It's frustrating that I can't remember more. I should've paid more attention to more details."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You did great. So what else did you guys talk about?"

"Not much, just mostly Tae telling me stories about you boys."

"Tae? I didn't realize you guys would be so close after an hour together." Yoongi said accusingly.

"He told me to call him that! Plus he's way too bright and cheerful for such a long name. 'Tae' suits him to a tee. Don't you think so?"

"Don't tell me you're one of those girls that have fallen for his looks?" Yoongi said with an eye roll.

"I'd have to be blind not to notice his face, Yoongi. The man is built like a Greek God, but I was talking about his personality, thank you very much. Besides, he's not the only hot one around anyway. You are ... I mean, all you guys are hot and you know it, so don't even start."

Oh my God. Did I just almost tell him that he's hot? Aerin gave herself a mental pat on the back for her cover up. She squeezed a glance at Yoongi and saw he had a satisfied expression on his face. "What?"

"Nothing." Yoongi said with a cheeky smile. "When you're right, you're right."

Embarrassed, Aerin looked out of the window for the rest of the car ride.

When they entered the hospital room, Namjoon had been joined by Jin and Jimin, who were talking with Jungkook. Namjoon was sitting by Miki's bedside by himself. They greeted Yoongi and Aerin as they came in.

Aerin made her way to Miki first, and was pleased to find her looking better than the previous day. She then made her way to the boys on the other side of the room to say hello. They all visibly flinched when they say her black eye and Aerin once again shot Yoongi a dirty look, who pretended not to notice with a small smile on his face. 

"How are you feeling Jungkook?" Aerin said.

"I've been better but it's definitely an improvement over being dead. And please call me JK or Kookie. Thank you so much for protecting me yesterday - I don't know what I would've done without you."

Uncomfortable with the thanks, Aerin joked with a wink, "No worries. I've heard these boys threaten to kick your ass. Call me if you need more protection."

Jungkook laughed and seemed to relax at the joke. Yoongi drew her attention as he said, "Aerin, do you want to speak to the doctor outside to get an update on Miki's condition?"

Aerin nodded and excused herself out of the room.

"Ok boys, now that she's gone, what's the update on tracking down this lowlife?" Yoongi said, as his face turned serious.

Jin piped up, "So far we know he's definitely local. Apparently he's been asking around town for background info on us and the agency so he's been planning this for some time. He's been good at covering his tracks but the tattoo will give us a lead. Hopefully that will pan out for the next few days. In the meantime, JK, Miki and Aerin will need to be protected. Yoongi, you had Aerin last night, so one of us can take over tonight."

"No. Aerin stays with me." Yoongi said firmly.

The boys stayed quiet waiting for an explanation, but Yoongi didn't offer any.

"Oooookay then hyung. Let us know if you need any help." Jimin finally said, breaking the silence.

Yoongi nodded just as Aerin came back to the room. She went to her spot on the couch as she started reading again. The boys spent the next 2 hours with Jungkook. Aerin noticed they spent most of that time teasing him, but it was clear they all loved each other. She could tell by the ease they have with each other and the frequent shows of affection - an arm around someone's shoulder, the way they slouched over each other, how they ruffled Jungkook's hair. It warmed her heart to see that these types of friendships existed beyond the usual macho men bullshit.

Eventually the boys came over to bid their farewells. Aerin looked at Yoongi and asked, "Are you leaving too?"

"No, I'm staying here with you tonight."

It was hard for everyone to miss the look of relief on Aerin's face. They said nothing at the time, though it was later analysed and dissected by the other boys on their car ride home.

The room felt quiet after the boys left, the silence almost deafening after the ruckus the boys made talking to each other. Jungkook had fallen back asleep. He must still be exhausted, especially given he's still recovering.

Yoongi sat down next to Aerin and took out his laptop. As he tap-tap-tapped away, they sat in companionable silence. Eventually Yoongi felt Aerin's head slide to his shoulder and her hair tickling the side of his neck. He looked over to find Aerin had fallen asleep. Yoongi carefully reached over to tuck her hair behind her ears and slipped his hand into hers. There was no reason for him to do that but he'd been holding back to the urge to touch her the whole night and he couldn't stop himself. She cuddled herself closer to him in her sleep and Yoongi also leaned his head back towards the couch and closed his eyes.

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Just like the previous day, Namjoon came first thing in the morning and promised to look out for Miki as Yoongi took Aerin home. When they got to her apartment, Aerin pulled Yoongi to her room and she flopped down on her bed to sleep.

He stood by the side of the bed, confused. Eventually he nudged her foot and said, "Aerin, I'm going to in the living room if you need me."

Aerin mumbled something indecipherable into the pillow. Yoongi knelt down and leant in close to her head and asked her to repeat what she said. She put her head up and was surprised to find his face so close to hers. Her cheeks flushed a little as she said, "Can you please stay here with me? I don't want to be alone and sleeping on the couch yesterday gave me a bad neck."

"Here? In your bed?" Yoongi asked with big eyes.

"What's the difference between sleeping on the couch and on the bed? Don't be getting any ideas, Yoongi. When I said sleep, I meant sleep."

"Ok ok, no need to get worked up." Yoongi climbed into the other side of the bed and smiled himself to sleep as he heard Aerin's light snoring.

A few hours later Yoongi woke up, holding Aerin's hand. How does this keep happening. It's like her hand is a magnet or something.

They got up, had breakfast, Aerin went for a swim before they went to the boys' house so Yoongi could freshen up and catch up on work. She would spend the time with whichever boys were home and she enjoyed hearing about their stories. They would then make their way back to the hospital for the evening. This became their routine for the next few days.