Taehyung's POV

Strongmuscle(jungkook):
When you arrive at the company, go to my studio instead of yours
I showed her my mattress and she started snoring as soon as she laid down on it
I knew it was a good idea to buy it
None of you believed me, but deep down, in my heart, I knew
I have won once more
All these mattresses are finally going to be useful 😈

I huff while shaking my head. He didn't need to tell me, since the colours have been giving me an update every once in a while, which included the moment she stepped inside Jungkook's studio instead of mine.

While I would have loved to know her in my private space, it still makes me happy to know that she could find comfort somewhere safe after the morning that she had.

When she was with Namjoon and Bang Si-hyuk, the colours let me know almost in a live commentary as her energy level would drop with every passing minutes. Namjoon translated every documents for her since she struggled with the legal jargon, but it didn't make this any less exhausting for her.

That's why I offered to go to a strawberry farm when he called. I mean, the colours whispered the idea to me, which I then repeated aloud, but the result ended up being the same either way.

Y/N apparently loves strawberries. Like, really, really loves them. The colour, the shape, the taste, the aesthetic, all of it. She doesn't express that love outwardly because she doesn't want others to make fun of her, but I learned that she has very cute strawberry themed clothes back at her old home.

<She doesn't feel pretty. Her self-confidence is bad->

<-bad vision of self, sad. Doesn't believe she can look cute>

<Mirror doesn't reflect what she sees in her mind>

<Self-love is low->

<-very low self-respect. Needs help>

The colours' voices communicate in a song-like melody as they let me know more about Y/N while I walk inside the company's lobby to reach the elevator, which will hopefully bring me up to a sleepy soulmate.

She slept in Jungkook's bed last night with Jimin clinging onto her like a cuddly bear, and I had to leave before she could wake up this morning. That means I couldn't cuddle with her, nor could I turn on the light to see her sleepy face before going out.

I remove my mask with a sigh, then nod to the employees who notice me, though most of them are too taken into their ongoing tasks to care that I'm standing near them. There's no time to waste in this industry, and they all know that. A job half-assed is a job lost.

<Nightmare. Nightmare. Nightmare->

My heart skips a hard beat as the sudden and alarming information begins to resound from the colours, and Jimin's username appears in my notifications. I rush to the elevator faster, not bothering to respond to the salutations of another idol group as I step through the open doors to press on the button of my studio's floor.

Cutieface:
Urgent. Are you at the company yet? I'll message Yoongi and Jungkook otherwise

Me:
I'm in the company's elevator, going up right now.
The colours started saying nightmare over and over again
Is it Y/N?

Cutieface:
Yes, hurry
Her soul turned so dark all of a sudden, I'm scared
If she doesn't cry when she wakes up, let me know
It's really not looking good, Tae

Me:
Heading to Jungkook's studio
Text you later

I run out of the elevator as soon as the doors open, then reach Jungkook's door in less then ten seconds. I type in the code, then push it open before stepping in with my heart beating loudly in my ears, my eyes frantic as I look for the light switch.

<To your right, higher, press>

The lights turn on with a click, and I turn to the corner where I know the mattress is, Y/N's shape hidden in a bundle of blankets, silent and unmoving. I could easily believe that she's peacefully sleeping if I hadn't been warned beforehand.

<She needs to wake up. Wake up. Wake up->

Not taking their words lightly, I rush to the mattress, then climb onto the blankets until I can reach her. Now hovering over her, my stomach pressing on hers as I cup her face between my hands, I can see more clearly the way her lids twitch madly, her chin quivering as lines of sadness crease into her skin.

I can feel the way her body twitches, almost fighting against my weight so she could curl up instead.

"Y/N," I whisper as I gently move my thumbs over her lids, down her temples and across her cheeks. "Wake up, my sweet honeybee. You have to wake up, baby."

I keep caressing her face like that until the crease in her forehead softens, the twitch in her eyes slowly calming down until they can finally open to stare at me, my weight pressing on her a sensation that grabs her attention only because of the discomfort. Honestly, right now, anything is good if it means I can bring an end to her nightmare.

Her eyes open wider as she realizes where we are, and who I am. "Taehyung?" she murmurs, confusion flooding her face as if she truly has no idea why I'm here. "Did I sleep through our date? Is it too late to go to the farm anymore? Did I ruin everything?"

I slowly shake my head, not ready to move off her just yet. Why would she ruin anything?

"You did not sleep through anything. We still have plenty of time to head to the farm, I just got here myself. What did you dream about, baby?"

She stills, her breathing suddenly coming to a stop as she figures out that I know more than she hoped for. "It was nothing. Just a dream. It was the usual, really, Taehyung. Nothing you should worry about."

<More than just a dream. A nightmare about fears>

I purse my lips. "Was it a nightmare? You looked like you were about to cry when I came in."

This is a lie, of course. More than about to cry, she looked like she would have crawled within herself if she could. As if she would have taken the first opportunity to hide from the world, even if it meant pulling at her skin until there was nothing left of herself.

Her eyes meet mine at those words, her bottom lip bitten between her teeth as she resists the obvious sheen of tears. "It was a silly dream, I already forgot all about it. Seriously, I'm fine, I promise."

I want to insist so badly. I want to tell her that she can talk to me, that she can tell me anything. That I'm here to ease her burden, and that I would never judge her, no matter what she tells me. Instead, I simply smile and nod my head before pushing myself off her.

"If you're sure, Y/N. Are you excited about our date? The colours told me that you love strawberries, so I thought it would be a good place to go together."

Her facial lines soften at the mention of the sweet fruit, relief from an easier subject to talk about, and delight for something that truly owns a piece of her heart. To think that I would have to fight against a fruit for her love. Fate sure does strange things, sometimes.

"I'm really looking forward to it, Taehyung. I've never gone to a strawberry farm before, I can only imagine what the berries taste like when they're freshly picked from the source."

She slowly pulls herself into a seated position, blankets falling down her shoulders as she touches the wild strands that have fled her ponytail. "I'm sorry, I must look like a mess right now. Is there a bathroom nearby that I could use before we leave?"

I help her to her feet as I stand from the mattress, then open the studio's door to show another further down the hallway. "Right over there, you'll see a sign on the door, to your left. I'll wait for you here, so take your time, alright?"

She nods sheepishly, then hurries to the door without another word. As promised earlier, I lean against the wall before getting my phone to send a message to Jimin. I'm sure he's been anxiously staring at his phone since earlier and I don't want to make him wait any longer.

Me:
She was clearly having a nightmare, but she denied it when I asked and swallowed her tears
She went as far as to pretend she forgot what it was about
What's the state of her soul right now?

Cutieface:
So she did...
Thankfully, waking up to you made her soul clear up significantly, so that's good
I'm still concerned about her avoidance, but there's no use forcing the subject if she doesn't want to talk about it
Thank you for reaching her side so fast, Tae

Me:
Of course, I was already on my way so the timing couldn't have been better
I'll make sure she has an amazing time at the farm, so she can forget all about that nightmare
I'll bring her back home with a smile on her face and a basket full of fresh strawberries 🫡

Cutieface:
If anyone can do this, it's you, Tae ☺️
Don't forget to take pictures!
Love you 💜

Feeling better about this and with a new goal to accomplish, I patiently wait for Y/N to be done in the bathroom, feet tapping on the floor and fingers dancing on my thighs, the melody of the song for the ad I've been working on this morning echoing in my mind.

It's catchy for sure, and it was a lot of fun to sing with the other artists. I can't wait to share it with my soulmates once it's officially released.

When the door opens and Y/N comes out looking slightly more confident, her hair no longer a wild sleepy mess, I smile and wait until she stands in front of me before I pull her tightly against my chest for a hug, an act that takes her aback as much as she welcomes it. I wish I could absorb some of her pain that way.

<Makes her feel better, don't let go>

I squeeze my arms tighter around her shoulders, enough that she can't help but melt in my embrace, her nose hitting the junction of my neck as her head falls against my chest. I can almost physically feel the relief that settles into her soul, and hearing the colours' happy sigh says all I need to know.

"I'm happy to spend this time with you, honeybee," I murmur softly into her hair. "I was really looking forward to being alone with you, so I'm glad that you agreed to this date with me."

"So am I," she replies softly, her breath on my skin causing a shiver to rise up my spine.

"I want to spend alone time with everyone at least once so I can get to know you better, but I get the feeling that it's going to be hard to achieve. Oh- just so you know, I'm not complaining. You're working hard, even I can see that. It's just that I feel like... a pet dog you have to carry around just so it won't become too lonely and depressive, you know?"

I purse my lips at her words. "So what you're saying is that you feel depressed when you're left on your own, but not when you're with us?"

"Hm... when I'm with you, my heart feels lighter and... alive, I guess. When I'm alone, I always feel this heaviness, like I'm drowning. I keep breathing, but it's like breathing mud. Not a single inhale feels enough, and I slowly asphyxiate. I keep breathing, but at the same time, I'm not. It's... I don't know how to explain it better. I just know that I don't feel that way by your side."

I shake my head slowly, hand caressing the hair at her nape, brows furrowed. "You're explaining it well, I understand what you're trying to say. Would you like it if we made it so you're always following one of us depending on our schedule? I can't promise that we would be able to spend a lot of time with you, but we would always be in the same place, at the very least."

Her shoulders tense a little under my arms. "Wouldn't that be a burden for you, though? I don't want to get in the way of your work... and besides, people don't know me as your soulmate, yet. What if that ruins the reveal event?"

I hum in thought. "That would not burden us at all, Y/N. We could say that you're our new assistant... but then that means people would ask you to do all sorts of jobs when we work in public settings, which I don't really like for you. As our soulmate, you deserve to be treated as such, and no less."

She pulls back to stare at me, and I regrettably release her from my embrace, although I do leave a hand on the curve of her hip. She tilts her head to the side, lips jutting out slightly, and it makes her look so adorable that I would pull her right back in my arms if it wasn't for my self-restraint.

"What sorts of tasks would be asked of me? Because I'm good at carrying things around, since that's my job. Or was? I know that Namjoon didn't buy a plane ticket back to Canada, the email mentioned that it was a one way trip. Am I here to stay? I don't know what you guys have planned for me."

The suddenness of her questions makes me bark out a laugh. So she knows? Namjoon has been losing hair over this issue ever since he bought the ticket. "It all depends on what you want, honeybee," I muse as I gently cup her blushing cheek with my other hand.

"If you want to head back, we can certainly arrange that for you. You just need to know that our bond will not like the distance, and it might affect your mental state even more than it used to. Your depression... I think a lot of it has to do with your bond having taken too long to connect with us. That would explain why you feel better when you're with us, and worse when you're alone. It's probably going to take a while before you can feel fine on your own."

"Yeah... I figured as much," she says with a sigh. "The problem is that my rent will go through next week and I haven't worked in a while so... money is tight, honestly. I need to figure out what to do with my apartment. If I keep it, then I need to work so I can keep paying rent, but if I officially move here, then I need to head there so I can grab my belongings."

"Don't worry, we'll figure out a way. We can talk about it at home when everyone's done with their work," I reassure her. "For now, how about we simply enjoy ourselves and head to the farm? I called and managed to reserve the space for ourselves, so there won't be a soul other than you and I - and the owner, of course."

Her eyes light up the same way a light bulb does upon switching it on. "I'd like that. Thank you, Taehyung, for helping me to figure this all out. Do you know if we're allowed to eat the strawberries as we pick them? Because I simply cannot resist them when they're looking all juicy and plump."

Gazing at my soulmate's silhouette brings me a similar sensation of complete adoration, so I understand her more than she would ever know. The guys and I are already weak for her, after all. She could order us around with a single sway of her pinkie and we would proudly do anything she asks of us.

"You can eat as many of them as you want" I say with a chuckle before offering her my arm, which she accepts with a shy smile. "I asked someone to move my car to the private parking lot, since there are always fans camping at the front of the building for a chance to see their idols. They might not all be our fans, but they wouldn't waste time to snap pictures and post them online".

She makes a soft sound. "Yeah, Namjoon had us enter from there this morning, he said it was safer that way. People have already begun to work on the event, so it would be a shame if it ended up not happening. I want to see how it turns out. I really hope that your fans enjoy it, and that they can welcome me warmly as your soulmate."

I kiss the top of her head as we wait for the elevator's doors to open. "I'm sure they will. Our fans are really fun and loving, once you get to know them. There aren't many people I trust more than them, so as long as you respect them, they'll protect you too."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. I know we kind of scared you with the bad side of the fandom, but you need to know that it's just a minority. True ARMY fans will come to cherish you the same way they cherish us, they're just going to need some time to warm up to you, that's all. That's why the event is such a good idea."

She nods her head. "Yeah, I'm glad Hoseok shared that idea with me. That man... Bang Si-hyuk. He looked like he had grand expectations from it, too. He was nice to me. He made me feel like I was already part of the family, and it felt good."

"That's because you are part of the family."

She smiles shyly, gaze turning down in her timidity. "Yeah... I guess that's true."

The elevator opens at this moment, and I gently pull her aside as TXT's leader walks out on his own. It's rare to see him walking around the building without his members by his side. His eyes light up at the sight of me, only to widen when they fall on Y/N.

"Hyung! Is this your new soulmate? We heard from our manager that some of the event managers are putting together a team for a new reveal event, they're all so excited to get started that it got us looking forward to it too," Soobin says before holding out a hand to her. "Hi, I'm Choi Soobin, from TXT. It's nice to meet you."

"O-oh! I'm Y/N, it's nice to meet you too" she replies with a blush back on her cheeks, her posture tensed with nerves.

He grins before releasing her hand. "You don't have to be so nervous with us, noona. We're all family, here. We look up to our BTS hyungs a lot, and any soulmate of theirs is a friend of ours. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask me, alright?"

He then turns back to me. "Hyung, we're recording our new album today. I learned that Yoongi hyung participated on our main track, I heard it for the first time yesterday and it's so great! Can you thank him for us? They're waiting for me, so I can't stay here."

I nod my head, then ruffle his hair, which makes his grin widen proudly. "I'll let him know, he'll be happy to know that you like it. I'm looking forward to the release, work hard until then."

We both watch as he runs down the hallway, and I press on the elevator's button again, which thankfully makes the doors open right away.

"That must have surprised you," I say with a chuckle as we board the empty room. "Soobin and his members are great kids. Yeonjun is a year younger than you, and he's the oldest of the group. Don't hesitate to say hi when you see them around, they'll be thrilled to talk to you."

"O-okay... I can try," she mutters bashfully. "I'm not used to that kind of positive reaction, honestly."

My smile widens as we lower to the main floor. "You'll get used to it. It was intimidating for me too, at first, but you slowly get to know the people working here, and then they suddenly feel like family. A lot of them have seen us grow into the BTS that exists today. They shared our dreams and hopes when things were going well, and did their best to protect us when things were hard. The company wasn't that big, back then, though. It was a lot smaller when we first started."

She looks up at me as the doors open before us. "I read about it a little, on the net. You went through a lot, and it's why your fans are so protective of you. It's... fascinating to me, the love they have for you, and the love you have for them. It's not like anything I've seen from other celebrities in the world. No one has such a strong bond with their fans. Not like this."

I smile at her, a finger tapping softly against her nose. "I see you've been studying, honeybee. I just know that we love ARMY, and that ARMY loves us. They've been through a lot of hardships because of us, and we owe them everything. Our success wouldn't have been possible without them. You'll understand as you get to know them."

I guide her through the building, feeling a surge of pride when others stare at her with wonder, or when they grin at the sight of my arm possessively around her waist. I want everyone to know that she's ours, and that she's off limits. I know, she's ridiculously adorable, but she's our baby and I won't have anyone trying to take her from us.

We reach my car without meeting any complications, and her eyes widen when she sees the expensive vehicle. Obviously, I had the windows tinted so I would get some cover when driving around, but it feels even more important now that she's here.

"Have a seat," I muse as I open the passenger's door for her, watching as she does so shyly, her eyes widening at the large screen covering more than half of the dashboard. The leather seats have both heating and air conditioning in them, so she can adjust her own comfort knowing that it won't affect mine.

I close the door carefully, then hop into the driver's seat with a grin. "You can play with the settings here to adjust the temperature. You can move your seat with the buttons on your door, you can take a moment to play around," I explain, stretching over to show her where they are.

She can incline the back, but she can also get more support by advancing the area beneath her knees. I honestly bought it because I liked that my seat could fit the shape of my body, instead of my body having to fit the seat.

"Wow... That's the most comfortable I've been in a car," she mutters as she rests her head against the back to see if she likes the support it offers. "I don't feel cramped at all, it's nice."

Her plush thighs sit nicely on the leather, an inviting sight for my hands. I bet they would feel so soft under my fingers... I close my eyes and take in a deep breath to steady myself. Don't scare her, Taehyung. Don't let the bond make you do stupid things.

"Are you okay?" she asks with a concerned frown. "Why do you look like you're in pain?"

"In pain?" I repeat, before chuckling to myself. "I guess I am... but it's because you're so cute, Y/N. I can't get enough of you."

She blinks in shock at my answer, her entire face turning red. She parts her lips, but no sounds come out at all. It makes me laugh more, and I pet her hair softly before starting up the car with the press of a button.

"See? The cutest girl in the world. Just look at you. I just want to bite into your cheeks, I bet they'd taste like cinnamon buns. That rosy colour-"

"Oh, Taehyung! Stop it!"

"Fine! Can I at least hold your hand? My heart is a wreck. Can you hear it weeping inside my chest?"

"Just hold my hand, Taehyung... I barely understood that last sentence."

I smile proudly as she bashfully offers me her hand, and I grip it tightly before driving us out of the parking lot and to the farm out of the city and a few towns over. These two hours of driving are going to be fun.