There's a special phenomenon that occurs when people are trying too hard to be quiet, and they somehow manage to make even more sound than when they aren't trying.

At this very moment, a group of individuals displaying said phenomenon is tiptoeing around you, whispering to each other in voices that are not whispers.

"You're being too loud," breathes who you think is Jimin. "She's going to wake up."

"Impossible. I'm the best whisperer." That's Jin for sure - and he's not even trying. His voice is only a little raspy, like he thinks the change of clarity equals a change in volume.

It doesn't.

Lying back in the reclined tattoo chair, you keep your eyes squinted closed, pretending that their excessive volume didn't wake you the second they opened the door.

You were so happy and peaceful, napping alone in the empty back room that Jungkook frequents, left to yourself while he was off working with Namjoon.

The break was much needed after all of the stress you've been sunk in, trying to find your cousin.

After the collapse of your father's gang, Jisoo seems to have dropped off of the planet. Her phone number has been disconnected, and you have no inkling as to where she might be. You're worried sick about her, desperate to hear even a single word just so you know that she's okay.

It's hard to sleep at night, and not only because of Jisoo.

Because of Taehyung, too.

That's why this nap break was so incredibly wonderful while it lasted.

Now all you can hear is muffled snorts.

Your head aches, missing the sleep.

"Okay," another voice giggles. Hoseok. "You got it? Ready?"

A quiet snap, and then you inhale the sent of permanent marker.

Oh heck no.

They're going to draw on your face like six year olds.

You explode into action, throwing yourself off the chair and past the three bodies circling you. Jimin gasps at the sudden burst, and Hoseok lets out a spectacular squawk of indignation.

You catch Jin in the ribs with your knee. He screams like he's dying, falling dramatically to the ground so that his head bangs onto the floor.

He pushes himself up into a sitting position.

"You're not the best whisperer," you say to him. "You're the worst whisperer in the world."

Jin gasps and falls back again, laying flat on the floor and staring through the ceiling to the heavens.

"This is the end," he whispers in a whisper that's finally a real whisper. "Take me away from this life. I don't want it anymore."

You're not sure if he's saying that because of the pain in his ribs, or because he's been dethroned from his delusional seat as the Overlord of whispering.

You don't really care, either.

Whipping around, you turn on Jimin and Hoseok.

Jimin is the one holding the permanent marker in his hand, his cute eyes wide like a startled deer's.

Hoseok is trying to muffle the blinding brightness of his grin. He's got his hands at the ready in front of him, like he's preparing to be tackled by a linebacker.

You. You're the linebacker.

"I'll give you two options," you tell them calmly. "One: I call Jungkook in here, and he beats the crap out of you. Two: you draw mustaches and unibrows on your own faces, and then leave me alone so I can sleep."

Jimin's bottom lip trembles in a beautiful rendition of a child's pout. "Y/N," he whines. "We have customers later."

"Then you better draw really well. Who wants a tattoo from a guy who can't even draw a good curly mustache?" Unmovingly, you cross your arms. "You have five seconds to decide. Five, four, three-"

Hoseok and Jimin share a single glance.

Then they both spin on their heels and tear out of the room.

"Cowards!" you yell after them.

As they sprint down the hall, they have to dodge to the side when Jungkook steps out of another room.
The three are almost entrapped in a monumental collision, but Jungkook's quick reflexes allow him to flatten against the wall in time to not be bulldozed over.

One black eyebrow arches high as he turns to watch Jimin and Hoseok escape to the storefront.

He rotates back to you, all beautiful golden skin and coffee-stain ink in the late evening light. "Problem?"

"Just working on my business," you say.

Jungkook's eyebrow raises even higher. "You have a business now?"

"Sure do," you reply cheerfully. "Rat extermination."

He laughs, covering the distance between you in a few strides of his long legs. He's almost to you when you feel a nudge at the back of your calf.

Glancing down, you find a third rat slinking it's way out of the room.

"Pardon me," Jin mumbles as he crawls by you on his hands an knees. "Just a lowly rodent passing through. Pay no mind."

You let him go, watching him shuffle on all fours past Jungkook. As he passes, Jin looks up into Jungkook's amused face.

"Careful in there," Jin mumbles. "Her kneecaps are like knives. So pointy."

He shudders before continuing his trek down the hall.

When Jin disappears around the corner of the hallway, Jungkook joins you back inside the tattoo room.

"Hi, Princess." He puts his hands around your waist and give you a gentle kiss.

The softness of his lips and the pleasantly cool press of his lip rings make you smile in bliss against him, returning the kiss with all the warmth and love inside you.

Being with Jungkook is just that - bliss.

This sweetness that spirals between the two of you outweighs all the frustration and anger that persevered through the start of your relationship.

Even though he still makes comments that make you want to chunk him out of another tree, more often than not he's sweet and soft.

He likes to sit with you in silence as he works on new sketches for his tattoos, and use your lap as a pillow while he naps. He wants your commentary as he plays video games with Jin, and your laughter when Namjoon is trying to learn a new recipe in the kitchen.

When it rains at night he buries his face into your shoulder, but manages to fall asleep.

Jungkook's lovely, and you love him.

You push him away gently, careful to not disturb the mostly-healed portion of his shoulder and chest.

Even though it's been several weeks since the night of Taehyung's rescue and your father's death, Jungkook's wounds are still a bit sore and painful. His upper chest and shoulder are a jagged mess of scars and bruising, but you're thankful he came away from it with all of his vital organs and bones intact.

"You aren't going to ask what happened in here?" you hedge curiously.

Jungkook grimaces, biting at one of his lip rings. "I don't really want to know. Thanks for the offer."

Patting your head, he moves around you and begins to prepare his workspace for a client. You watch quietly as he works, arranging the sterilized instruments and wiping down the counter spaces.

You ask, softly, "Have you seen Taehyung today?"

Jungkook pauses mid-wipe. His eyes shift towards you, wide and dark and sad. You can feel the fear brimming behind.

Sighing heavily, he tosses the cleaning wipe into a waste bin. "I did earlier. He was here, but I think Namjoon hyung took him home to keep an eye on him."

You consider this, leaning back against the wall with your arms crossed. "I haven't seen him in a couple of days," you admit. "We keep missing each other. Was he...well, did he look any better?"

Jungkook rolls his bottom lip between his teeth, seemingly thinking hard about his response. It's painstakingly obvious that he's trying to phrase bad news in a good way.

Eventually, he looks at you with careful eyes.

"Y/N," he says, "-I don't think he's going to get any better."

The answer doesn't surprise you because deep inside, you knew. It's a knowledge that festers inside you, infecting you with the parasite called guilt that feeds on your hope for something better.

Taehyung isn't going to get better.

In the weeks since he was tortured, he's become a body absent of spirit, absent of mind. He drifts through the halls of wherever he's placed, watching the blank floor as if it's the only thing he can see.

He hasn't spoken a word to anyone, not a single word. He won't look anyone in the eye.

Taehyung barely sleeps. He barely eats. He's losing weight at an alarming rate.

You're all watching him die, slowly and miserably.

And you don't know what to do.

You'd like to say that time and love will heal the cracks in the shattered remains of him, but there's something in the vacancy of Kim Taehyung that feels decidedly permanent.

His body is the only substance left to him.

You have to wonder if his mind is gone completely, or trapped in whatever prison the trauma has created in him.

And it's your fault.

If you hadn't found them, or loved them, or tried to keep them, then Taehyung would be his happy and hale normal self.

"Stop." Jungkook takes your face in his hands. "I know what you're thinking, so stop it. Every one of us made choices that led to this happening. It wasn't you."

His thumb traces over your cheekbone, where a new tattoo of a cross sits in your skin.

You had it done as soon as Jungkook was able, proof that you've borne the cross of your father's sins just as much as any other man in the Bangtan Boys.

You're a part of them now, through blood, sweat, and tears

Jungkook's admonishing centers you. You breathe deeply, resting in his embrace.

This is your happy place.

Your calm place.

The place where you belong.

You rest your head on Jungkook's shoulder and close your eyes.

"I hate you," you murmur into his chest.

He chuckles and kisses your forehead. "Liar."

"Canoodling time is over." The rough voice edges between you and Jungkook, pushing you apart so that you see Yoongi standing in the doorway.

He flicks a strand of his newly-dyed mint-green hair out of his eyes and peers at you. "Got a phone call for you at the front desk, Y/N," he says.

"For me?" You blink, befuddled. "Who is it?"

Yoongi smacks his piece of gum. He's traded the cinnamon-flavored chew in lieu of his cigarettes. "Dunno. Some girl. Said she's your cousin?"

Your heart stops beating.

Your eyes shoot to meet Jungkook's.

At a fast clip, you slide past Yoongi and jog for the phone at the front counter. The curly cord tangles in your fingers when you grapple for it, almost dropping the ear piece while trying to lift it.

"Hello?" you breathe into the phone. "Who is this?"

There's a moment of silence where you feel like your heard might bound completely out of your chest.

Then, "It's me."

It's her.

"Jisoo," you almost cry. "Where have you been? I've tried to call you for weeks! Why haven't you-"

"Y/N," Jisoo says. Her voice is firm, demanding. "I need you to promise that you won't try to contact me again. You can't. Do you understand?"

"What?" You look up in a panic. Jungkook and Yoongi have followed you, waiting on the other side of the counter with anxious, tight faces. "Why? Are you in trouble? I can help you, Ji, if you'll just tell me where you are."

"No," she hisses quickly. You recoil a bit, startled by the harshness in her tone. "Do not come to find me, Y/N. Things are different now."

"I know they are. I helped change them." Maybe Jisoo doesn't know what all has happened. Maybe she's just scared and confused by the disarray that's surely settled in among your family.

You continue on, trying to relay to her the new hope. "We're free now, Ji! My father is gone, and so is Seoungmin. We can do anything we want! We can-"

"We can't." Her voice isn't harsh anymore. Now is ragged, and softly miserable.

"Why not?" you whisper.

"Your father is gone, but mine isn't. He's taken over where Uncle Song left off." Her voice has gone deadly quiet. "And I wasn't raised like you, Y/N. You weren't expected to be involved like I was. Like I am."

Bile boils like lava at the back of your throat. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not going to marry my dad's successor," Jisoo burns. "I am the next successor. I am what Seoungmin was to your father - a Boss-in-training. A right-hand man. I'm expected to take over as Boss the moment my dad decides is best."

You open your mouth to say something, anything, but no air moves through your throat. Because you've killed your father and Seoungmin, you've catapulted your precious cousin into the very place you were trying to escape.

Your father's gang hasn't scattered; they've reconfigured and reorganized.

And they've put Jisoo at the helm.

You're at a loss.

"I can help you," you say. "I can- I'm with a group now. We can help get you out, Ji. You just have to tell me where you are."

For the first time, you can hear Jisoo's smile in her voice. "I heard about your new group," she says. "You liar. You told me you hadn't met Jeon Jungkook."

Jungkook's gaze meets yours.

"They're different, Jisoo," you sigh. "They're a family. They're my family. I want you to be here, too."

There's a pause across the line, one that gives you a sense of excitement, and makes you think that your cousin is considering

Then, "Do you remember that one day that Grandfather took us to an amusement park, Y/N?"

The subject change bewilders you, but you reply anyways. "Yes, I remember."

"It was so hot that day," Jisoo laughs. "-and we both wanted a popsicle. But when we got to the cart that was selling them, they only had one left. Do you remember?"

"You let me have it," you say slowly. "So what? What does that have to do with anything?"

Another short silence, then Jisoo murmurs, "You have no idea how bad I wanted that popsicle. Really, really bad. But I wanted you to have it more."

Your throat tightens. "Ji-"

"You've always been the most important person in my life. I'd give you anything I have, no matter how much I want it, because I'll always love you more." Her voice is shaking, just the slightest bit. "And I'd take any punishment if it means keeping you safe. They'll kill you if they see you again, Y/N. You or any one of your boys. I'm not getting out any time soon, and you aren't coming to get me."

She's decided.

She's decided to hide from you.

"Please, don't." Your throat is thick and hard, like cement has solidified around it, and you can feel the tears finding their way to your cheeks. "Tell me where you are, Jisoo. Please. I can get you."

"You tell those boys to take care of you," Jisoo says. "Stay safe, Y/N."

You try to say her name.

She hangs up the phone.

As the dead line buzzed against your ear drum, all you are able to do is stare at Jungkook and Yoongi across the counter.

They both stare back.

"What is it?" Yoongi asks. "What happened?"

You've doomed your cousin to a lifetime of violence and guilt - that's what happened.

Even thought the thought plagues your brain like a shower of locust, the words refuse to configurate on your tongue.

And there's a tingle of awareness that says someone is watching you.

You turn your head, looking out to the clear glass of the front door, where you entered and changed your life only a short while ago.

A pair of hooded, somber eyes stare back.

"Taehyung?" you question in a breath.

He glides in through the front door, moving like a specter.

He hasn't looked straight at you since his night of torture, but now he focuses directly, oppressively on you.

Taehyung's gaze weighs a thousand pounds, hammering down on your with a bitter force that takes your breath away.

You're caught up in the broken agony of him.

The door opens again. "Sorry," Namjoon mumbles, seeing the three of you at the desk. "I was taking Tae home, but I forgot my wallet in the..."

Taking in the heavy silence, Namjoon narrows his eyes. He visibly gathers himself, preparing for the worst. "What happened?"

Taehyung is still watching you. It's the first time he's looked at anything but the floor in weeks. Everyone in the room has grown quiet and still, as if you're doing your utmost to not scare off a skittish, wild animal.

But Taehyung doesn't speak.

He only looks at you for a moment more, then turns his hollow eyes back down to the floor.

The sodden atmosphere dissipates.

"Jisoo called," Jungkook says to Namjoon. His eyes haven't strayed from you since you picked up the phone, a burgeoning since of concern stirring in them.

"She said not to look for her," you choke. "She said they're forcing her to take over the gang, and that she doesn't want me to come near her."

You're going to collapse. Your entire being is going to cave in on itself, and you'll slowly be compacted down and flattened until you're nothing.

"Ah," Jungkook says. He comes around the counter and folds you into his arms.

Your pieces start to knit back together.

"Why are you freaking out?" Yoongi chortles. His untoward inquiry makes your eyes squint into a glare.

He glares back, creasing there teardrop on his cheek. "She said she didn't want you to go find her. That doesn't mean we can't go find her."

"She said for you to stay away, too," you snap at him.

"She's not my cousin," he sniffs. "I don't have to listen to her."

Namjoon steps forward, holding his hands out as a barrier between you and Yoongi.

"Let's everyone calm down a bit," he says. "Y/N, don't worry, okay? We'll help your cousin."

As always, Namjoon's heartful, capable smile fills you with a sense of ease. His voice is strong, supporting, and he gives you something steady to hold onto when you're drifting out at sea.

"You'll help her?" you ask. "Really?"

"She's your family." Hoseok comes around the corner, smiling like he doesn't have any worries. There's something large and square in his hands. "And you're our family. So of course we will."

Behind him are Jin and Jimin, peeking in with support written across their faces.

As gratitude wells up in you, you tighten your hold on Jungkook's waist.

He presses into you, and says, "You're ours now, remember?"

"Exactly." Hoseok trots around you all, standing in front of the center wall that displays tattoo sketches and pictures. He sets down the massive board he's carrying and starts to take down sketches from the wall.

"What are you doing?" you ask, tilting your head.

Hoseok clears a fairly large portion of the wall and then turns, hefting the rectangular board as he huffs, "I'm putting our new centerpiece on display."

With a final heave, Hoseok lifts the board into place.

It's a large print of a photo, where a boy and a girl are twisted into each other's arms, their eyes locked onto the other with glowing intensity.

Down the whole length of their bodies twines a tattoo, flowers dancing delicately along a twisting vine. The ink flows from the boy to the girl, so they indefyably connect.

You stare at the photo of you and Jungkook, speechless.

Yoongi lets out a low whistle, and Hoseok stands back with his hands on his hips to observe his handiwork.

He grins, holding out his hands. "Perfect. Welcome to BB's!"

It's crazy, staring at the tattoo that started this all.

"Brings back memories, huh?" Jungkook laughs, and leans down to whisper in your ear, "Welcome to BB's. Is it your first time with us?"

You grin back at him. "You know how I feel about my fresh starts."

You kiss him.

He kisses you back.

The rest of your family groans.

You ignore them.

And, for this moment, you are happy.

[The End]

[A/N]
Extremely Unedited

Sorry this is so late, guys! I have a lot of family issues going on at the moment, things that are made about 1000 times harder because of the pandemic, and I also wasn't satisfied with this chapter so I rewrote it, like, three times.

This will be the last chapter of Blood Ink! Sorry it's kinda rushed and not awesome. Trust me when I say when one problem arises, a whole flood of them follow, so I haven't gotten to spend the attention on the epilogue that I wanted to.

I hope you enjoyed anyways! As always, thank you so much for reading and supporting Blood Ink throughout the years!

I love y'all!

❤️PB