JIMIN POV:

A part of me slowly tears itself apart seeing   (Y/N) have to put up this indifferent cold mask. I can see the cracks in it, can see just how tightly she's holding herself upright, how tightly she tenses herself, how she forces every emotion behind a barrier. A barrier that to Chul and the world might seem impenetrable, to the world it'll seem solid and firm. But I can see how frantically she pleads for it not to go crumbling, can feel the emotions raw and agonising swirl through the bond. The moment one of the eight links had snapped- I knew it had been her. It had been that sudden and forced detachment, of trying to separate herself from the living connection, trying to make herself hardened and cold. It had also been the snap of her emotions; of every restraint finally being destroyed, finally letting go of her control.

And it tore me to see her paining, trying to hide her compassionate, sweet nature. Trying to harden herself in front of a monster like Chul. Because she didn't want to show him any weakness, show any side of her that hurt and was hurting because of him.

She sags against Joon hyung, trembling and shaking and doesn't make a single sound, just burrows into his arms, and tries to almost hide from the scene, try to merge herself within him and seek refuge in him. And he shoots the rest of us a troubled look, even as his arms tighten around her.

The plan was horribly scary, could've gone wrong in an instant. And though we've succeeded, maybe all the thoughts and worries and fears that had plagued us had come to haunt her now, at the completion of it.

"Home. Can we just go home?" Kookie says, breaths shuddery and strained, words coming out as if it's laboured. It makes (Y/N) flinch, trying to curl in on herself, limbs folding in on herself- physically trying to maker herself smaller in Joon hyung's arms.

Jin hyung nods.

"Home." He says, voice slightly hoarse- eyes burning red as he takes in the state of the two youngest.

Home. 

Away from this nightmare. From the reminder of just what we had put at stake today.

We'd put everything on the line. And it didn't fail to hit me with the force of a tidal wave, powerful and ruthless. That we could've lost everything too.

And then suddenly (Y/N) pushes herself free from Joon hyung, struggling in her quick haste- his hands drop immediately to his side, tensing as if he's somehow done something wrong and no-one can even get a word out because her trembling figure collapses, knees buckling as she hits the ground. Her hands hold herself up on shaky arms, head bowed as she vomits, blood coming back up, back bowed and position extremely vulnerable.

And somehow it's not any of us who move, but Yugyeom-ah who detaches himself from his coven and hurries to her side, running a hand up and down her back, murmuring soothingly to her, voice low so it escapes our ears despite our hearing.

And I doubt I'd have heard it over the rushing sound in my ears.

And then I decipher small sobs coming from our shaking, trembling baby mate.

"So much blood. Makes me sick, makes me scared." She mumbles tearfully, head drooped downwards. Her voice is so rough.

And I know somehow, somewhere along the lines (Y/N) had associated the sight of blood with Chul, had associated the sight of the thick reed fluid with her parents, with her own trauma, with Chul. And that was why she couldn't keep feeds down.

Because whilst her instincts were satiated by it, there was a deep psychologically rooted fear of it. And it made me tremble with anger that Chul had ruined that for her. That he'd made it difficult for her to accept that part of herself.

I don't even realise that Kookie had already moved, sinking onto her other side and that Hobi hyung had startled, jerked forward at the sound of her distress and her fragile state. That unconsciously all of us had moved, even the Ims had paused- bodies tight and frozen, trying to get themselves in control and not rush to  (Y/N) to fulfil those haywire feelings.

And we all move close when Jin hyung ushers us in.

"Yugyeomie why don't you come too?" Jin hyung says, voice slightly shaking but still soft as he looks at the protective curve of his arms over our youngest. There's a jerky nod given in response and the alleyway shifts, melting away as we move- finding myself looking at the familiar walls of our living room.

And the moment the room stops whirling, shifting, Hobi hyung is already moving, kneeling in front of the curved outline of our mate, who hasn't stopped shaking or raised her head from her bowed position.

"(Y/N) look at me." he asks gently.

But he doesn't get any response. No sort of signal or indication that she's heard him.

"Baby try raise your head for me...just a bit." He urges, voice becoming laced with panic and desperation.

And slowly, painstakingly slowly she raises her head, inching it up- almost as automatically responding to the pain her mate transmits, more than her own choice.

Her face is pale, tears welling up spilling over silently, lips stained red.

Her face makes such a devastatingly heart-breaking sight that I find myself torn between rushing forward and being held by a knot that seems to tighten around me.

And that knot holding me back vanishes when she reaches out with a trembling hand for Hobi hyung, an audible choked sound slipping out of her throat.

"I've got you baby, we've all got you. We got him. Your plan worked." He murmurs, arms wounding around her to gently tug her into his arms, cradling her close even as he continues to kneel on the carpet.

She shudders, it wracks her whole body.

"We got him." she mumbles, voice faint but filled with disbelieving hope. Her voice is also raw, faint. And I remember with anger how Chul had his hands around her, how he pinned her to the wall by her throat.

Hate that she had made us swear not to intervene, not to step in until the timed moment. And that we had to wait, feeling her pain but unable to step in. Not yet.

And the shaky, wavery laugh is weak and strained.

But it does serve to make Yugyeom loosen a bit.

"I'll never stop telling you how much I hate you. I nearly died." He grouses when her head turns to peer at him through eyelashes that cling onto droplets of her tears, to the proof and evidence of the aftermath of today.

She smiles weakly when he huffs, and then grimaces when she touches her lips and they come away stained red.

She tries to disentangle herself from Hobi hyung's arms with a murmur of 'need to clean up' but his arms tighten and he straightens up with a fluid movement, arms tightening around her.

"Let me just hold you." he mumbles when she makes a sound of confusion.

And even though we all know she's with Hobi hyung, when she vanishes from sight with him, it makes the bond burn with worry and anxiety.

(Y/N)'s plan had aged us far quicker today than we had in centuries. For once I was truly feeling my age, feeling weary and drained and exhausted.

And it seems like Yugyeom was just trying to be brave and light in front of her, because no sooner than the steps fade as they head up, he bursts into tears- shaking and falling into a kneeling state, head bowed- hands burying his face in them as he shakes.

And Jin hyung even as he tries to provide comfort, has eyes that won't fade back to brown, has a posture that's far too stiff. And Kookie can't stop the small pained gasps of breath that leave him, even as he crowds closer to his same-age vampire friend.

Because we all were suffering. We all were paining. And we were all trying to process that Chul had been caught.

That he couldn't pose as a threat to our covens, to our mates, to Yoongi hyung or (Y/N).

And Yoongi hyung who's cradling Tae who's still a small bat and being held by Joon hyung- who compensates the loss of one mate by trying to be a comfort to the other looks as if he too is struggling to accept it.

That one mad, risky yet ingenious plan had ended it all.

(Y/N) POV:

Hobi oppa gently nudges me to sit down on the edge of the bathtub, stretching out to get a small towel which he dampens and brings back quickly.

His hands are light as he dabs at my mouth, clearing it of the blood and his arms are a supportive weight as he helps me up and cradles me from behind as I try to wash out the taste of the iron tang, murmuring soft words when I shake, when my body shudders and trembles.

"I've got you." he reassures when my hand goes to grip his sleeve, feeling the slight warmth of his body silently confirm that he's still there. That we made it out.

Because I couldn't bear to face myself if the plan had gone wrong and any one of them had been injured or hurt.

It would've been a burden to wear on my soul.

And when I'm done, Hobi oppa draws me back to rest my back against his chest- eyes flickering red as he looks at the reflection of the two of us.

"Is this how you felt when I suggested the plan?" I voice, stomach still feeling uneasy and churning, my fingers tracing over the veins of his hand. The words come out rough and scratchy.

He nods.

"More than that. Because what you were willing to gamble was yourself. And I hated how much your plan made sense. Hated that it had to be in such a way." He confesses.

But his eyes then drop to the sight of my throat in the mirror, looking worse for wear and close to being entirely covered in splotches of darkening marks. My throat feels mangled, breathing painful- brushing against every sore line of my throat as the air whooshes in and out. Talking made me suppress winces of pain too.

But it's clear I'm not fooling him. And when one of his hands come to gently brush across my throat, skimming across my neck as he tries to assess how deep the damage is, it makes me clutch tightly at his hand, the other gripping at the sink- when the smallest touch makes my throat shriek in agony.

He withdraws his hand almost immediately, looking guilty but above that he looks consumed by the rage that makes his eyes burn crimson.

"I wish I could've ripped his fingers off one by one and then torn his hand off his arm for touching you." he says, voice low and dangerous.

I shoot him a weak wavery smile.

"Maybe you still can." I say lightly but my eyes clench shut at the bolts of fire the words send licking up my throat as I speak.

"Don't speak my love. Let's get you a tonic if touch hurts that much." He says, guiding me out of the living room.

"Can I...can I have a jumper or something? I feel exposed." I ask, clutching at his hand when he passes by his room, stilling.

I can't forget the weight of his hands pinning me into the wall, hands digging in where he'd clutched at my shoulders.

I try to forget how painfully reminiscent it is of that fateful night.

He nods, steering us into the room instead, opening the cupboard doors- gesturing for me to pick.

I pick the thickest jumper I can find. Because despite the warmer weather, I feel cold- chilled to my bones and when I thread my arms through the fabric and find it swamping me in a scent that reminds me of home, of safety and of hugs- it begins to thaw at that inner chill.

We return to the living room where I'm greeted by the sight of Gyeomie's red-rimmed eyes, fiddling with a cushion in his hands and his head that bolts upwards when I enter. The others also turn to watch me enter, silently following my small but assured movements as I make my way towards them. Where Tae had been in bat form, he's know shifted back at some point, curled up in Yoongi oppa's lap.

And I don't refuse him when he slides off his lap in a fluid movement and sinks to the floor, gently patting his lap and looking at me pleadingly.

I sink into the cradled warmth of his legs and no sooner than I have made myself comfortable in his hold, as he loops his head over my shoulder is my own lap filled with both Kookie and Gyeomie's heads on either side.

Vulnerable hurting eyes greet me, and I gently reach out to brush my fingers through their hair, scratching lightly at their scalps and massaging.

And watch as the tension bit by bit bleeds from their faces but also from the room, transforming the slightly thick atmosphere with something tentative and hopeful; an airy quality that comes with having the noose around our necks removed, from having the threat taken away.

"Never again." Kookie says after some time in silence.

I turn to look at him.

His eyes are unrelenting as they pin me, hold me captive.

"Never again. Never such a plan and never such danger." He says, voice soft.

I nod, silently promising him. Sealing the thought with a kiss to his forehead, placing one on Gyeomie's too.

I'd say it aloud, but I don't want the room to shift from the new lightness back to a dark, heavy air when I speak and my wrecked throat tries to word it for them.

But Hobi oppa's small sentence somehow does that anyway.

"Jinyoung and Mark are coming. On their way." He confirms with a meaningful knowing look to me.

But the eyes that flare red makes me realise that this darkness will take time to fade. That the shadows Chul had casted in our lives could only be fixed by the light we became for each other, that we became together.

And that it was the only way out.

We could fester in the darkness and lose ourselves and find that he'd won regardless.

Or we could shine for each other, be hopeful that it would change slowly.

But we had to make an active step towards that then.

And the first step begins with accepting the injures he's left on us, on our souls.

(THERE YOU GO! THE BEGINNING OF ANGSTY, PAINY HEALING IS BEGINNING BUT SO IS OUR REVENGE STORY! SO STAY TUNED FOR THAT AND CONTINUE PLOTTING AWAY. TBH I DIDN'T WANT HIM TO MAKE A REAPPARANCE JUST YET- COS HE'S DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE!! AND NOW ONWARDS TO BONDING AND HEALING AS A COVEN! SO THERE'S THAT TO COME! AND IT'S FINALLY SINKING IN JUST HOW MUCH SHE WAS GAMBLING- THAT SHE'D GONE THROUGH WITH THE PLAN KNOWING THAT QUITE POSSIBLY SHE MAY NEVER SEE HER MATES AGAIN. WHICH IS WHY SHE TOLD THEM SHE LOVED THEM...BECAUSE IT WAS A SACRIFICE AND RISK SHE WAS WILLING TO TAKE AND BE FOR THEM. AND FOR YOONGI...POOR LOVE MUST BE HAVING EQUALLY A HARD TIME. THAT THE GUY WHO RUINED DECADES OF HIS LIFE FINALLY HOLDS NO POWER OVER HIM. IT'S VERY RELIEVING BUT ALSO A LOT TO TAKE IN! LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS! HOPE YOU ENJOY! AND STAY SAFE!)

Physical beauty is temporary, beauty of the soul is eternal. Beautiful hearts and souls shine with exterior radiance and overshadow a person's appearance. If you have a good heart and soul, then that's all you need.

Also...just curious because quite a few have asked; would you guys want a face reveal?! And...should it happen- I'm only giving a glimpse. Let me know your thoughts on that too.

Borahae! 💜💜💜

PurpleQueenie <3