HOBI POV:

It's two days after our talk that I find myself being tugged by (Y/N) to someplace in the house, I follow along eagerly but the sweet shy voice that comes out as she asks me to come with her makes me all the more willing. I'd go anywhere for her, with her.

And I'm surprised when we find ourself outside her safe space but she tugs me in, turning to shoot me a soft smile.

"I want to decorate with you." she says, leading me over to where one end of the room there's art supplies already waiting, tins of paint sitting there with brushes perched on the top.

I stop. She turns to look at me with confusion.

"You want me to decorate your safe space?" I ask, hardly daring to believe it, feeling my soul exult and bubble up with giddiness, fizzing and bright.

She nods.

"I want a piece of all you in my safe space. Look...there's what Tae and I did last time." she says, gesturing to two areas in the large open space. I turn to see a mixture of vibrant colours alongside soft pastels and on the other end a wall splattered with paint and handprints. I tilt my head.

"What happened there?" I ask, pointing out the handprints, one distinctly larger than the other two- clearly showing whose is whose. And am pleasantly surprised when she bits her lip and slides her eyes away, and I know if she'd have fed her cheeks would be coloured rose now.

"Umm...that was Tae and I chasing each other." She shares.

The words send a rush of thrill through me.

Would I have the chance to chase her too? To run after our baby mate and set those instincts soaring free as I ran after her, determined to catch her in my arms.

It gives me a pleasant shudder to dance across my spine.

"But I wanted our one to be special too." She murmurs.

I have the beginnings of an idea forming in mind but we need a third person to make it happen.

"Do you mind if I call someone else? They need to help us with something." I ask.

Her head tilts adorably and her eyes flare the slightest bit of red with interest and intrigue and she nods.

I lean forward to kiss her quickly, a quick pressure of soft lips against my own and then I'm hurrying away, calling over my shoulder that I'll be quick.

I return with Kookie in tow, dragging his confused self eagerly behind me even as protests and questions keep bursting out of his lips.

And he's surprised when we reach (Y/N)'s space, feet halting.

But when she appears in the doorway, she takes his hand and leads him inside.

Eyes roving with a look of awe and amazement as he bounds in, easily following the gentle tugs and guiding hand of (Y/N) to rush towards her, face split in an adorable bunny smile.

"Hobi oppa said he needed you to help him with something." She says once we reach our spot again.

"Kook-ah I need you to trace something for me." I say.

He looks confused, so does (Y/N).

"Why do you need me for that, (Y/N)'s an art student- she knows how to trace way better than you hyung." Kookie teases.

"She can't trace herself can she." I say proudly.

The two of them startle.

But I already know what I want to do.

I step closer to (Y/N), sliding my arms around her waist and tugging her close to me, smiling when her hands land on my chest in surprise, peering up at me with eyes that have begun to go red- shock bleeding into them.

I lean forward, closer and closer and smile when I see the flustered look that grows on her face, eyes widening even as she tilts back- not knowing where this is going. She tilts back until the point where our hips are close and nearly flush and yet her torso arches prettily, her neck exposed enticingly and hair falling down.

"There." I whisper even as my head hovers close, leans in further.

"Kook trace us." I murmur, keeping a careful hold on our mate, hand splayed across her back to ensure she doesn't get uncomfortable in this pose, holding her steady.

Her hands are still on my chest, clutching tightly at the fabric and her chest rises and falls with the habitual breathing movement, lips parted in surprise and eyes fluttering slightly.

I smile down at her.

Kookie's frozen.

"Kookie trace us." I say again turning to see his eyes turned red, falling onto the two marks on her- one of the crook of her neck and shoulder and another on the delicate skin above her collarbones- pupils dilating with satisfaction.

I smile fondly at him because a few moments later he shakes his head and with flushed cheeks hurries forward, delicately outlining the pose we're in onto the white wall behind us, fingers deftly and easily sliding across it and drawing the shape of us onto the blank canvas the white wall poses as.

And all this time he does so, his fingers and hands flutter, brushing against our skin as he makes it an accurate outline, small fluttery touches that make the feel of our baby mate in my arms that much more irresistible. She's still staring at me with surprise but her eyes have softened and her hands fist the fabric tightly, tugging me forward almost teasingly, eyes glittering with mischief.

My eyes widen before narrowing.

"Baby...stop playing." I warn.

Kookie huffs at me for shifting.

"Stay still Hobi hyung." He chides, intently focused on the task at hand though I can see the curve of his lips as he fails to hide his smile.

It looks like we have two teasing babies as mates I muse. And the feel of (Y/N) shifting under my touch is so pleasing, and I can see her throat bob when my eyes narrow onto the claiming marks, wanting to leave my own.

No sooner then Kookie is shouting 'done' triumphantly that he steps away and we straighten, the shift in movement bringing her tantalisingly close, lips a hairbreadth away from mine and ever so slightly she leans forward to brush them against mine before stepping back, shooting me a wry smile before turning to Kookie.

"Thank you Kookie." She says, surprising him with a hug but he's all to happy to scoop her close and breathe in her sweet scent before stepping back. Waving at us as he leaves, door shutting and leaving us alone again.

She turns to examine the outline, humming happily when she notes how precise it is, how he's caught every slight wave of her hair and the delicate curves and lines of her and me.

I step behind her, wrapping my arms around her as I stare at it.

"I wanted to make a silhouette of us. And fill the space around it with colours." I mumble.

She twists in my arms to turn to smile at me.

"I'd like that. And the pose reminds me of when you took me dancing." She says, turning to focus on the outline.

The words bring back the heady intoxicating memory, of her flushed state and thudding heart and sweet smile as she pliantly allowed us to guide her through dance moves. I feel my throat tighten.

"Uh yeah. I wanted it to be something we had a great time doing with you." I say, not expecting the watery sheen to her eyes.

"Don't you like it?" I ask, turning her towards me and hands cupping her cheeks.

She shakes her head.

"I love it, sorry just a bit emotional." She mumbles, ducking her head so she can swipe at her eyes.

I hold her close.

"It's okay. Baby steps." I murmur.

She nods.

"Baby steps." She echoes.

(Y/N) POV:

This isn't baby steps. Not the way he's rushing after me with a look of alarm on his face, eyes widened as the ladder teeters, unstable and I feel myself shifting, falling backwards, lips parted even as no sound comes out.

I clench my eyes shut, bracing myself for the fall, for the painful collision with the ground but that doesn't come. Instead a pair of strong arms encircle me and hold me protectively towards a firm chest, ladder no longer teetering.

I blink my eyes open to see him looking at me with a mixture of relief and fear, eyes wide and red- panic still thrumming through him.

I let the squeezing feeling of fear seep out, comforted by the fact that he'd moved quick enough to stop me from falling.

He gently lifts me up, moving me off the ladder as he sets me down, shooting a red glare at it before turning to me.

"What happened?" he asks.

I recall the sudden light-headedness that had sent the brush in my hand going lax as I painted the upper half of our work, the sudden stumbling of my feet which caused me to unbalance and how with awful timing the ladder seemed to shake with me, losing its steady footing.

I have to blink a few times to get rid of the dark spots entering my vision, blink them away so I can see the deepening frown on his face.

"Why didn't you tell me you were feeling fuzzy?" he asks.

I look at him confused.

And yet his description perfectly describes the blurred vision slightly and the sort of .floaty feeling.

"Your instincts are pushing you to feed." He surmises and gently moves me over to sit on the floor, leaning back against an unmarked part of the wall.

"You need fluids. And something sugary too." He murmurs and as he says it there's a sort of shifting sound and I see him move over to a fridge on one end, and some cupboards that I don't recall ever seeing.

He retrieves a bottle of coconut water and some chocolate heading back to kneel in front of me, unscrewing the cap and handing it over- eyes carefully watching as I splutter against the taste and grimace but under his attentive eye makes me down over half the bottle before he looks slightly appeased. He unwraps the bar and brings it to my lips, watching me as I bite off a chunk and chew, face attentively observing me.

"Why coconut water?" I mumble.

"It's naturally got a lot of vitamins, electrolytes and other minerals that'll help your body." He replies.

And I realise his choice had been made as a healer.

It takes a few minutes but the fuzziness has faded and I shift to get up, smiling at the way Seokie hovers nervously, hands fluttering about.

And yet it seems like that moment of fuzziness was momentary because it doesn't appear as we finish the painting without incident, and his worried demeanour melts to reveal his bubbly loud exuberant self.

And together Hobi oppa and I finish up the painting, of a sensual pose- him holding me intimately close and head hovering over the curve of my neck, hips close to each other. The silhouette is surrounded by a sunset background, oranges and yellows and reds merging and blurring to create a picturesque view and even as we're splattered and streaked with paint I can't help feel a flutter and burst of warmth everytime I look at the painting.

How I'll always look at the painting and remember today. Remember every moment of it, from the way his hands seem to scorch my skin to the gentleness he'd taken care of me.

This painting captured the memories of it all.

-----

I shift unhappily in my bed, unable to go to sleep. Why as it so hard to? Especially with how tired I was feeling and yet sleep continued to evade me. I twisted to see the time glaring back at me. Early morning.

And yet despite my fatigue I felt restless, felt bothered with the way my mind felt like it was cocooned in something warm and soft and yet felt dull, I felt fuzzy again.

Making my mind up, I push back the covers and slide out of bed, staggering slightly and grabbing hold of the bedside table to support me as I tried to get my balance back. And after a few long moments I straightened, slowly making my way to the door and pulling it open.

I pad out into the hallway and wonder where is it I should go. Who should I go to? And who is it that I want comfort from right now?

There was this sort of restlessness that made me feel jittery and this sort of feeling that my throat was closing up. I slowly move down the hallway, feeling my feet sink into the soft plush carpet and yet I don't stop outside any of the rooms, don't find myself turning to any of them and sliding in with the hope of gaining comfort and sleep with my mates. Instead I find myself walking up, heading to the rooftop garden and stepping out into the early morning chilly air, shivering as it brushes against me even if no goosebumps erupt across my exposed skin.

And when I reach the bench I'm surprised to find Yoongi oppa sitting there and he looks up and smiles at me, patting the spot next to him.

"I wondered if you'd come." He murmurs when I sit next to him. He shifts to get up and wrap a blanket around me and him, bringing us closer so he can hold it shut around the two of us.

"How'd you know?" I ask.

"I had a gut instinct. And I felt this restlessness coming from you all day." He murmurs.

He'd sensed something in me that I hadn't even been conscious of.

I turn to face him.

"Is there something you want to say darling?" he says, voice soft and gentle, the term of endearment slipping off his tongue easily.

I shift uneasily before reaching to tug his hand between the two of mine, needing to feel how secure and firm his touch is, wanting to again set asleep the worries I'd had since I'd woken up.

"You're not hurt are you?" I ask.

"I'm not. What's brought this one? What's really going on?" he murmurs, shifting so he can tug me closer, pulling me onto his lap easily.

I shift before turning to face him, meeting his eyes.

"That night..." I begin.

His other hand comes to rest on the two of mine.

"Take your time." he reassures me.

I take in a deep breath, hearing the cold vicious words come slithering back.

"That night...as he pinned me to the ground. He...he was delighted I fought back. Happy that I struggled." I begin, feeling my throat threaten to close up, feeling the pain and fear of that night come flooding back.

Yoongi's lips brush against my forehead, I lean into the touch desperately, feeling some of the panic ebb away when it seems to make me relax.

"He talked about you....he talked about how you fought back more. How...how he thought I'd stolen you away from him." I confess.

Yoongi oppa stiffens for a moment before he continues to focus on me, small light pecks to my forehead making the fear ebb away before it can even surge properly.

"And how you'd always belong to him. And I realised he was the same man who'd hurt you, realised that I struggled because I wanted to be alive, wanted to make sure you were safe and free from him. And as he dug his fingers into me I had to tell him that you'd never be his, that you would never be trapped by him." I speak.

I feel the hatred for that man well up in large crashing waves that roll over me, threatening to drown me in that feeling of resentment and bitterness- realising that I can feel it coming from him too.

Yoongi oppa holds me close.

His voice comes out hoarse and pained and yet still unbelievably soft.

"I don't belong to him, not now not ever. I belong to you all, to my mates." He murmurs.

I shake my head.

"You will always belong to you Yoongi oppa. We're just the lucky souls who were blessed to have you." I say, twisting so I can cup his face, see the vulnerability in his eyes even as he leans forward, our heads pressed together.

"You are your own person." I murmur before leaning to press a kiss softly to his lips.

I lean back.

And here it comes. That moment of truth.

"I want...I want to feed from you Yoongi oppa. Because my last thought as I lay there was that I was so happy you survived him, so proud to call you my mate. And that when I woke, you were the one I first saw, first craved to see. So if you'd allow me to, I would like you to be my first feed." I say, feeling exposed and vulnerable as I wait for his answer, for his response.

His eyes flutter shut slightly but when he focuses on me again, they're burning red and he surges up to kiss me- the touch of his lips gentle and soft and sweet as he presses chaste kisses to my mouth.

And then leans back, mouth splitting into a shy sweet gummy smile.

"I'd be honoured." He says.

(THERE YOU GO! WE HAVE HOBI AND (Y/N) DECORATING WITH THINGS THREATNING TO GET A BIT HEATED AND THEN WE HAVE YOONGI AND (Y/N) HAVING A HEART-TO-HEART ON THE ROOFTOP GARDEN IN THE EARLY HOURS BEFORE DAWN WHERE THINGS ARE SAID AND I GUESS BOTH OF THEM GET THAT CLOSURE OF SHARING THOSE LAST MOMENTS BEFORE SHE WAS CHANGED. SHE NEEDED TO TELL HIM AND HE NEEDED TO KNOW THAT SHE WANTED TO SEE HIM. AND YES! HE WILL BE HER FIRST FEED! EVERYONE WHO SUGGESTED GYEOMIE- I GET ALL YOUR REASONINGS BUT IF THE FEED IS FROM A MATE IT HAS A DIFFERENT QUALITY- IT'LL BOOST THEIR BOND TOO AS WELL AS HAVING A QUICKER AFFECT BUT THAT TOO WILL HAPPEN! AND PERSONALLY YOONGI WAS WINNING OUT FOR ME BECAUSE HE TURNED HER, BECAUSE THERE WAS THIS UNRESOLVED GUILT HANGING OVER HIM AND THIS WAS THE WAY OF GETTING RID OF IT IN A HEALING WAY! I HOPE YOU ALL LOVED THE CHAPTER AND ENJOYED IT AS MUCH AS I DID WRITING IT! I LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND STAY SAFE!)

Our bodies are soft, breakable, and able to be hurt but as long as we have strong hearts and souls there's no injury that can truly leave a wound that holds us back, holds us down.

Borahae! 💜💜💜

PurpleQueenie <3