JIN POV:

There's definitely something going on. Something hidden from all seven of us when (Y/N) begins to call out that she'll be returning late, those words becoming a pattern that repeats itself without fail day after day. And always she manages to slip out before any of us can ask questions, using the enhanced speed to rush out just a tad bit quicker. And I'm sure I'm not imagining the way that the door seems to seamlessly follow, fluidly shutting with a soft click that is almost deafening with the triumphant nature of the gesture.

And it's not only me who notes as day after day she slips back home, door silently opening to let her in when it's long since turned dark and everyone's eaten- there's always at least one or two of us waiting for her to come. Some days the hours stretch late into the night before she appears, sometimes it's all of us in the living room when she toes off her shoes and trudges in.

And yet there's never distress seeping into the bond, no negative emotion that seems to indicate that wherever she's spending her time, she's hurting and hiding it away from us- there's nothing out of the blue save for the slight exhaustion that begins to seep in and is physically witnessed in the way she comes home, eyes fatigued and body drooping with the need for sleep- eyes a soft glow of red.

And there's also something infinitely pleasing about the way she clambers onto one of our laps, curling into us as her eyes flutter- fighting the urge to fall asleep straight away as she talks about her day, asking us about ours as her fingers lightly pet or play with our clothes, run absentmindedly over skin. Or when even though she's had dinner it takes little fuss to get her to drink one of the soothing teas Hobi's made or easily allow herself to be pulled into the cuddle pile the maknaes have formed on the plush carpet. Or even the way whoever's lap she's on she allows herself to be scooped up and taken to bed, shifting closer before she drifts off asleep, always ending with a soft murmur 'love you' or another sweet choice of words that leave us to silently gush over her.

But perhaps the most satisfying by far is when she comes home and makes an immediate beeline for me, burrowing herself into me as she wounds her arms around my waist- head resting against my chest. 

"Long day little one?" I ask, discarding the book I'd barely been focused on anyways to scoop her close, pressing small kisses to her head and to her cheeks, smiling when rather than giggling as she always does, she sighs and melts into my arms. 

She mumbles incoherently against my chest, lips brushing against the fabric.

"Let's get you to bed." I murmur, standing and teleporting us straight away to my room- the walls of the living room melting away and becoming the decorated ones of my bedroom.

I set her down, smiling when she tries to maintain her grip on me.

"You need to change." I say softly, handing her a large shirt, watching as she sleepily grasps it, I turn around to give her privacy and when she calls out sleepily that she's done, holding her hands out for me to take as we slowly walk to the bathroom so she can wash up.

And when we're under the covers, she curves inwards towards me.

And in silent invitation tilts her head back, exposing the slender curve of her neck towards me- the marks of the others still remaining vividly against her skin.

I lean my head down, nosing gently against her neck until it brushes her jugular vein, a breathy sigh leaving her when I slowly kiss the skin there, lips unhurried and languid as I lather my affection over it, lips parting so my tongue can trace over the spot, giving long slow licks over it- unable to hold back the smile when she shifts closer. And then my teeth slowly tug the skin between them, scraping ever so slightly as I give small teasing nips- bond burning with pride and the sweet feeling of possessiveness that my arms are full of pliant sleepy baby mate when she whimpers, my teeth biting down. I suck at the skin, hard and harsh- drawing out sleepy whimpers when she relaxes, sagging in my arms as I keep the pressure on the skin which will be decorated with my claim. And then my tongue darts out to lick over it, to soothe the sting, pressing a flurry of a dozen of light kisses there before leaning back- the soft glow of the room illuminated the glistening shiny spot I've marked her and the way I can see it turn a darker red.

There's something so soothing, powerful and comforting about the way leaving my mark on her has made her a fuzzy, warm mess in my arms, pliant as she allows me to manoeuvre her close, tucking her head under mine, breathing in her thick sweet scent, her hand rising to rest against where my heart is that my instincts sing with satisfaction, preening at having our baby mate so close, so sleepy and drowsy and cuddly as she drifts to sleep in my arms.

And yet even as we wake up, the pattern of behaviour continues- one week merging into another, days passing by in a blur of her only ever being present for breakfast and then late at night.

It's become such a habitual pattern that everyone has taken to rising early for breakfast, so that we can share one meal in the day as a complete coven before she vanishes, the others who don't even have lessons at all that day trudging sleepily into the kitchen just so we can all witness the moment where she bounds in, energy restored as she flits around- our butterfly as she hurries around, showering kisses and hugs and warm words of greeting as she goes.

Tae, Yoongi and Hobi who'd taken to vocally complaining they don't share lessons with her are perhaps the most brightest and happy to see her for those moments in the morning, tugging her to sit with them, between them as they feed her and they in turn happily let themselves be fed, eyes burning red with satisfaction, the clear signs of satiated instincts because when they feed the sweet, languidness is reflected in the way they tenderly suckle, cradling one of our mate's in their arms.

And still we have no idea where the days go, where she goes and what it is that's draining her.

And everyone has voiced their worries and concerns over dinner, over moments when it's us in small groups- depending on who's home at one time. And yet when any of us voice whether or not we should ask Kookie is always the first to refute the idea immediately.

"We don't need to. If she needs space and time then she's allowed it. And besides, we can always sense if she's hurt or not happy- the bond has never spiked up with those emotions." He says, voice its usual softness and yet firm, a deeper understanding and maturity in his words- something that pushes him to say that to all of us. And I see how the dynamics of having a full coven has caused a slight shift, that whilst the rest of us have adjusted with the knowledge of having another young mate to take care of, for Kookie it's his only young mate- the only one he dotes on and worries over.

So if he's not fussed about pushing her to divulge such information, then I realise we don't have to either. That unknowingly Kookie has taught us a valuable lesson.

(Y/N) POV:

I feel guilty. Terribly so. Because the sudden green light for the exhibition meant that everything demanded attention, everything was a flurry of activity, of rushing from one place to another. Of fussing and debating over this detail or that, of talking about what the layout should be and what order the paintings should be displayed in. It's a rush of heading to lessons and then talking business with Ryan oppa and Deok-mi unnie, of sneaking in mouthfuls of food between conversations because there's no designated meal time.

And because of that I couldn't spend as much time with my mates.

Before I'd found my mates, the Ims had been the ones taking care of me- Gyeomie who'd waited up at night so he could make sure I made it home safe, had drunk the hot chocolate he'd made for me before tugging me to bed so he could also make sure I slept.

And they'd known why I'd been so occupied.

It only becomes harder because my mates don't know that I'm Amparo, that the reason I'm so busy is because I'm organising an exhibition behind their backs.

I'd even be at home early evenings had they known. Would've used the space at home to continue planning and being on long phone calls and having heated discussions. And perhaps not have been so pent up had I my mates at hand to cuddle or curl into as I worked.

There was a fine line between organising and descending into a mad panic and I was toeing it too much these days. I also tried to keep my emotions from welling up inside, panicked that they'd seep into the bond and let the others know that there were days were I just wanted to throw the paperwork out the window and scream and other days where examining the paintings in great details so I could create the small hand-written descriptions made those memories surge up and all I wanted to do was shrink away from them and cry.

There was this conflicting need of wanting to be strong for myself and therefore for my mates, the need to rise up and be a survivor from the incident- to prove that it couldn't have a hold on me and then the need of just wanting to seek them out and letting myself be vulnerable and hurting in front of them- trusting them that I'd be comforted and soothed by them.

And yet it seemed all it took was Ryan oppa to tug me aside, a private conversation between the two of us as he'd broken down and apologised for that day, again, his own memories stirred up by the sight of the paintings. That's all it took to trigger my own tears, for the two of us to clutch at each other as we shook- the image of the pained, hurting boy coming back to mind- like it often did from time to time still in nightmares, where I'd wake up thrashing and searching for him and it took the arms of my mates to bring me back, to remind me that it had all happened and I was here...surviving and living.

That it had brought out all the insecurities and hurts I had regarding the exhibition, highly conscious of the fact that my mates would see this, that they'd see these paintings and I didn't know how they'd react, how they would see them. Which made the anticipation that much worse and the ability to spill the truth from my lips that much harder.

I'd come close to...several times and yet each time something had held me back. Most of the time from within me and occasionally when the others disturbed the moment to say it, and those words would die unspoken on my lips.

And so I get off work early, too emotionally wrought to be focused.

And when I enter the nest, I barely have time to bend down to toe off my shoes that I hear the hurrying patter of footsteps and look up to see Joonie oppa rushing towards me.

His arms immediately fly to wrap around me, tugging me close and straightening me up so he can hug me tightly, head nestling into the crook of my neck to breathe in my scent- trying to calm himself down from the very physical panic he's in.

"What's wrong?" I ask, hands wounding around his neck, gently stroking at the skin, thumb rubbing back and forth.

He lifts his head, expression incredulous.

"You tell me! The bond was drowning with your sad emotions, it felt devastating." He says, noting the red-rimmed eyes and tearstained cheeks.

He stops, hands coming to cradle my face, finger tracing under my eyes as he peers intently at me.

And even though the others pile out, expressions equally distraught and worried, he shakes his head, tugging me up the stairs behind him.

"I'll bring her back in a bit." He calls as he leads me up to the rooftop garden.

And as he tugs me into the refreshing calm atmosphere of the garden, he turns me to face him.

Eyes closely examining me.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"It's just...it's just." I start helplessly.

He doesn't rush me, push me to speak.

"It's just I met with Ryan oppa and we were talking about that day, and it just got a bit too much." I confess, breath wavering and shaky.

He sighs in understanding as he brings me close, warm embrace bringing me safety and respite as he holds me.

"Patience. Don't ever try to push yourself to heal quicker- that's not how it'll work. So make sure you're always patient with yourself." He says, cradling my head towards him.

I nod, feeling the pressure I'd been exerting on myself ease off, that balloon of emotions welling up deflating rapidly with his words. With that silent unspoken reassurance that they would always be here, that there was no hurry.

And when he clearly asserts for himself that it doesn't worry me anymore, he gently cradles my head, shifting us so that I'm positioned against a wall covered in greenery and with new blossoming flowers, the tendrils of the plants shifting to give me space, winding around me- loosely brushing across my face.

I gasp when he tilts my head back, lowering his lips immediately as he kisses the skin above my collarbone, teeth nibbling slowly as he tugs the skin into his mouth, tongue flicking over it as he begins to suck a mark onto me. His teeth are painfully slow as they release my skin, the gentle breeze brushing against that spot of heat where I can the slight wetness from his tongue. But then his lips descend onto the mark, slowly kissing it, open-mouthed kisses where his tongue continues to flick across it teasingly. And when he leans back, his eyes are burning a soft red.

"Always want you happy. That's all." He murmurs.

And he happily brings me in for a kiss, lips soft and plush against mine as he expresses that again silently.

And when we return downstairs, the others are quick to draw me in to give their own silent reassurances, that whenever I choose to confide in them they're there.

And when Kookie tugs me into his arms, the last one to give me a greeting kiss and hug, he leans to whisper in my ear.

"Whenever you feel scared, feel things are getting too quick. Stop and think. That this is my time. I'll go at my pace." He says, voice soft as he gives those words of comfort to me.

I nod, leaning back into his arms.

Joining them for dinner for the first time in weeks.

And as we all sit around the table, talking and eating.

I think...why did I ever fear them? Fear what they'd have to say?

And it's with Yoongi oppa giving me a small squeeze to my knee under the dinner table as he piles more food on that I realise for another time. That I'm so lucky to have them as my mates.

That the universe gave me seven gifts.

And they're ones I'll cherish with my life.

(THERE YOU GO! A LITTLE TIME-SKIPPY CHAPTER BUT HOPEFULLY IT WAS STILL ENJOYABLE TO READ AND THAT YOU ENJOYED SEEING THE WAY THAT WHEN SHE'S NOT THERE, THEY STILL FRET AND WORRY FOR THEIR BABY MATE. BUT EVEN SO RESPECT HER DECISION AND GIVE HER SPACE. BUT! THERE'LL BE INFINITE AMOUNTS OF CUDDLES TO COME AND SO MUCH GUSHING TO COME WHEN THEY'LL EVENTUALLY REALISE THAT SHE'S AMPARO! LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS MY LOVES! AND WE FINALLY HAVE ALL SEVEN MARKS ON HER! THERE WAS GOING TO BE AN EXTENSION TO THE SCENE WITH JOONIE BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WOULD BE TOO SOON AND TOO MUCH PENT-UP DESIRE AND PLEASURE= SO I YEETED IT OUT. OOPS! ANYWAYS...STAY SAFE AND TAKE CARE! THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH FOR THE 230K READS MY DARLINGS; YOU'RE SUPPORT AND LOVE IS OVERWHELMING! I'D BE LOST WITHOUT YOU!)

They say eyes are the mirror to our souls, because our eyes are so expressive, so beautiful and so full of meaning and emotions. That even if we can change our actions and control them, we can't control what our eyes reveal. Our eyes always tell.

Borahae! 💜💜💜

PurpleQueenie <3