Date: ‪October 26th‬
Time: ‪8:12pm‬
Location: Y/n's living room
Mood: More awkward than the previously thought awkward max
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"What the fuck is going on here?"

All eyes shot to the intimidating form of Seo-Joon coming through the doorway. Brown hair and eyes to match, oblong face shape, a tired sort of gaze, handsome, tall and rippling with muscles, Y/n's older brother was intimidating to anyone with a healthy sense of self preservation.

He wasn't a mean person, only very protective of his sister. The man had threatened Jimin's life the first time they'd met, but the young werewolf took an instant liking to his mate's brother. Jimin liked the idea that a strong male that only had her best interests at heart was looking out for her. It was part of the reason he was content with leaving her alone for a day. As long as Seo-Joon was here to protect her, he knew she would be safe.

But now Seo-Joon was glowering at the two men sitting close to his beloved little sister, ready to snatch both their wigs if he had to.

"Oppa!" Y/n said happily, completely failing to read the room. "You're home early."

In an instant his face softened. Jimin looked on, intrigued by the change in attitude as Jackson shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Just as quickly as he'd calmed, Seo-Joon's mood set back to stone. With angry eyes directed Jackson's way, he jerked a thumb at an armchair. "Get over there." His tone left no for no argument and he heard none, the other man swiftly moving to do as he was told.

There was a familiar, bitter mood set between the two of them specifically that gave Jimin the impression this wasn't the first interaction between them. For a second he was satisfied with the knowledge that Y/n's brother was by her side to chase not only unwanted suitors away, but all men who were interested in her. Until he set his attention on him.

He was already a good foot away but Seo-Joon eyed the space as though it were a millimeter. Without being told, Jimin scooted to the very edge of the couch. Really, he would have liked to stay closer to Y/n but his wolf urged for him to move away. After making his mate cry, he'd been made to endure a near constant lecture in his own head. Being told 'watch how a real man does it' and then seeing the positive results of his wolf's talk with Y/n two days ago, he had to concede that He'd been correct all along. Maybe that part of him that recognized her as their soulmate and could sense her feelings was right after all. Go figure.

Jimin was spontaneous, acting before thinking, was obsessed with his mate and was now a self admitted stalker. But he wasn't stupid. Provoking Seo-Joon would most likely end with him in a body bag or Y/n might become upset with him for fighting her brother. The wise choice was to tread carefully and he was well aware of the fact.

"Hey sis." Contrary to his rugged appearance, Seo-Joon's voice, much like his sister's, was small and soft. "Are they bothering you?" His face darkened as his gaze went back and forth between the two men in his living room.

"No, oppa." she replied in a placating tone. "There's no need to worry."

A begrudging sound of acknowledgment came in answer, as if he were upset over not getting to beat anyone up. He strode over to where she sat and sank down next to her, one arm looping over the back of the couch. His gaze went from Jackson, who dared not meet his stare, and to Jimin, nervous but not letting it show.

A very awkward silence followed. The sounds coming from the television were a constant and kept Y/n preoccupied, while the men exchanged glances, varying from threatening to angelic.

Jimin tried his best not to let his nervousness show on his face. Nodding to Seo-Joon politely when his critical gaze inspected him from head to toe. He thought he was doing a lot better than Jackson, who was firmly planted on the edge of his seat. Spine rigid and straight, sweat had broken out across his forehead and the vibe he gave off was one you might find from a criminal being interrogated by police. Seo-Joon stared at him the longest, his glare akin to that of an angry bear.

Animals could sense good and evil in people, and Jimin's wolf only felt good coming from the object of Seo-Joon's ire, leading the both of them to wonder what exactly had gone on between the two of them.

The longer the silence stretched the more awkward the atmosphere became. Jackson desperately wanted to be away from Seo-Joon but refused to budge. He was tired of being chased away from Y/n every time he found a chance to speak to her. She was his first real crush, in fact he would go far enough to say that she was his first love.

For years he'd wanted to confess to her, but her brother had a mystical way of popping up out of the woodwork every time he was about to. On Jackson's last attempt, Seo-Joon had literally dropped out of the ceiling between them, and then when Y/n had left the room delivered the mother of all low kicks to his thighs.

That was a dark day.

90% sure she felt the same way, he still wanted to confess, even if it meant a rejection. He was sick and tired of looking (and feeling) like a complete wuss every time her brother came into the picture.

Seo-Joon, on the other hand, would love it if Jackson would confess to his little sister already.

So he could beat the shit out of him.

How dare he look at his precious sister with those greasy eyes, his head most likely likely filled with all sorts of perverted thoughts. Because Seo-Joon knew. All men knew. They were different, but universally, they were the same. Sex was all they ever thought about, and he would be damned if a guy who couldn't even take a low kick to the thighs without squealing like a stuck pig came anywhere near his sister.

Y/n was a sort of an anomaly. A teenage girl who wanted to study instead of socialize or look at boys. He was glad of that, but the lack of socialization left her a bit on the naive side, and more than a little oblivious. Y/n was cute. And had no idea.

From the age of fifteen he'd been having to fight boys off, threatening them left and right to stay away from his sister. Back in high school no one wanted to argue with the captain of the taekwondo club. The few that did ended up with bruised egos and ribs to match. A couple more challenged him to a fair fight in order to 'prove themselves'. Those he would have been fine with. Reluctant, but fine. If they had beaten him.

Eventually one day his little sister would find someone. And on that day they were going to have to beat him in a fair fight. Whoever that person was, above all else they had to be able to protect her. That was the main thing he wanted for her.

Growing up, she had always been the soft one, while he had been the scaredy cat. If they both got hurt, she would cry because he was injured. When they would watch movies, she would hide his eyes to keep him from seeing anything upsetting. In his younger years he'd harbored a fear of thunderstorms. And through each one she was there to hold and protect him. From ages 3-9 every time she saw a tree she would run and hug it, and would apologize to any plant whose leaves or flowers had been picked.

As they grew older, and he'd grown stronger, protectiveness over one another only increased. By the time their—Seo-Joon preferred to think of him as a sperm donor rather than a father—left, they'd been inseparable, despite how much they fought. Once the sperm donor was gone, and the family was fractured, all Seo-Joon wanted was to see him one more time. Just so he could hurt him for hurting Y/n.

A part of her heart had broken that day, and it had been evident to everyone around. It was around that time she became withdrawn and quiet, becoming too bashful to approach anyone other than Seo-Joon or their mom. Before she had been shy. After, she was too shy to be considered normal. Though money was thin, their mother had attempted to bring her to therapy, but had always given in when Y/n would cry and beg not to go.

To this day his sister remained the gentle soul he'd always known, and though it was scarred now, he would use every last ounce of his strength in protecting her from anymore harm, just as he knew she would do in return for him. It was the main reason that, even though cars and Taekwondo were his passion, that he chose instead to pursue a degree in psychology. There had to be a way to help her through whatever barrier was holding her back and he intended to find it.

"Oppa!" Y/n's excited whisper broke through his reverie.

Blinking, he looked from her animated expression to the television, where a murder documentary was now playing. Of course. He mentally rolled his eyes. One of his sister's favorite things was a good murder mystery. Personally he could barely stomach to watch some of the stuff she did. For someone so gentle, it was odd. To say the least.

"Hm?"

Her knees drawn up to her chest, she happily motioned with her chin to the show playing on. "It wasn't a murder. She fell down the stairs."

Again he switched his gaze to the documentary, only to grimace at the gruesome crime scene photos being shown. Curiously he glanced over to Jackson, who was white as a sheet, and then over to Jimin, who was watching Y/n with an oddly intrigued expression. His gaze narrowed in on the blond. He was going to have to keep an eye on this one too.

"How do you know that?" He questioned, looking again to the horrible images reflecting back at him to see if he could tell. All he saw was blood and a hell of a lot of it.

"Look," enthusiastically she rewound before pausing on the most awful picture of them all. A woman dead at the bottom of a staircase, blood splatter reflected on the walls and floor. "See it?"

Squinting his eyes he genuinely tried to find whatever it was she was seeing, without luck. In defeat he shrugged but this seemed to make her happy.

"There's no cast off pattern." She pointed out, as if they should all know what that was. Clearly, as engrossed in the show as she was, she had forgotten they weren't alone because she chatted on as was usual whenever she was at home. "Cast off pattern is what you get when a weapon covered in blood is swung through the air. That doesn't necessarily mean she wasn't murdered, but the prosecutor here is saying she was beaten to death on the head, but that's impossible. There's no cast off and no damage to her skull. Science is science, you can't pretend it's not. Though," she paused, slightly tipping her head sideways in thought. "Her wounds are so...brutal to be synonymous with a fall down the stairs."

"But there's blood on the wall, isn't that cast off?"

"No, the angle of the drops is all wrong. It's simple trigonometry-"

"Simple trigonometry?"

"The specks on the wall are forward blood splatter. That means it came from a source of energy. Probably she coughed up blood from where she was laying."

"I'm disturbed that you're enjoying this so much." he looked back to the grisly sight on their television. The perplexities of his sister confused him.

"Wow," Jackson chuckled nervously. "I'm a little bit scared of you now, Y/n."

The reminder of their company had her face changes colors in an instant, but brought a smirk her brother's. Jackson had no idea how scary she could really be. There weren't a lot of people that did. But Seo-Joon knew. He wished he could forget it.

Noticing that her hands were now clenched together, he gently pried them apart and gave one a reassuring squeeze. Breathing slightly labored, the small moment of forgetfulness seemed to have taken a toll.

Shifting his attention to Jackson with dark intent, he resisted the urge to kick him. "Get out or I'll put you out."

A very noticeable gulp was Jackson's only defense before rising. "Bye, Y/n. I'll see you later."

The sofa creaked under the strain of Seo-Joon's hand gripping the back of it. A wild ferocious expression directed at Jackson had him scampering for the door.

"Should I leave too?" came from Jimin.

Y/n's brother squinted his brown irises in suspicion. If playing up or sucking up to him was his aim, it wasn't going to work.

"Yeah, Park. Get out."

A small nudge in the ribs had him look to Y/n, finding her mouth downturned in a frown. "Yah," she whispered, "be nice."

The admonishment worried him to a certain extent. Y/n was never mean, but she hadn't said a word when he'd been aggressive towards Jackson. Granted, she had been a bit preoccupied. But the fact that she instantly stuck up for Jimin was telling.

Now he was really going to have to keep an eye on him.

Sighing to collect himself, he looked back to the other man. "Jimin, it's getting late and unfortunately I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The words were polite but the tone was strained, forced. What irritated him further was the way Jimin's lips were moving as though he were trying not to smile.

"You're right." He stood and bowed respectfully before turning, not looking back at his parting words. "Goodnight, Y/n."

The pink flush and poorly hidden smile on her face had Seo-Joon filling with dread, which only increased with her whispered reply.

"Goodnight, Jimin."

—
Edited 7/11/22