TW: physical abuse towards y/n mentioned aloud and wished for by a third party (nothing is done to her). Angst angst angst
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Jimin's POV

"Thank you for visiting our store today, see you soon" I say as cheerfully as I can manage while the only customer in the building exits with a brand new laptop in one of our overly colourful laptop bags. It's above me how people don't get a headache with those bright, neon colours.

Oh well, it should be expected from a brand of electronics named Muffin. Why it was named like that is way beyond me, but as are the norms in our society, people never question anything as long as it fits their needs. The brand has many loyal customers and... working here does pay well.

Speaking of muffins, I do love a good muffin made by Seokjin... maybe I should ask him to make a new batch before our new mates' visit this Friday.

Oh god, isn't it already in two days? I feel like this week has gone by way too fast. I can't believe we're about to meet Y/N and Yoongi at the end of the week. They're going to be in our house, and they'll eat at our table before sitting in our living room.

Can Hoseok convince them for a sleepover? I sure would love that.

The only thing that worries me is the fact that our home isn't really suited for a wheelchair. The doorway... is it too narrow? The bathroom on the main floor is most likely too small for her to move around comfortably, how will that work for her? The bigger one is all the way upstairs. How can we make sure she has as much of her autonomy as possible without insulting her somehow?

I don't want to seem like an asshole to her just because I assumed that she could or couldn't do something on her own. I hate that I don't know how to react or behave before I even met her. I've never seen someone using a wheelchair before so it's all foreign for me, what if I make her feel all awkward?

I shake my head at that thought. No, Jimin. Y/N is your mate, with or without the wheelchair. Who cares if she can't walk? You'll just have to give her piggyback rides! Who needs a wheelchair when you can have a Jimin? You just have to treat her like you treat everyone else. Yes. It's going to be fine.

But what if she doesn't like cuddles? I can't not have cuddles with my youngest mate! So many things to worry about, and no other way to get my answers but to wait! Argh!

I grab my hair and throw my head back in a silent tantrum just as the store's doors open again. I normally wouldn't think twice of it, but feeling the softness of two magicks filling the area has my eyes opening wide in shock.

Oh my god. Oh my god!

I immediately look down to find two new customers inside the store, their overwhelmed stares looking at the array of tables before them with doe-like expressions. A lady in a wheelchair, and a tall man standing near her side. It can't be...

"Y/N and Yoongi?" I blurt out aloud, eyes widening when the both of them turn to see who just spoke their names. It can't be!

I hurry out from behind the counter and rush over to them, lips stretching into a larger smile the closer I get to them. The bond that links our magicks together clings tightly onto my skin and soul, celebrating a connection that they don't seem to feel, just as Hoseok had said.

"Uh... excuse me, but how do you know our names?" Y/N asks with a small voice before staring at an equally confused Yoongi, the strength of their doe eyes only enhancing the sudden urge I have to hug the both of them and take them home right now. Can I do that?

"I'm Jimin" I answer quickly, my joy obviously untamed under the weight of having them in front of me two days early. Jungkook will be so jealous! "I'm one of your mates- erm, you know Hoseok, Namjoon and Seokjin" I try to bring the names of people they trust into the conversation, "you're coming home on Friday. We're all really excited to see you there".

Yoongi's eyes warm up with relief at my words and that in turn calms Y/N down as well. "Oh" he says with a dreamy husk to his voice that makes me swoon in an instant, "sorry, we really weren't expecting another mate today. You caught us by surprise".

My smile blooms again while I shake my head. "No problem. I know you can't feel the bond, so to have someone jump out of nowhere claiming to be mates must be real weird. I'm sorry if I seem too eager, it feels like forever since I've waited to meet you and having you where I work is like a dream" I chirp, barely able to stay still on my feet. I feel like dancing!

"But you're not here to see me. Can I help you with anything? I know this store like the back of my hand so ask away" I continue upon seeing out of the corner of my eyes the way my manager frowns in my direction.

Time is money, I can almost hear as his glare meets my gaze before moving back to his office.

"I'm actually looking for a new laptop since mine is... frozen. The permanent kind" Yoongi says with a sly grin, while Y/N's face turns red and embarrassed. "A little joke that got out of control, you could say" he adds upon my confusion.

"It wasn't supposed to do that" she mutters quietly. "I just wanted my magick to scare him a little, a harmless prank, you know? But then it kind of slipped out of control and swallowed Yoongi's laptop when he scared me before I could scare him. So... yeah. I'm getting him a new laptop".

"Like hell you are. I can buy a new one myself, I told you it's not your fault".

"Yoongi, it literally is my fault if your laptop is dead. Let me pay, please".

"I was already thinking about getting a new one anyway. You made the process easier, that's all".

"Shut it, you're saying that only to make me feel better. Your laptop was working just fine before this morning. Jimin, get him the best laptop there is. I will be the one paying today".

"No she won't, ignore that. Don't make me take you back to the car, Y/N. Be nice or I'm doing it. I really will, don't test me".

"Oh, you're an ass. Fine. I'll just... wallow in my guilt forever, then. No big deal".

I look at them during their little back and forth, the ease that I heard so much about fascinating to see in real life. "If I may... I can use my employee discount on whatever you want. It might not be much but... it can make quite the difference on something as expensive as a laptop".

Y/N pouts at my words, especially when Yoongi nods gratefully. "So HE can help, but I can't. I'm so going to complain to Hoseok when I see him again. Mate experience? Three stars, would not recommend".

Yoongi and I mutually smirk at her words, why is this so amusing? What was I even afraid of? I can't seem to remember anymore with them both in front of me.

"Sure, sure. Complain all you want, doll, I don't really care" the dark-haired witch muses before bringing his attention back to me. "Can you show me the laptops you have? I honestly don't need something too fancy since I just need it to write, but I'd love a lighter model than the one I had. It was bulky and heavy, and I hated that about it".

"Of course, we have a line of laptops that promotes both lightness and power, and it's... well, let's say a middle ground in terms of expenses. It's a good price for its quality and should fit your needs, follow me".

I begin to lead the way, naturally fast at first, until I notice that Y/N is getting left behind because of my pace. I hear Yoongi offer help to push her chair, but stubborn she is when she denies him with an audible humph.

There it is, your first mistake, Jimin. I knew it was going to happen sooner than later. I try to slow down without being too obvious about it, relieved when I finally manage a pace that seems easy to follow for everyone. Phew.

While I show Yoongi the ones I expect to suit him the best, Y/N can be seen having a look at the phones a few tables away in the meantime. It makes me wonder if she has a need for a new one, and if she needs my help for that. Maybe she's just curious?

She picks one up, turns it around a bit, then moves on to the next. The face of wonder she makes as she tries the Muffin Flip X makes me smile softly, unaware of the warmth that settles over Yoongi's face as he observes the way I look at her.

I try to keep an eye on her while taking care of Yoongi's search for the right laptop, not wanting to neglect either of them when it's our first meeting experience. Leaving Y/N on her own like this makes me feel a little uneasy, but at the same time, it was her decision to stay aside so I try to not take the entirety of the responsibility over my shoulders. If she wanted company, she'd join us.

At least, our eyes do meet from time to time, and her blushing cheeks as she looks away comfort me every single time.

All would honestly be perfect if I couldn't at some point see my coworkers snickering and pointing at her in the background. It's not so much the fact that they're openly berating someone dear to me that hurts. No. What hurts me the most is that if I can see them, then so can she.

I bite on my tongue, mulling over how to handle the situation without making Y/N uncomfortable. I don't want to make her feel like a kid who can't handle herself, but this situation is really not one I want to ignore and let happen in silence either.

"I just had the wildest scenario in mind, bro! Imagine if you pushed her wheelchair down a long flight of stairs, do you think she would remain on it or would she go flying? I can imagine the slow-mo with your magick - oh man, that would be perfect. Imagine the views we would get!"

"Hyung, that would be awesome! Wouldn't want to stay around when she crashes down and breaks her neck, though. I don't want my girlfriend taking someone else's side in front of me. I'd probably leave her if she did".

"Who cares about that? We'd be making money off the video, at least. You can always find a new girlfriend once you're rich. They're all the same anyway, good to fuck until they start catching feelings or meet their mate".

They both burst into laughter then, and that's all it takes me to make my decision.

The older of the two goes falling down head first, nose crashing against the floor with a loud crack that makes him cry out in pain while the other gasps. A chill of satisfaction runs through my body at the sound, my magick more than pleased to obey for vengeance.

The shadows begin to move as I orchestrate their next movements, and hearing my younger coworker make a quivering yelp as he falls on top of the other one brings me half the satisfaction I needed. To get the entirety of it would require them dead, but I can't really afford to go that far.

I pretend to be innocent, then turn around with round eyes before hurrying over to help them up, blood already pooling over the eldest's shocked face. "Oh my gosh, are you two okay? What happened?" I ask, willing the frown off my face when he takes my hand to stand on wobbly legs.

"Jimin? I don't know what the fuck happened, I just-" he trips again before he can even finish speaking, his eyes round and scared as he tries to find the source of his problems while the younger guy just sits still, dazed and confused. "What the hell? I swear I felt something pull on my ankle. Did you see that?"

I shrug a little. "No idea, just saw the both of you fall down like a house of cards. You should get that nosebleed taken care of, hyung, it looks like it broke. Why don't you help him, Jae? I'll stay here to help our customers in the meantime".

They both nod at me, and I watch as Jae helps him up before taking him to the back store where the employee's bathroom is, leaving behind a puddle of blood on the floor. Tsk. Now that's just nasty, but I'll clean that up once I'm done helping my mates.

Just for the sake of it, I have the shadows push them forward one last time right as they're about to turn, and they both throw a scared look behind them before rushing out of sight. I huff to myself. I wonder how far I can take messing with them today without losing my job.

On that thought, I turn on my heels to get back to the previous task at hand. Yoongi and Y/N are staring at me as I join them again, and it feels to me as if they both know exactly what it is that I just did when they look down at the slightly swaying shadow at my feet.

I simply wink at them before resuming my earlier speech about the laptops.

"So. As I was saying-"

Yoongi's POV

"I think Jimin can control shadows" I blurt out on the way home. "The second he looked in their direction, I saw something dark appear from the floor, and then they started falling like something purposefully tripped them".

I could sense the anger seeping off of him before I could even comprehend what was going on. It was only after seeing the pain in Y/N's eyes that I figured something bad must have happened, and by then, Jimin was already on his way to help his coworkers.

Only, that wasn't helping them. He was messing with them on purpose, like a cat toying with its preys, enjoying as they limp away before pouncing again when they least expect it. I've never seen something so sneaky and satisfying to watch. Thankfully, they didn't seem to know about Jimin's magick, otherwise he would've been in trouble.

Maybe he will be in trouble. If that happens... well, it should be fine. The coven seems more than able to support unemployment.

"Yeah... I saw too" Y/N mutters softly, her gaze on the window and the sights beyond, her magick tightly curled around her like a blanket. I can see the frost over her hands and shoulders, and though it must be freezing cold, she doesn't seem to mind. I'll have to take care of that in a minute, though.

I purse my lips as I briefly observe the emptiness in her eyes. She honestly hasn't said much since we left the store, and it's starting to worry me. I still don't know exactly what was said, only that the problem came from Jimin's coworkers.

"What did they say, Y/N?" I find myself asking after a long pause of silence. I wish I'd paid more attention earlier, but I was so immersed in reading about the laptop I ended up buying that I didn't hear anything until it was too late.

"It's nothing" she answers plainly, head resting on the window despite the bumps that shake the glass.

I breathe in deeply, fighting against an annoyance that she always knows how to awaken in the blink of an eye. It's clearly not nothing, one only needs a look at her to understand that much. She always does that, keeping quiet when she's hurt.

"You're making me want to go back and burn their tongues off" I grumble instead of insisting, turning left when we near home. "Just a spark would do, right in the back of the throat. A hit and run. I'd totally do it if you wanted me to".

She makes a small huff, lips stretching the slightest bit into a grin. "Don't tempt me, Yoongi".

My smile is as brief as hers, and when silence resumes again, so does my frown. I hurry home, helping her out of the car and onto her wheelchair without uttering a world, instead making use of that time to melt off the ice again. I'll have to stay vigilent today.

Then we're inside, and she heads to her bedroom while I stare at the back of her head.

For the first thirty minutes, I restlessly clean around the house, eyes always going back to her closed door and wondering how she's doing. I couldn't focus on setting up my new laptop even if I wanted to. Not until I can get her to open up at least a little.

Her magick is still tightly wound around her body and I can already imagine the ice covering her skin from head to toe, its only way of comforting her when she's like this. It's not going any deeper than skin level, thankfully, but it's still not good for her health since it keeps her body heat really low.

What can I do for her? What would she let me do? I have no idea.

My feet take me to her room before I can make up my mind, and my hand knocks softly on her door before I can determine the best approach. "I'm coming in, Y/N". I open it and step inside the dark room, taking in the way she's lying on her bed with a blanket covering only the upper half of her body.

I sigh as I lower the blanket over her legs, the skin as freezing cold as I expected, then sit on her side of the bed, face to the wall instead of staring at her. I know she's not sleeping, she's just faking it to avoid talking to me.

"Y/N... I don't know what those guys said, but if it's hurting you in any way, I would like you to tell me. It's not good, keeping everything inside like you're doing. Trust me, it always does more bad than good, I've done it long enough to see the damages it can cause to the mind".

Silence.

"What do you need me to do? What do you need from your mate, Y/N?" I insist, desperation welling up in the face of her silence, which in turn makes me more impatient. I would hug her for a thousand years if only she asked me, I would burn the world down and build it anew for her, so why won't she say anything?

"I just want to be left alone, Yoongi" her frail voice eventually murmurs, the swallowed tears as obvious as they are hidden.

"Is it really what you need?" I ask her, finally turning on the edge of her bed so that I can face her.

"Is it going to help you feel better? Or are you saying that because it's easier to continue on being alone than open up to me? We've been abandoned and left to mend our own wounds, but why should we keep that up when we've got each other now? How do I get you to let me in, Y/N?" I mutter the end weakly, fingers begging to feel her skin, to see our magicks intertwine like before.

Why am I here if whenever she's hurt, she runs away from me?

She rubs her eyes slowly, small tears shining as they freeze partially in their fall. "I don't know how to let you in, Yoongi" she admits with a sniffle. "I barely know how to do anything other than survive. If I admit that what I heard hurt me, it's going to hurt even more and I- I'm scared, Yoongi. My heart... I'm tired of it being in pain".

I chew on the inside of my mouth as I keep staring at her, at the pain that is her voice. "Part of healing is to feel the pain, Y/N" I murmur as I bring a hand to her wet cheek, fire magick warming her up all over again. "Tell me when it hurts and I'll share that pain with you until you're all better. That's what it means to have a soul bond with someone else. We share life and all of its faces. Together".

When more tears begin to cover my hand, I decide to take initiative and gently use my body to push her towards the middle of the bed so I can lie before her and cradle her into my embrace, using my entire body to fight against the frost of her magick.

Her body begins to tremble as she hides her face in the nook of my neck, tucked under my chin and her arms meeting at my back while I too hug her tightly to me.

"I should be used to it by now" she says with a quivering voice, "but I can't seem to ever get used to how mean people can be so openly. I've tasted what it feels like to be on both sides of society expectations and fuck, I miss when I could walk just fine, Yoongi. I miss it so damn much it hurts. Being my parent's perfect daughter was hard, but not that hard".

I let the boiling heat within me spread everywhere as I mold myself to her body until not an ounce of space remains, lips finding the crown of her head and settling there as I keep holding her tightly. What do I say? That I understand? How could I, when I have no idea what it feels like to be in her position?

"I really hate my life, I hate everything that it's become. Everything sucks, everyone's bad. Why am I even here if this is what my life is going to look like? I'm so tired, Yoongi" she ends in a whimper, and what follows is the sound of heartbreaking sobs, a sound that goes straight to the center of my soul to carve itself into the unseen flesh of who I am.

It's a sound unlike any others, and I already hate it with all that I am.

I know she doesn't mean me, or Hoseok, Namjoon and the others. I know that as fervently as I know there are endless stars in the universe, or that the bond between us is the most beautiful thing to have ever happened to us.

She means the life that made her feel whole, the life she used to live, which did not make her feel broken, and that she lost. It's one thing to look perfectly fine with how things are, and it's another to see it face to face and decide whether you like what it has become or not.

In her case, she doesn't like it. It hasn't been that long since the day when everything went down for her, only a few years, yet during that time she had to endure the unthinkable. Abuse from strangers and an abandon from family. What's to like about that?

When you're busy surviving, there is no thinking about what you have left behind, or whether you're fine with how things are. You have no choice but to keep moving, because if you stop, it feels like the world will suffocate you. You keep yourself busy to survive, but that also means you push back the inevitable. Now that she can slow down... it's all catching up to her.

"I'm here" I whisper into her hair. "Let it all out. The pain, the grief, the anger and the sadness. I'll be right here, ready to keep on loving you unconditionally, because you deserve no less than that. You're not alone anymore, never again".

I'll do everything within my power to become her biggest supporter, lover, and protector. And one day, no matter how far away that might be, I pray that she learns to see how strong and inspiring she is.

She's so much more than someone in a wheelchair. She's a courageous young lady who makes me feel like I too, can do anything I want if I set my mind to it. If only she could see herself the way I see her, would she feel better, then?

"I've got you, my love. I've got you".