Chapter Text
One of Jimin’s earliest memories is of the time his mother’s sat him down by their family tree and warned him about all the things lurking beyond the borders of their village.
Beasts formed of rotted bark and dead leaves. Malicious witches who use fairy wings to power their potions. Sirens with songs to lure young ones into picking beautiful flowers that grow at the edges of their swaps. Wolves with teeth so sharp they could rip someone apart with a single bite.
Back then, Jimin wasn’t sure if the stories were all true. He didn’t want to believe them. The forest had always been safe to him, the most beautiful and wonderful place to be. Though five-year-old, Jimin did not know of the places beyond the woods.
No danger had ever crossed through the magical barrier, so he hadn’t even thought of any danger existing. It was only then that he started to wonder why the barrier was there in the first place.
He’d be lying if he said his mother’s words hadn’t affected his lack of explorations. That never meant he wasn’t curious though. He was he complete opposite really.
He was the one to always coax his friends to the edge of the border, only to run away as soon as wind rustled the leaves on the other side.
For twenty years, Jimin has teetered around the edges. He goes there to pick flowers to bind into crowns and necklaces or use them for ingredients in his elixirs or just to decorate his home with.
It took him years to gather the courage to get close enough to see the way the magic shimmers in the sun. There is never a single sign of danger on the other side. The outside looks exactly the way it looks on the inside. High trees and moss-covered rocks and explosions of color in the form of flowers.
Believing that there is danger lurking there is often impossible and sometimes Jimin can’t help but think whether the stories are true. Thinking about it won’t change anything though. No one has ever been able to cross the barrier, their ancestors made sure no one can when they forged it out of the magic nestled deep in the earth. Still, there have been times when his mind has wandered a little too far from his own body and his fingers have found themselves hovering close to the surface.
Maybe if he just pushed hard enough, if he begged the spirits of the old, the magic would let him through. But Jimin could never even try because deep down Jimin knew what he was. A coward. That is something that will never change.
ㆍ 🌱 ㆍ
The first day of summer has always been a big celebration in Jimin’s village.
All the fairies, young and old, gather in the glade at the center of the village. Everyone trades gifts, sings songs and dances until they physically can’t anymore, all while a bright bonfire burns in the middle.
It’s Jimin’s favorite day of the year, a day when everything truly comes alive. The forest and it’s fairies, the magic thrumming deep in the soil and the roots of the trees. So strong Jimin can feel it breathing under his bare feet.
For as long as Jimin can remember, he and his mothers would make flower crowns for every fairy in the village. Daisies for the young fairies celebrating their first day of summer. Lillies for the fairies spending their first celebration without a their loved one. Lavender for the ones riddled with anxieties. Daffodils for the ones who always seek happiness.
It’s a lot of work and since his mothers’ fingers are far too old now to do any of the intricate knotting required, Jimin does it all by himself. So far, he has managed well alone though he admits it feels a little lonely sometimes.
The crowns for his family and friends always come last. Making them the night before the celebration was a part of the tradition. Completing them was a celebration of its own. And that is why Jimin finds himself nearing the edge of the border once again, at night, with an empty basket he hopes to fill with fresh flowers.
Aside from the fireflies and owls, the entire forest is fast asleep as Jimin takes slow steps towards the place where the most beautiful hydrangeas grow.
Jimin knows the path there like the back of his own hand, so despite the darkness, he isn’t afraid. There is no reason to fear anyway. The barrier stands tall next to the tree line and not even the strongest of monsters can cross through. Even a coward like him can pick flowers in the night, damn it.
But as he nears the hydrangeas, Jimin suddenly hears movement from somewhere on his left. A stick breaking in half, leaves ruffling under someone's feet. Noise coming from direction of the barrier.
Jimin stills, freezes to the spot. The dark obstructs his vision as he listens to the silence of the woods. When no more sounds come, Jimin breathes out heavily.
“It’s just the wind,” He tells himself despite his heart beating loudly in his ears and continues walking towards the flowers.
He only gets two steps in before he freezes again. This time Jimin knows it’s not the wind. The wind doesn’t breathe in the way living beings do. And the wind doesn’t have bright blue eyes that glow in between the trees.
His fingers lose their grip around the basket's handle, and it drops on the moss-covered ground. Jimin doesn’t care though, can’t when he is staring straight into the glowing blue eyes looking at him from behind the barrier.
Legs rooted to the ground, all the muscles in his body refuse to move when a stark white wolf appears from the shadows.
All the air left in his lungs escape with a loud gasp and Jimin’s lungs tighten with the need for more. He can’t breathe.
It takes everything in him to repeat the mantra inside his head. It can’t hurt you. It’s behind the barrier. You’re safe. It can’t hurt you. Run. But Jimin can’t run, not even when the voice inside his head starts to get louder and louder.
Like sensing the barrier in front, the wolf stops moving.
Something in its eyes seem to shift as it continues to look at Jimin. It takes a step back, almost like it also senses Jimin’s fear. And maybe it does. Maybe it isn’t like the wolves in the stories his mother’s used to tell him.
To his surprise, the wolf doesn’t look like it wants to attack. It simply stands there, unmoving like the picture from Yumi’s book that Jimin has burned into a memory. Except, unlike the picture, this wolf isn’t bearing its sharp teeth at him.
Jimin frowns and without thinking takes a step forward.
The wolf flinches back quickly, shrinking into a smaller version of itself. Trembling. And that’s when Jimin breathes again.
“Are you scared?” Jimin asks, even though he knows the wolf can’t speak, let alone understand a word he is saying, “It’s okay. I’m scared too. But I won’t hurt you, if you don’t hurt me.”
It’s silly, possibly incredibly dangerous, but Jimin slowly walks right to where the barrier shimmers. He crouches down and lift his shaking hand to hover over the magic.
It can’t hurt you. It’s behind the barrier. You’re safe. It can’t hurt you.
This goes against everything Jimin was taught, against anything he thought he’d do if he ever came face to face with a wolf. Yet, the fear slowly fades and molds into a strange kind of curiosity.
The wolf stays still for a moment, before it slowly takes a step forward. Then another. And another. Jimin tries to stay as still as possible as the wolf nears closer and closer to the barrier until it’s standing right in front of Jimin.
“Hello there,” Jimin whispers as to not scare it. The wolf tilts its head in almost a human way. Strange. Probably just a coincidence, though.
Jimin nearly falls on his ass as the wolf pokes its nose at the barrier. Or it tries to. It results in the wolf making whimpering as it takes a step back and shakes its head. Then, it sneezes. And Jimin can’t help but giggle at the wolf who looks more surprised at the sound as Jimin does.
“There’s a barrier,” Jimin says, trying to suppress his giggles. It only makes him laugh more, completely forgetting that he is talking to a beast that could rip him apart with a single bite.
Suddenly, a howl rings out in the forest. This does make Jimin snap back into reality, his heartbeat picking up into an unbearable rhythm.
One wolf is dangerous enough, no matter how sweet it seems. A whole pack of wolves, however? Jimin might as well dig his grave right here .
The white wolf whimpers again, seemingly in real distress now. It spins around in a few circles, once in a while locking eyes with Jimin.
“Is that your pack?” Jimin asks, his voice shaky and barely audible. Another howl comes. Jimin winces, “I think they’re looking for you.”
Stilling, the wolf opens its jaw and looks up at the sky. For one terrible, terrifying moment, Jimin is sure that it’s about to release a howl. That it had tricked Jimin into believing there was no danger. That in a few seconds, an angry, faerie blood hungry, pack of wolves will come running from the trees.
Nothing happens.
The wolf snaps its jaw shut and brings its head back down. When it looks at Jimin again, there’s sadness swirling in its incredibly blue eyes. Or maybe Jimin is imagining it.
Jimin breathes out a heavy sigh. He really needs to get back home, but for some reason, he wants to stay until the wolf leaves. It feels wrong to leave it when it looks so sad.
Seokjin once said Jimin was too good for this world. Hoseok had reminded Jimin that it’s okay to put himself first sometimes. Yoongi added that it might get him hurt one day. Jimin hadn’t believed them. Maybe he should have.
Still, if there is one thing Jimin learned from his mother’s, it’s that if he ever senses that something might be wrong, it probably is.
Always look out for the weaker, Jiminnie.
You have a great gift for knowing when someone needs help. Use it whenever you can.
Worrying about a wolf is not what they meant when they said those things. But does it really matter?
“You don’t want to go?” Jimin asks and, to his surprise, the wolf shakes its head, “You’re really smart, you know?” Jimin pauses, lets a smile lifts his cheeks and crinkle the corner of his eyes, “You’re not secretly a human, are you?”
It’s a joke, but something in the way the wolf’s jaw drops down slightly, makes it seem like Jimin just figured out his secret. It can’t be though, right?
Right?
A third howl comes, this time sounding a lot closer than the last two. The wolf whimpers again, weak and sad and so wrong. Jimin’s chest aches.
With the fourth howl, the wolf suddenly takes steps back as if it’s starting to leave. It stops a few feet away from Jimin, lowers down on its legs and points its head towards the ground in what looks like a bow.
“You’re leaving?” Jimin asks as the wolf rises from its bow. It nods and nudges its head towards where the howl came from. “I understand. It was nice meeting you.”
Instead of immediately leaving, the wolf lingers. Once again, staring right at Jimin, those beautiful striking blue eyes that are way too human like glowing in the dark. Then, after a few more seconds, it disappears between the trees.
Jimin doesn’t know how long he stands there for. A part of him wants to see if the wolf returns. If an entire pack returns with it. At least then Jimin could maybe take up flight and rush to warn the Protectors.
When no more howls come, Jimin takes a deep breath of the earthy air around him. A warm summer breeze shakes the trees above him, a few leaves fall on Jimin’s head. He goes to pick the hydrangeas, decides to also take a bouquet of marigolds that grow a little farther away.
As Jimin starts walking back home, he glances behind him occasionally. If he hopes to see the blue glowing eyes again, no one needs to know.
This will have to stay as a secret.
No one needs to know.
ㆍ 🌱 ㆍ
Jimin finishes the crowns just in time for sunrise to paint the forest.
With three hours of sleep behind him, Jimin sluggishly makes his way to the clearing. Though his tree is one of the farthest ones in the village, it’s still a fairly short walk. Enough time for him to put on a face to hide the fact that he’s holding in a secret that could be the end of him.
Unfortunately, Taehyung is ever so attentive.
“Jiminnie!” Taehyung yells as soon as he spots Jimin from across the clearing. Standing by his own stand already filled with clothes made with breathtaking fabrics, Taehyung waves Jimin over with fluttering wings. As soon as Jimin reaches the stand, Taehyung’s bright smile turns into a frown. “What’s up with you?”
Because Taehyung has been his best friend ever since they could walk, the words almost spill out of Jimin without thinking. Jimin catches them just in time to mumble something incoherent before he says, “Nothing. Barely got any sleep.”
“Stay up all night making these again?” Taehyung asks, pointing to the large cart bursting with flowers behind Jimin.
“Yeah.” That and talking to a beautiful white wolf with kind blue eyes. “I never learn.”
Taehyung reaches behind Jimin and wraps his arm around Jimin’s lower back. With his other hand, Taehyung flicks Jimin’s forehead. “Come on sleepyhead, I’ll help you set up.”
As always, the stall next to Taehyung’s is empty and waiting for Jimin to fill with his creations. Taehyung starts wrapping vines around the wooden beams, Jimin beats his wings a few times, so he can reach high enough to place his small sign on the horizontal beam.
Written in cursive with bright yellow paint it reads, Flowers For All.
When Jimin was five years old, he had suggested making the sign. His mother’s had immediately agreed, and they spent that night creating it. There is still a splatter of yellow on the floor from where Jimin had accidentally spilled his paint filled acorn cup. No one ever had the heart to clean it.
Next, all the crowns are placed on the table. Jimin scatters them around, no logic to where he places them. He doesn’t need to, he knows exactly which one belongs to which fairy. Organized chaos, Taehyung had called it one time.
Once everything is on the table, Jimin reaches for the final crown and turns to Taehyung. “Here.”
“Ooh, It’s beautiful.” Taehyung stands still as Jimin gently places it on top of Taehyung’s mop of curly blue hair. He sneezes as a lily of the valley droops on his nose.
A memory of the wolf sneezing plays in Jimin’s head. Vivid. Jimin blinks it away.
Taehyung’s squints his eyes and pushes his face right up against Jimin’s. “Okay, you’re hiding something.”
“What? No!” Jimin says, backing away from Taehyung and looking down to avoid his gaze. Taehyung’s fingers pinch Jimin’s cheeks, “ Ow !”
Taehyung clicks his tongue but let’s go. “Park Jimin, I have known you for twenty-six years. I can tell when something’s up in that beautiful head of yours.”
Lying to Taehyung never works. Usually, Jimin doesn’t have the need to. They tell each other everything, sometimes a little too much. ( “No, Tae. I don’t want to hear about what you, Yoongi and Kook do in the bedroom.”) But this is something he can’t tell Taehyung, no matter how much he wants to let the words spill out freely.
Thankfully, just when Taehyung is about to ask again, a body hits them with so much force that Jimin stumbles back and almost falls on his ass.
“Kook!” Taehyung groans, head stuck between Jungkook’s muscled arms. Uselessly, Taehyung slaps Jungkook’s skin, but Jungkook hold doesn’t falter. “You’re suffocating me!”
Jungkook smirks, pokes Taehyung’s cheek with his tongue. “You weren’t complaining last night.”
That is also something Jimin doesn’t need to know. He scrunches his nose in disgust. “Gross.”
“Hey, our love isn’t gross!” Taehyung says, still fighting against Jungkook’s hug. He bites down on Jungkook’s muscle and that’s what finally has Jungkook loosening his grip.
Jimin quirks a brow, mutters, “Debatable,” and ducks just in time to avoid Taehyung’s fingers going for a flick on his forehead again.
“Can y’all not fight for like one second?” Yoongi’s tired sigh comes from behind them, “You’re being embarrassing.”
“Do you want a hug too?” Jungkook asks, already opening his arms and heading towards Yoongi. “You look lonelier than Jimin.”
“I’m not lonely!”
“Sure, you aren’t, honey,” Taehyung says to Jimin, throwing his arm around his shoulder. Then Taehyung leans in close to Jimin’s ear so he can whisper, “I didn’t forget about the secret you’re hiding by the way.”
Denying it won’t get him anywhere, he knows Taehyung better than the intricate patterns on his wings. So, Jimin stays quiet. He’ll have to tell Taehyung eventually. Hopefully, by then it’s been long enough to not cause worry of a wolf attack.
“Wah, you really outdid yourself this year Jimin-ah!” Seokjin yells as he flies towards them with his humongous wings. Gracefully landing next to Jimin and Taehyung, his pink eyes sparkle in the sunlight as he looks at the crowns on their heads, “Might be your best year yet.”
“You say that every year,” Jimin mumbles as Seokjin circles around him to look at every detail of his crown.
“Yes, because it’s true.” Seokjin says taps the top of Jimin’s head.
Right behind Seokjin, Hoseok joins them like a giant ball of sunshine bursting through the atmosphere. Almost with the power of Jungkook, Hoseok throws his arms around Jimin and Taehyung.
“Am I late to the party?” Hoseok asks, squeezing them so hard Taehyung’s and Jimin cheeks squish together.
Seokjin shakes his head, looking at them with such a fond expression it makes something warm crackle in Jimin’s chest. “You’re just in time. Jimin was just about to give everyone their crowns.”
“Ooh! Mine first!” Jungkook exclaims, finally letting go of Yoongi and clapping as he bounds towards Jimin.
“Uh-huh, no way, I’m the oldest, so I get the first one!”
“Can’t believe you’d rather use the age card over the village leader one,” Yoongi murmurs, starting to walk towards Jimin too. He cracks his neck before adding, “And you’re only like four months older than me. That doesn’t give you privilege.”
“Shut up, Yoongi.”
“I’d rather not.”
The two of them are so deep in their bickering that they don’t even notice when Jimin gives the crowns to Hoseok and Jungkook. When they do notice, Seokjin presses both of his hands over his heart and frowns.
“You wound me, Jimin.”
And as everyone bursts into giggles and chuckles, Jimin is once again reminded of how much he loves the first day of summer.
By the time the bonfire in the middle of the clearing is at its highest, Jimin’s stall has been emptied of flowers and his feet ache from dancing all day.
The sun is soon to set behind the mountains, sky painted with swirls of lilac and pinks. Youngest ones have mostly made their way home already, aside from a few ones tiredly trailing behind their parents. Jimin watches them from the edges, maple wine in hand as he sits on a tree stump.
Currently, Jungkook is twirling around the stage while he plays a happy tune with his violin. Hoseok is forcing Yoongi to dance, spinning him around so fast Yoongi looks a little dizzy. Seokjin is across the clearing, talking to all the other fairies.
Jimin unsuccessfully searches for Taehyung in the crowd. The reason to that becomes obvious when someone suddenly taps the tips of Jimin’s wings. Turning around to face Taehyung, Jimin glares at him.
“Sorry,” Taehyung says, without looking apologetic at all. Taehyung walks around the stump and sits down on the grass in front of it, leaning against Jimin’s legs, “Tired already?”
“I’ve been tired all day.”
“Whose fault is that?” Taehyung tilts his head on top of Jimin’s knees and Jimin fixes the flower crown when it almost falls from the movement. “Does it have to do anything with the secret you’re hiding? Did you have a secret nightly rendezvous with someone? Because, as your best friend, I’m obligated to know if someone is courting you.”
Jimin rolls his eyes. “No one is courting me.”
“Ooh, a one-night stand then?”
“Tae.”
“Fine, I’ll let it go.” Taehyung pouts and tilts his head back forward. “For now.”
Jimin bites the inside of his cheek. He hates lying to Taehyung. The guilt of it is digging a hole in his chest. Especially, when Taehyung looks sad over it. “I’m sorry. I’m figuring some stuff out. I’ll tell you eventually.”
With a scoff, Taehyung shakes his head and gets up. He dusts his pants, refuses to look at Jimin when he says, “I thought we figured stuff out together, but sure.”
Before Jimin can say anything else, Taehyung leaves. And Jimin feels like the worst person ever.
Deep down, Jimin knows telling Taehyung wouldn’t be such a big deal. Taehyung wouldn’t be mad, wouldn’t immediately run to warn the others about the wolf even if he wanted to. If Jimin has trust in the creature, no matter how stupidly, Taehyung would trust blindly as well.
Keeping it a secret will most likely worsen everything. And Jimin won’t let that happen.
ㆍ 🌱 ㆍ
For the next few days, Taehyung refuses to talk to Jimin.
Whenever Jimin sees him on his trips to the village center, Taehyung starts walking away from him without even properly looking at Jimin. It’s so bad even their other friends notice the tension between them, which is no surprise since Taehyung shares a house with two of them.
Jimin can feel Yoongi’s glare across the tavern. A shiver runs down his spine and he almost runs away as Yoongi puts his cup down and makes his way to where Jimin is sitting.
As soon as he is close enough, Yoongi points a finger at Jimin. “Taehyung has been sulking ever since the festival. You need to fix it.”
“Hello to you too, Yoongi. It sure is a lovely day.” Jimin rolls his eyes at Yoongi who quirks a brow at him. “I’ve been trying to fix it, but he refuses to talk to me.”
Yoongi sighs and slumps down on the chair across from Jimin. “Yeah, I know. Sorry, that came of too strong.”
“It’s fine.” Jimin waves his hand to shrug it off. Bites back a smile when Yoongi looks away with pink tinted cheeks. “Can you tell him to come meet me at my place?”
“I can try,” Yoongi murmurs, still refusing to look at Jimin, “You better have those uh...what were they called? The blue flowers Tae likes to make dyes out of.”
“Lobelias?”
“Yeah, those.” Yoongi snaps his fingers. “He ran out of the dye. I think it’s adding to the sulking.”
Jimin snorts, able to picture Taehyung’s signature pout as he looks at the empty spot in his dye cabinet. “I’ll have them ready.”
“Cool.”
ㆍ 🌱 ㆍ
Considering where Jimin is headed now, he should’ve thought more before agreeing to Yoongi’s request. It’s too late now, though. Besides, he would do anything to make up with Taehyung. If getting lobelia flowers from the outskirts of the village is what will help with that, Jimin is going to do it.
Chances of encountering the wolf again are slim to none anyway, Jimin thinks as he walks towards the barrier once again. The sun shines through the leaves, painting the ground golden underneath his hovering feet. Birds sing their song above him. The river running next to the path is calm, the sound of water rippling just as beautiful as the bird’s songs.
The awake forest gives him some comfort. This time, Jimin isn’t alone. Maybe that’s why seeing the wolf curled up under a tree doesn’t scare Jimin as much as it did last time.
Maybe that’s why, when the wolf opens its eyes, Jimin smiles.
“You’re here again,” Jimin says, walking closer to the barrier. This time, Jimin doesn’t hesitate to sit down, “Missed me?”
The wolf yawns, rubs its face with its palms before it gets up and pads towards Jimin. Lazily, it slumps down close where the barrier starts. “Do you like flowers?”
It still feels silly to talk to the wolf as if it’s a person. As if it could understand any of Jimin’s words or give him an answer. Still, Jimin continues, “I actually came here to pick some flowers for a friend. He makes clothes and he uses them to dye the fabrics. He’s a bit mad at me at the moment, so one of his partners suggested I give him a little present to soften his edges.”
“Why is he mad?”
Jimin’s head snaps up so hard he gets a little dizzy.
The wolf is gone, white fur replaced with sun kissed skin and a mop of messy silver hair. Blue eyes continue to stare, but now they’re definitely human. The man in front of him is a human. A completely naked human, Jimin realizes with heat rising to his cheeks. A very handsome human.
“And yes, I do like flowers. And I did miss you,” The man says, then his eyes widen and his cheeks tint to the color of peonies, “Sorry, is that weird? Ah, I’m not used to talking.”
“Holy shit,” Jimin whispers in shock. His heartbeat is ever so wild in his chest as he instinctively inches away from the barrier, “You...You’re a human ?”
Much like he had in his wolf form, the man tilts his head and scratches the nape of his neck. “Not completely.”
“Okay?”
“Your wings are pretty.”
“Thank you?”
Silence.
Silence so heavy that the usually fresh air around them thickens and gets stuck Jimin’s throat.
Usually, Jimin would try to fill the silence somehow. Say anything, most of the time related to the forest or random facts about flowers. He isn’t someone like Yoongi who can let silence hang around freely, comfortably. For some reason, it makes him uneasy.
Right now though, the shock thrumming inside his body is making it impossible to form a coherent sentence.
So, Jimin just stares.
He stares at the man’s face, his soft features and deep dimples that pop out with an awkward smile. Broad shoulders and muscled arms that could probably snap Jimin’s arms like sticks. There are a few prominent scars on the man’s chest. Claw marks? Raised and puffy, rough around the edges like they hadn’t quite healed properly.
Seemingly noticing Jimin’s staring, the man squirms and moves his hands over his crotch before Jimin can stare there too. Not that he would. There’s not a single curious bone in his body for that. Absolutely none.
He does catch a brief glance at the man’s thighs, though, before immediately snapping his gaze up to the man’s handsome, sheepish face.
“Uh, this is weird, isn’t it?” The man asks, squirming again. It must be uncomfortable to sit on all those leaves and twigs. “I shouldn’t have shifted. I can...I can turn back and we can just forget-”
“It’s fine,” Jimin says, even though it really isn’t. None of this is fine. Or none of this should be fine, “You can stay like this, if you want.”
“You don’t think it’s weird?” There is something akin to hope hidden in the tone of his deep, slightly raspy voice. Wonder swimming in his beautiful blue eyes.
Jimin smiles, hoping that it will soften the blow of his next words, “I mean yeah, this is a little weird, but I think if you…shift back and pretend nothing weird is going on would be even weirder.”
Jimin isn’t entirely sure if that made any sense, but none of this really makes sense anyway. He is talking to a damn wolf shifter. He didn’t even know they existed. None of the books he has read mention anything like this. Is this common knowledge? Has Jimin missed something?
The wolf-man doesn’t look any less confused than Jimin, but there is something akin to embarrassment written all over his (seriously, stupidly handsome) face. Maybe it’s just the fact that he is all naked skin, but the way he holds his limbs is somewhat awkward. A little endearing even.
Jimin has the urge to slap some sense into himself. He is not drooling over a wolf-man. No matter how gorgeous and buff he looks. No matter how much he is exactly Jimin’s type. Taehyung would have a field day over teasing him about this.
Right, Taehyung. He is supposed to be picking up Lobelias for Taehyung.
Get it together, Jimin.
“Uh, I should go pick up the flowers now,” Jimin says, more to himself than to the man, “That’s why I came here.” Not to talk to some random guy who he definitely should not be talking to for any reason.
“Right, yeah. For your mad friend.” The man looks a little sad when he quietly adds, “You should go do that.”
The thing is, Jimin doesn’t really want to. For some strange reason, Jimin wants to stay here, wants to keep talking to the gentle wolf like it doesn’t matter whether he should or not. It’s a little tug at his ribcage that keeps his legs stuck to the ground.
“What’s your name?” Jimin asks, after a little consideration, completely ignoring the part of his brain that is yelling at him to get away from the possible danger.
There is no danger to be seen though, not a single sign of the man planning to try to attack through the barrier. While he looks like he could rip Jimin apart limb by limb, he doesn’t look like he would. Not that he could even if he tried too anyway. His body would simply rebound on the incredibly strong magic. The knowledge of that is enough for Jimin to feel safe.
Looking a little stunned, the man stares at Jimin in silence for a few seconds. When no answer comes, Jimin starts to wonder if he has a name at all. Do wolves have names?
“I’m Namjoon.”
Namjoon. It fits him.
“I’m Jimin,” He says, smiles, doesn’t miss the way Namjoon’s cheeks are still tinted pink. “It’s nice to meet you wolf-man.”
Namjoon frowns. Jimin’s laugh bubbles up from deep in his belly. The birds around them chirp louder. Dimples sink into Namjoon’s cheeks. And Jimin would be lying to himself if he said it wasn’t a beautiful sight.
ㆍ 🌱 ㆍ
As Jimin goes to sleep in his hammock that night, staring through the window in the ceiling where the wind gently plays with the leaves, he thinks to himself just what he has gotten himself into.
Jimin might be a coward, but wonder has never failed to light his body aflame. And right now, Jimin’s body is as bright and alive as the summer bonfire.