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Jimin was happiest in the forest. There were many reasons to be happy in a forest, some of them thanks to what was in the forest and some of them thanks to what wasn’t in the forest, but what made him the happiest was Taehyung. His giant, adorable monster friend, who knew all the secret paths and the best places to find delicious berries to eat and where to watch the otters teaching their pups to swim. Jimin had been terrified when they first met, having heard stories of the monsters that roamed the mountains and gobbled up humans that dared to stray too far from the paths, but Taehyung had spoken (spoken! he’d never known the monsters could speak!) kindly to him and helped him find his way back to the path he’d gotten lost from in the first place, and then Jimin hadn’t been quite so frightened when they met again.
They kept meeting, almost like Taehyung was seeking him out, until he admitted that he was . Taehyung, it seemed, was something of an oddity among monsters, just as Jimin was something of an outcast among humans, but they were quite understandable to each other despite their vast differences, and it was easy to become friends. Taehyung showed Jimin all the ways of the forest and the mountains, and Jimin told Taehyung all about humans and their strange customs.
Today, they had roamed far away from any villages, farther than Taehyung usually went even on his own. Jimin had gotten tired partway through the journey, so Taehyung had let him climb onto his back and bury his hands in his rich fur to hold on. They came to a break in the trees, where a stream cascaded down a series of steps with crystal blue pools in between, and Taehyung crouched down to let Jimin slide off his back. It was much too cold to swim, but they lay down on the bank to lap from the pure, icy water, and then Jimin dared to wade anyway, chattering and hissing at the cold. Taehyung watched with his tail flicking in amusement and groomed his fur.
When it got too cold to stand, Jimin left the stream, and they play-wrestled in the grass. Wrestling with Taehyung was an exercise in futility, except when Taehyung let him win, but it was fun to be grabbed and rolled around like a ball of yarn, too.
They were having such fun that they didn’t see the other two monsters creeping out of the trees until they were almost on top of them. All at once, Taehyung let Jimin go and got up, and Jimin, confused, sat where he was and brushed his unruly hair out of his eyes, laughing slightly. When he saw the monsters, he stopped and stood up next to Taehyung, who had gone completely still.
The two circled them warily. They were powerful beings, and a fight could have serious consequences, even for the eventual winner.
Jimin didn’t like the way the monsters’ eyes zeroed in on him, hungry. He pressed against Taehyung’s side. He’d sort of forgotten Taehyung wasn’t the only monster in the forest, and that others weren’t quite so cuddly, and he realized with apprehension that both of the newcomers were noticeably bigger. A growl rumbled out of Taehyung, deep and menacing, and Jimin shivered, even though he had no reason to fear its maker.
“We don’t want any trouble,” growled the biggest monster. “Just noticed you weren’t eating that human and wondered if you’re going to…?” His eyes gleamed with hunger, and Jimin shrank further against Taehyung’s side.
“No!” Taehyung bristled, and the two advanced with toothy grins. He glanced quickly at Jimin. “I mean.. uh.. yes?”
“What!” Jimin barely had time to yelp before he was trapped in Taehyung’s huge paws, just like he had been a few minutes ago, except he hadn’t been scared a few minutes ago. “What’re you-“
He cut off with a squeak when Taehyung’s mouth filled his vision like it would bit his head off, but it didn’t. Instead, it engulfed him up to his shoulders, sharp teeth digging into his back but not biting in yet. There was a terrifying gulp sound, and Jimin was dragged forward and crammed into a near-crushing squeeze. He might have screamed, but it was hard to tell in the complete confusion of what was happening. He definitely struggled, without much success because his arms were pinned to his sides and he could hardly move, with no thought but to get out of the horrifying predicament he was in.
He couldn’t get out, of course, and the nightmare continued until the last of him slithered free of the panic-inducing squeeze and he was forced to curl up inside what felt like a stretchy sack. He knew where he was.
He just didn’t want to believe it. It was Taehyung! After the first few times they’d spoken, and Taehyung hadn’t made any move to try to eat him, the thought that he could end up in Taehyung’s stomach had quickly eroded away from Jimin’s mind. He’d nearly forgotten it was even possible for Taehyung to eat him.
Somewhere very close by, Taehyung’s heart was thumping almost as feverishly as his own. Jimin could even feel the movement of it, and he was squished rhythmically by what had to be his diaphragm as he breathed rapidly. He seemed scared, and Jimin had never seen Taehyung scared of anything before. He reached out automatically to comfort and recoiled from the slime that coated his hand.
“Well, I’ll be going,” said Taehyung in a voice that vibrated all around Jimin.
The entire place swayed unnervingly as he walked, each footfall like a minor earthquake, and Jimin braced his arms against the slimy walls and stared pleadingly into the darkness. He had an idea of what might be going on, and he just prayed he was right.
“Taehyung-ah?” he ventured barely above a whisper.
“Trust me.”
“I am.”
They didn’t converse further for what felt like an hour but was probably much shorter. It felt terribly- undignified- to be carried around alive like this, but it was certainly preferable to being eaten by monsters. Jimin giggled at himself. He had been eaten by a monster! He was just pretty certain his monster still wouldn’t hurt him.
“Alright, they’re gone,” said Taehyung. “Are you okay?”
Even though he’d been almost completely sure, Jimin let out a big breath of relief and let himself go limp. “Kinda squished. So I’m not food?”
“Never.” Taehyung’s muscles tightened around him, and Jimin wondered if he even realized it. “I’m sorry I did this to you. They wouldn’t have understood the idea of a human as a friend, and I wouldn’t have been able to fight them off when they decided to eat you anyway.”
“I guessed that,” said Jimin, more than a little pleased with himself now. “You were protecting me.”
“Of course.”
Taehyung kept walking.
“So…” Jimin fidgeted.
“Is it okay if I keep you here a little longer? I’m sort of jumpy,” said Taehyung all in a rush.
Jimin blinked.
“Sorry, sorry, I’ll get you out. I’m just afraid they’ll find us again, but they’re not following us, and if anything else comes, we’ll be ready this time.”
“Is it safe?”
“Is what safe?”
“If I stay here?”
“Yes. I can hold off- well- I can keep from hurting you for a long time.”
“I’ll stay,” said Jimin. “It’s probably getting dark now, isn’t it?”
“It is. All kinds of things are out now.”
“I’ll stay.” Jimin squirmed around until he found a more comfortable way to lay, less curled up. “So they can’t get me.” It was a cozy thought. His cuddly monster keeping him hidden and safe. “Just as long as you do let me go some time.”
Taehyung purred.