Chapter Text
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The wind playfully dances between Taehyung’s freshly dyed black strands of hair, ruffling them up as Taehyung winds his way down the path of his favorite domed garden. His arms are full of supplies, different pieces of glass he needs to place the finishing touches on his project. Jungkook teeters along behind him, greeting the flowers as he casually strolls along.
It’s been about six months since everything went down, and though not much time has passed, there have already been major changes implemented throughout EvolKorea. The Alliance Council took the lead, slowly weeding out the criminals, those who actively participated in the experiments or had knowledge about the illegal extraction of magic from the witches.
With the help of vampires they trusted, like Seokjin, and even Taehyung, they worked on finding the right candidates to replace the vampire section of the Council, and then through that, they began establishing new leadership roles that included members of each species.
Taehyung had helped when he was needed, but after everything that happened with his family, he no longer wanted to live in the spotlight. He just wanted to spend the rest of his life in the quiet comfort of his new family’s presence.
Though, there was something that he wanted to implement before fading into the background. There were very few gardens around NeoSeoul. With the rapid expansion of technology, less and less space became dedicated to the natural elements. Many plants and flowers couldn’t survive the harsh climate of their world, but this garden that he loved so much provided a bit of hope for the future.
As a way to bring more life into the city, Taehyung had proposed creating dozens of new domed gardens north and south of the Han, as a way to reintroduce more life into the world. His hope is that one day, they will be able to restore the world to its former glory and that these plants and trees and flowers will no longer need a controlled environment underneath a glass dome in order to survive.
Though the world has a long way to go, Taehyung has started to believe in the impossible.
When Taehyung reaches his destination, he kneels down, his pants dirtying as he rests on the soil below him. In the center of his favorite garden, a memorial has been erected. Dozens of forget-me-nots surround an old oak tree. Their pretty blue petals sway as the wind sweeps through them.
Taehyung never learned the name of the man he was forced to kill. He never learned if the man had a family waiting for him to return home or friends hoping to see him one last time. But even though he never learned of his name, he swore to himself that he would never forget his sacrifice.
Taehyung dumps the items in his hands, and carefully picks up the first glass frame that Yoongi had made for him. He activates the device attached to the bottom of it and then places it amongst the flowers.
A sketch of a man’s face appears against the glass, the blue light illuminating the features that Taehyung had committed to memory. Though he may have no name, his face will forever be memorialized in this peaceful garden.
He stares at the next piece of glass for a long time. Taehyung didn’t find out until after that horrible day, but Kwon Sunghwan had helped his friends when Taehyung, Yoongi, and Jimin had been captured. He had sacrificed his life when Taehyung’s grandfather started strangling Jungkook by throwing his body against the monster in an attempt to distract him.
Taehyung hadn’t known Sunghwan long, but in those few moments he had, Sunghwan had shown him kindness even when he knew it could get him into trouble.
Taehyung places that piece of glass next to the first, and then reaches for the next one. This one is less specific. Instead of a picture of a specific person, it memorializes all of the people who were killed, whether from the experiments or the Bloodletting Ceremonies, or anything else that was done out of cruelty.
Finally, he pulls out the last glass. It’s different from the others. Yoongi had spent extra time perfecting Taehyung’s mother’s memorial glass. Shaped like a heart to encapsulate the love she had for others, Yoongi had found a way to incorporate an old video he had found of her dancing amongst a field of flowers. She looks so young and free in it; the moonlight providing the perfect backlight.
Taehyung smiles down at her as tears form in his eyes.
“Thank you, eomma, for bringing me into this world. It was difficult without you by my side, but I’ve finally found my place.”
A weight drops down onto his back and Jungkook hugs him tightly from behind, resting his head against Taehyung’s shoulder.
“You have her smile,” Jungkook whispers, pressing a chaste kiss on Taehyung’s cheek. “And her heart.”
“I wish I could have met her,” Taehyung wistfully sighs as he places her glass in the center of the memorial.
“I know,” Jungkook acknowledges. “But at least you’ll always have a piece of her in here.” Jungkook’s hand rests above Taehyung’s heart. “Her love for you lasts for eternity. Even her death couldn’t take it away.”
The wind twirls around them as though it were dancing with his mother.
“Let’s go home,” Taehyung finally says.
Home. The place where he and Jungkook have started building their lives together. A place full of love and happiness.
Taehyung never knew the meaning of home before Jungkook.
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Chaos greets them as soon as they open the door to their newly built apartment.
One of the major projects that the Council had been working on was in the rehabilitation of the Lower Wards. Too many buildings had been falling apart; their structures unsafe for occupation. But for so long, the witches and humans had to suffer in these conditions.
Because of the destruction of their home, and their role in taking down the old government, Jungkook’s family had been one of the first to receive new housing once construction had been completed in one of the neighborhoods near the Han.
They were given two three-bedroom apartments for now, though once the Lower Wards become fully restored, he’s sure that at least a couple of his brothers will find places a bit further away from each other.
Though, for now, they seem to be enjoying their time together. Jungkook thinks it has to do with the near-death experiences they faced that brought them closer together.
Taehyung and Jungkook had ended up in the apartment with his mother, which he feels has been helping Taehyung cope with some of the guilt he feels about the death of two of his family members and the imprisonment of the other two. Though they were cruel to him, Jungkook supposes they were still Taehyung’s family.
But even more than that, he’s just happy that Taehyung has a mother figure in his life. Though Ma will never replace the mother he never knew, Taehyung deserves to know what it’s like to feel a mother’s love. And his Ma has gone above and beyond in that department.
Sometimes, he thinks Ma loves Taehyung more than him.
However, because Ma lives with them now, it means everyone always congregates at their apartment. Every. Single. Evening.
Jungkook loves his brothers, he does, but there are times when he just wants Taehyung to himself.
Squeaky laughter erupts as soon as Jungkook and Taehyung walk in, which means Namjoon must have invited Seokjin over again. Jungkook watches as Jimin somehow manages to fall out of his chair, though, luckily Hoseok catches him before he falls to the ground.
It’s so loud.
And yet, there’s something so magical about it. Jungkook can’t recall a time before the rebellion when his family acted so carefree. For so long, they were held captive by the chains of misery; going through the motions of each day without really living. But now they can lead the lives they were always meant to have. Full of happiness and love. Free .
The aroma of something cooking in the kitchen distracts him, and he immediately goes to investigate. Ma is hunched over the stove, one hand stirring the pot, while the other pours broth into it. Jungkook walks over, giving her a quick kiss, and then bending down to get a better look at what she’s making. She swats him with the spoon and then chases him out of the kitchen, claiming it’s easier if she does it alone.
Jungkook reluctantly returns to the full living room, his eyes immediately landing on his beautiful boyfriend. Taehyung’s black, wavy locks perfectly frame his gorgeous face. In his arms sits Yeontan, who had followed them to their new home and then never left after that.
The two of them are inseparable to the point where Jungkook sometimes shuts the door on the cat’s face so that he can be the one to cuddle Taehyung for the night instead of Yeontan. Jungkook swears the cat has it out for him, always stealing Taehyung’s attention, demanding pets, cleaning him carefully.
Maybe Jungkook wants to do all of those things instead.
But there are nights when Taehyung is out and Jungkook is alone in their room. On those rare occasions, Yeontan will grace him with his presence and make a home in his lap, and well, Jungkook can’t just deny him.
Dinner is a loud affair, which is to be expected at this point. But after it’s over, Ma ushers everyone else out of the house, winking at Jungkook and Taehyung, before closing the door behind her.
“Finally, some peace,” Taehyung groans, his head resting on Jungkook’s shoulder.
“They are quite the handful,” Jungkook agrees as he winds his arms around Taehyung’s waist.
“I don’t know how you dealt with it for so long in that tiny apartment,” Taehyung complains. “I’m exhausted.”
Jungkook chuckles. “You love it.”
He can feel Taehyung’s shoulders bounce up and down as he silently laughs. “I do.” He raises his head, golden eyes half-lidded as he gazes at Jungkook. “Take me to bed?”
“As you wish.” Jungkook bends down, sweeping one of his arms behind Taehyung’s knees, the other secured behind his back. Taehyung squeals with delight, as he holds on as tight as he can.
Jungkook easily maneuvers around the furniture, careful not to bump Taehyung against anything until he finally reaches their bedroom. As soon as the door opens, the fairy lights that had once brought comfort to them in the Safe Houses immediately light up, giving off a nice warm glow.
Jungkook carefully lays Taehyung down on their favorite blankets and climbs on top of him.
Taehyung beams at him, his eyes turning into happy little crescents as his incisors start to grow.
This is a new development for them; it had taken quite some time for Taehyung to become comfortable with drinking from Jungkook. After his aversion to the blood bags, and the difficult time he had with eating properly, Jungkook thought this might help him — a willing person to feed him when he feels hungry.
They’ve taken it slow; first starting with small sips from the wrist to see how the both of them would react. Jungkook could tell that Taehyung enjoyed his blood, though he was hesitant about it. And though it had been strange at first, Jungkook has come to crave the oddly wonderful sensation of Taehyung’s lips against his skin as he nourishes himself.
Tonight, though, they are taking it to the next step.
Tonight, Taehyung will drink from Jungkook’s neck.
“Are you sure?” Taehyung asks, hesitating a bit, despite the desire growing in his eyes.
“For you? Anything.” Jungkook lowers himself further, craning his neck so that Taehyung has better access to it.
Taehyung begins kissing his neck, focusing on the scar left by his sister. Soon, though, the kisses turn more fevered, the kisses turning into suckling, soft moans escaping Taehyung’s mouth as he inches closer to Jungkook’s veins.
Jungkook tenses in anticipation, his skin bubbling as Taehyung skims the surface with his teeth. A moment later, two sharp pricks push through the barrier and Jungkook immediately relaxes in Taehyung’s hold.
Taehyung’s hands sweep up and down Jungkook’s body, and Jungkook's breath hitches at the friction building between them. His thoughts turn blissful as Taehyung continues to take what Jungkook willingly gives. A goofy smile forming as Taehyung begins pulling away.
Jungkook pulls back admiring his debauched boyfriend. There’s a tiny drop of blood resting in the corner of Taehyung’s mouth, but he quickly flicks his tongue out, licking it up while he continues to lustfully stare at Jungkook.
“I fucking love you,” Jungkook says, crashing their lips together with fiery passion.
“I love you, too,” Taehyung responds in a husky voice that shoots straight down Jungkook’s body.
Jungkook had been angry for so long. So downtrodden by his circumstances in life, that he had almost thrown it all away. The darkness had always been too great, too much to contain. Yet through the thick haze of night, a light was shining through from the most unlikely person.
Who would have ever thought that a witch and a vampire could love each other this much?
Night had finally ended.
And in its place, a new era has dawned.
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