SHELTERED (HYBRIDBTSXREADER)

* 8 *

HOSEOK POV:

Kitten had been resting for four days now and to all of our great relief her temperature had finally gone down. Although, it hadn't gone down by a lot all of us still rejoiced at the news, needing some sort of hope in these surprisingly dismal days.

It was curious, I had never seen my mates so disheveled before, so dismantled from reality all because our little girl was unwell. Any simple task became a struggle to complete with our minds being somewhere else completely. I could be sitting in the lounge, but my mind would be fixed directly onto the bedroom upstairs that held our little kitten safe and sound.

Jin Hyung had finally lightened up towards Yoongi after catching him one night sleeping by her bedside in his panther form. None of us were really mad at him anyway, we were all just scared of her distress. Even the ones that couldn't explain why, like Namjoon and Jungkook, who I'd often find pacing the corridors or staring blankly at a wall.

We all were becoming a little stir mad over worrying for her, none of us really being able to relax when knowing she was is discomfort.

So, when It was mine and the babies turn to look after her on Thursday, all three of us did our best to make sure she was taken care of. Jungkook helped me to cook her lunch, a healthy but cold broth that would help to cool down her temperature. Mixed with mashed up chunks of vegetables and chicken that she could easily swallow and hopefully get her strength back.

Jungkook and Taehyung both sat around her bed and watched as I fed her. With Taehyung's gentle hands holding up her neck for me to spoon food into her mouth.

When I took her to the bathroom they patiently waited by her bed for her to return. Then, to my happiness they were both shuffling closer, unable to stop themselves from doing anything to make her feel comforted by them.

Jungkook sat beside her, quietly reading her a small children's book that Namjoon had bought her the other day. All the while Taehyung's tentatively soft hand rubbed at her tummy, his mind probably stressing over what pain she may or may not be feeling in her body.

It was clear to see, they were growing closer to her... Their hearts yearning more and more for her safety and health with each passing day. Their instinctual protective nature becoming apparent by the way they purposefully barricaded her from the door with their bodies.

She had a long way to go, but soon, she'd be strong again, or at least that's what I begged the universe for. It was remarkable how just not hearing someone's voice for a couple days could really change my mood, how it could drain me completely. Even though I'm the one that keeps all the boys smiling... I couldn't help the fact that I was pulling my hair out with worry.

All I wanted was to see that pretty smile again, and then maybe I could start to sleep again at night.

...

Taehyung POV:

Another couple days had passed and Jimin, Jungkook and I were looking after the small girl upstairs. It's crazy how silent the whole house got after she got sick. Even though she barely said a word anyway, it still feels wrong without her sweet giggle to greet our ears. Or even just her presence around the dining table, now there was an empty seat and it felt almost maddening when she wasn't sat in it.

All of us had become docile in the days the kitten has been ill, with each member stuck in their own thoughts most of the time. However, none were as bad as Jin hyung, who seemed to have developed an obsession with changing her bandages every chance he got. He would do it once in the morning and once when he got home, which isn't bad, but it's that fact that he's like a robot while doing it. Every day, at the same time, like clockwork, only then to spend the rest of his evening by her bedside, just watching over her.