The Eight | A BTS Soulmate Fic |

Chapter 22

Day one of the Rose Bowl concerts was a chaotic one. The Muse tried harder than usual to stay quiet and out of the way as they prepared. It was fascinating to see the backstage work first hand. She was disappointed that she wouldn't be able to watch from the crowd. She had never seen a concert of such a huge scale before. The Muse was put in a spot underneath the stage that was set up with a TV so she could watch the feed while being out of the way.

All of her Warriors were hyped up with nerves and excitement. Jungkook even looked right at her when he brought her a couple of waters before he went on stage. She didn't know if he was beginning to get more comfortable with her, or if it was just the energy of the day. Either way, she was gaining hope with him. With all of them.

Jimin was no longer openly hostile with her. They even had a conversation or two. Taehyung was also starting to talk to her. He still stared, but she felt like they were on their way to bonding, too. Good thing too, as she was supposed to stay with him for the first time tonight. Yoongi had come the farthest of the four. He was quiet, yes, but since she stayed with him a couple of nights ago, he started flirting with her on occasion, and smiled at her often.

     Shortly before they went on stage, Seokjin, Namjoon and Hoseok all stopped in to check on her and collect good luck kisses. The others all watched with looks of longing. Like they wanted kisses, too, but were not yet comfortable asking for them. Taking a chance, The Muse smiled kindly, walked up to Yoongi, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. His hand reflexively landing on her waist. She moved down the line, placing sweet kisses on Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook's cheeks before wishing them all luck. All seven of her Warriors headed to the lift with genuine, happy smiles on their faces.

     Even from below the stage, the concert was an experience she would never forget. The sound of Army. The boom of the music. The sweat covered, exhausted men she saw running back and forth between sets. She wished she could have seen it all from the crowd. It looked incredible on the tv screen, and sounded even more amazing. She was glowing with pride at what these men had accomplished. The whole experience was over in what felt like minutes.

Her Warriors were all exhausted and hungry, sore and hurting when it was done.

They spent time after the show eating, being massaged and having injuries iced down.

The Muse sat in the background, trying to let the professionals do their work. She noticed Jimin rubbing at his neck as he was seated, icing his knee.
"Do you want me to rub your neck for you?" she asked him, hopeful that he would accept this bit of kindness from her.

His head jerked up, making him wince. Several emotions passed through his eyes as he thought about it.

"It's ok if you don't want me to," she said with a small smile, trying to be reassuring. "I will understand."

"Ok." he said in a small voice, turning his back toward her so she could reach his neck.

She massaged his neck and shoulders, paying attention to his reactions as she went. She really didn't want to hurt him or have him be uncomfortable with her. Jimin didn't say a word the entire time she massaged him. But, he didn't seem to be too tense about it. Soon enough, it was his turn with the actual masseuse. He thanked her quietly, actually looking her in the eye, before heading off.

The Muse felt good about it. They were making headway.

     She and Taehyung had a fairly mellow night at the hotel. He was exhausted but hungry. So, they ate the biggest burgers they could find and watched an old movie on the local cable television. She had seen it before, and remembered watching it with her mother when she was young. It made her wistful, and sort of sad. Her mother had passed a few years before that, so it was a grief she was accustomed to feeling. She allowed herself to wander down the paths of her memory that she had tried so hard not to go down anymore. She saw her mother, and her memories from childhood. The killer was when she started to think about her son.

    The Muse excused herself, saying she needed a shower. Really, she just needed to cry. Hopeful the sounds of the water falling in the tub would help cover the sounds she was making. It didn't. Out in the room, Taehyung was concerned, but he didn't want to barge into the bathroom with her in the shower. So, he did the only thing he could think to do. Text the members and see if anyone had any ideas.

Yoongi, Jungkook and Jimin were all equally as concerned. But Jin, Hoseok and Namjoon were all understanding. Seokjin said that she does that sometimes when she thinks about the people she was taken from, and that she would be fine after some cuddles.

If cuddling is what she needs, then cuddles is what she will get. If there was something Tae was good at, it was cuddling. So, when she finally came out of the shower, wearing those tiny boy shorts and tight tank top, he held his arms open and announced that he was the cuddle master and that he will make her all better. She gave a little laugh and crawled into his arms. It didn't take too long for her to fall asleep in his warmth and security.

Taehyung laid with her for a while, looking at her face while she slept. So this was his wife? This was who he would spend his life with? He had always imagined falling in love. He imagined himself being the kind of man that would love his wife to distraction. She would become his world. Just as he would become hers. She was beautiful. He loved to look at her. Watch her mannerisms, her reactions. How she chewed her lip, or how her forehead creased when she was concentrating on something. She was so curious about everything and everyone around her, when she was truly the most fascinating thing there. He did feel things with her. Having her in his arms felt more right than he would have ever guessed. What would it be like to actually kiss her? Or, be intimate with her? He admonished himself for thinking that way. He was not in the position to get hard, and would wake her up if he tried to go to the bathroom to deal with it.

After an hour or so of studying her sleeping face, thinking about his feelings and the future possibilities, Taehyung finally fell asleep.

     The Muse woke first in the morning. Once again wrapped all up in warmth and security. She glanced up into Tae's sleeping face and smiled at how relaxed and rested he looked. She snuggled back into his chest, noticing that she was in a similar position as she was when she woke up with Yoongi. She felt happy at that moment. Until she had to pee, of course. She tried so hard not to wake him as she untangled her arms and legs from him, and thought she'd managed it, until she came back from the bathroom and saw him watching her.

"Oh no! I'm sorry, Tae. I was trying to let you sleep."

He just held his arms open as a sign for her to get back in bed.

"When do we need to get up for the day?" She asked as she laid her head on his chest.

He looked at the clock and huffed out a breath. "Now. We have interviews in two hours."

They ordered their breakfast, and Min-Ho arrived with her daily torture wear.

Taehyung had excused himself to the bathroom while she dressed.

"You are going to be photographed today, Princess. You need to look hot. Remember, Shoulders down, chest out, no smiling." he chanted as he zipped her into the tight dress. With a flourish, Min-Ho had her hair up and makeup perfect. Thank god. She can't even get eyeliner on straight. But the heels. The damn heels. "Why can't I just wear some cute sandals or something?" she almost begged. He snorted. This was a daily argument. And today he wasn't in the mood to argue with her about it. He just handed them to her with a roll of the eyes and disappeared.