Bound by Blood

Chapter 103- cake and conclusions

YOONGI POV:

Jin hyung moves past me to get to the two maknaes.

"There you two are." He murmurs, running a possessive hand over the two of them, releasing some that tension that had hovered when he'd woken up feeling settled but that had promptly vanished when the centre of the bed held only empty space where the maknaes should've been.

They smile and lean into the touch but I note that they make no move to separate, not from where they're wrapped around each other. Hyung stays there, hovering and reassuring himself even as Tae slots himself easily into the space next to them, showering them with easy loving affection in the form of hugs, peppered kisses, and words.

Jin hyung sighs, relieved and kisses both of their foreheads before stepping away, phone already out.

"I need to make some phone calls, Yoongi-ah; make sure everyone has breakfast." He says shooting me a soft smile before stepping out of the kitchen, hands already busied and phone at his ear.

But it seems like the issue of what to make for breakfast is solved for us, that, and the fact that the counters are filled- leaving no space to make any. Lined with baked goods yet again...it makes my heart twist in sorrow that (Y/N) wakes up restless, wakes up because she can't sleep any more- because her mind won't let her rest, because she's too troubled to.

"Jagi...you're going to fatten us all up." Tae says, but he sounds absolutely delighted when his bright sparkling eyes fall onto the rows of cakes and even if Hobi chides him- saying he can't substitute all foods for just cake, he's smiling too.

"Not even if they're made by our baby mate? You'd deny yourself of that pleasure hyung?" Jiminie pipes up, easily picking up on the comment and reversing it onto him, making him fumble over them- gaze darting from between the two of them in front of the counters to (Y/N) who's still wrapped around Kookie and shooting him a betrayed wounded look.

"What if I want to? Then that way you won't ever catch me." she teases lightly, falling silent at the dangerous gleam in Tae and Jiminie's eyes as they look at her- eyes flaring red at the challenge she's issued. 

"No chance. I'll always catch you baby mate." Tae promises, and there's something deeper in those words. Not a promise to catch her mid-chase but to catch her whenever she falls.

And her eyes soften and she slips down off the counter, the house lowering it down so she doesn't need to hop down- even if Kookie had his arms around her to help. 

And patters off to make drinks, knowing everyone's preferences, all the small details that seem like nothing but warm me up inside anyway. 

Joon happily praises her as he brings the closest one to an available counter to slice up, murmuring how pretty the colours of the filling and cake look together.

And it's a small but much craved and needed sense of normalcy when (Y/N) mindlessly and almost habitually goes to feed the maknaes, where she silently indulges them by fussing over them in a way that makes them bat Jin hyung's hands away at times, but the cooing and gushing they readily accept from their youngest mate. She even does it to Hobi, Joon and me- smiling when we happily accept the proffered food, smiling as she feeds us. My hand captures her wrist as she feeds me, stilling it there.

"Do you want me to contact Jinyoung-ah?" I ask, taking in the shadows forming under her eyes, the visible change of not having slept enough for the past few days. My other hand comes to thumb under her eyes, frowning at them- at the blatant sight of our mate's unrest glaring at us.

She smiles.

"I'm pretty sure Jinyoung oppa won't give me back to you. He likes indulging his caring instincts." She says wryly.