Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jungkook fiddles with the red string around his left hand pointer finger, it really was the oddest spot. He had read all the books on the Red String of Fate, most people’s past lives placed it on the ring finger. He questions why his past self had placed it on the pointer finger instead, did he not marry anyone in that life?

He sighs as he twists the string between his fingers, it tugged slightly in the direction it wanted him to go and Jungkook smiles at it. Whoever was on the other end was impatient, Jungkook couldn’t remember a single time where his string wasn’t tugging him towards them. 

“You can’t be that excited to see me,” Jungkook whispers in a scolding tone to the string, giggling when it tugged harder, almost as if it could hear him. 

“Jungkook, you’re going to be late!” His mother calls, chuckling when Jungkook groans as he rolls off his bed. 

Jungkook grabs his backpack, throwing it over his shoulder as he stuffs his feet into his sneakers before heading out the open door and down the hallway. 

“I still can’t believe they accepted you,” his mother mutters, handing him a packed lunch to put in his bag. “Are you sure you’ll be alright all the way in Seoul?”

“Yeah mom, I can drop out if it gets to be too much.” Jungkook assures her, pulling her in for a tight hug. “I just want to try, who knows maybe BigHit will become something in the future.” 

“I guess it is better than some other companies,” his mother mutters, placing a swift kiss on his cheek. “Come on, I’ll drive you to the dorms.” 

Jungkook fiddles with his fingers as he walks through the busy dorm halls, a manager was speaking to him and explaining the training schedule he’d be starting tomorrow. Jungkook nods as he listens, keeping his eyes trained on the man as he’s ushered into a dorm room. 

“You’ll be staying with some of the older boys for now,” the man, Jungkook didn’t catch his name, said as he opened the door. “I’m not sure where Bang PD-ssi is going to want to place you.” 

Jungkook nods in understanding, his eyes catching sight of someone sitting on a low couch in their boxers and scribbling furiously on a scrap of paper. He feels a tug in his left hand and a pang in his heart as the older boy raises his gaze to them in the doorway. 

They blink at each other for a moment, barely hearing the manager introduce them before he leaves the room muttering something about having to greet some other trainees. Jungkook steps a little further into the room as the boy stands, their eyes trained on each other. 

Jungkook tilts his head as he looks him up and down, catching sight of the red string attached to his left pointer finger, before his eyes drop the honeyed bare thighs. 

“Wow thighs,” Jungkook mutters, then claps a hand over his mouth in shock. The other boy bursts out laughing, dimples popping in his cheeks as his eyes crinkle into little half moon shapes. 

“Quite the first words there, little one.” The boy teases, smiling widely as he steps closer. “I don’t think I caught your name.” 

“Jungkook, Jeon Jungkook.” Jungkook answers, feeling his ears burn with embarrassment and he can’t help but rub them. The boy’s eyes catch the movement and his eyes soften at it. 

“I’m Namjoon, Kim Namjoon,” Namjoon greets, raising his left hand for him. 

Jungkook glances down, sealing himself as he stares at the red string dangling between them. He takes a deep breath and takes the offered hand, their string glows as one as soon as their skin touches. Jungkook feels tears come to his eyes as a stream of memories enter his mind as he stares down at their shared string conjoined between their fingers.

“Jungkook,” Namjoon whispers, blinking back tears as Jungkook raises his gaze back up. 

“Yeobo,” Jungkook whispers, gasping when Namjoon throws his arms around him. He clutches his shoulders tightly, sobbing softly as he lays his head down against his shoulder. “You found me.” 

“I told you, you wouldn’t have to wait for long, baby.” Namjoon whispers, clutching him tighter as Jungkook sobs harder at the gentle nickname. 

Jungkook pulls back and cups Namjoon’s face in his hands, wiping the tears from his cheeks, “How do you remember me?” 

Namjoon sniffs, cupping Jungkook’s face and wiping his own tears, “I’ve had all of my memories since my thirteenth birthday.” 

Jungkook gasps, “I’ve never heard of that happening, how is that possible?” 

Namjoon sighs, dropping his hands to grip his waist tightly, “I looked it up, it’s rare but it happens. Most people don’t remember their past lives, but those that do are said to live multiple lives together. I didn’t think you’d remember as well, but since you do, and if my research is correct, we’re going to meet in every life. And remember all of them.” 

Jungkook blinks, rapidly, “I get to… I get to have you in every life? We get to spend decades together?” 

Namjoon wipes a tear from his face, “Yes baby, I’m sorry if…” 

Jungkook smacks his head, “Don’t you dare fucking apologize, I’ll smack you in every life if you do!”

“Ow Jungkook, that hurt,” Namjoon whines, rubbing his head. “My head isn’t as hard this time.” 

Jungkook rolls his eyes at him, “Suck it up yeobo, I’ll give you a hard head in no time.” 

Namjoon pouts and Jungkook has to hold himself back from kissing him straight on those pouty lips, “How much do you remember right now?”

Jungkook blinks, scrunching his nose as he thinks over his past life, “It still feels a bit fuzzy to me, like it’s not mine yet.” 

“It takes a few days,” Namjoon assures him, sighing as he looks over Jungkook’s face. “I never thought we’d meet this young, I’m almost scared to ask how old you are.” 

Jungkook raises a brow at him, “Still sensitive about age I see, do I really need to spend this life smacking you about it. It’s not like I chose when I was born!” 

Namjoon chuckles, laying his forehead against his, “Still so sassy, you looked like such a shy little thing when you were walking through the door.” 

Jungkook scowls at him, “You really do want me to smack you again, Kim Namjoon.” 

Namjoon giggles and moves his head down to lay on Jungkook’s shoulder, “How did I get so lucky to see you again?” 

Jungkook wraps his arms tightly around Namjoon’s neck, leaning his head against the side of his face. Namjoon sighs as he tightens his arms around his waist before pulling back. 

“Let me go get dressed, we need to talk some more.” Namjoon says, placing a kiss on Jungkook’s forehead when he pouts. 

Jungkook sets his backpack down on the couch while he waits for Namjoon to get back, he looks over his left hand with new eyes. Now he completely understands why his past self had wanted the string to rest on his pointer finger.

“Fuck I was a badass,” Jungkook murmurs, his mind filtering through the number of things he had done in another world. Another life. 

Namjoon comes back into the room as Jungkook is gazing up at the ceiling, twisting their string between his fingers as he thinks through his past memories. Jungkook blinks out of it as Namjoon raises his hand to him, he smiles and takes it, letting Namjoon lead him out of the dorm and down the street. 

“Has Bang PD-ssi had you look over the trainee contracts yet?” Namjoon asks, smiling softly down at Jungkook as he walks close next to him. Jungkook shakes his head, tightening his fingers in Namjoon’s hand as he looks at him in confusion. Namjoon sighs, “They have a clause about soulmates, they don’t want them to be trained together.”

“Oh,” Jungkook says softly, looking down at the ground. “So do I…” 

“We’re not going to tell them,” Namjoon says firmly, making Jungkook raise his eyes in shock. Namjoon smirks at him, “No one else can see the string now but us, not unless we want people to see. One day we will, we won’t hide forever but I don’t want to give up on this path just yet.” 

Jungkook nods, “I understand, I have a good feeling about this too.” 

“I also need to tell you that we’re probably the only ones that are going to remember Jungkook,” Namjoon says softly, pulling him down to sit on a bench and clenching his hand tightly. “Yoongi-hyung and Jin-hyung are here too, but they won’t remember anything about us. They haven’t recognized me once since I’ve been with them and I haven’t dared bringing it up to them.” 

Jungkook blinks rapidly, trying to stop the flow of tears that comes to his cheeks. Namjoon pulls him close, hugging him tightly to his chest. Jungkook takes slow deep breaths as he sniffs, “It’s going to be hard to act like I don’t know them, Namjoon, they're my hyungs.” 

“And they will be again,” Namjoon assures him, laying his head down against his. “It’ll be a little different this time, they’re different people but we can become close with them again. We’ll lean on each other for this, you’re not alone in facing them.” 

Jungkook nods, tucking himself under Namjoon’s arm as they lean against the bench, “How are we going to play this? It’s not like we can act like we know each other, I’m thirteen that would look odd.” 

Namjoon gives a shiver, “I’d really rather not be shot thanks, we’ll play it by ear. Just go with the flow and see what people assume. We can act like we’ve bonded faster through music, that won’t look odd.” 

Jungkook hums in agreement, “Maybe I should lean more into my shyness this time. Let them try and draw me out and set the pacing for building a relationship. Hopefully they won’t judge me too much for randomly bursting into tears.” 

Namjoon chuckles, “We can play it off as homesickness. I think you’re still going to be the youngest so I can take you under my wing as the leader. It seems even in this life I can’t escape that title.” 

“That’s because it suits you in every life,” Jungkook says firmly, smiling when Namjoon looks over at him. “I kinda wish we could choose where we go in our next lives, I think it would be fun to go to the past and live out the Joseon Dynasty.” 

Namjoon rolls his eyes, “Knowing you, you’d like to try and be the one to paint our painting. Fuck I’m going to miss owning those and our houses!” 

Jungkook giggles as Namjoon throws his head back in agony, he pats his thigh in consolation, “We can try and build them again, or something similar. I don’t think we’re ever going to be that rich again.” 

Namjoon sighs, nodding in agreement then his face turns somber, “What I’m not going to enjoy is seeing Soobin again, that’s really going to break my heart to see our baby not even know us.” 

Jungkook sniffs, leaning his head down against Namjoon’s shoulder as he rubs his arm. “I’m not sure I can handle that, Namjoon. I’m probably never going to be able to meet his gaze without crying.” 

“It’s possible that he’s not even born yet,” Namjoon soothes, taking one of Jungkook’s hands to hold it tightly. “It may be years before we ever see him, but I know no amount of time is going to make it any easier.” 

Jungkook gives a choked hum of agreement, taking a deep breath of Namjoon’s scent, “What’s your plan for us, Namjoon? How are we moving forward?” 

Namjoon blinks as Jungkook tilts his head to look up at him, he bites his lip hesitantly, “I’ll understand if you don’t want to, Jungkook, but I thought we’d… I thought we’d get married again. When you’re of age of course, but if that’s not…” 

Namjoon coughs as Jungkook smacks his stomach, “Asshole, of course I’m marrying your dumbass again. We’re marching straight down to the court house the day I turn eighteen. You can’t escape me!” 

“Fuck you’re going to give me bruises,” Namjoon wheezes, rubbing his stomach in pain. He chuckles as Jungkook pouts at him, “I’m not trying to escape you baby, I just don’t want to assume that you’d want that again. Despite our past life, this one is different. We’re different people this time.” 

“We’re not starting from scratch, yeobo,” Jungkook counters, smiling when Namjoon places a kiss against his cheek as that name passes his lips. “But I understand what you mean, we are a little different this time. That’s not going to stop me from falling in love with you all over again though, so you can forget trying to convince me otherwise.” 

Namjoon chuckles, leaning his head against the side of Jungkook’s face, “I feel like I’m half-way there already. I won’t fight you next time baby, but can we take it slow this time. Our life was so fast paced before, I want to take my time with you in this one.” 

Jungkook sighs, but nods, “We can take our time, we can just enjoy every moment. I can’t do shit till I’m eighteen so you better save your strength for it.” 

Namjoon lets out a low squeak when Jungkook squeezes his thigh, he groans as Jungkook smiles devilishly at him, “Fuck you’re still going to tease me, this is going to be torture.”

Jungkook giggles at Namjoon’s grumblings and leans his head down against the side of his neck. “I’m going to need moments like this, yeobo. Moments where we don’t have to hide, to just talk and tease each other. Can we still use our word to let each other know when I need that? Or if you do?” 

“Of course baby,” Namjoon says at once, squeezing the arm around his shoulders. “I know I’m going to need this too, to hold you in my arms without worrying about how it’ll look. We’ll use our word and find a way to escape the other’s eyes.”

Jungkook hums, shutting his eyes as he basks in the feeling of being in Namjoon’s arms, “You were right, by the way.”

Namjoon hums in confusion, his fingers lightly tracing Jungkook’s shoulder blade. 

“Music really will follow us in every life,” Jungkook murmurs, taking a steady breath of Namjoon’s scent. “Do you think we’ll be happy here, yeobo?”

“As long as I have you Jungkook, I can be happy anywhere.” 

Chapter Text

Kim Namjoon went to bed the night before his thirteenth birthday not expecting much of the day to come. Then the clock struck midnight, he gasped awake to the stream of memories and a name on his lips. 

“Jungkook,” Namjoon whispers, looking frantically around his room and feeling tears run down his face as his mind comes back to the reality of this life. With shaky hands he scrubs his face, trying to take deep breaths to calm himself. 

“What do you want to be in our next life?” 

“Something peaceful.”

Namjoon chuckles at the memory as he pulls his hands away from his face and stares down at the little red string that was tied to his pointer finger. He grasps it with both hands and holds tight, “Can I get so lucky to have you on the end, little one?” 

Namjoon leaps from his bed and frantically pulls out a notebook from his desk, with shaking fingers he writes down everything that he could remember about his past life. A life of violence, guns, and blood, but a life with his Jungkook. The sun was only beginning to peak from behind his curtains as he packed a small bag and ran out the door towards the library. 

He was like a madman on a mission for a few days, searching high and low through all the books on the Red String of Fate and memories of past lives. Every new piece of information was helping put the pieces of this puzzle together and everyday the memories of his past life got stronger and stronger. They were beginning to feel more like his and then just a fuzzy reality of someone else’s life.  

And then he stumbled upon it, an old text from the Joseon Dynasty from an unnamed Emperor and his wife, it described how memories from a past life would mean that you would always share your lives with that person attached to the string. And if they remembered you as well, you would remember every life lived together. 

Namjoon sunk down in the library chair as he laid the book on the table, he stared in shock at the little red string attached to his pointer finger. Every life, every life he was reborn he would have Jungkook and Jungkook would have him. Only if it really was Jungkook on the other end of his string. 

He twisted the smooth red silk around his finger, tugging it slightly towards him. He held his breath as it hung limp for a moment, then it tugged right back, hard. 

Namjoon chuckled quietly, he had no doubt about it. It was his baby on the other end, no matter what world they ended up in Jungkook was a possessive bastard. He wouldn’t allow Namjoon to enter any world where he couldn’t have him. 

With a new found confidence, Namjoon went back to his normal everyday life and told no one about his new found knowledge. He learned to live with the memories of his past life and try to find the balance between the man he was and the man he was becoming. The Kim Namjoon of the past had lived a very different life to the one he now did and Namjoon could see right away why his past self had wanted a peaceful life. 

He also had to remind himself that the Jungkook of the past was not going to be the Jungkook he would meet one day. Neither of them would be hardened by guns and violence, and neither of them would be guaranteed to fall in love again. 

“How do you always know what I want?” 

“Because you’re mine, and you’re my favorite book to read.” 

The echo of Jungkook’s delighted laughter rang in Namjoon’s mind, if he could have anything, he wanted to hear that laugh again. He wanted to see Jungkook’s wide bunny smile. He wanted to see his nose crinkle when he grinned devilishly at him. He wanted to see those bambi eyes light up with galaxies as they met his. 

Namjoon didn’t know what path would bring them together, but he wouldn’t rush it this time. He could wait, he knew there was a possibility for Jungkook to be younger than him, they needed to meet at the right time. So he focused on his school work, his hobbies, his family, and he dove right into any aspect of music he could. That was one piece that his past self and him had completely in common, music was his passion and he would follow it as hard as he followed the love of his life. 

Namjoon hadn’t been paying attention to his string that day, other than the daily tug he gave it, he was furiously writing the scraps of a song that had come to his mind the night before. The corner of his eye caught someone coming into the room and he heard the voice of one of the managers speaking swiftly to someone with him. He looked up and froze, wide bambi eyes stared at him from the doorway. 

“I love you, Kim Namjoon.” 

“I love you, Jeon Jungkook.” 

Namjoon took a deep breath and stood to meet Jungkook in the doorway trying to shove the past memories to the back of his mind. He had no guarantee that Jungkook would ever remember their past life, but as he spied the little red string that connected their pointer fingers he felt hope. 

He watched as Jungkook tilted his head at him and his eyes flickering across his body, it sent a shiver down his spine and made him very aware of the fact that he was only in his underwear. 

“Wow thighs,” Jungkook muttered, then clasped his hand to his mouth in shock. Namjoon couldn’t help the delighted laughter that burst from his mouth, his baby always did love his thighs. 

“Quite the first words there, little one.” Namjoon murmured, stepping closer to stand right in front of Jungkook, grinning at the blush coloring his cheeks. “I don’t think I caught your name.” 

“Jungkook, Jeon Jungkook,” Jungkook answered shyly, bringing his hands up to his earlobes to rub them. Namjoon couldn’t help the warmth that filled him at that action, his baby was always so cute when he was embarrassed. 

“I’m Namjoon, Kim Namjoon,” he greets, holding his hand out for him, the one with their shared string attached to it. He watches as Jungkook takes a deep breath before slipping his small hand into his, Jungkook sucks in a low breath as their skin meets and looks up at him with new eyes. 

“Jungkook?” Namjoon whispers, feeling tears come to his eyes as he sees some fall down Jungkook’s cheeks. 

“Yeobo,” Jungkook answers and Namjoon has him in his arms at once; he remembered. Jungkook’s arms are tight around him and he shakes from his quiet sobs, but Namjoon is shaking just as hard from his relieved, happy tears. 

A chance for a new life. Another chance to live together. Namjoon had never felt so lucky in his whole life. It didn’t matter how many challenges they now had to face going forward, he had Jungkook standing next to him again, he could face anything. 

Chapter Text

Jungkook was grateful for the busy training schedule, it helped keep his mind on the present and not on the past life he was slowly remembering. Every day it was getting clearer, every day it was feeling more like a life he had lived rather than a distant memory. 

The nights were the worst, Jungkook tried to push his body to the point of exhaustion so that he would fall into the pillows in a dead sleep, but it never eased the aching loneliness of sleeping alone. The memories of being wrapped up in Namjoon’s arms had been the clearest since their hands had touched on that first day. And since then he had gone to bed with tears running down his face at not having it in this life. 

Jungkook knew the looks he was getting from the other boys, most sneered behind his back at the amount of ‘homesickness’ they thought he was going through. And he could feel Namjoon’s worried eyes following him on some days. 

Jungkook refused to give in, he could push through. Namjoon had spent four years with his past memories, alone. If Namjoon could push through them, so could Jungkook. As much as he wanted to lean on his soulmate, he couldn’t. Namjoon was busy, there wasn’t a moment where Jungkook didn’t see him working with one of the managers or scribbling down in a notebook. Meal times were the only exception. 

Thankfully, most of the boys in their dorm were used to Jungkook’s zoning out periods. No one tried to talk to him when he was in that headspace any more and Jungkook used it to his advantage. He used the rare free time to organize his memories, to file them away and try to bury the burning emotions of them. He really should have known better. 

It all came down to a head during their third week of training, Jungkook was taking slow bites of the bland meal one of the managers had made for them. Dieting was going to be Jungkook’s least favorite part of idol life. He was organizing through the new stream of memories that had come to him the night before. He took steady breaths as he tried not to look too closely at the flashing images across his mind, but then the last of them bulldozed him straight in the face. 

Jungkook couldn’t hear a word of what anyone was saying, he was up and out of his chair as he tried to control the guttural sobs coming from his mouth. He stumbled out into the hallways, running as fast as he could toward the doors. He flung them open as he stepped onto the streets, the cold night air hitting his lungs as he stumbled down the lamplit pavement.

“Jungkook!” Namjoon’s voice yelled as Jungkook fell to his knees sobbing, he heard pounding feet before he felt Namjoon drop down in front of him and place gentle hands on his shoulders. “Hey, hey, Jungkook, baby, what happened? Are you okay?” 

“I left him… I left him…” Jungkook sobbed, his nails digging into the pavement as he heaved and shook with the force of his sobs. 

“Deep breaths baby, deep breaths,” Namjoon soothed, running a hand up and down Jungkook’s back as he choked on his tears, he pulled him onto his lap and held him tight as Jungkook tried to slow his shuddering breaths. “There you go, little one. It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here, I’ve got you. Just breathe, just lean on me, it’s okay.” 

Jungkook shuddered as he felt Namjoon run a hand through his hair, he took deep breaths of the man’s cologne and body wash as he pressed his face into his neck. Slowly his heavy breaths turned to gentle sniffles, he hiccuped slightly as Namjoon lifted him in the air and started carrying him down the street. 

“Namjoon I can’t… I can’t go…”

“I’m not taking you back to the dorms, baby,” Namjoon assured him, tightening his hold as he continued his steady stride. “I’ll call the managers tomorrow, just trust me. I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”

Jungkook nodded against Namjoon’s neck, tightening his arms around him as he relaxed into his hold, “I’ve always trusted you.” 

Namjoon turned his head and placed a kiss against his forehead, Jungkook sighed as he closed his eyes. He felt himself slowly drift between the waking world and sleep as Namjoon kept to his steady steps. 

The sound of a key being placed into a doorknob awoke Jungkook from his gentle slumber, he blinked as Namjoon opened a door and stepped into a dark apartment. 

He flicked on a light and slipped off his shoes in the doorway before walking them into the small space and sitting down on the bed at the end of the room. Jungkook looked around at the space in interest, it was nearly barren with only a few furniture pieces but it was cozy. He looked over at Namjoon in question as he pulled them up to sit against the headboard. 

Namjoon gave him a small smile as he sat him down in his lap, “I bought this place a while ago, I’ve been saving my money for it. We can’t live here during our training, but I thought it would be a good idea to have a place to escape to when we needed to.”

“Namjoon you didn’t…” 

“Baby,” Namjoon says gently to stop his protests, he places a hand against his face and wipes the dried tears on his cheeks. “You bought us our first escape house, now I’ve bought this. I knew we’d need it, especially with how overwhelming the memories can be. I wish you could have had more time to deal with them like I did.” 

“You were alone,” Jungkook whispers, dropping his gaze to his lap. “I have you, that’s not fair. You had to…” 

Namjoon places a swift kiss against his forehead, “I knew there was a reason you were hesitating, I thought it was because you realized how different we are now. Baby, you can come to me, for anything. I want to help you, I want to carry your burdens again. You don’t have to do this alone just because I did, and I wasn’t alone. I had you.” 

Jungkook looks down as Namjoon tugs at their string, he intertwines their fingers together making the string become an endless circle of red between their fingers. He takes a deep breath as he leans against Namjoon’s chest, “I’ve been… I’ve been trying to organize my memories. Every day they feel more like mine and the emotions of that life have been… intense.” 

Namjoon hums in agreement, running a soothing hand down Jungkook’s back, “It’s a lot to take in at once, little one. What memories were you going through tonight?” 

Jungkook gulps as he clutches tight to Namjoon’s hand, “It was… it was our last days together. Before… before you died.” 

“Oh fuck,” Namjoon whispers, clutching Jungkook even tighter against him. “Oh my baby, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that I was the first to go.” 

Jungkook digs his hands into Namjoon’s shoulders as he holds tight around his neck, taking deep breaths with him as he stutters his words out, “I tried… I tried to keep going Namjoon… I promise I did… but I couldn’t… I couldn’t live in a world where you weren’t there… I was heartbroken and… and I couldn’t even leave our bed…” 

Namjoon takes a shuddering breath as he lays his head down on Jungkook’s shoulder, clinging tight around him as he just listens. 

“Soobin… Soobin came to me one day… he told me… he told me I could let go… that I could go find you… I just… I just left him,” Jungkook sobs, feeling hot tears run down his face. “My last… my last memory was of him kissing my forehead and shutting my eyes… I left our baby alone… all because… all because I couldn’t live without you, like I promised.” 

“Oh baby, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Namjoon soothes as Jungkook starts to sob again. 

“He… he buried both of us… I’m no better… I’m no better than my mother…” Jungkook whispers brokenly, hiccuping as Namjoon pulls back to cup his face. 

“No baby, no, you’re nothing like her.” Namjoon says gently, pulling Jungkook’s forehead to rest against his. “Soobin understood, he did, baby. He wouldn’t have told you that it was okay if he didn’t believe it. Our baby isn’t a liar and he wasn’t alone, he had Jimin and Hobi. He wasn’t alone.” 

Jungkook takes a deep breath, closing his eyes as he feels Namjoon’s nose brush against his, “I can’t… I can’t do that again Namjoon… I can’t try to live without you… I can’t… I can’t bury you again…”

Jungkook feels a tear from Namjoon’s eye fall against his cheek as Namjoon takes a deep shuddering breath against him. 

“If you make me sign a suicide pact, I get to be the one to smack you.” Namjoon says fiercely, smiling when Jungkook gives a weak little laugh. “Baby, I’m not going to make a promise I can’t keep but I’ll try really hard not to let you go through that pain again.” 

Jungkook nods slightly against Namjoon’s face, taking a deep breath as he feels the calm after the storm of his emotions wash over him. Namjoon pulls them down to lay across the bed, tucking Jungkook right up against his chest and he can feel the ache in his heart ease as Namjoon tightens his arms around him. 

“I’ve been having a hard time sleeping,” Jungkook admits, tightening his arms around Namjoon’s back. “The memories of sleeping in your arms are the strongest, I haven’t been able to sleep well since I’ve had them.” 

“Oh baby,” Namjoon breathes, tightening his arms around him. “You have no idea how little sleep I get, I used to toss and turn all night after I first got my memories. Without your gentle breath against my skin or the weight of you in my arms, I could never find proper rest.”

“Is it… is it better now?” Jungkook whispers, tilting his head to look up at him. “Did time help?”

Namjoon shakes his head, “No baby, it didn’t. Even after seeing you for the first time, without being able to hold you at night I still haven’t slept well.” 

Jungkook sighs sadly, placing a soft kiss against Namjoon’s cheek, “I know we can’t always come here, but can we… can we try when we have days off?”

“Of course, baby,” Namjoon says softly, pulling the covers over them more comfortably. “Maybe we can try to come every other weekend, and if you ever need a place to just escape to, I’ll give you the key so you can come here.”

“Thank you, yeobo.” Jungkook murmurs sleepily, shutting his eyes as Namjoon turns off the light, plunging the room into complete darkness. “I love you.”

“I love you, baby, we’ll talk more in the morning, okay?” Namjoon whispers, chuckling when Jungkook gives a sleepy hum before promptly falling asleep.

Chapter Text

A few years later

The members of BTS pause mid-step as they walk through the door of their dorm to hear the sounds of things being tossed around and running. 

“Jungkook-ah! Be reasonable!” Namjoon shouts, then yelps when something smacks against a wall. “I thought we had a deal!” 

“That was before I got fucking horny!” Jungkook barks back, making the men blink as they slowly creep into the room where the shouting is happening. “How dare you get fucking buff before I could jump you!” 

“You told me to build my strength!” Namjoon counters, they catch sight of him ducking before a shoe goes flying over his head as he continues running away from Jungkook’s charge at him. “It’s not my fault this is the result!” 

Jungkook growls and leaps on top of the dining room table as Namjoon skirts around it, pointing a knife at his face, “Stop running from me! I’m not going to stop until I get what I want!” 

“Jungkook-ah, baby,” Namjoon soothes, raising his hands to Jungkook as he slowly backs away from him. “Hyung will have my head if I…”

“Hyung isn’t in charge of my asshole!” Jungkook barks, wiggling the knife in Namjoon’s face. “Now gimme Kim Namjoon or I’ll just cut your clothes off myself!” 

Jungkook yelps when Namjoon catches his wrist, knocks the knife out of his hand, spins him around and holds him tight against his chest. The members gap at the level of finesse from their leader as he clutches Jungkook’s back tight to his chest, dodging the flayings to get out of his hold. 

“Jungkook-ah!” Namjoon scolds as Jungkook tries to swing his head to headbutt him. “You can’t break my nose! We have schedules!” 

“Fuck the schedules! Give me your fat…” 

Yoongi clears his throat, making the pair stop their fight and look up at them in shock, he raises an impassive eyebrow as he crosses his arms. 

“Ah what’s…” Jimin mutters, looking between the two of them and blinking when Jungkook huffs angrily as he stays in Namjoon’s hold. 

“Are you going to let him go, Namjoon-ah?” Jin asks, crossing his arms as he desperately tries to control the amused look coming onto his face. 

Namjoon shakes his head, “Sorry hyung, Jungkook-ah will just go back to chasing me around the room.” 

Jungkook growls, trying to kick at Namjoon’s ankles and huffing when Namjoon smacks them away with his foot. 

“Do we want to know?” Taehyung asks, unconsciously stepping behind Yoongi as Jungkook levels a hard glare at each of them. 

Namjoon claps a hand over Jungkook’s mouth to stop whatever was about to spew out, he gives a small grin at the men as they stare at him. “Trust me, you don’t want to know what comes out of his mouth when he’s this angry.” 

“I didn’t realize the pair of you were this close, Namjoon.” Yoongi muses, looking the pair up and down. He raises his brow when Namjoon takes a deep breath, watching his hand flex around Jungkook’s jaw. 

Everyone looks at them in confusion when Jungkook makes an affirmative sound but then their eyes widen when a red string suddenly becomes visible. Their eyes flicker between Namjoon and Jungkook's left hands’ pointer fingers being connected by the string. 

“Is that…?” Jimin whispers in shock, looking down at it and taking a step closer to Jin. 

Namjoon nods, “I’m sorry we hid it from you guys, but Jungkook-ah and I wanted to wait until we could change our contracts before telling anyone.” 

“Ah,” Hoseok murmurs, nodding in understanding. “So does that mean… you’ve known since you met each other?” 

Namjoon lifts Jungkook off the ground and marches him in the living room, ignoring the low grumbles that Jungkook was giving as he nods for the group to follow him. Everyone sits around in the various seats as they watch Namjoon sit down in his reading chair with Jungkook on his lap. 

“Yes we knew, Jungkook-ah and I talked after we met and came to an agreement to hide our string for a little while.” Namjoon explains, giving a sigh of relief when Jungkook settles down and turns himself into his lap to tuck his head under Namjoon’s chin. Namjoon runs a soothing hand down Jungkook’s back as he gazes at the shocked faces of the other members. 

“And he was chasing you around the house because…?” Jimin asks, looking the pair up and down as he sits on the arm of Jin’s chair. Namjoon’s eyes flicker to the pair for a moment, a small smile coming on his face. 

“Jungkook-ah and I agreed to take things slow, he has fits about it sometimes.” Namjoon answers with a shrug, chuckling at the blushing faces around the room. 

“That does explain a few things then,” Yoongi mutters, leaning back against the couch cushions next to Taehyung. The pair look at each other for a moment before nodding and connecting their hands, a red string coming to life between their respective left hand ring fingers. 

Namjoon smiles at it, he nudges Jungkook, making him peek over his shoulder and gasping as he sees it. Jungkook smiles widely as he spins around in Namjoon’s lap to look at the pair in excitement. 

Yoongi chuckles as Taehyung leans his head down to his shoulder, “I’m sorry we hid it from you as well, but I think you already know why Joon.” 

Namjoon nods as he folds his hands across Jungkook’s stomach, leaning back against his chair as Jungkook wiggles in excitement. 

Jungkook hums happily, “I’m glad you have each other Yoongi-hyung, I’m sure it's helped during the hard years.” 

Yoongi sighs in agreement, his hand tightening in Taehyung’s, he looks around the room, “Anyone else have something to share?” 

Jimin looks down at Jin, hesitation brimming in his eyes. Jin smiles at him gently before tugging him over into his lap, letting the string between their middle fingers glow for the whole room to see. 

Hoseok sighs as he leans back in his chair, “I guess I’m the only one that hasn’t met my soulmate yet.” 

“It’ll happen soon, Hobi-hyung,” Jungkook assures him at once, smiling softly at him. “Sometimes it just takes some time.” 

Hoseok nods, taking a deep breath as he looks down at his hands, “It would be a lot easier if I didn’t have the memories.” 

The room freezes at his words, looking at him in shock as he raises his teary gaze to them. 

A pin could drop as Hoseok swallows hard before he can whisper, “Am I the only one that…”

“Hobi-hyung,” Jungkook says gently, standing from Namjoon’s lap to cross the room in a few short steps. Jungkook kneels down in front of Hoseok’s knees, tears flowing down his cheeks as he takes Hoseok’s shaking hands into his, “What was your name?” 

“My name was Kim Hoseok, I was Namjoon’s adoptive brother.” Hoseok whispers, yelping when Jungkook leaps to his feet and throws his arms around him.

“You remember, you remember,” Jungkook sobs, rocking in Hoseok’s arms as he clutches him tightly. 

“Kookie baby,” Taehyung whispers, making Jungkook jerk away from Hoseok and throw himself into Taehyung’s arms. The pair clutch each other tightly as they sob. 

Tears are passed between all of them as they move about to the room to clutch each other tightly and whisper names that hold so many memories. 

Namjoon takes a step back as he watches Jin and Jimin clutch Hoseok tightly in their arms, he looks away as he hears them muttering apology after apology to their past lover. He looks over to see Jungkook being embraced on either side by Taehyung and Yoongi, smiling as he sees them breathe a sigh of relief together. Even standing alone, watching his friends comfort each other, Namjoon feels nothing but love in this room. 

At last his family was whole again. The broken pieces came back together as seven, just as it should be.  

Chapter Text

A few short years later

Hoseok sighs as he shifts in his seat, what was once an exciting experience to attend an award show was now becoming a bit of a hassle. The shifting eyes of other celebrities, the flashing lights of the cameras, and the screaming crowds always left him feeling completely drained by the time they got back to the hotel. 

His eyes shift to his band mates, catching each pair of couples comforting each other in different ways. He can see Namjoon and Jungkook holding each other’s hands tightly under the table. Taehyung and Yoongi have equal bland expressions on their faces but he can see their pinkies delicately linked between their chairs. His eyes can only briefly skirt over Jin and Jimin’s linked ankles, the pang of hurt still lingering in his chest. 

He swallows as he looks around the room, his eyes trying to catch anything but the two faces that bring back so many happy memories of his past life. He spots another Korean group, something becoming more common since they made big waves in the west with their recent albums. A familiar face sits among the rest, but Hoseok can’t quite place him. 

The award show is over just before he can figure it out, he fixes his face into a wide smile as the camera pans over to them before the host ends the show. He follows behind the other members as they leave, taking up the back of the pack as they make their way into the dressing rooms. 

They are walking down the busy halls when he spots the other group again. Bows are made as they skirt around the edge of the hallway to make enough room for all to pass and Hoseok’s eye catches the person he still can’t quite place. The other man’s eyes flicker across his face as they nearly brush against each other. When, like butterfly wings, their hands delicately touch each other, it’s barely a feeling against either of their knuckles but it’s enough. 

The red glow catches both of their attention, making them pause as the rest of their groups continue to make their way in opposite directions down the hall. 

Hoseok stares in shock at his glowing red string as it twirls through the air until it becomes attached to the other man’s ring finger. Their gazes lock and the man’s name comes to his lips. 

“Felix?” Hoseok gasps in shock, the memories of the young man flying through his mind. 

Felix’s eyes widen, “Hoseok-ssi…” 

Hoseok flexes his hand at his side, wanting to grasp the younger man to prove that he was real. That this wasn’t a dream. He swallows, “Do you… do you have… are you…?” 

Felix blinks at Hoseok’s stuttering words, his eyes searching across his nervous face, “Do I…?”

Hoseok takes a deep breath, “Do you have your memories of your past life, Felix-ssi?” 

Felix’s eyes widen, his mouth gapes, “Do you… do you remember too?” 

All Hoseok can do is nod, tears coming to his eyes as he takes one of Felix’s hands and holds it tight. His voice comes out hoarse, “We can talk later but… but it’s really good to see you again, Wolf.” 

Felix sniffs, grasping Hoseok’s hand with both of his, “It’s good to see you too, Jack. Who would have thought, huh? The two of us?” 

Hoseok looks down at their shared string, his fingers trembling as he raises his other hand to cover Felix’s, “Yeah, who would have thought, huh? I guess everyone gets second chances, even if it's in the next life.” 

Felix tightens his grip around Hoseok’s hand, “Let’s make this life count then, Hoseok-ssi, I don’t want to waste a moment of it.” 

Hoseok nods, chuckling wetly as he looks into Felix’s passionate eyes, “You can call me Hobi, or hyung, Felix-ssi. No need for formalities between soulmates.”

“Just Felix then, Hobi-hyung,” Felix whispers, pulling Hoseok close and wrapping his arms tightly around him. “I’ll take good care of you this time, Jack, I promise.” 

Hoseok clings to him tightly, burning his face into his chest as he feels relieved sobs escape his lips. At last, he felt whole again. 

Jimin yawns as he scrubs his eyelids, happy to have gotten out of his tight suit as he hobbles behind Jin’s broad back into the elevator. He gives a quiet ‘oof’ when he bumps into that solid back, blinking in confusion as he looks up to Jin’s concerned face, “What is it, hyung?”

“Have you seen, Hobi?” Jin asks, looking back over Jimin’s head then back to the other guys in the elevator. “I didn’t see him in the dressing room.” 

Namjoon blinks, pushing his black glasses back up his face before pulling out his phone from his pocket, “I thought for sure that he was with us when we left the stage.” 

Murmurs of agreement sound in the hallway, but just before everyone can pull out their phones to message their missing member or one of their managers, the sound of running feet reaches their ears. They look over to see Hoseok booking it down the hall to them. 

“Hobi-hyung, are you okay?” Jungkook asks, stepping away from Namjoon’s side as Hoseok pants from his hard run and grips his knees to stay upright. “We were starting to get worried, usually it’s yeobo or Jimin-hyung getting lost during shows.” 

Both Namjoon and Jimin make offended protests as Hoseok shakes his head through deep breaths before raising his head to give them a wide smile. 

“I didn’t get lost, I met my soulmate!” Hoseok cheers, showing them his left hand with the red string now visible and leading him back down the hallway. 

Jimin doesn’t hear another word over the buzzing in his ears, his eyes stay glued to that red string attached to Hoseok’s finger as it gently tugs him back down the hallway until he’s turning to walk away and Jin is tugging him into the elevator. 

Jin shoots him a look as Jimin shakes himself from his stupor but he gives him a reassuring smile as his ears finally begin to register the low murmurs around him. 

“I’m glad hyung finally found him,” Jungkook sighs, wrapping his arms around Namjoon’s waist and lifting himself to place a kiss on his cheek. “Now none of us will be alone on date night.” 

Namjoon snorts, giving his husband a sly side eye, “You’re just happy that you can kick everyone out of the dorms without having to feel guilty about it, baby.” 

“At least our hotel rooms are floors apart,” Yoongi sighs, leaning back against Taehyung’s chest as he pulls the ball cap low over his eyes. “I think we can revisit the conversation about moving into our own places.” 

“Maybe we should wait until Hobi-hyung and Felix-ssi get settled with each other first, my love,” Taehyung murmurs, wrapping his arms around Yoongi’s shoulders and leaning his head down to place a kiss against his pale neck. “But I agree that we’ve come to outgrow our current home.” 

Jin slides his arm around Jimin’s waist, pulling him gently to his side as the elevator comes to a gentle stop before the doors slide open, “Is it really okay for them to be going to Felix-ssi’s hotel tonight? Shouldn’t we…?” 

Namjoon waves him off, pulling Jungkook into the underground garage as their security surrounds them and escorts them to the waiting vans, “I had our security meet with theirs, they know where he is and when to bring him back for our flight. Let’s let them have tonight, Jin-hyung.” 

Jin nods, sliding his hand over to the small of Jimin’s waist and gently pushing him into their van, “I’ll be holding you responsible then, Namjoon-ah, have a nice night.”

“Night hyung!” Namjoon replies cheerily, jumping straight into his van behind a giggling Jungkook before promptly slamming the door behind him. 

“They do know we have a six am flight, right?” Yoongi grumbles, following behind Jin into their van and shutting the door after Taehyung slides into the seat next to Jimin.

Jimin rolls his eyes as he buckles his seatbelt as the driver starts taking them out of the underground garage and onto the lamp lit streets, “As if Jungkook-ah would let them be late for anything.”

Murmurs of agreement sound through the car before a sleepy silence takes over, Jimin lets his head fall against Taehyung’s shoulder as his eyes flicker between the lit buildings and swaying trees as they weave between the cars. Focusing on the low branches passing by under the dimly lit streets helps keep his mind off the racing thoughts in his head and the pulsing emotions under his skin.

His mind goes into auto-pilot, making him unaware of when they pull into the parking garage of their hotel, or when he rolls out of his seat behind Taehyung, not even feeling Jin slide up next to him and put an arm around his waist. His body sways as they rise up the elevator with only a warm presence next to him to hold him upright. 

It’s only as his feet cross over into the hotel room and the door shuts behind him with a loud slam that consciousness returns to him. The running thoughts, the memories, begin to spin in his mind and his body simply aches to be doing something . 

Jimin lets his feet take him across the room to start organizing the piles and piles of shirts, pants, and jackets that were thrown across the second bed. His morning fit to find something to wear before the award show. He doesn’t notice Jin giving him the side eye before going into their shared bathroom to take a shower, then reamerging with a towel around his waist while Jimin starts to stress count the amount of socks on the pillows. 

“I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me, Jimin.”

Jimin freezes at the sound of Jin’s voice, looking slowly over his shoulder to see the taller man’s eyes narrowed at him. Jin’s arms are crossed over his bare chest and a pair of gray sweats sit low on his hip bones. 

“I don’t know what you mean, hyung,” Jimin mutters, looking swiftly away when Jin’s eyes narrow even more. “I’m just getting us packed for…” 

“You’re counting the socks,” Jin cuts in, making Jimin wince as he hears him cross the room and sit down on the edge of the bed where he was working. “You only do that when you’re stressed. We’ve lived two lifetimes together, Jimin baby, do you think I don’t know when my husband is stressed or anxious? You can talk to me, please, I just want to help.”

“I know,” Jimin whispers, slouching his shoulders and leaning into Jin’s warm hand as he lays it on his arm. “I do… I do want to tell you. I didn’t expect this to hit me as hard as it did.” 

Jin hums in understanding, brushing a hair out of Jimin’s eyes, “Why don’t we go into the bathroom, wash your make-up off and I run you a bath. You can talk while I take care of you, okay?” 

All Jimin can do is nod and let Jin pull him into the bathroom. He can’t look at himself in the mirror as Jin gently wipes the make-up off his face with a warm cloth while the tub fills up in the background. Jin is gentle as he peels off Jimin’s clothes, placing small kisses across his shoulders and down his spine as the articles drop to the floor. 

Sinking into the warm water eases all the tension in his muscles, letting Jin caress the shampoo and conditioner through his hair and soap across his body helps soothe his mind. Words come to his lips before he’s even aware of making the effort to do so, under Jin’s gentle hands it's easy to let all the memories out.

“My memories of our first life are always so hazy, but the emotions have filled my chest since that first moment our eyes met,” Jimin whispers, his eyes flickering down to the red string attached to his pinky, following it’s trail till it reached Jin’s hand dragging a cloth across his chest. “There was always a deep, lingering sadness that touched all of our memories, but I could never find the source. Until… until that day.”

Jin pauses, looking over to meet his eye, “The day we…?”

Jimin nods, “The day we revealed our string to everyone, the memories just came flooding in when Hoseok revealed that his soulmate was… someone else.”

Jin nods, a sadness coming to his eyes before he refocuses on running the cloth across Jimin’s legs, “I had a few memories come back to me that day as well, what came back for you?” 

“The day after…” Jimin takes a deep, shuddering breath, trying to keep the onslaught of tears at bay. Even to this day, it still hurt to say it. “The day after you… you died.” 

Jin’s flinch is minute but Jimin still catches it.

“After… after you died Hoba, I mean Hoseok, and I didn’t… we didn’t…” Jimin takes another deep breath, swallowing hard to pull the lump back down his throat. “We were a mess without you Jin, but we tried to make it work. We tried for five years after burying you but we just couldn’t. There was some sort of disconnect between us, we still loved each other, but it just wasn’t working anymore.” 

Jin stares, his hand dropping into the water, “You didn’t… you didn’t get divorced did you?” 

Jimin shakes his head, “No, but… but we did open the marriage. Divorce wasn’t really on our minds, Hoseok ended up having a fling of sorts with Felix but I never… I could never be with anyone else.” 

Jin blinks in shock, “I don’t… I don’t understand, Jimin. You and Hobi seemed on good terms before I passed, what happened?” 

Jimin shrugs, unable to look at Jin’s disbelieving eyes, “I thought we’d be okay too, Jin. Clearly I was wrong. I don’t know what happened, Hoseok wouldn’t talk to me after my mourning period was over. I was a real mess after your funeral, I couldn’t get out of bed for a few weeks. Hoseok took good care of me, but I must have said something when I was in that state that made him distance himself.” 

Jin sighs, dragging a hand down his face, “I’m so sorry, Jimin baby. I’m sorry that I was the first to pass.”

“Can’t exactly control that, Jin,” Jimin whispers, leaning forward to place a kiss onto Jin’s cheek. Jin turns his head and places a soft kiss on his lips, caressing his cheek gently. Jimin parts breathlessly, “I’m just glad to have you now, that we were able to find each other again.” 

Jin leans up to place a kiss against his forehead, “You have no idea how happy I was to see your face again, I thought my mind had made you up. That no one so beautiful and perfect could ever exist outside of my memories, I nearly fell to my knees the day you walked into the dorms.”

“I thought you looked a little weak kneed,” Jimin teases, laughing as he dodges Jin’s smack. “But I thought that was because Jungkook was trying to bite your ankles for taking his ramen.” 

Jin rolls his eyes, reaching over to pull the plug from the tub before grabbing a towel and pulling Jimin up from the draining water, “I swear he’s choosing this life to be as childish as he wishes.” 

“Our last life didn’t exactly give us that luxury, hyung,” Jimin mutters, batting Jin’s hands away from the towel and tightening it himself. 

Jin gently taps his chin to make him raise his gaze, his eyes are soft as he caresses his cheek, “I know that, Jimin baby, and I really do want to make the most of this life too, but that doesn’t mean that I like having Jungkook’s teeth dig into my ankles!”

Jimin snorts through his laughter, not even deterred for a moment as Jin scolds him while drying him off and sliding some soft pajamas across his skin. 

As they slide into the bed, pulling each other close as the covers come up to their shoulders, Jimin dares himself to whisper one of his darkest fears. 

“Do you think Hoseok will be happier without us, Jin?” He whispers against Jin’s bare chest, pressing his ear right up against his heart to listen to the soothing beat. 

Jin sighs, rubbing a soothing hand down Jimin’s arm, “I don’t think that’s for us to judge, Jimin baby, fate pulled it out of our hands. I will say though, I haven’t seen him that happy in a long time. I hope Felix can help mend the wounds of the past and that we can become close to him again, even as just friends.”

Jimin nods, cuddling as close to Jin as he can, “I hope that too. I hope he can be happy again.”

Jin places a soft kiss against his forehead, “I think he will be, and you, Jimin? Can I make you happy?”

Jimin lays a kiss down against Jin’s heart, “You already do, Jinnie.” 

Chapter Text

Sometime in the future 

Soobin takes a deep breath as he stands in front of the Rkive studio, he places a hesitant knock on the door, hoping that Namjoon-hyung was inside today. The door opens and the man in question pokes his head around, giving him a wide smile. 

“Soobin, what can I do for you?” Namjoon asks, gesturing for him to come inside. 

Soobin watches as Namjoon goes back to his computer and saves something on it, he can see Namjoon’s broad shoulders take a deep breath before he turns back to him. How he never noticed this before was beyond him, but he hoped it meant what he thought it did. 

“I just… I just have an odd question for you Namjoon-hyung,” Soobin mutters, moving to sit down on the low couch nearest to Namjoon's chair. 

Namjoon furrows his brow, “An odd question you say, are you having some trouble with your comeback?”

Soobin shakes his head, “This isn’t… this isn’t idol stuff. It’s personal, is it alright if I ask sunbaenim?” 

Namjoon blinks, “You don’t need to be so formal with me, Soobin. You can ask me anything, I’ll do my best to answer as honestly as I can.” 

Soobin takes a deep breath, “How… how much do you know about the Red String of Fate? And past lives’ memories?” 

Namjoon leans back into his chair, his face becoming slightly guarded, “I’ve done some research, have you found who you’re string is attached to? Are they…?” 

Soobin shakes his head to stop his questions, “This isn’t about my string, I haven’t met them yet and I don’t have any memories of them. That’s not why I’m asking.” 

Namjoon rolls his chair closer to him and places a hand on his shaking fingers, “Soobin what’s…”

“If I get this wrong, please don’t yell at me,” Soobin begs, feeling tears come to his eyes as he meets Namjoon’s steady gaze. He takes a deep, shuddering breath as Namjoon opens his mouth to reassure him, “Please Daddy, I can’t… I can't…” 

“Soobin,” Namjoon gasps, pulling him straight in his arms. Soobin clings to him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder as Namjoon murmurs, “Oh my baby, you remembered. You remember.” 

“Appa is your baby, I’m your little star,” Soobin chokes up, feeling Namjoon shake with laughter as he clutches him. 

Namjoon pulls his face away from his shoulder and wipes the tears from his cheeks, “My little star, you have no idea how good it is to see you again.” 

Soobin sniffs as Namjoon leans their foreheads together, “Does… does Appa know? Does he remember me?”

“Oh Soobie, he’d never forget you.” Namjoon reassures him, placing a swift kiss on his forehead. “But he will have my head if I don’t tell him to come right now.” 

Soobin giggles as Namjoon shivers, it seemed that fear could even transcend lifetimes too, pulling out his phone to text Jungkook, “I guess I can understand now why he never was able to look at me without crying, I always thought I had done something to upset him.” 

“Never,” Namjoon says at once, moving them to sit down on the couch. “He’s just as sensitive as before, he’ll be a weeping mess when we tell him.” 

Jungkook blinks as he looks down at the message that Namjoon had sent him, ‘Hey baby, could you come down to my studio please. As fast as you can, I need to tell you something’. 

“Vague asshole, I hope he didn’t lose another pair of earphones,” Jungkook mutters as he walks down the halls towards Rkive Studios. He types in the code and nearly backs right out when he sees who is sitting on the couch next to his husband. 

“Namjoon what…?” 

Soobin stands from his seat and shuffles in front of him, looking hesitant as he grips the bottom of Jungkook’s long t-shirt with his fingertips. Jungkook can feel his heart beating in his chest at the familiar action, Soobin bites his lip as he stares up at him. 

“Appa please don’t run,” Soobin whispers and Jungkook can feel the breath leave his lungs as he pulls Soobin into his arms. 

“My baby, my baby,” Jungkook sobs, feeling Soobin shake with his own tears into his shoulder as he rocks him. He feels Namjoon come up behind them and wrap his arms around the pair, Soobin gives a sigh of relief against Jungkook’s chest. A sigh of contentment escapes Jungkook’s mouth as Namjoon lays his head down against his. 

“It’s really good to see you two again,” Soobin sniffs, his grip becoming tighter around Jungkook’s waist. “I missed you.”

Jungkook feels his heart clench at Soobin’s soft words, “I’m so sorry, Soobin, I’m so sorry we left you alone.” 

Soobin shakes his head, “No Appa, please don’t be sorry. It was your time to go, you had to be with Daddy. I was okay, I promise. Minji helped me a lot and so did Uncle Hobi and Uncle Jimin.”

“I know, I know,” Jungkook sniffs, clutching Soobin with all his trembling might. “I just feel so bad about it, I should have…”

Jungkook coughs when Soobin smacks his back, pulling back to glare at him through wet lashes, “You can’t change the past, Appa, we’re together now. That’s all that matters to me.” 

Namjoon chuckles as Jungkook rubs his sore back, cupping Soobin’s cheek, “Always the smart one, little star, we have a lot to catch up on. Do you want to go get some hotteok?” 

Soobin’s smile is blinding, “That sounds good, Daddy! I want to hear all about how you and Appa fell in love again! You bunch of sappy weirdos! How is it possible for you two to still be so gross in another life! And you’re not any better at hiding it, I’ll have you know! Do you know how many times I had to…”

Namjoon and Jungkook hold each other’s hand tightly as Soobin continues to tease them as they head out of the HYBE building, they share a brief glance and a small sad smile. The memory of the little baby they had held together an entire lifetime ago still echoes in their minds. The young man that tugs at their arms now is untouched by the horrors of that life and they can see how free it made him.

Jungkook shoves the melancholy at the back of his mind as he watches his husband and reincarnated son go up to the counter to make their order. He looks up at the clear blue sky and sends a word of thanks to whoever allowed him to be reborn in this life; to have a second chance with his love and to see his son again. 

And to have a chance at a peaceful life.