My schedule is finally back on track starting with Week 1, the moving and unpacking now over! Yay!

Finally at home, Hoseok and Taehyung make sure that we're going to be fine before leaving, a pressing request to contact them if we need anything, no matter the gravity.

I agree easily, a smile on my lips as we wave them goodbye before Namjoon and Jungkook bring me inside, the koala only feeling safer once the door is locked behind us.

Jungkook turns to me and hugs me tightly before leaning back with a soft smile. "You go rest now, noona. Joon, you can stay with her, I'll take care of the food" he says and the koala is quick to nod before he wraps his arms around my shoulders to lead me to my room.

"Thank you my bunny" I manage to say before he's out of view, his hum the last thing I hear before he starts working in the kitchen. I turn to Namjoon as we enter my bedroom.

"Are we really leaving him alone? He must have been shocked by what happened earlier too" I ask and he sighs as he pulls back the blanket from my bed to help me in. "Jungkook is the kind of guy to need to keep himself busy if he went through strong emotions. Cooking is going to help him put his energy into something healthy while he processes what happened. He'll ask for cuddles later and then he'll be fine. As long as you get better, we'll be okay" he explains and then sits by the bed once I'm tucked in.

I'm truly being treated like a baby right now, I think to myself as he adjusts the blanket around me carefully, as if the smallest crease in the fabric would allow in the cold and get me sick. "As long as he doesn't try to act like he's fine when he's not. I don't want him to try and act strong as a facade, he doesn't need to do that" I mumble, worried for the sweet hybrid.

Namjoon adjusts the bandage around my forehead and removes the hair that made its way to my face. "Don't worry, he won't. Now stop talking and close your eyes, you're not leaving this room until you get a satisfying amount of rest in that body of yours" he orders, voice soft but still authoritative.

I scrunch my nose at him. "What if because I rest now, I can't fall asleep again later tonight?". He pokes my nose. "None of that now, flower. Believe me, you're going to fall asleep in a time record later tonight as well, your body will need it if you want to recover. Go on, I'll be right here" he muses, kind eyes staring at me with so much intensity I feel my heart quicken a little.

With a blush creeping onto my cheeks, I hurry to close my eyes and turn to my side, back turned to him. I don't need a blushing mess to trigger a headache, no thank you. With his hand rubbing my skin, soft soothing motions on my shoulder and neck I sigh and allow myself to relax into the darkness that comes to envelop me.

Jungkook's POV

Keeping myself busy as I make food is a good idea because I feel restless. Y/N getting hurt badly, the way we found her in the shop, her conversation about knowing about us being her mates, it sucks that I can't focus on the joy that information would bring me, that she doesn't hate the idea, that she accepts us.

I tap the floor with my foot as I wait for the pastas to cook, spaghetti sauce heating up and getting as much flavor from the spices as possible for the last thirty minutes. As soon as the pastas are ready, I'm putting them aside and going to join them.

I need to see her face, how she is now to replace the vision I keep having of her on the floor. Used to it. Those words keep repeating themselves in my mind. Used to it. Used to being beaten. Used to hurting. My heart squeezes in pain at the thought. Just how much worse was it for her with her ex to find this as nothing much?

The speed at which I hit the floor with my foot increases and the pastas can't cook fast enough at the moment. Should I just put them aside and do another batch later? I shake my head. No, no. She doesn't like wasting food, I don't want to make her mad.

Feeling overwhelmed with too many emotions, I start jumping in place before groaning and proceed to run around the living room and back to the kitchen. How can six minutes take so long? It feels like I've been waiting for an hour. I go for another run through the living room when the timer rings, alerting me that it should be ready now. About damn time.

I rush back and empty the water into the sink before putting the pot of pastas on a clothe on the counter and then hurry my way to her room, only truly relaxing when I find Namjoon next to her, his eyes gazing at her as if she's the most fragile and beautiful work of art.

And as I get closer to the bed to sit next to him, I just know that she is. No one could rival her beauty, even when she's tired and wounded, she still looks perfect. It's with the feeling of a calm blanket covering me that I keep gazing at her, the previous image in my mind being replaced with her peaceful face. No more blood on her skin. Mouth into a harmless pout instead of a pained frown.

"You okay, bun?" Namjoon asks a I lean against him to rest my head on his shoulder. "I don't know. I keep remembering things, words, images and I don't know what to do with them. How could someone do that to her on a regular basis? How could she be so fine after being beaten that way? How much worse did she have to endure in the past? I don't ever want to see her on the floor like that again, Joon... it broke my heart" I murmur, a hand going to take hold of hers from under the blanket, a need to feel her warmth by myself to keep calm.

Namjoon inhales deeply before humming. "I know, bun, I know. It won't happen again, not ever again" he promises, his free hand going to rub the base of my ears softly, the act automatically making me lean into the touch. I sniffle as tears threaten to break free. Crying doesn't do anything. It's useless. I wish I could be stronger.

Even Namjoon, I've never seen him so often in his dominant self in the past. His need to protect us and take control to make sure everything goes fine is sign enough that he knows dangers still exist, even though they should be far behind us now. A past haunting our minds as we try to progress into a happier future. This side of himself that he built to protect the both of us and that serves today as well. It pains me to know that he still has to use it today, not because he wants to, but because he has to. Because Y/N needs that sense of safety, that protectiveness that he can offer.

And I remain aside, unable to do anything to help.

"She knows that she's our mates. What do we do now?" I ask him quietly. "We tell her. After dinner, we can take it easy in the living room and bring forward the subject. Now that we know how she feels about it, it's not as scary" he replies, his fingers leaving my ears to settle on my shoulder as he pulls my back against his chest.

"And after that, what happens?" I ask again, my fingers playing with hers as she shifts a little to be more comfortable, closer and towards us, her body needing us even when asleep. "I don't know, bun. One thing at a time, don't start expecting the worse. Everything will be fine" he soothes, knowing very well just how invading my thoughts can get.

My stomach takes that time to grumble loudly and he chuckles while I try to make myself smaller, a shy blush covering my cheeks. Y/N frowns and slowly opens her eyes, eyelids blinking a few times, pupils falling on me as she processes where she is, consciousness pulling her harshly into reality and making her confused.

"Got her awake with your hunger, bun" Namjoon teases me with an amused smile, the little bit of information reaching her ears enough to have her try to sit up in bed. She groans suddenly, pain shooting through her eyes and I dive my way closer to her to see where exactly it is that she hurts.

"My stomach" she says through clenched teeth. Namjoon stands up quickly and turns to me. "Stay with her, I'll get the painkillers and a glass of juice" he says before leaving the room. I help her lean her back against the pillows so she can be comfortable while we wait.

"How long have I been sleeping?" she asks, eyes still filled with pain but already less intense than earlier. I take a hold of her hand again. "Maybe around 40 minutes? It hasn't been that long" I answer, teeth going to nibble on my bottom lip as I try to think of ways to get rid of her pain.

The most obvious way being that I should've been present to protect her. If she hadn't gotten hurt at all, she wouldn't be suffering right now. Having to go through that again is because Namjoon and I wanted to listen to her, but listening to words and ignoring instincts don't go well together. This is proof enough.

A gentle hand nudging my cheek makes me look up and I meet her eyes, soft orbs gazing at me as she smiles gently. "Thank you" she whispers. I frown, confused because there's no reason to thank me, none at all. "W-why?" I ask, her hand going up to my hair where she starts massaging softly around my ears, the phantom of her touch on my ears coming back to memory and making longing rush into my heart.

"Because you're here right now, worrying about me even when what happened isn't your fault. Because I know you're trying to come up with ways to help me even when there's nothing you can do. So thank you, for having such a gentle heart and for allowing me to experience that caring warmth of yours".

"Noona" I whisper, the tears I had tried to keep in earlier finally releasing and falling down my cheeks.

She pulls me into her hold and embraces me tightly, the contact melting my heart and making me sigh in contentment. Maybe this is what I can do after all. She doesn't need two dominant mates. Just being by her side and care for her, maybe that's all I need to do.

I try to shift a little to be more comfortable but her breath hitches in her throat when my arm presses into her stomach. I panic and try to move away to avoid hurting her even more but when I feel the caress of her fingers on my ear, all of my strength flees me and I fall into her touch.

"It's okay, I'm okay" she murmurs as I burrow my head into the nook of her neck, tears still flowing without end. I grip the sides of her shirt, needing to hold something between my fingers as she keeps massaging my ears, one at a time, her other hand on my back, making sure that I'm not moving away from her.

She starts humming a soft melody, her voice a beautiful sound that I could never get enough of. My heart skips a beat and flutters, ears twitching but body relaxing against hers. The power she has on me is unbelievable. I'm not sure she knows just the extend of the love we're growing to have for her. It doesn't take visible signs to notice that our heart beats faster when she's with us and beats slower, a sad thump in our chest when she's gone.

How we react when she's happy, heart beaming with joy and eyes committing to memory her smiles, or the way we hurry to her side when she's sad, lost in a past that haunts her every so often, hands cradling her close and heart breaking at the way she seeks our warmth as we give her everything we have to offer.

It's only been a week, but it's been the best week of my life, getting to know our sweet, sweet mate who's been hurting for so long, too long before meeting us. Just as we have before meeting her. She's our miracle, the salve to our invisible wounds, her kindness towards us more than we could ask for.

I almost don't notice when Namjoon comes back with the medicine and the juice, his smell a soft fragrance that comes to mix in with hers without clashing in the slightest, a clear sign that we're all made for each other.

It's been such a fascinating thing to notice her smell changing throughout the week, how it grew stronger, clearer, healthier. As if the fog covering it up, making it dim and imperceptible finally disappeared.

"Here, take your medicine, flower. We'll go eat right after that" Namjoon murmurs as he kneels by the bed next to us. I carefully push myself off her, heart already missing her touch when her fingers instead grab the pills to swallow with the juice.

Namjoon keeps a close eye on her, making sure that she's not going to choke on them, the size truly frightening but she pushes through and gives us a shaky, disgusted smile before she takes a second gulp of the juice to try and get the taste away.

She's so adorable. I resist the urge to take her in my arms and instead get off the bed before setting only a knee on the mattress to help her get up to her feet, her hiss making me clench my teeth but she keeps pushing until she makes it, Namjoon also helping as we manage to leave the room to reach the dining room where the smell of the sauce reaches our nose.

I leave her with him so I can get our bowls ready, pastas and then the sauce, steam reaching my face and making me scrunch my nose against the feeling that enters my nostrils when I try to inhale. At least it's not going to be cold.

Namjoon comes to help me fill the table with utensils and grated cheese while I bring the bowls to a woman who appears to be sulking. I smile at the sight and kiss the top of her head to pull her out of her thoughts.

"Joon didn't allow you to help?" I guess easily and her eyes moving to a busy alpha has me nodding in confirmation. "Then he's done well" I muse, giggle when her head snaps to me with a deeper pout.

"But I haven't done anything to help! All I've done is... sleep!" she exclaims with large hand movements, which makes me giggle even more. Namjoon comes and pulls the chair next to her before motioning for me to take a seat too.

"And it's better like that. We're going to make sure you sleep as much as possible so that you can heal quickly" the koala says, proud and chest puffed out as he gazes at her. She huffs and shakes her head but decides to remain quiet, a good choice because there's no winning against him when he's like that.

"No fighting, let's eat. I'm starving" I let out to change the subject and take the focus off her state, instead watching them with expectant eyes as they get a bite ready. I hope I did good. What if it's gross? I hurry to take a taste of my own, suddenly scared that I messed up the recipe but before I can even put the fork in my mouth, Y/N claps her hands happily before going for another bite.

"This is really good, my bunny, really good" she claims sincerely and I relax instantly. Thank goodness. Namjoon hums appreciatively as well, a smile sent my way with a thumb up and my tail quietly wags behind me, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

We continue to eat in silence, Namjoon and I watching over Y/N and noting how her posture relaxes after a while, the painkillers kicking in and taking her pain away. I fill Namjoon's plate a second time but our sweet mate has yet to eat the second half of her portion, which has me worried a little, but when the koala tells her that it's fine, that she ate well, I let him take care of the situation.

If he says it's fine, then it's fine. He knows more than I do about stuff like that. Namjoon has the brain and I... I have the strength. A perfect duo. We clean up the kitchen and this time, finally allowed to participate, Y/N looks too happy as she scrubs the bowls clean.

I frown when she swings her hips in a dance on silent music, the movement smooth and practiced. I bite on my tongue at the way her smell sweetens and wraps around me, a clear sign of her happiness and the need to just take her in my arms and steal a kiss from her makes me clench my teeth with strength.

I turn to Namjoon to see his dark dilated pupils on her as well and I know we're hanging onto very thin strings of resistance. "How about we cuddle in the living room once I'm done?" she asks, unaware of the struggle we're going through right now.

Namjoon clears his throat, mouth open as he pokes the inside of his cheek, the wet muscle stretching in view and I know he's about to lose it. "That sounds lovely" he replies and Y/N nods, a happy nod as she starts rinsing the pot used for the sauce, the rest of it now in the fridge.

"Joon, let's go" I murmur, hands taking hold of his as I pull us both out of the kitchen where her scent is less strong, less inviting. "We'll go get changed into our pyjama, noona!" I shout as we head to our room, her voice sharing her approval of the idea and that she'll do the same too.

I close the door behind us and Namjoon pushes me against it, his nose inhaling my own scent from my neck as he grabs my arms strongly. "I want to mark her so bad" he growls, instincts flaring out of control as he nibbles on the skin of my neck, fingers going to pull the fabric back to expose his mark.

"I know Joon" I breathe out, the ticklish feeling making my knees weak when his tongue slides over it, instincts just wanting him to reapply his ownership on me. "I think it's good that-" my breath hitches in my throat when he bites on his mark, hands going to grip his shoulders to avoid falling to the floor.

All the love he has for me comes flooding in and mine for him intertwines with it, a dance of warmth filling me up from the inside and telling me that I am where I need to be, in his arms, no one else allowed to mark me except him, my soul belonging to him, to him and Y/N, only them. He holds me tighter when my legs give up under me and he starts kissing the mark, open mouth kisses as he himself calms down.

I exhale shakily and allow him to lift me off my feet before taking me to the bed where he makes me sit down on the edge. He kisses the top of my head and gazes down at me with loving eyes. "You were saying?" he asks, a teasing smile on his lips and I huff out softly, control of my own body slowly coming back to me.

"I was going to say that it's good that we're going to talk about her being our mate tonight. We need her so much already and it's only been a week, she needs to know what to expect from us in the coming days and weeks" I say, watch as he looks down with a nod, pensive look taking over his face.

"You're right... we should warn her. Hopefully it won't scare her. I don't want to lose control and kiss her before we're allowed, even less so mark her without her consent, but darn it, her smell makes it harder and harder to resist... I didn't know apple cinnamon could make me drool so much until now" he whines the end and I chuckle, knowing exactly how he feels.

"I'm sure it's going to be fine. Let's explain things as they are and believe in her, she won't be scared of us... I think". Namjoon stares at me with a nervous pout and I know then that he's starting to slip out of his dominant self.

"What if she distances herself from us?" he asks and I tug on his arms to make him sit next to me. "Then we give her the space she needs and the time she needs. We show her that it's fine to be unsure and that we'll be there when she's ready" I try to soothe him and myself at the same time, my heart beating anxiously at all the possibilities that could take place tonight.

She wanted to cuddle with us, it's a good sign, isn't it? She doesn't avoid our touch when we hug her, when we kiss her head and face, she doesn't pull back her hands when we hold them. Would the mention of wanting to kiss her lips and mark her neck be enough to break all of that? I don't know. I guess it doesn't really fall in the same category.

"Maybe just not mention the kissing and marking part just yet" I say, his hum telling me that he was already thinking that too. "Definitely, that would be weird for her" he responds, his voice a huffed laugh and I chuckle. "Agreed".

The sound of knocking on the door catches our attention and I watch as Namjoon goes to open it, ears perking up and tail wagging quickly behind him when he sees something that the door hides from me.

I stand up, curious, Y/N's smell reaching my nose pulling me in easily and once I stand behind Namjoon, the sight in front of my eyes makes me want to coo out loud, ears standing tall and tail getting out of control.

Our mate truly is the cutest.