#compared to interviewing artists that would put so much time and skill and frankly their soul into their art

[mercymaker]

the key to surviving this like/reblog ratio and content quality drop crisis is to make things you enjoy, right? right????

[dxmedstudent]

Roger Kneebone, professor of surgical education at Imperial College London, said that a decline in hands-on creative subjects at school and practical hobbies at home means that students often do not have a basic understanding of the physical world.Backing a campaign by educational thinktank the Edge Foundation to encourage more creative subjects in the national curriculum, Kneebone said spending hours engaged in virtual worlds was no substitute for experience in the real world.

Okay, you know what? I’m mad. Not at the interestingly named Mr Kneebone, but at the wider picture. Whilst the popularityof smartphones is real, there are still lots of young people out there making artistic things and being practical with their hands.  I just think it’s harder for those people to get into medicine. You want students to be more creative? Stop putting up the grade requirements for what you need to get into med school. There’s no reason why someone with A*AA would be a better doctor than someone with AAA or even AAB. You need someone with academic skills, but getting good grades is more than enough proof of someone’s ability to understand the basics and work hard; they don’t need to have ‘perfect’ results. Because it’s hard to balance A levels and getting the high grades you need to get in, with the extracurricular activities you need for emdicine, and preparing for the entrance  . And frankly, well-meaning older figures who got into med school when the grade boundaries were much lower, probably can’t always understand what the pressures are like today, unless they listen.

But Arts and crafts are incredibly time consuming and therefore difficult. And other arts that help with manual dexterity (say, playing an instrument) are also very time -consuming. Everyone likes the idea of a student who can play the violin or paint well, but they also like the idea of picking students with the absolute highest numerical marks; they want to have their cake and eat it. We end up with students feeling pressured to spend less time on creative exploits, only to be told that they aren’t developing enough skills because they gave up playing the piano or doodling to get the grades to get in and stay in medicine. But if you basically demand students have absolutely exceptional grades and ever increasing percentages in their exams, you’re basically guaranteeing that students who are creative will  be forced to put less time into their hobbies or give up entirely, in order to keep up with the demands. Because there’s only so much time in the day. And most of the creative students I know didn’t necessarily get the absolute best grades; they did welll, sure, but the students who do absolutely best in exams are often those with very little life outside of revision. I’m a crafty person; I learned to knit, to embroider, to sew. I taught myself to draw, to paint, to create. I’m exactly the kind of former med student that is perfect on paper in this context And you know what? That’s only ever been an interesting aside in medicine; my skills and interests in that arena have never been valued seriously, because when it matters, the criteria always default back to things like grades or publications, and eportfolios are another kind of hell entirely. At the med school application level, hobbies are a very small part of applications compared to grades, entrance exams, interviews, and the entirety of your personal statement, though at least they are acknowledged in that context. Further up, they count for a lot less. The emphasis is much more on other achievements. Which is what it is; there’s a lot to be said about medical training, progression, and what we choose to value or allocate points for when it comes to applications etc. But the point here is that it’s not entirely fair to criticise people for not allocating a huge amount of time to pursuits that you don’t in any way encourage or value when it comes to it. I am creative in spite of being in medicine, rather than being enabled by it.  If you really think creativity adds to medicine, then perhaps encouraging it, or explicitly valuing it in those who take the time, would encourage more people to be open about their interests, and encourage more people to keep up with them. Maybe this’d all be very well, if working in medicine itself didn’t crush the creativity, mental health, and general life out of the people who work in it. Many people I’ve worked with have expressed concerns with how medicine is increasingly becoming dominated by basic ‘service provision’ (i.e keeping the service running, but at the expense of learning opportunities or chances to really engage with patients), and protocols, and how the ability to think creatively in medicine is increasingly stifled because our progression is 100% about ticking boxes on our portfolios, which are surprisingly hard to actually do, because there’s just so many boxes to tick on top of working busy jobs with plenty of oncall 12h shifts. From what I know about surgical training, I don’t think it’s any healtheir than general medical training. There’s probably a lot that we could improve. And I agree, these hobbies and skills and being good with your hands is definitely important for medicine, particularly surgery. They are also just really, really fun in general, and it’d be great if more people got to explore their creative side. I don’t see the world as being separated between ‘creatives’ and non-creatives; I really believe that anyone can get into creative hobbies at any time in their life, and that there’s a creative hobby out there for everyone, potentially. One of my best friends picked up drawing again in her 30s, and I’m so glad she did, because it’s amazing how quickly she’s improved, and how much joy she gets out of it, and I honestly enjoy seeing her journey so much. So many people tell me “Ah you draw? I wish I could draw! I’m no good at that!”, but I think that they might well have more potential than they realised, if they didn’t feel put off by the idea that you have to pick up a hobby as a child, or else you won’t be any good. But that doesn’t ahve to be true, and anyhow, hobbies or creating don’t have to be about being good, they can be about enjoyment. But I don’t think it’s constructive to bemoan youngsters “not doing X enough” in general, or act like we’re divorced from all this. We, those in medicine, those who shape training, those who pick the criteria for what students get in, and those of us who shape society (that’s everyone, you included) also shoulder the responsibility. If we want students to do something, it’s up to us to facilitate that. To encourage. To give them the tools and the environment where exploring new hobbies is encouraged. To form an environment where students can learn these skills, and develop these experiences. I learned the fibre arts from my mum; many people might not have that kind of encouragement at a young age if their parents missed out on it. So how can we encourage kids into woodwork, or crafting, or music. Music is another rant and post altogether; learning instruments is expensive and difficult and it’s easy for a wealthy person to say ‘why aren’t kids learning instruments?’ as if everyone has the money to give their kids bassoon lessons. But in reality it can be hard to encourage participation in  we need to think about how to encourage kids to try new things, and to dedicate time to hobbies, in a world that increasingly puts more and more time demands on us all.

[creative-type]

Building up to Arlong Part I

“Just wait ‘till the Arlong arc.”

I think anyone who’s been in the One Piece fandom for any length of time has read some variation of the above sentence. It’s almost universally agreed that the Arlong arc is the tipping point from the series, elevating One Piece from okay to great. Detractors, newcomers, and the generally curious are all told to hold off their judgment until seventy chapters into the series, which seems like an absurd amount of time for a reader to get hooked.

In an interview with several of Oda’s former editors (English summary here, about three-quarters down the page) it’s stated that One Piece met some initial resistance in Japan among the staff at Shonen Jump, with some of the editors not seeing the appeal and others having to convince them of its “awesomeness”. 

It’s hard to imagine the manga garnering such a reaction today, but I think it’s important to keep in mind that One Piece is Oda’s first serialized work. He had been an assistant and written several one shots, but he’d never had to put together a long-form story before. He was learning and growing as an author and artist as he went along. 

Just compare the art in these two pages

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Both are establishing shots of new locations, one of Usopp’s hometown and the other the Marines setting Luffy’s first bounty. The amount of detail outside the marine base blows the idyllic hills of Syrup village out of the water. It can be jarring to see how sparse early One Piece panels are when you’re more used to the cluttered, chaotic pages of later chapters.

But I think it would be impossible for Oda to make the jump from “meh” to “this is amazing” without some proper buildup. Early One Piece arcs contain bits and pieces of what makes the series so beloved, and as each arc progresses Oda takes what he’s learned and adds it into an ever-improving whole. So let’s take a look at these early chapters and find the diamonds scattered among the rough.

Romance Dawn

Chapter 1 is arguably the best crafted stand-alone story in these early chapters. That makes sense. As a pilot chapter for the series I’m sure it was written and rewritten dozens of times for maximum effectiveness, and I think it gets across everything it needs to without belaboring the point.

Romance Dawn is a glimpse of the quality that Oda would later produce on a more consistent basis. The characters are fun and have hidden depths, the art is simple but dynamic, and the bait-and-switch where Shanks doesn’t initially beat the crap out of the mountain bandits is a surprise considering the genre. And if haki was indeed planned from the beginning it’s also the first instance of Oda’s famous foreshadowing ability. 

Considering future backstories it’s a little surprising that no one important to Luffy dies, but the familiar themes of inherited will, dreams, and sacrifice are present. The lack of uber-tragedy sets Luffy apart from a lot of protagonists and fits with his lighthearted, carefree characterization and the more whimsical nature of the series, while still hinting at the darkness that exists within the world. 

Alvida

Chapter 2 is also a stand-alone story, but it’s much more generic. Following a common trend during these early chapters, it’s more focused on establishing Luffy as a character than any of the antagonists, and world building is minimal. Alvida is so boring that Oda completely repurposed her design and personality when she was reintroduce in Louge Town, and at this point Coby is a walking, talking foil to Luffy with little to no personality of his own. 

There are a couple of things to note, though. One, Luffy’s characterization is remarkably consistent to what we see later in the series. Here we see him smile as he faces death, while later in the chapter Luffy insults Coby and calls him a wimp in a scene that’s reminiscent of his interaction with Shirohoshi during the Fishman Island arc. He also doesn’t help Coby until Coby stands up for himself, subtly enforcing the idea that Luffy is not a hero. 

Second, we can see the embryonic form of Oda’s later paneling and page layouts. The above scene reminded me of a picture I pulled for my analysis of Chapter 218.

You can’t see it here, but in Chapter 218 Oda tilts his panels to match the rocking of the Going Merry, using an unconventional panel format to convey the chaos the Straw Hats are experiencing while also giving the eye an easy path to follow.

Chapter 2 has the “fade to black” Oda commonly uses when transitioning scenes, but the format is the traditional three lines of (mostly) rectangular panels. Despite the huge whirlpool you don’t get a sense that the situation is dangerous.

Also note the sheer amount of information conveyed in the sequence from Chapter 218 compared to the Chapter 2 despite them sharing basically the same layout. There are four separate panels of the same whirlpool - adequate enough in showing the passage of time, but visually kind of boring, which sums up the art in general during these early chapters.

Shells Town 

The Shells Town arc shares a lot of the same flaws as the Alvida encounter, but has the benefit of a longer page count, which is helpful in fleshing out the story. Coby starts to grow into his own, and Zoro is introduced. The focus is still on establishing Luffy’s ideals as a pirate and Morgan is a one-note villain, but the world is starting to grow, namely with the complex morality of the marines.

We also get our first taste of Oda’s specific brand of Tragic Backstory (tm). Zoro’s flashback is arguably the weakest of all the Straw Hat’s. The pacing is rushed and I personally find the segue in and out of the present day to be a little jarring, but the bones of it is sound even if the execution is iffy. 

The fight against Morgan doesn’t last long, but outclassed as he is, he at least puts up a better showing than Alvida. There are some neat camera angles and perspective tricks that Oda uses that sell Luffy’s flowing, so-long-as-it-works-I’m-going-to-do-it fighting style. 

Again, this is but a taste of things to come, and short as it may be the Morgan fight is fun. Oda has said he gave Luffy the gum-gum fruit to help keep things from ever getting too serious, and reading these early chapters I believe it.

Orange Town

I would call the Buggy arc the first “standard” One Piece arc. At fourteen chapters it’s decently long by East Blue standards. It’s is leaps and bounds better than anything we’ve seen thus far, and we have the flashy bastard himself to thank.

Pre-comic relief Buggy manages to straddle the line between menacing and likable. One thing I do appreciate about One Piece villains is that they’re generally not given an excuse for their evilness (a trend that is admittedly starting to reverse post timeskip). We are never told why Buggy, Kuro, or Kreig set out to be pirates, and frankly we don’t need to know. Buggy is given a reason for his animosity towards Shanks, but it’s never used as a justification for his more jerkish behavior.

And he is a jerk. A clever, reasonably powerful, flashy jerk, but a jerk all the same.

With this added characterization, Buggy has the honor of being the first charismatic and memorable villain of the series, and is also the first instance of camaraderie within an enemy organization. In all honesty, I think the only thing separating Orange Town from the Cocoyashi village is emotional stakes. Buggy’s opinion notwithstanding, there is no Tragic Backstory (tm). The little dog comes closest, but the effectiveness of Shu depends entirely how much one cares for sad animal stories (I am immune, and subsequently don’t much care about Laboon either).

More importantly, it’s here that we see the first primitive instances of Straw Hat interaction, and some of the stuff that happens when Oda lets all the different personalities bounce off of one another is pure gold

Also Luffy shoves an old man face-first into a wall for his own good. I feel like that ought to be mentioned every time someone tries to call him a hero.

But the thing that really stands out in Orange Town when placed within the overarching plot is Oda’s burgeoning skill at playing the long game in regards to his storytelling, specifically in regard to Nami.

The Alvida, Morgan, and later Gaimon’s arcs are largely self-contained little stories that serve to flesh out Luffy as a protagonist. When Zoro was recruited the audience was informed of his history and character motivation almost immediately. During Nami’s first conversation with Luffy in chapter 9 we learn that she’s 1) raising 100,000,000 berries to buy a village, 2) loves money and tangerines, and 3) hates pirates. We don’t learn the reason for any of these things until her backstory is revealed in chapter 78.

There are obvious parallels to Robin’s recruitment much later, but really this is Oda something does quite often. Vivi and Law were both around for awhile before the meat of their stories were told. Having someone familiar around for big conflicts helps give a face to the nameless masses. It would have been really hard for Oda to make the reader care about the average Joe in Cocoyashi village without having a pre-established connection in the form of Nami, and it would be really hard to care about Nami if the audience hadn’t been given the time to get to know her first.

By waiting so long to let Nami develop as her own character, the emotional stakes missing from Orange Town are fully present during the much-beloved march to Arlong Park. The latter cannot exist without the former.

I said in the opening that 70 chapters is an absurd amount of time to get hooked into a story, but in some ways I can completely understand why it would take that long. One Piece isn’t built on slick one-liners or “cool” characters. It’s fun and goofy and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Hints of future intrigue and mystery are strewn along like bread crumbs down a path, organically delivered as the world unfurls bit by bit. There’s a methodicalness to it that catches the reader by surprise, yet makes perfect sense as the crew goes from island to island.

Orange Town is just the beginning of this in action, but once again this is getting pretty long. I’ll finish the road to Arlong Park in another post. Thanks for reading :)   

[okiekp13]

Fanfiction I am working on. Enjoy.

*Vampire Au featuring Jimin and Jungkook, other members will be mentioned. Main character is named Nia. Pale complexion, blue eyes, caramel brownish hair, and can speak Korean well (not perfect but well). The rest about her will be described in the story. Enjoy*

“Alright Nia get your shit together, you got this. Just roll with it and don’t chicken out.” Nia said to herself in her vanity mirror.

She had just moved to Korea and with moving came the need for a job to pay for living, fun little fact you aren’t really taught about as a kid. Thankfully Nia had landed an interview with an employment agency and they were going to help her find a job based off her skills; which quite frankly were not that impressive. She had prepared for the interview the night before, barely sleeping a wink as she was so nervous. Sitting at her vanity she mentally prepared herself, she had picked a black pencil skirt with a white flowy shirt and a black jacket that matched the skirt to complete her outfit. She had opted for black pumps to wear as well but packed her black flats for later, just in case her feet couldn’t handle the abuse of pumps. Looking at the clock she bolted upright she was nearly late; grabbing her keys, phone, purse and slipping on shoes she was out the door and running if you can call it that toward the station to get on the train. Nia was growing accustomed to being stared at wherever she went, happens when you are a foreigner in a different country and you look way different than everyone around you. She had only been in Korea for a few weeks; thankfully in that time she had made a few friends and gained some patience with people staring at her. Taking a deep breath she waited for her stop; a sweet looking old lady was walking through the car and nearly toppled over if Nia didn’t reach over her, the car was swaying a bit too much for the woman’s balance. The woman was shocked but thankful.

“Ma'am are you alright? Please take my seat, I’ll stand.” Nia spoke to her in Korean.

The old woman was shocked yet again but instantly was saying thank you and praising Nia on her Korean. Nia took the compliments graciously and decided to stand in front of the woman using the ceiling handles to make sure she didn’t fall again. The woman ended up getting off a stop before Nia’s, once at her stop Nia walked as fast as she could in pumps and made it to the agency with only one minute to spare. Resting against the building for a moment to catch her breath she walked in and addressed the receptionist about her interview. Nia was given paperwork to fill out, more like a survey styled packet that asked her about her skills and interests. After she was finished she was led to a small office where she was to wait for a career agent named Mrs. Kim.

Nerves were making Nia’s anxieties a bit annoying, she was bouncing one of her knees...something she does when nervous or uncomfortable, same with biting her lip biting off imaginary dry skin. The door clicked behind her and a woman walked in; she was probably in her late thirties with jet black hair, thick rimmed black glasses and matching suit in black with a skirt and jacket like Nia.

“Hello Miss Logan. I am Mrs. Kim; I will be helping you today. Would you like something to drink?”

Mrs. Kim looked a bit like a bitter librarian but she was actually very sweet and kind; Nia accepted some water to drink hoping it would help calm her nerves. She had never had a job set up this way, it was completely different compared to the states, normally you would just go to a business and ask for employment with an application or use websites to get your resume out to businesses, not use agencies. Mrs. Kim asked the usual questions; how much schooling had she had, what are some special skills that can be utilized, how long will she be staying in the country and so on. Nia had a work visa and so she had to show her paperwork for that as well with all documentation of her residence. Mrs. Kim was bright and smiling most of the interview making Nia feel a bit more relaxed.

“Ms. Logan I must say that it's refreshing to have someone so prepared come through here, most people forget the most important documents to start off the job search. The survey shows me you have strong skills in multitasking jobs and strong organization skills, that will be helpful with finding a job for you. Your computer skills and social skills seem great as well, It shouldn't be too hard to find you a job. However some companies are a bit reluctant to hire foreigners such as yourself even though you are so skilled, mostly older generation companies but don’t lose hope we will find you something. Have you thought about teaching?”

“Actually Mrs. Kim I would prefer staying away from any job such as teaching, translating I could do but I don’t do well with children.”

“Teaching jobs are very popular right now; but if you don’t wish too we can move on to another field then. Let me check the job search requests and I will be right back.”

Nia nodded as she watched Mrs. Kim leave the office. Hopefully she would find a good job for Nia, she was down to her last few hundred bucks to make it through the rest of the month; she didn’t request for money from home because she was a bit of a prideful person and stubborn. The wait was making Nia’s knee bounce again...not long after Mrs. Kim returned with a few folders and sat down at her desk.

“Okay I have a few ideas we can choose from; first one is a customer service job with a spyware company that is looking for someone for translating, second one is a auditor for a finance company and the last one is a caretaker job, it's a bit vague on the requirements needed though. I have all the contact information here if you would like to have a look.”

Mrs. Kim passed the folders over for Nia to see, she looked at the first two and they were about as exciting as pulling teeth with pliers. The third one was different, it was for an entertainment company. They were requesting for a female to take a job as a caretaker for a group of theirs that were needing extra staff. Didn’t state what for or what the job would really be, but it sounded a bit better than sitting in a cubicle or being glued to a computer for hours on end. After deliberating for a few minutes she made her decision.

“I think this last one sounds more interesting to me Mrs. Kim.”

“Are you sure? A promising girl like you could do well in the other companies.”

“That might be true; but I don’t do well with being still for long periods of time. This job seems more active.”

“Alright if you are sure I will put your information through to them, If you don’t hear from us the company will contact you directly then. The company will be paying the interviewing fees if they accept your employment, let's get a good picture of you to attach to your file before we send it.”

Nia was glad she had spent a little time on herself today and had her hair down in loose curls and natural makeup on that highlighted her face in the right ways and accentuated her eyes. Mrs. Kim had her stand against a white wall and another employee took the picture for her, it was printed off and attached to her file.

“Alright that is all today, good luck Ms. Logan and hope to talk to you soon.”

Nia said her byes and left the agency feeling a bit better now that she was out of that situation, hopefully she would hear back from the company soon. She needed work and she didn’t want to have to let go of her pride and ask for help from home. Headed back to her apartment she planned on a day of vegging and maybe meeting up with some friends later that night for some fun.

-BigHit HQ-

The day was just like any other, gather up and meet up the with managers for briefing on schedules and then shuttled off to wherever they had to go. Thankfully things were slowing down a bit after they had won the award two weeks ago for artist of the year, now it was time to slow it down and focus on improving their skills. Bangtan boys or BTS had been highly successful in 2016 and with the award under their belt they felt that all the hard work had finally paid off. The guys were in the conference room with their manager going over the schedule for the next few weeks, toward the end of the meeting their manager brought up something new.

“One more thing before you head off to practice, we have a few applicants for caretakers...take a look over them and give me your choice by the end of the day.”

The manager passed out copies of the applicants folders to the guys, each was a woman in her early twenties with lists of their skills and what not. The group’s leader Rapmon took over for the manager as he slipped out of the room, the group would discuss the selection. Looking through the choices the guys brought up their opinions.

“Do we really need another caretaker? We are fine with the ones he have now.” Suga grumbled.

“Well unless you want to keep sharing yours then we will need to get another.” Jin said pointedly.

“This is more for the youngsters anyways, they haven’t found a caretaker yet.” Rapmon reminded them.

“V has; he got one last week she starts this week sometime.” Jhope mentioned.

“Right so it's just Jimin and Jungkook then, the decision is more so yours then. Which one do you want?” Rapmon asked.

Jimin was sitting next to Jungkook anyways so he looked over the maknae’s shoulder at the choices, he glanced at them bored until his eyes fell on the last one. His interest piqued he picked up her folder; Jungkook looked at it too. It was a foreigner; they had never had a foreigner as a caretaker before...would she be different? Jungkook seemed a bit interested too.

“This one is pretty don’t you think?” He asked Jungkook.

“Yea, look at her eyes.”

“We would have to share though, you up for that?” Jimin asked him curious.

The job caretaker wasn’t really because they needed a babysitter or anything, not it was a bit more dark than that. A caretaker was someone they would bond with that would supply them with what they need to survive, because the bangtan boys were not your typical human variety, no they were more of the supernatural variety. Vampires to be exact, a caretaker was someone who they could count on to feed them, physically, emotionally all of it. Jungkook tilted his head to the side as he was thinking about it, he and Jimin were pretty close and shared most of their things anyways but never had they shared a caretaker. They had shared the caretakers of the other members but it wasn’t the same, once a member got a caretaker the woman was more so strictly that member’s since they bonded closely and would eventually become lovers.

“Well Kook what will it be?” JHope teased from the other side of the table.

Looking to Jimin he smiled his toothy grin.

“I think it would make things interesting to share. Perhaps liven things up a bit for us?” He said playfully.

Jimin smiled back at him knowing his game; they had talked about some pretty explicit things in the dorms just kidding around. Both had learned they were curious about trying things with women, among other things. They looked at each other with knowing and then looked at their leader.

“We’ll take the foreigner.” Jimin told him.

Rapmon looked at the folder, would she understand them? It didn’t state if she could speak Korean, but she’ll learn fast or she wouldn’t last long. Seeing the mischievous looks on the youngsters faces he raised an eyebrow at them. When they didn’t explain anything he closed the folder and went to find the manager to tell him their decision. Jhope leaned his elbows on the table.

“What are you guys planning?” He asked curious.

“Nothing; just some fun. Not anything different from what you all do with your caretakers.” Jimin smiled.”

Jhope smiled back at him; the guys were a bit “frustrated” in their line of work. They had to appear human to the public, although the staff knew otherwise and were tight lipped about it. But there is limited time to find “release” with their busy lifestyles so caretakers were needed to fix that.

“I wonder what she will be like.” Jungkook admitted.

“Hopefully a bit exciting.” Jimin smiled.

-Nia’s apartment-

Nia had sprawled out on her couch in some yoga pants and a hoodie prepared to watch dramas and munch on chips for the day. Her friends had mentioned wanting to go out clubbing that night; Nia looked at her wallet tempted to say screw it and blow it for a few hours of fun. But upon her friends desperation for a wing girl and the offer to pay for all the drinks; Nia couldn’t refuse. Her phone buzzed and she assumed it was her friend; but it was an email.

Dear Ms. Logan,

You have been selected as a caretaker at Big Hit Entertainment. Congratulations upon your employment. Please report in tomorrow afternoon at 4pm for your orientation and shift, we are excited to have you on the team and wish to get you started as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach us at 1+ ************.

Sincerely,

Manager Song.

Nia was blinking at her phone like it was a mirage...was this for real? She reread the email a few times. Attached to the email was directions to the building and how to get in, as well with all the documentation she would need for IDs and entry needs. After letting go of a breath she didn’t know she was holding she immediately called her friend.

“Hello?”

“Sunny! I got a job!!!!”

“Wait what? Wasn’t the interview just this morning? The one at the entertainment company right?”

“Yes and I just got an email saying I was accepted!”

“Woohoo see all the more reason to come out tonight and celebrate. My treat.”

“You bet! See you tonight.”

Nia ended the call and started dancing around her apartment she was so excited and glad at her luck, she was starting to worry about herself a bit. She stopped mid dance to bolt to her room and start pulling out her dresses and fancy shirts to pick something to wear to celebrate in. She showered and styled her hair in loose curls with half of her hair twisted up in a clip making it tumble down her back. She opted for dramatic eyes with her makeup and chose a black form fitting dress that only reached halfway down her thighs and the same pumps from before. She was going to celebrate and if she got lucky maybe pick up a guy too.

About eight o’clock she got a text from Sunny to meet her at some restaurant so they could eat first and then go have fun. Nia grabbed a long cardigan she kept more for colder weather to wear, it was a bit cool that evening so she decided to use it. It was grey with sparkly thread woven through it, Nia grabbed a small clutch purse with a strap to keep her phone and ID in with a small amount of money for taxi fare if needed. Heading out it didn’t take her long to find the restaurant in question and find Sunny in her bright purple dress at a high table. Sunny was waving her over when she walked in. Nia took a seat and side hugged her friend, she was one of the first friends Nia made when she arrived in Korea. Sunny had accidentally bumped into her and knocked over her luggage which spilled all over the sidewalk. It was a bit embarrassing as her underwear had fallen out of the luggage for all the passersby to see. Sunny was quick to pick it up though and apologize profusely until Nia agreed to go with her to eat to make up for it, they quickly became friends after that.

“I invited some friends of mine to join us; they work at the company you are going to be working at. You’ll need some friends for when I’m not there; they are pretty good guys and very protective so I won’t have to worry.”

“Wait they’re guys?”

“Yea, we can’t go and celebrate without company right?”

“I suppose; I was just going to wing it honestly. Where are the other girls?”

“Flaked out last minute; go figure. You American girls are so weird by the way, a lady needs to have a man to watch out for her in strange places. Anyways they were free tonight which is rare and girl let me tell you they are a rare sight indeed, wait until you see.” She giggled to herself.

“Are you trying to set me up?” Nia teased.

“We’ll see what happens.” She smiled deviously. “What do you want to eat before we meet up with the guys?”

“What do you recommend?”

Nia was pretty much a fan of all Korean food except the really spicy things, she had not developed a taste for any of that yet. Mostly she stuck with soups, meat, and mild kimchi. The girls agreed on splitting some kalbi with some rice and kimchi.

“How did you meet these guys you were talking about?” Nia asked.

“Oh I met them through my friend Mari, she works with the trainees. She was acquaintances of the guys and I met them when I visited one day. Since then we just kind of became friends.”

“Wow its really all about who you know around here isn’t it?”

“It certainly doesn’t hurt.” Sunny laughed.

After eating dinner the girls headed off toward the club they were going to meet the guys at; the line was ridiculously long making Nia groan. Sunny just laughed at her and linked her arm with Nia before dragging her up to the front of the line to be met with the bouncer.

“Name?” He asked gruffly.

Sunny instead pulled out a pass looking ID and handed it to the bouncer who unclipped the velvet rope and waved her through. Pocketing her ID she just smiled at Nia’s astounded face.

“What the hell was that? Are you like famous or something?” Nia teased.

“No! I just have a pass is all, the guys set it up for me for when we hangout. Makes it easier to meet up. Now let's get a drink and head up to meet them.”

“Up what do you mean up?”

Sunny pointed up to a balcony that was over the dance floor, some people were up there already leaning on the railing watching the people below dance. Nia looked at Sunny in shock.

“Are your friends like loaded or something?”

Sunny just laughed shaking her head; they made their way to the bar and ordered some cocktails. The bartender was flirty and put extra cherries in their cocktails, Nia just winked at him and let Sunny drag her to the staircase that would take them up to the upper level. Nerves wasn’t quite the feeling she had more like a mix of fear and excitement with a touch of what do I do what do I do added in. Once they made it up the stairs they looked around for a moment before Sunny spotted her friends and led Nia by the hand over to the booth they were occupying. Nia was beyond words; Sunny was not joking these guys were flaming hot. One was sporting silver hair that was brushed back a bit after he ran a hand through his hair letting it part naturally, the other was sporting chocolate brown locks with a fringe that fell across his forehead. Both were nearly flawless; both wore black pants that showed off their toned thighs with black shoes, they both had on form fitted shirts with nice jackets over them more the dressy casual look. Sunny ran up to them and hugged both of them happily, while Nia lingered back a bit to let Sunny enjoy her friends.

“Nia get over here and introduce yourself!” Sunny called excited.

Taking a deep breath Nia walked up to the trio, bowing and shaking hands she introduced herself to Sunny’s friends.

“Hello I’m Nia, Sunny invited me along. Hope we have fun.” Nia said politely.

“Whoa that's a nice surprise.” The silver haired man said with a raised eyebrow.

“Nia this is Jimin, and this is Jungkook. They were the ones I told you about that work at the same company.” Nia nodded as she looked at each man smiling and trying to be friendly.

Sunny took a seat on the opposite side of the booth as the guys and tugged Nia to sit down with her. Nia immediately felt self conscious; she could feel the gazes on her, she should be used to it but it was weird being stared at just because of how she looked different. She took to sipping her cocktail while Sunny was talking away catching up with her friends. Nia had learned that the guys were singers and dancers and that they were relaxing a bit because they had won some award recently so now they could focus on other projects until the new year. Eventually Nia had zoned out and was watching people dance on the dance floor on the other side of the room on the upper floor. She was only brought back to her senses when she felt Sunny get up off the seat, she was walking off with Jungkook to go dance. Nia glanced at her companion she was left with, he had a smirk on his face as he watched Jungkook leave with Sunny.

“So what brought you to Korea Nia?” He asked making her look up from her drink to his chocolate eyes, which seemed darker in the dim lighting.

“I wanted adventure I suppose, I was bored with living in the states. I have always appreciated Korean food and wanted to visit, so instead I took it a step further and just moved here.”

“Has it been an adventure so far?” He asked.

“Its been different that's for sure, I’ve only been here a few weeks so who knows when the adventure part will start.” Nia smiled as she took a sip of her drink.

Jimin’s eyes were trained on Nia, she was definitely different. Now that he was alone with her; he could scent her perfectly. As much as he liked Sunny as a friend she always wore too much perfume that would clog his senses, Nia however was completely different. Her scent was sweet and welcoming like brown sugar and vanilla, did she know she smelled like that?

What are you thinking about? I can feel you from here.

Jungkook and Jimin were really close and shared the ability to speak to one another telepathically, which was the envy of the other members. Each member had their own special skills but only Jimin and Jungkook had this shared one.

I’m enjoying the smell of this little flower here. It's so refreshing.

Jungkook chuckled through their link as he spun Sunny around and kept her dancing.

So is this flower the new caretaker then?

Jimin had known as soon as Sunny had mentioned her name that this was their new caretaker, she looked different than her picture because she had dolled up for going out. He eyed her as she was watching the crowd dancing, her finger tracing around the rim of her glass. She was breathtaking at that moment; he hoped she was the Nia they had chosen...because she was making him stupid with just sitting there.

I think so little brother, shall we play around a bit then?

Jungkook chuckled again through the link; Jimin was always mischievous and wanting to push the limits. Women were like a game to him; he would only date women for short periods of time and take what he needed without them noticing in the heat of the moment and all, but the dating never lasted long as Jimin would get bored easily. Jungkook was pretty much in the same boat; he was more focused on work than dealing with women, when they had mentioned them getting a caretaker he perked up at the idea of having a woman around all the time he could rely on without having to fret too much.

Lets go easy one our new little flower, she still doesn’t know yet.

Jimin smiled to himself, Jungkook was right they were playing unfairly here. She didn’t know who they were to her yet. Sunny and Jungkook returned; Sunny called on a waiter and started to order shots like crazy.

“Geez Sunny slow down I mean don’t you have to work tomorrow?” Nia asked surprised.

“Nope its a free day, only you have to work tomorrow but it's not until the afternoon right so drink up let's party!”

Nia sighed but gave in, Sunny was infectious and usually got her way. Taking shots like a champ with Sunny and the guys; Nia started to get buzzed fast. Which was making her a bit confused.

“What is in this shot?” Nia asked over the music.

“Soju!” Sunny beamed.

Nia vaguely remembered asking about it before, it was way stronger than what she was used to back in the states and she was a champ when it came to long island's. But her butt was being kicked with this soju stuff. After a few more shots she started to loosen up and cheer with Sunny and her friends and play games. Feeling the flush of alcohol Nia slipped off her cardigan to reveal her tight dress making Sunny laugh in delight.

“Girl you trying to slay it tonight damn!”

Nia couldn’t help but laugh with Sunny who was quite tipsy at that point. Jimin and Jungkook had both tensed up on their side of the table, the girls didn’t noticed though since they were more focused on being laughing fools.

Damn

Jimin had passed through the link; Jungkook just nodded from his seat. They were very pleased with how the dress fit her and showed off her assets in just the right way to go straight to any man’s groin. The dim lights turned down until only the fleeting flickers of the strobe lights and lights from the DJ stand moved. Sunny convinced Nia to go dance this time; stashing her things with a girl at a jacket storage closet the girls had headed to the floor followed by the guys of course.

Rock, paper, scissors one who gets the newbie?

Jimin playfully suggested; Jungkook got ready and fired...three out of three fail. Sighing in defeat he headed after Sunny to dance, he had played with her a few times and hooked up a time or two so he wasn’t against playing with her tonight. Jimin however was excited that he got to go on the chase after the new girl, at that point she was pretty buzzed and suggestive. Reaching her quickly he glared at any man who got too close to her and they backed off by instinct. Nia was dancing with Sunny when Jungkook came up behind her and started dancing a bit provocatively with her making Nia question their relationship. Nia felt a hand at her lower back; causing her to jump before she looked up and was met with the dark orbs of Jimin, his plump lips already in a smile captivating her attention. He leaned down to talk in her ear.

“How about we dance and let them have some time alone huh?” His tone was playful and seductive.

Nia’s body reacted a bit too easily for her liking; maybe because it had been ages since she had been with or around a man. A smirk played on her lips as she turned toward him and nodded her agreement. Jimin ran his hands down her bare arms until they reached her hands; which he gently picked up to rest around his neck, he replaced a hand on her lower back tugging her forward to bring her closer. One of her knees were between his legs while one of his were with hers, she was highly aware of the little space between them and still had the sense to blush. Jimin saw it and smiled as he leaned down to her ear again.

“Let go, you’re here to celebrate remember? Forget everything else and just feel.”

His tone was speaking volumes to her body making her relax almost immediately, she kept a hand resting on the back of his neck while the other clung onto his shirt over his chest. He set the pace and held a hand on her hips to help guide how to sway her hips to the beat to the pace he set. He could hear her body reacting to him which only delighted him more, her heart was racing and her body was fighting with itself over its attraction to him.

Nia could really feel the drinks now, if she closed her eyes her head felt like it was swimming. Her coordination would be shit if it wasn’t for Jimin helping her stay with the music. He was something else she thought; he dancing so fluidly and the deep gaze of his eyes was reeking havoc on her control. She wanted him and that kind of freaked her out, where would things go? She didn’t want a one-nighter with him that's for sure he was too gorgeous for that. But she was so starved it was pitiful. She bit her lip as she stared in his eyes and danced with him, he pulled her closer until she was flush against him. He talked over the music in her ear.

“Careful now; biting your lip like that might make me want to do it for you instead.” He teased.

Nia gasped; did she hear that right or was that just wishful thinking? Jimin gave her a seductive smile as he turned her around so her back was flush with his chest and her ass against his crotch. He kept her hips swaying with his to the music; grabbing her arms and wrapping them behind her around his neck again, taking advantage of the position he let one hand roam up her side and tease her earning little gasps from her. That sound was getting addictive. She leaned her head back against his shoulder as he danced, she could feel the muscles in his legs and his abs against her back...she wanted to see them for herself. Would she get that chance?

Jungkook and Sunny came into view they were pretty close to dry humping on the dance floor; when Jimin followed her gaze he chuckled in her ear. Saying how those two had been close friends are a while now. Nia was smiling along with him, Sunny looked happy as all get out and a bit gone to be honest. Nia let herself go; forgetting to think like Jimin had suggested she just felt, and what she felt was him worshiping her body on the dance floor. The way he stroked her as he danced with her was only building a fire that she didn’t really care to put out. Nia started to get more aggressive in her dancing by pushing back into him with her swaying hips earning a surprised grunt from him, but he just wrapped his arms around her and danced with her more. He spun her around where she was faced with him again; his gaze even darker than before and by the way he was biting his lip he was hungry for her. Nia couldn’t take that gaze; she bent her head down under his chin as she danced with him hearing the bass of the music through his chest as much as she felt it through her own.

Hmm having fun big brother? Seem a bit comfy from over here.

Jungkook was teasing. Jimin looked up from Nia to lock eyes with his brother; both shared dark eyes as they were both full of lust. Jimin smirked at his little brother.

She feels so good; not afraid so push that sweet little ass against me either.

Jimin licked his lips as he looked at Jungkook, his little brother swallowed before his attention was drawn away by Sunny tugging on his shirt. He kissed her as that was what she wanted; they had a platonic friendship where they would hook up with no strings attached which worked for Jungkook since he wasn’t interested in anything else before, but now that he was going to be sharing a caretaker with Jimin he was thinking about the what ifs that could happen now. Jimin whispered in Nia ear.

“I think you like me; or at least my dancing.”

Nia blushed hard as she danced with him; he chuckled which vibrated his chest under her hands that were splayed out across it. Avoiding his eyes she looked anywhere but at his gaze, he tipped her face up to look at him with a finger under her chin. He saw her eyes for the first time up close; they were blue and reflected the greens from the flashing lights, her eyes were dilated giving away her attraction to him.

“Am I right Nia?” He teased.

Though her body was fuzzy from being drunk she couldn’t help but nod to him against her better judgement; she did find him attractive. A bright smile broke out across his face making her nearly sigh; biting his lower lip he led her from the dance floor back to their booth. The booth had been cast in darkness from the lights being turned down for the dance floor lights. Jimin had her sit down first and slid in next to her; the shadows around them kept prying eyes from seeing them. Nia wasn’t sure what he was going to do, she watched as he moved closer to her the warmth of him radiating to her making her breath shallow. Jimin didn’t waste time he wanted to test how far he could go; first he kissed her hand that he was holding gauging her reaction. She didn’t pull away. When he placed a hand on her lower back and had her scoot closer to him he was surprised she didn’t resist; her gaze was on his lips which he planned on giving her anyway.

“Let me have a taste little flower.” He whispered against her cheek.

He held a finger under her chin as he leaned in and met her lips with his; she was hesitant at first but soon melted against him. His lips were soft on hers and she could hardly believe what was happening, this had to be a dream just had too. He kissed her with more feeling and he felt her cling to his shirt; he pulled back before he lost himself. She was breathing quickly, biting her lip as she looked up at him. He had to control his urge to just say fuck it and take her then and there, she looked so vulnerable like that and sexy. Kissing down her law line to her neck he met her pulse, it was calling to him. Should he sample her perhaps? He smiled as he sent Jungkook his thoughts.

Going to try our little flower, see if she tastes as good as she smells.

More chuckling echoed through his mind.

Let me know how delicious she is.

Jimin used his skills to distract Nia so she wouldn’t feel anything. Kissing her neck and holding her close he lightly dragged a fang over her skin that cut it but she wouldn’t really feel it, the little bit of blood that rose to the skin he licked up with his tongue. Jimin was quick to seal the scratch with his tongue as he groaned from the taste of her sweet blood on his tongue. She tasted way better than she smelled. Jimin tensed for a moment fighting the urge to drink from her again, Nia was slumping against him as it was. He noticed she was starting to pass out.

Jungkook time to go. Little Nia is a bit of a light weight.

Jungkook grabbed Sunny’s hand and led her back to the table to find Nia leaning against Jimin passed out. From anyone else’s point of view it would have looked like she was just snuggled up to him. Sunny giggled when she saw Nia.

“Geez Jiminie what did you do to her?” She said teasing.

“Apparently overworked her senses. I think she's a light weight.”

“Yea she doesn’t drink much. Well we should probably get her home then.” Jungkook mentioned.

“Where does she live?” Jimin asked.

“Not far from here; if you don’t mind helping me, we can drop her off at home.” Sunny was playing this the rings on Jungkook’s  hand.

His face lazy with her playing with his hand. He could never love Sunny but he loved her company and little things like this. Jimin had Sunny collect Nia’s things from the worker at the closet. After tugging on her cardigan, Jimin had Jungkook help him pick her up bridal style and head down to the main floor. She was small in his arms; her head resting against his chin and collarbone she seemed so innocent. As they were leaving the club and headed toward the direction of Nia’s apartment building Jimin was talking to Jungkook.

So are you going to tell me? Jungkook asked.

It was intense...way better than I expected. I almost couldn’t stop...I had to fight pretty hard not to go for more.

Hmm. Guess we got a good catch then. Jungkook laughed.

I want more.

Jungkook looked over Sunny’s head at his brother; Jimin never admitted to wanting more blood ever. It had to have been pretty damn intense for him to admit that through the link. Sunny was babbling on as they walked; when they reached the building she fished in Nia’s clutch for the key card to get in the main door. At her apartment door; Sunny had remembered the pin and they were in. Jimin kicked off his shoes (which was a habit anyways) and waited for Sunny to lead the way into the apartment.

“Her bedroom is that door by the bathroom.” Sunny motioned as she went to the kitchen for water and painkillers for her friend.

Jungkook looked around as he followed Jimin into Nia’s room; she didn’t have very much possession wise but the place still seemed inviting. He picked up a stuffed bunny off her pillow and waved it at Jimin who just chuckled at it.

Think she has a thing for rabbits?

She probably will after getting a better look at you bro.

Jimin smiled at his little brother who was showing his bunny smile at the comment. Jimin laid Nia down; carefully he removed her cardigan and pumps setting them on the floor. The guys had their eyes all over her, the dress was like a second skin and didn’t hide much. Sunny came in as Jimin was pulling the blankets up to Nia’s shoulder.

“You guys are so sweet. Here let's set these on her table for when she wakes up. Soju hangover sucks.” Sunny kidded.

She sat down on the side of the bed and stroked loose strands from Nia’s face and tucked it behind her ear. Nia stirred a little bit.

“Did we go home already?” she barely whispered.

“Yea you’re home now, get some sleep. See you tomorrow.”

“Thank you...for bringing me…..” she was out again.

Sunny giggled and waved for the guys to follow her out of the room. In Nia’s living room she turned on the guys, a playfulness clear on her face.

“So Jiminie...you guys like her or what?”

Sunny wasn’t left in the dark she knew about what the guys were and what they needed. She would sometimes offer up her own neck from time to time. Jimin rubbed the back of his neck as he nodded.

“I knew it, I can’t believe she got that job. When she told me I knew exactly who to call, you guys better look out for her! I mean it, don’t let anyone else touch her or scare her got it?”

The guys looked at her like kids getting scolded and they nodded. Sunny broke out into a smile again as she hung on Jungkook’s arm.

“Are you guys okay for tonight or do you need something to eat?” She played on the words.

“I could use something. Jimin already got to try her, why don’t we hit up your place for the night then?” Jungkook cooed at her.

Sunny melted against him as she agreed.

“Are you going to come over too?” She asked Jimin.

“I think I will pass this time, I need to do some work. You guys go ahead and I’ll see ya later.”

The trio left Nia’s place and headed their separate ways once they hit the sidewalk. Jungkook was going to feed while Sunny gladly offered it up, Jimin planned on going to the dance studio to work off some extra energy before heading back to the dorm.

Don’t have too much fun bro.

I will try, no guarantees though. Did you happen to remember that pin number? Jimin asked.

Yep. Why?

Might come in handy someday. Jimin chuckled through the link which Jungkook returned.

Jimin was glad he had left some clothes behind in the studio to change into; the studio was dimly lit. He plugged in his phone to the computer and cued some music to play and he was instantly immersed into his dancing and sinking into the music. All the while he was replaying the way Nia felt against his body; her intoxicating scent, her warmth, the sound of her voice, the look she gave him that made her look so innocent and vulnerable it was making him feel drawn to her even more. After dancing for a few hours he finally grew tired and decided to call it quits for the night; packing up his clothes and taking his phone he headed home to the dorm.

Nia woke up the next day feeling like death; her head pounded and she was feeling uncomfortable thanks to the bra she was still wearing...wait a minute. She opened her eyes and saw she was in her apartment but she didn’t remember how she got there, she was still wearing her dress which meant her makeup was probably smeared all over her face. There was no evidence she shared the night with anyone so she sighed in relief before she noticed the water and painkillers on her table. Someone had been there to look after her; Sunny maybe? No she remembered being carried; Sunny couldn’t do that. Bit by bit the night came back to her and she groaned in embarrassment. She finally meets a hunk and ends up passing out before it got good, damn. She took the painkillers with water and then trudged out of bed to the bathroom to be met with a smeared mess on her face; lovely. Turning on the shower Nia peeled off her dress and undergarments before stepping in the shower to wash away the smell of alcohol and smoke from the club. Was last night maybe a dream? It felt like it was; her luck wasn’t that good to have meet some hunky men and get a job in the same day.

After the shower eased her sore neck from sleeping; she got out and got herself ready for another day. Her stomach growled at her like a beast; luckily she had left overs in the fridge to heat up and munch on. Checking her phone it was a few hours before she had to report for her first day, so she called Sunny.

“Hello…” A groggy voice answered.

“Hey thanks for bringing me home.”

“Oh no problem hun.”

Nia could hear a male voice in the background that was groggy and husky...if she didn’t know any better she would swear that was Jungkook’s voice. Nia was shocked and wanted to end the call quick.

“Sounds like you are busy I should let you go.” Nia began.

“Hey not so fast.” She said with a smile in her voice. “Jiminie seemed to really like you last night, what did you all do at the club hmm?”

Nia blushed hard and sputtered into the phone making Sunny laugh.

“N-n-nothing much.” Nia tried the play it off.

“Right I believe that. You know he carried you all the way back to your place.”

“I remember some of that.” Nia said in a small voice.

Sunny was giggling to herself she was having far too much fun picking on Nia.

“I think he likes you too. By the way you two were dancing last night it seemed like you were going to go further than just passing out in the booth.” Sunny laughed again.

“Hey! You were just as bad with Jungkook.” Nia could hear the male voice laughing. His voice came through the phone. “Jimin was being more naughty than we were.” His voice was husky from sleep.

Nia was right it was Jungkook, so those two hooked up last night. She blushed again before she could muster up enough voice to speak again.

“Hey girlie you better get going if you wanna beat the crowds on the lines. Jungkook is getting ready now and will probably see you there.”

Sunny was laughing as she could hear Nia choking on water she tried to drink.

“See you at work!” Jungkook called through the phone.

“See you later Nia text me later okay? Have a good first day!” She sang before hanging up.

Nia stared at her phone with a what the fuck was that look. Nia got ready deciding on an outfit of skinny jeans, a chiffon tunic and some girly converse in a mint color to match the shirt. Grabbing her purse she shoved her phone in it and headed out for the train. The crowds were no joke; super busy, Nia had to navigate through the cars to find a seat. Once she reached her stop she bailed and speed walked all the way back up to to street thankful for the space. The Big Hit building was across the street; waiting at the light she waited until she could walk across and watched carefully since some drivers were a bit impatient and wanted to go even though it was red.

Nia walked up to the building and followed the directions from the email on how to get in, when the door beeped open for her she was met with a receptionist inside that greeted her. Nia told her why she was there and the receptionist gave her directions to the elevator and which floor to get off at, which happened to be the third floor. Nia was given a visitors badge to use until her actual badges were sent in. Nia thanked the lady and went over to the elevators and got off at the third floor she looked for the conference room she was told by the receptionists and she knocked on the door. A gruff voice answered telling her to come in. She opened the door slowly and bowed as she saw an older man speaking to a group of in front of him.

“Ah you must be Ms. Logan.”

“Y-yes sir.” Nia stuttered and bowed.

“Great; you made it in good time.”

Nia looked around her at the group seated before the man; each one was handsome as all get out. Then her eyes landed on Jimin who was smiling at her with his chin rested on his hand. A blush tinted her cheeks. The man looked at her again.

“I’m the manager, you can call me Mr. Song. These guys are the group mentioned in the email. Guys introduce yourselves.”

The group stood up as a whole and introduced themselves together.

“1...2..3 Hello we are Bangtan Sonyeondan.”

Nia was taken by surprise by their greeting but bowed in greeting to them. The manager had a few forms for her to fill out.

“If you could fill these out first we will get them sent out for your file. I’m sure the guys could make some room for you to sit down to work. I’m going to take care of a few things while you do that. Call for me when you finish.” Mr. Song handed over the forms with a pen and headed out the room.

Nia instantly bit her bottom lip as she turned around to face the six guys sitting before her; wait where was Jungkook? Jimin was the first one to speak.

“You can sit down over here.” He patted the chair next to him.

Nia hesitated for a moment before making her way over to him and sitting down. The guys were watching her the whole time...she felt outnumbered and like she was a deer in headlights. Jimin broke the silence again.

“So guys as she said this is Nia. Sunny had us meet up at that club last night and wouldn’t you know who she tagged along.” Jimin was watching her fidget under his gaze.

“Well now you and Jungkook might settle down a bit now that you have a caretaker.” A man with ashy colored hair said.

“That is Rap monster; you can call him Rapmon. Next to him is Suga, Jhope and Jin. The one that's zoning out is V and you already met Jungkook.” As he finished Jungkook came through the door.

He looked a little, how to put it...rough? He clothes were straight and all but his hair was still a bit messy and well he looked like he had endured a long night with Sunny. Nia cracked a smile at his appearance that didn’t go unnoticed by Jungkook as he rubbed the back of his neck and kind chuckled to himself. Rapmon was observing the whole time the interactions between the trio, they had already started bonding after one night? That was interesting.

Nia filled out her paperwork; Jimin corrected her when she missed a spot. Jungkook looked over her other shoulder to verify she had everything right. Being helpful and correcting her spelling or lines on her characters. When she finished Jungkook went and got the manager, who took them and left again.

“So why was I signing waivers for my health like this job involves fighting off lions?” Nia asked trying to joke with the guys.

Jungkook just snickered, the other guys in the room found it amusing as well. Jimin had to fight back a smile a few times before he could answer her.

“Just for precaution; the job can get...rough sometimes.” The guys in the room couldn’t help but chuckle at the joke.

Jungkook was laughing wholeheartedly at it. Nia zeroed in on him.

“Wanna explain to me why you were at Sunny’s this morning?” She said pointedly and he stopped laughing causing the others to laugh more.

“We...um hang out sometimes.”

“Mhmmm.” Nia didn’t buy it. She smiled at him knowingly.

She had a feeling there was more to just friendship with the chemistry that went on between Jungkook and Sunny. A hand at her back had her tensing up; she looked over at Jimin who was still wearing a smile. Geez no wonder she thought she had dreamed him up...he was just too unreal to be true, all the guys in the group actually were just too perfect to be real. His eyes were solely on her as he gently rubbed circles on her lower back sending goosebumps everywhere.

“We will go easy on you for today; You’ll just be following us and helping out. We don’t have any schedules going on besides practice and recording so relax and just have some fun.”

Nia nodded but still remained a bit nervous.

“Sunny set this up didn’t she?” Nia whispered.

She didn’t know that everyone could hear her with their heightened senses; but they acted like they didn’t hear. Jimin leaned on his arm on the table looking her in the eye.

“Yep, she knew we were the ones needing a caretaker and figured it would be better if you met us outside work. We’re friends already see.” He smiled.

Nia smiled at that and nodded; she guessed they kind of were. The manager returned and finished up a few things to discuss before he dismissed the guys. Being nudged by Jimin; Nia got up and left with them down the hall, they were led into a dance studio where the guys put their phones and stuff away in the cabinets in one corner. Rapmon headed over to the computer hooked up to all the speakers and set up the playlist they were going to work on. Jimin took off his hoodie he was wearing and handed it to her.

“Keep it warm for me?” He teased.

Nia looked away from his gaze as her cheeks tinted. What was he playing at? She felt so stupid and giddy at the same time. She found a spot in a corner where she was out of the way and would have a clear view as they worked. The music cued and they began dancing; which blew Nia away...they were nearly perfect in their synchronization. Each move we precise and each window was flawless. Three songs in Nia felt like she needed to pick her jaw up off the floor, each song showed off more and more of their skills. Jimin would peek through the mirror at her to see her completely captivated by them, which only made him feel smug. After they finished the playlist they took a break.

“Gah I need a drink.” Jhope complained.

Nia jumped up. “Where are they and I can get some?”

The guys looked at her then to Jimin. He told her where to go to find them, why couldn’t Jhope just tell her? She was confused by that, regardless she left and went down to a room that had snacks and fridges in it and found the drinks. She grabbed seven waters and a couple snacks before returning with her laden arms. Using her butt to open the door she saw the guys sprawled out on the floor trying to cool off. She walked by each one and handed them a water, before finding a spot for the snacks. Then Nia returned to her spot in the corner where she left her purse.

“Do you dance at all?” V asked her.

Nia vigorously shook her head making V laugh. Jimin laughed at it too. Jungkook just had to put in his two cents.

“She dances well with Jimin.”

Nia glared at him making him just snicker. Jimin was laying on his stomach but rolled over as he laughed. V looked at Jimin and Jungkook confused, when he looked at Nia she was pink in the cheeks and bouncing her knee looking anywhere but at the guys.

“Nia you should show them how you were dancing, maybe they can learn a thing or two from you.” Jungkook egged her on further.

Her glare was icy blue; her jaw clenched and she wanted to rip him a new ass but didn’t want to leave a bad impression on her first day. Jimin was staring at her eyes, they really did go a lighter color of blue when she got ticked. He stepped in before it got any further.

“Hey Kookie how about you show us how you were dancing with Sunny first.” Jimin drawled.

Jungkook shut up and looked away with his own blush making the group laugh since they knew about his hook ups with Sunny from time to time. Jimin laughed good at that, he got up and walked over to Nia passing her his half empty bottle.

“Drink up you’re still dehydrated from last night.” It sounded more like a command than a suggestion.

“How do you?...ah fine.” Nia took it and drank from it without resisting.

After drinking some water she did realize she was pretty thirsty herself, how did Jimin know that? She kept a close eye on him for the rest of the day, they practiced a few more dances before calling it quits and headed to the recording studio where Nia was happily set on a leather couch listening to the guys sing one by one. That was a treat she was very much excited about. Free show! After learning were places were in the building she felt kind of confident she could find everywhere she needed to go tomorrow. The manager had called them back to the conference room to discuss their schedules, he had printed them off and gave every member one. There was one for Nia too, hers was a bit descriptive.

It said she needed to maintain a high protein diet in this job to keep her healthy, she was advised to keep in shape so she could keep up with the guys. No problem there she was pretty fit as it was. It also mentioned she was strictly only to look after Jimin and Jungkook, they were her charges. Essentially she as their gopher, she would get them drinks or snacks. Grabbing what they needed when they were busy and accompany them to all their schedules until she was needed. She looked up to Jimin from her schedule.

“What exactly am I supposed to do for this job?”

“Basically you are looking out for us as we look out for you, we’re friends. We don’t get to go out much and make friends so that's where you come in.” He smiled.

“Getting paid to be someone’s friend…that's new.”

Jimin just chuckled as he listened to the manager, after they were dismissed again Jungkook and Jimin walked with Nia. One of them on each side.

“Let's go eat.” Jungkook suggested.

The other two agreed so they headed to a restaurant near the building; this restaurant had secluded rooms they could use to eat in. So they ordered food and drinks. The guys were still on either side of her as they sat at the table, Nia was nervous but didn’t show it on her face. Just her bouncing knee gave her away. Jungkook put a hand on it to still it, she looked up at him.

“Calm down, we are just here to eat and chill.” He said softly.

What was with these guys? It's like they knew exactly what was going on with her. She nodded shyly before taking a sip of her cola. Then the interrogation began in rapid fire.

Jimin- where are you from?

Nia- Michigan

Jungkook- how old are you?

Nia-21

Jimin- Where did you learn to speak?

Nia-college

Jungkook- any funny skills?

Nia pointed to her nose and once she had both guys looking she wiggled it like a bunny making both of them roar in laughter.

Jungkook- do it again.

She did.

Jimin-see she does like rabbits.

Nia-what do you….oh you saw buster.

Jungkook-You gave the rabbit a name?

Nia- shut up.

Jimin- Favorite color?

Nia- mint and dark purple.

Jungkook- Favorite food?

Nia-Pizza

Jungkook-do the nose thing again.

Nia did, he just laughed again and tried to mimic it. Nia explained how she did it and eventually he got it. Making her laugh. Jimin was taking a video on his phone of Jungkook doing it.

Jungkook- Yah don’t post that.

Jimin-Already did.

The food arrived, Nia was struggling to get a good grip on the chopsticks. Jimin stilled her hand and placed the sticks right in her hand.

“Now try it.”

She did and they worked much better.

“Thank you.

“Eat up.” He smiled at her.

Did he realize his smile was dangerous to her feeble girl feelings? Probably not. She ate well and chit chatted with the guys, they told her about how they got started in the group and what they had done so far.

“Wow you guys won?”

“Yea we didn’t expect it either, Kookie even cried.” Jimin joked.

“Kookie?” Nia raised an eyebrow at Jungkook.

“Yah see what you started! Yes its a nickname. Jimin you cried too so shut up.”

Nia giggled as they bickered. After dinner they all felt a bit closer; they walked her back to her apartment and said their byes. As time went on she grew closer and closer to them to the point where she was joking with them everyday and if she wasn’t teasing them she was being a prankster to them and the other members. She hadn’t learned about what they were just yet; the guys had made it pretty clear they didn’t want anyone telling her but them. So the group respected them and the staff as well. It had been a few weeks since she started the job; they were at a studio for a photoshoot, Nia had found Rapmon passed out on a sofa in the dressing room. She caught the attention of Jhope that was resting on the floor goofing off on his tablet. Nia held a finger to her lips to shush him; she had made funny signs out of sticky notes and was setting them in his hair where he wouldn’t notice them. Jhope sat up to watch her; Rapmon slept hard so he was oblivious to it. Satisfied she whispered to Jhope.

“I get you 500won he doesn’t notice for ten minutes.”

Jhope smiled up at her and he countered her bet to 1,000 won he would notice right away. She puffed up her cheeks and shook his hand on the bet. Looking for other people to pick on she found Jimin sprawled out on a sofa passed out; Jungkook was nearby playing a game on his phone while a stylist was working on his hair. Nia took Jimin’s string from his hoodie he had on, careful not to disturb him she teased his nose with it making him reach up and scratch his nose. She looked at Jungkook who was just chuckling from his seat; Nia did it again and yelped when Jimin caught her wrist and pulled her down to him where she was almost sitting on him. He smiled at her blush and sat up to tug her down to the sofa next to him; refusing to let go of her wrist despite her struggles.

“Yah Jiminie let go.”

“Nope; what are you doing picking on me? Bad girls need to be punished don’t you think?”

She shuddered under his touch; he was always playing with her head being flirty. Making her question if he was being for real or not, most the time he was just goofy and playful and others he was husky voiced and sultry. They heard a loud frustrated yell from the other side of the room, Rapmon had woken up and found her little joke signs in his hair. Nia bit her lip to keep from snickering, Jimin looked at her and then Rapmon.

“You did that?”

Nia nodded; Rapmon was walking over to her with a scowl on his face. He held out her little sticky notes in his hand.

“Whats with all the little bombs huh?”

Nia fought back a smile as she looked up at him as innocent as she could and shrugged, the guys could never stay mad at her for long. The notes fell like confetti to the ground, little cartoon bombs with lit wicks.

“Army bombs. Decoration for the shoot.” She smiled.

Rapmon’s scowl cracked as he looked at her; she knew their weakness was their fans. Rapmon turned his gaze to Jimin.

“Bro look after your girl would ya? Some of us need sleep.”

Nia raised her eyebrows and immediately started disagreeing; his girl she was just a friend not more than that. She was prolly seeing more into it than what it was but she dropped her gaze anyways to her lap. Rapmon laughed before walking away; he knew how to make her uncomfortable real easy just mention something like that and she was done. Jimin was chuckling at her as he tugged her to lean back into the couch against him.

“See what you get for playing around?”

“It was too quiet in here, Jhope owes me 500 won for that stunt.”

Jimin laughed at that; Jungkook was finally finished and joined them on the sofa sitting on Nia’s other side. He leaned against her too; they were always really into skinship with her she learned early on. She didn’t mind it, if they got cheeky she would just swat their hands away. Jimin told Jungkook about what happened making him laugh.

“See how much trouble she is? Can’t even take a nap without her causing trouble.” He teased.

“What ever I am not. You two are just as bad, if anything you two are bad influences.” She countered.

“Punish her then.” Jungkook said playing on his phone still.

“I should huh.” Jimin teased.

“Quit it.” Nia whined.

“Close your eyes.” Jimin told her.

She looked at Jungkook for help and he just nodded at her to do it. They would just pester her longer if she didn’t comply, she glared at Jimin before closing her eyes. She was expecting him to flick her forehead or smack her wrist with his fingers, but instead he leaned in and nipped her neck right over her pulse. She instantly jumped but his grip on her wrist kept her from getting up. Opening her eyes when he backed away she was glaring at him, he had a smug look on his face since he could hear her heartbeat racing and watched her blush float to the surface.

“Quit playing with me.” Nia grumbled.

“Oh I’m not playing.” He teased in a husky voice.

“Don’t tease me…”

“Why not Nia? Whats wrong?”

Jimin was still talking in a husky voice in her ear, his free hand stroking up her leg from her knee up her thigh. Jungkook was watching closely and teased her the same way on her other side; her breath hitched as she clenched her fists. Goosebumps ran along her skin, Jimin chuckled by her ear.

“See you like it don’t you?” He teased.

Nia was distracted for a moment when the staff had called for Rapmon, Jhope, Jin and Suga for their group shots. After she watched them walk out of the room she was brought back to her situation when Jimin kissed behind her ear, it was a sweet spot she had forgotten she had. Her eyes slowly shut and her body was squirming against her will. Jungkook nipped at her other ear; she bit her lip to keep a moan from escaping, these two were dangerous and took their games too far.

“S-stop…” She whispered.

“Why? You taste so good.” Jungkook whispered in her ear.

Nia bolted up from the sofa breathing like she had been running; she turned on them and fought her urges. She would be lying if she said she didn’t find them attractive and wanted nothing more than to let things keep going but she was at work and didn’t want to cross that boundary. Jimin and Jungkook were smirking at her; not able to handle it anymore she left quickly to the restroom down the hall. Hot flashes plaguing her as she entered, they were playing with her and it was too much to deal with but she wouldn’t show that to them. Locking herself in a stall she tried to calm herself down, a few more girls came in the bathroom and were gossiping. She recognized them as the other caretakers; they were pretty friendly but only stuck with each other. Nia hadn’t really befriended them yet.

“How long do you think they are going to keep the new girl in the dark?” One said from the mirror.

“I don’t know; I mean Rapmon was pretty upfront with me when I started, it's a lot to process though. I thought he was lying until he actually proved it.”

“Yea Jhope didn’t tell me for a while; but when he did it was a lot to process.”

“But it feels so good. That first bite...I mean I liked it.” Another girl said.

Nia was using tissue to dab at her eyes; what the hell were these girls talking about? Biting? were they into some BDSM stuff or what? The girls continued on gossiping.

“So Jin told me that Jimin and Jungkook are going to be sharing her.”

“For real? One is hard enough to handle but two? And they are younger too...gah I’d be passed out all the time with two.”

“Hehe but it’d be fun wouldn’t it?” Another joked around.

The group of girls laughed as they finished freshening up and then they left. Nia left her stall and saw her reflection; what kind of job did she sign up for? Was it some kind of cult or something? Her eyeliner had smeared a little so she cleaned it up with a wet paper towel. She left the bathroom only to run into Jimin and Jungkook. Nia looked down at her hands instead of them; they silently cornered her against the wall by the bathroom.

“Hey…” Jimin tilted her chin up with a finger. “We didn’t mean to upset you, we were just being flirty.”

His tone was genuine; his gentle touch on her arm was reassuring. Nia just nodded. Jungkook made his bunny face wiggling his nose like she had taught him; that made her smile. Jimin relaxed when he finally saw her smile.

“Let’s go back, after our shoot we have a recording to do for a show.”

Nia walked with the guys back to the dressing room, when it was their time to go get their pictures done she played on her phone waiting. V came over and sat with her; his hair done in a messy fashion and his makeup making his eyes really stand out, didn’t help he had colored lenses in too. He had a sucker in his mouth, he passed a sucker to her which she accepted.

“Are they picking on you again?”

“Yes.”

Nia unwrapped her sucker and popped it in her mouth, V nodded his understanding. Jimin and Jungkook were still young and didn’t really think about their actions. V pulled out his phone and distracted her from her bad mood with videos he found funny and mimicking songs with funny voices making her laugh. After she was in a better mood he messed up her hair before heading back to his things on the other side of the room, Nia scowled at him but still smiled. After the shoot the guys were gathered up and shuttled in vans to the new studio location for the show recording. Nia felt more of use now; she helped the staff with moving tables and chairs around. Running errands for managers or stylists while Jimin and Jungkook were ushered from place to place. They were going over the script as a group while Nia was helping the staff. When the recording started, Nia was standing off to the side behind the production staff laughing along with jokes and watching the talents of BTS shine through. After a few hours of recording they were shuttled back to the company where the guys were going to practice. Nia gathered up some water and snacks and put them in the dance studio; the guys hadn’t came out of their meeting with their manager yet so she prepared the room. There was a glass pitcher left on a table in the break room area down the hall where she normally got the snacks from; she was going to fill it up to be considerate of others. As she was picking it up to put it in the sink to fill it up it slipped from her grasp and shattered cutting her hand, she hissed in pain as she saw her blood pooling from a deep gash on her palm, she ran the water to rinse it and try to see if any glass got in it. Doing her best not to panic from all the blood.

Jimin was the first to notice the smell; the whole group tensed as they sensed the smell of fresh blood. The manager was still going on about schedules when Jimin excused himself quickly; he almost ran down the hallway, once he got to the break room he was assaulted when the concentrated scent of her blood. Nia was trying to stoke the bleeding with paper towels but the blood just kept seeping through all of it.

“What happened?” Jimin said in concern making her jump.

She looked over her shoulder at him and tried to hide her hand.

“Nothing it's not big deal.”

“Don’t lie to me.” He said gruffly.

Jimin took her hand in his and removed the towels to see the blood pooling again, she must have nicked a heavy vein for it to bleed so much. He saw the bloodied glass in the sink and guessed what had happened. Telling her to apply more pressure to her hand he cleaned up the glass and threw it all away. Nia was feeling a bit ashamed for causing a scene, she grabbed more towels for her hand which just seeped with more blood so she held her hand above her heart. After Jimin cleaned up the mess he grabbed her elbow and led her to an office with a first aid kit. He shut the door behind him and locked it, he told her to sit down while he got the kit out.  

“Jimin really it's not a big deal I can handle this.”

“No you can’t, it's bleeding too much. Let me see it again.”

Nia held out her hand; wincing when he removed the paper towels from it the wound just pooled more blood. Jimin could see it would have needed stitches to close it properly, well guess now was the time to show her what he was. Holding her hand palm up in his he looked her in the eyes.

“I can fix it.”

He smiled at her reassuringly as he brought her palm to his mouth; she watched him confused on what he was doing until she felt his tongue graze the angry gash, she gasped as she watched him dumbfounded. He closed his eyes as he sucked on her hand closing the gash with his tongue; he could feel her tense. What was he doing to her; Nia watched in half fascination and half lust, the feeling of his tongue on her skin was a bit sensual. After a few moments he removed his mouth from her hand; she stared at her hand in shock...the gash was gone. She looked up at him and back at her hand.

“We should probably have a talk.” Jimin said in a husky tone.

Nia saw his eyes were darker than normal almost black as he looked at her. Her breath caught in her chest; the look he was giving her was making her both scared and excited. But she was the first to speak next.

“What did you do Jimin?”

“I just closed it is all.”

“How?”

“That's a bit complicated. I mean I just used my tongue to close it, I can do that pretty easily. I guess you could say I am...different.”

“Jimin whats going on?”

Jimin sighed in defeat. He looked at her and took her hands in his before he continued on.

“I’m not normal Nia; I’m not even human. Neither is Jungkook or the other members...we’re vampires. Like the real deal not the twilight version.”

“Tell me you’re joking.” Nia was shaking her head.

“Not right now; wish I was but no I’m not.”

“How could you be…”

“I can show you.”

Jimin let his fangs extend and ran his tongue over them for her to see, she had fear in her eyes but was too shocked to react. Jimin brought one of her hands up to his mouth and grabbed her index finger and pressed it on one of his fangs drawing blood, she was watching in an almost fascinated trance. Jimin sucked on her finger and closed it up again, giving her back her hand where she could see it was just like new again.

“When were you going to tell me?” She said in a whisper.

“It's not exactly easy to talk about.”

“I heard the other girls in the bathroom...I had no idea what they were talking about, but now.”

“Aish were they gossiping again?”

“Jimin what does this mean now...am I going to die?” She asked in fear.

“No no no. We don’t kill Nia, never we never do that. We only accept from those who are willing to give us what we need, we never take it or kill.”

“So that's what my job is? To be food.” She sounded a bit hurt.

“No Nia...we would never see you that way.” He pulled her in for a hug and held her close.

“We are friends right? We would never treat you like food ever, we like you Nia.”

“I-I-I’m scared.” She admitted.

Jimin backed up so he could see her face; she was scared and he could read it. He held her face in his hands as he looked her in the eyes.

“It’s ok, nothing will happen to you that you don’t want. We would never hurt you. You believe me don’t you?”

She nodded weakly; truth be told she trusted Jimin and Jungkook a lot. She loved them as her friends even though they were dangerously balancing on the line between friends and something more with all their flirting and making her get all worked up.

“I’m sure you have questions so ask me and I’ll answer them ok?” He was trying to reassure her.

“D-d-does it hurt?”

“Being bitten?” She nodded. “Not usually; we are pretty good and at that part so you wouldn’t even notice when you were bitten.”

“You keep saying we, you mean Jungkook too?” Jimin nodded. “What about Sunny though?”

“They aren’t a thing; just friends with...benefits I guess. She helps us from time to time, but now that we got you we will be fine.”

That was shocking to hear; her friend had willingly offered herself up to two vampires? That was something she was going to discuss with Sunny later.

“Do you want to try it once?” Jimin asked her bringing her back to her senses.

Her heart rate started racing and she felt her lungs failing her as she thought about it. Jimin pulled her up to him and gently walked her back to the wall until her back was against it, she was dealing with her fight or flight response.

“Just relax I’ll go easy on you.”

Nia’s hands were clinging on to his shirt; he pushed himself flush against her. Trapping her in  place; he was quick to steal her lips, she started to relax against him and return the gesture. With her eyes closed she was opening up to him. Jimin kissed down her jawline down to her neck; hearing her gasp as he nipped her skin. When he was sure he had her caught up in the moment he sank his fangs in her neck making her rock her hips against his; she wasn’t aware that she was doing it but it was still hard to resist groaning. Jimin held her close and let his hands roam over her body working her up further and further. He heard her moan, causing him to groan at her neck. He licked over the bite to seal it before pulling away; resting his forehead against hers.

“Too good…” He whispered.

“Is it always like that?” She whispered between breaths.

Jimin smiled as he saw her eyes dilated looking at him. “It can be. Didn’t hurt at all did it?”

Nia shook her head, she had felt him bite her but there was no pain. If anything it just increased what she was already feeling and now she was aching for more. She still clung to his shirt, trying to calm down...his playful smirk was back.

“What’s the matter? Need more?” He teased.

Nia just stared at him as her breath started to come back; things were going to be way different now. Jimin could hear Jungkook coming down the hallway, when he reached the door he poked his head in and saw them. The scent of blood was still pretty thick in the room.

“What did I miss?” He asked.

“She cut herself up in the break room, I fixed it and now she knows.” Jimin explained.

Jungkook walked into the room and shut the door behind him. From looking at Nia he could tell she was flustered and looking at Jimin he could see he was looking healthier, he had just fed. Jungkook raised an eyebrow as he took in the situation.

“So how did it go then?”

Jimin smiled at his brother; he knew exactly how it went and just wanted to tease Nia some more by making her uncomfortable.

“She didn’t hate it.” Jimin played along.

Jungkook smiled as he leaned against the wall eyeing Nia; who was biting her lip and wringing her hands. Jimin leaned against the desk and watched her as well.

“When do I get a turn?” Jungkook asked her.

Nia looked up at him in shock; she really was going to be shared between the two. When Jungkook left the wall and walked up to her she didn’t resist him; he used a finger to lift her chin up forcing her to look him in the eyes. He pressed up against her like Jimin had pinning her against the wall, she swallowed when she saw his gaze darken. Jimin had his arms crossed as he leaned on the desk a smug smile on his face.

“Focus on me princess.” Jungkook said in a husky voice.

Nia didn’t break eye contact as he stroked her cheek; she did cling on to his shirt over his chest. He leaned down and nuzzled her ear with his nose; groaning as he gently kissed her there making goosebumps run across her skin.

“You smell so good.” He said in her ear.

Nia closed her eyes while troubling her lip; she was nervous having Jungkook so close, not as comfortable with him as she was with Jimin. She trusted him just like Jimin; but since he had messed around with her friend Sunny it was a bit weird between them. Her thoughts were broken when she felt him place his hands along her back and he was kissing long her neck making her knees weak. He tugged on her earlobe with his teeth earning a gasp, smiling to himself he nipped along her neck only to feel her dig her nails in his chest. When he had her distracted he sank his fangs in her neck. Jungkook was not prepared for the taste of her blood, it was sweet and invigorating making him groan against her neck. Nia moaned as she felt her body reacting to him; again digging her nails into his chest. After a few moments she was starting to feel a bit dizzy; Jungkook withdrew and licked his tongue over the punctures to seal them. Her blood tinted his lips; her eyes followed him as he licked the remainder from his lips. He still pinned her against wall; her strength had felt like it had been sapped from her. Nia could barely keep her head up; so she rested her forehead against his collarbone.

“I might have overdone it.” Jungkook looked over to Jimin.

Jimin replaced Jungkook’s position, he carefully picked up Nia bridal style. Her head lolled back as she fought to keep her eyes open. They had taken a bit too much; making her feel a bit anemic. Everything she heard was fuzzy and she couldn’t focus on anything as much as she fought. Jungkook had went down to the break room and grabbed an orange juice for her and something sweet to help her recover a bit. Jimin sat down in one of the office chairs with her leaned against him, when Jungkook returned he handed the juice to him. Nia felt the bottle at her lips and sipped as much as she could; she was so tired though.

Go back and tell Rapmon I’m going to take her home. I’ll stay with her until I know for sure she is fine.

Jimin passed through the link; Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck feeling a bit guilty for taking too much.

I didn’t mean to…

I know bro it’s fine, I drank too so it’s both our faults. I’ll look after her.

Jungkook left and returned to the rest of the members in the conference room. Rapmon looked up from his notebook to see the maknae return. Jungkook explained that Jimin would be taking Nia home, and that he wouldn’t be joining them for practice. Of course Rapmon inquired about why that would be and Jungkook explained what happened.

“Should have been more careful.” Jungkook mumbled looking down to his hands in his lap.

V was sitting next to him; he wrapped an arm around his friend and messed up his hair.

“Relax; you’re still young. You’ll get better at control as you grow older.” V reassured him.

“Just be more careful in the future, don’t want anything to happen to your caretaker.” Rapmon warned.

Jungkook nodded and joined the others as they went to the dance studio to get a few hours of practice in. Meanwhile Jimin had called for a shuttle to take him and Nia to her place, he was able to stir her enough to get her to kind of walk on her own. He kept an arm tightly wrapped around her as he led her down to the main floor and to the shuttle waiting in the parking garage. He had but his medi mask on to shield his face from prying eyes, he had but his hoodie on Nia and pulled the hood over her head. The shuttle ride was quiet as she leaned against him in the backseat. The driver made it to the apartment building; Jimin thanked him and helped Nia out of the shuttle and into her building. He had remembered the pin to her door by heart now and led her inside. Nia held onto his arm as she peeled off her shoes and dropped her purse on a table by the door.

“Thanks for bringing me home.” She mumbled.

“You’re welcome. Mind if I stick around for a bit?”

Nia shook her head; following as Jimin led her to her couch. He went to her kitchen and got her some water and some kimbap out of her fridge, demanding her to eat so she could get her strength back.

“I’m sorry about today; I should have been more careful.” Nia mumbled with her head back against her couch.

“Stop, accidents happen. Just be more careful ok.”

She nodded weakly. After she finished her kimbap; Jimin forced her to lay down on the couch with him. She was snuggled up between him and the couch; his chin resting on her head.

“Jimin…” She started.

“Shhh just rest; I’ll stay right here until you wake up.”

Not long after Nia slipped into darkness. Later that evening Jimin got a call from Jungkook asking about her condition; Jimin could see she had more color to her cheeks after a few hours of sleep.

“Hyung...I’m sorry I got carried away.”

“It's fine JK; I think we are both going to have to learn how to work things out. I mean we alternate with Sunny so maybe we will have to do the same thing with Nia.” Jimin reassured him.

“Should I stop by maybe? We finished practice and the guys are headed back to the dorm.”

“She’s still sleeping but you can stop over, bring some food...she doesn’t have much here.”

Jungkook agreed and ended the call. Jimin was careful as he removed Nia from him as he sat up on the couch; he scanned her kitchen for the third time now...she really didn’t have much for food other than snacks. He tsked at that; glancing over at her on the couch he could see she was starting to stir. Joining her back on the couch he rubbed her back as she was waking up; a shy smile crept across her face as she sat up.

“Jimin...have you been here the whole time?” She asked sleepily.

“Yea; wanted to make sure you were fine. Kook is on the way over with some food; he feels bad so he wants to visit to make it up to you.”

“I still can’t wrap my head around things…”

“Thats understandable; are you going to stay with us?” He asked timidly.

“I’m not going to lie it freaks me out, but it's not as scary as I thought it would be. I thought I would be killed honestly.”

“Like I said before we could never do that to you. We aren’t pros or anything this is new to us; Jungkook and myself were added to the group kind of late so we are a bit...inexperienced with our skills yet. You’re our first caretaker...we used to share the hyung’s caretakers. It just wasn’t right for us; Sunny helped us but even that just didn’t feel right.”

“So I feel right then?” Nia asked a bit quietly.

Jimin sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “You are way more than we expected; if you could even fathom the way you taste to us….gah you wouldn’t even question it. I have never felt this good; Jungkook never agrees with me on anything and even he can’t handle the taste.”

Nia was flushing hardcore as she listened to him speak; she should have been appalled that he was talking about her blood this way but it felt more like a highly regarded compliment off his tone he was using. She cleared her throat as her hand tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

“Thank you...I think.”

Jimin laughed as he got up and refilled a glass of water for her and gave it to her. She was thankful as her throat was dry. They sat in a peaceful silence for a moment before Jimin got up to go to the door; Nia watched him curiously. Was he going to just leave now? She set her glass down to see if he was leaving only to see him opening the door wide open. About to ask him what he was doing; Jungkook came into view with bag laden arms. Once Jungkook saw Nia in the living room he beamed at her with his bunny smile.

“Ah Nia! Are you hungry?”

His smile was infectious as she returned it; he set the bags on the floor by her kitchen and started to rustle through them passing things to Jimin who was finding places for fruit, juices, boxed meals and freshly made fried chicken he picked up on the way there. Jimin grabbed plates and utensils as Jungkook carried the boxed chicken to the coffee table in the living room. Nia sat down on her couch as she rubbed her growling stomach that was angry with her for neglecting it.

“You didn’t have to get me groceries I could have done that later.” Nia pouted.

“Jimin told me you were a bit bare here so I grabbed a few things. Do you want sauce for your chicken? Spicy or mild?”

Nia glanced at Jimin who was avoiding her gaze as he loaded up a plate with some chicken and sides for her. Jungkook sat down on her left as Jimin took up the right side. Nia’s stomach growled in protest to the lack of attention to its hunger making the guys smirk and laugh. Cheeks flushing she quickly popped a piece of chicken in her mouth to silence her stomach.

“So silly question here; why do you eat food?”

“We can still eat like anyone else; I mean it still tastes good. We just can't survive off it.” Jimin explained.

“Oh.” was all Nia could say.

“Nia….I’m sorry about today. I couldn’t help myself...I won’t do it again.” Jungkook was mumbling to her in apology.

“It’s ok; from what I hear apparently its pretty good.” Nia smiled making Jungkook smile in return.

“I told her how we are still kinda new to this. We will just have to build up a tolerance or alternate or something.” Jimin spoke up.

“How do the others do it? Like how often?” Nia asked meekly.

“Usually we are fine for a few days...depends on what our body needs. If we get injured or something its more frequent. Maybe once or twice a week, could be more but I don’t see that being a big deal.” Jimin explained.

Jungkook finished his food and patted his stomach in satisfaction. He hadn’t felt that great in ages; the buzz off of Nia’s blood was still strong in his system. He didn’t even break a sweat in practice today he was so energetic. Despite apologizing he still felt bad for weakening Nia; but she seemed to have forgiven him. She was smiling and joking around just like before not long after the food was cleaned up.

“What am I going to do now?! I slept for hours and now I am wide awake.” Nia complained.

“We can play games or watch movies, something to wind you down.” Jungkook suggested.

“I don’t have any games, just movies and a few books.”

Jimin scanned through her selection of movies and chose one; it was a bland one that would be a bit slow and hopefully wind her down. Popping the dvd in he returned to the couch after turning down all the lights; Nia was feeling a bit nervous in the darkness with two guys with her. Yeah they were her friends and she was theirs but things were a bit more complicated now since the whole vampire thing. Anxiety was making itself known through her bouncing knee; she tried to focus on the movie but instead all she could focus on was her friends and her what if thoughts going through her head. Jimin was aware of her unease; he placed a hand on her knee to stop it, her gaze darted to his as he gave her a kind smile.

“Nothing is going to happen that you don’t want to. Just relax we are just friends hanging out watching a movie.” Jimin reassured her.

“Noona you’re so skittish; when was the last time you had a boyfriend?” Jungkook laughed.

Nia was a bit uneasy about answering that question; she felt it would only be more fuel for them to tease her with. She bit her lip and attempted to ignore him; he still chuckled at her silence.

“It's been about two years.” She mumbled.

Both men heard her just fine; Jimin about choked on his drink before sitting it down on the table. He looked at her to make sure she was being serious; how could she not have had a man her life for that long? Her face was complete seriousness, a pink flush painting her cheeks.

“Not to be rude; but why so long?” Jimin asked.

“Stuff...happened and I needed time for myself. I was working to move here also.”

Ok so there was definitely a story there; he would have to get it out of her at some point. You don’t just completely shut yourself off from desires just because you plan on moving to another country, something happened to make her be that way. Jungkook seemed to have the same thoughts; he was looking to Jimin and had just as much confusion on his face. How were they going to approach her now? Perhaps moving slowly; get her to relax more around them then ease her into dating them. It was still clear she was attracted to them so that was in their favor; but to be neglected for two years could leave a person a bit awkward when it came to dating again. Jimin draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close to him so she was forced to lean against him; she surprised gasp had a smile stretching across his lips. Jungkook chuckled as he leaned against her other side; her skin was buzz with their contact. They could hear her heartbeat race and her pulse quicken; it was so easy to get her frenzied.

“Why does your heart race so much noona? Do you like us?” Jungkook joked.

Nia had started to pick up that she was dealing with otherworldly beings here; so legend would only have some truths and some false details. Great hearing, fantastic sight, keen sense of smell and advanced strength were all true for vampires, yet they didn’t shine like diamonds in the sun. Shame really that would be a huge money maker for them; however they were still exquisitely handsome that was forever preserved for millennia to come. To say she felt inadequate compared to their handsomeness would be true, sure she had her days where she felt fierce but she felt societal pressure like any other girl her age. Photoshop was not something she was born with, she had to work at it to make her appearance flawless. However when she was in the presence of Jimin and Jungkook; they made her feel like she was the only woman in the world they would want to look at, like she was their coveted treasure.

“Don’t tease...you already can hear your answer jerk.” Nia pouted.

Jimin chuckled; the sound echoing through his chest to her ear. His laugh was a symphony to her ears, just like Jungkook’s was. Jungkook was giving her a fake scowl as he sat up straight and pointed a finger at her.

“Listen here miss thing! Pocket that attitude or so help me I will torture your ribs until you succumb to my will in a fits of laughter.”

Instantly Nia wrapped her arms around her ribs shaking her head; Jungkook leaned toward her with his hands up wiggling his fingers like he was going in for the attack. She squealed and hid in Jimin’s chest as he chuckled more from their antics.

“JIMINIE HELP.” She whined.

Jimin put a protect arm around her and put on a grand show of being her savior and launching himself at Jungkook to tickle him instead. The men were soon on the floor with Jungkook screaming for mercy through gasps of air and laughter. All the while Nia was laughing along. Satisfied Jimin let up and let Jungkook catch his breath.

“I never should have told you I was ticklish.” Jungkook complained.

“Nope you shouldn’t have.” Jimin smiled at him.

Jimin felt it was time to let Nia settle down for the night; she needed sleep more than they did. Plus she had to work with them tomorrow. He rounded up Jungkook and they headed toward the doorway, Nia close behind. She smiled up at them after they got their shoes on.

“Thanks for looking out for me you guys. I appreciate it.”

“Oh you do now do you? Enough to reward us maybe?” Jimin wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“Yea I think that's only fair; I mean I did get you groceries and all and hyung here has been looking over you all evening.” Jungkook smirked.

“W-w-what you mean a reward.” She stuttered.

“Bbo bbo.” Jimin poked his cheek.

Nia’s cheeks flared; was he serious? She did feel like she owed them but she was on the line of friendship to something more in that moment. Should she cross that line? Would it really hurt anything? Feeling indebted she decided to just say screw it and comply. She walked toward him; grabbing his forearm for support and kissed his cheek. He looked at her shocked when she withdrew; he had not expected her to actually follow through, he thought she was would just hit him and tell him to leave like she usually did. Jungkook was too shocked to register she had walked over to him and grabbed his collar to bring him down to her level and she planted a kiss on his cheek as well before laughing at their expressions.

“Cat got your tongue?” She sing songed.

Both men looked at her with their hands to their cheeks where her lips were moment before. Nia really wished she had a camera to capture that moment; their faces were priceless. Well she had done it; she had crossed that line...friendship was a thing of the past now anything that happened would be beyond that. After a moment of collecting themselves they finished putting on their shoes and said hurried byes before bailing; making Nia smile to herself. She had won that round.

Jimin and Jungkook walked back to their dorm; smiling at each other like idiots, they hadn’t pegged Nia to be that forward. Just meant more fun for them later on. They were quick to get home; once in the door they were met with the rest of the members lounging about on the couch in the livingroom. Jin was cooking up ramen in the chicken for something to snack on, V and Jhope were playing a game on the tv bickering back and forth. Suga and Rapmon just watching.

“Ah you guys are home? How is she?” Jin asked from the kitchen.

The others paused what they were doing to hear the answer. Jimin and Jungkook kind of felt on the spot. Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck a bit embarrassed which left Jimin with having to answer.

“She’s fine; had her sleep it off and now she seems fine. Jungkook brought her some food so she should be 100% by tomorrow.” Jimin answered quickly.

“Did something else happen?” Rapmon asked.

He could tell by their behavior that something was up; they were too fidgety for his liking. Like they were hiding something.

“I think we discovered something about her that we didn’t expect.” Jimin said.

“She kissed us!” Jungkook let loose.

The members looked at them shocked before laughing at their maknaes. Jimin and Jungkook were not inexperienced with women; they had plenty of that but they were not particularly experienced in the emotional spectrum of being involved with women just the physical. Jin left the kitchen with a tray laden with ramen bowls; he stopped by them to tease.

“Aigoo you guys are finally growing up.”

Roars of laughter erupted from the living room; Jimin and Jungkook scowled but joined their members for some ramen. Let them tease all they want; Jimin and Jungkook were happy they got a kiss from Nia. Both were satisfied with themselves. The members joked around and relaxed until one by one they finally took off to their rooms to rest a bit before work the next day.

The following day Nia had arrived at work early; she had wanted to check in with Manager Song for her tasks for the day. The guys were to perform a show that evening which meant she was going to have to help the stylist unnies keep the guys rounded up and focused on the show. So she was going to need some energy drinks to keep her pepped up for the day she thought. After checking in with the stylist unnies she helped pack up costumes, gear and cosmetic kits to be loaded in a van. The guys arrived after everything was loaded; the other care takers in their wake; which gave Nia an opportunity to get to know them a bit better. Nia walked up to the group of girls who had gathered in a corner on a sofa at this point.

“Um excuse me; I haven’t properly introduced myself to you yet. I am Jimin and Jungkook’s care taker Nia.”

The girls looked her up and down; not in a rude way if anything they were shocked. The girls had not had much opportunity to meet let alone know what each other looked like before hand. One girl was first to recover.

“You are the new caretaker?”

Nia nodded.

“You are so little though?” Another said.

“Not that little.” Nia mumbled.

The other girls were taller than her; she was only 5’2” while these girls were easily about 5’6 to 5’7.

“Have you experienced it yet?” Another girl asked.

Nia had a feeling she knew what she was talking about.

“Yes...yesterday. I broke a glass pitcher and Jimin had to “fix” my hand for me. Then Jungkook proved to me...as well.” Nia said quietly.

“Omo! Two in one day...no wonder Rapmon said you had to be taken home. Honey you need to be more careful.” Another woman said.

Nia smiled and started to chitchat with the girls; they had more in common than just the men in their lives. Nia felt she would be friends with them soon enough. Jimin and Jungkook had been watching her like hawks; every move every breath, they were already pretty possessive over her. But they were glad she was getting along well with the other caretakers. The guys were all gathered and led to their van to be shuttled off for the show preparations. Nia rode with the other caretakers and got to know them some more; at the venue she was directed by the stylists what needed to be done for a set up. The guys were ushered to the stage to get fitted with mics and then they were to start their rehearsal.  Nia was impressed by all the hard work that went into preparing for a show; the stylists got chairs set up and all their cosmetic kits set out for each member. Costumes were hung up on racks ready for each phase of the show; shoes lined along the bottom of the racks for quick changing. Food and drinks were set up on a table for everyone to snack on throughout the night, the music and singing could be heard from the stage. Back stage everyone was working hard to prepare for a smooth transition for the show. After they finished with preparations Nia took a moment to explore; the venue was rather large with rows upon rows of seats surrounding the stage. Walking by a hallway full of equipment; Nia did not expect to be pulled into a dark room, her mouth covered by her captor.

“Shhh it’s just me.” It was Jimin whispering in her ear.

He let go of her mouth; she turned toward him and smacked his arm.

“You scared me half to death!”

“I know I can hear it.” He laughed.

“Shut up. What are you doing shouldn’t you be with the stylist getting ready?”

“Nope we got free time for a while; thought I would spend a little time with you.” He winked at her.

Gah this guy; Nia huffed as she carded a hand through her hair what was down and resting along her shoulders. Jimin was watching every movement, even how she was biting her lip as she waited for her racing heart to calm down. Jimin rested his hands on her hips before pulling her flush against him; she squeaked but looked directly in his eyes waiting for his next move. All he could focus on was her pink lips; wanting to taste them like he did at the club so long ago.

“Do you have any idea how you affect me? Make me want things...make me want you? The way you look at me, bite your lip or even the sound of your voice. It’s hard for me to figure out why you do this to me...and your little stunt last night just makes me want to work harder to have you.” He confessed.

Nia visibly gulped; this was a different Jimin...a seductive Jimin. His eyes were darker than usual too. Her hands had rested on his chest by instinct; they were now clinging to his shirt.

“W-what do you mean Jimin?” She finally got out.

His smile was full of seduction as he rested a hand against her cheek and drew her in for a kiss, he started slow until he got her to respond then he grew more confident and deepened the kiss until she was out of breath. When they pulled back she was looking at him with such eyes that pulled at his chest; she looked beautiful before him out of breath and clearly hungry for him. He pulled her even closer where only centimeters were between their lips. His plump lips teasing hers as he spoke.

“I want more of this…” He confessed.

Nia had brought her hands up to rest around his neck; before he lost his confidence Jimin crashed his lips down on hers again. He groaned when he felt her nip his bottom lip; he clutched her tightly. Nia ran her hands up into his hair and tugged as she deepened the kiss on her own; fighting with his tongue with her own and stealing his breath as he stole hers. When they heard the manager call for the guys to get to their stylists Jimin reluctantly had to pull away. He rested his forehead on hers...disappointed he couldn’t just stay there with her.

“I have to go now; but do not for a second think that this is over.” He warned as he hugged her close and kissed her temple before smoothing down his hair a bit before slipping out of the room.

Nia sank to her knees when he left; what did she just do? She was just making out with her charge; would she get fired for that? Her visa was so hard to get she didn’t want to lose it like that. Her body was buzzing with electricity from Jimin; whatever it was he was affecting her too and she feared she was getting addicted to his touch. She collected herself before slipping out of the room and finding something to do to keep her busy.

Jimin sat down at his stylist’s station and let her get to work; in the mirror he spotted Jungkook looking at him funny. Jimin opened the link to his brother to vent out his emotions he was experiencing.

What did you do bro? Jungkook asked.

What wouldn’t I have done if I had the time! That girl is going to be the death of me! I had pulled her into a storage room just to hang out with her for a bit. Then I told her how she was driving me crazy and started kissing her like really kissing her...dammit if I had the time!

Jungkook was snickering from his seat; his stylist looking at him like he was nuts for a moment before shaking her head and finishing up on his hair.

Hyung you sound so funny right now.

Kook if you could have felt how she took over that kiss you would be jizzing in your pants right now! She bit my lip I was about to lock that door and say fuck the show and just take her right there.

Jungkook coughed for a moment before clearing his throat and resting again for his stylist to finish her work.

Hyung...are you trying to get me poked in the eye with a comb or what? If I lose an eye it will be your fault.

Sorry. Im just...frustrated at the moment.

So are you going to pick up where you left off after the show then? Jungkook chuckled through the link.

Not just me little brother. We are sharing remember; I think some payback is in order.

The images the guys were passing to each other through the link were promising possibilities for the evening after the show. Nia had kept herself busy and watched as the guys were ushered out of the dressing room area, they looked amazing in black leather pants and each one had different colored shirts that were all rather form fitting. V saw her and went over to her just to rustle up her hair saying it was for good luck for the show. She batted him away shooing him to the stage; his boxy grin evident as he walked up the steps.

The show progressed smoothly and the screams from the crowd were intense even backstage in the dressing room. The guys were sweating like crazy; Nia was towel duty dabbing away the sweat as the stylists touched up makeup and fixed eye liner. Currently she was dabbing at Rapmon; he was not a very good dancer and was a bit winded.

“Thanks…” He managed.

“You’re welcome just a little bit more and we’re done.” Nia smiled.

“Yah we need help too.” Jimin whined.

Nia rolled her eyes and sighed before going over to her charges; both had sweaty fringes stuck to their foreheads. She dabbed their faces delicately and helped the stylists use small fans to dry their hair as they touched up makeup and fixed their styles.

“Hey don’t get too close to other members.” Jungkook pouted.

“I’m not I was just doing as I was told.” She defended.

They let it go as she focused on just them; cooling them off before they were changing into different outfits for the end of the show. She helped them slip on shoes or a jacket and they were off to the stage again. After the show finished everything was packed up again; Nia helped repack everything and even was invited out for a drink but she declined. She wanted to get home and just go to bed she was so tired from the day. The guys thanked everyone for their hard work and made their way to their van to be shuttled back to their dorm. Nia would ride back with the stylists and just take a train home. As everyone was filing out of the venue to load up; Nia was pulled by Jungkook over to their van.

“Jungkook what are you doing?” She nearly screeched looking around for any fans that would go nuts over the sight.

“You’re riding with us.” He said in a commanding tone leaving to room to argue.

Once the door was opened she saw the van was vacant except the driver and Jimin who was patting the seat next to him. Nia got in and sat on the bench seat and felt Jungkook get in behind her and shut the door firmly. The van took off and headed toward her apartment; what was going on? The van was quiet; Nia could feel the guys were leaning against her kind of protectively like something could happen at any second. When they arrived at her apartment building; Jimin told the driver they would not need a ride home that they would manage later. The driver took off after they got out and headed into the building.

“Whats going on?” Nia asked when they were in the elevator.

“Payback.” was all Jimin said.

What? Nia looked at him confused. They led her to her apartment and punched in her code for her and let her walk in first. They all kicked off their shoes and when her back was turned putting her things away the guys moved in. Jungkook sliding in front of her while Jimin was close behind her; she looked at him strangely trying to figure out what he was doing.

“Jimin tells me you were quite the naughty kitten today in the storage room. Leaving him craving wasn’t very nice.” He teased.

Kitten? What the hell? Although she would be lying if the little pet name didn’t get off butterflies in her stomach. She started to back away from Jungkook only to run into Jimin who wrapped his arms around her and nipped at the shell of her ear earning a gasp from her.

“Mmmm sounds like that are what's so addicting about you.” He whispered in her ear.

Her hands were on his forearms; her grip tightening as he spoke. Her body was reacting to them faster than she would like and it felt like her apartment was rather hot at the moment.

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The gazes they turned on her were dark; full of hunger, watching her every move. Every sound she made being stored in memory; her body was betraying her as she tried to keep her will strong. The proximity of both men making her head foggy. Jungkook moved closer placing a finger under her chin so she had to look him in the eyes; his gaze was stuck on her pink lips. He trapped his own lip in his teeth before smiling at her a bit cocky.

“Let us begin noona?” His voice husky and dark.

Nia felt her body heat up and clench as the meaning of his words took root; her grip on Jimin’s forearms tightened again. Yet to the men her body was sending out signals like flares; the increase of her heartbeat, the increase of pheromones emanating from her wreaking havoc on their systems, the song of her blood drawing them in and the way her eyes dilated the more they moved in on her.

“Hmmm why are you fighting Nia? Your body is singing to us...just let go and let us do the rest, in our own style.” Jimin smiled as he whispered in her ear.

His words seemed like they commanded her body as she felt her muscles clench deliciously; making her squeeze her thighs together for any kind of friction she could get. Nia’s breaths came out in huffs making Jungkook smile at her showing off his fangs. They were not going to hold back; they wanted to show her the carnal needs they had and how she was going to be their release to those needs. A small moan slipped past her lips causing Jungkook to take hold of her chin and crush her lips with his. His fangs pricked her lips but didn’t break the skin just teasing her senses more. Jimin was not forgotten his hands were busy working up her body; easing her shirt up over her torso up her arms and flung to the floor, unbuttoning her jeans and easing them down her legs and helping her step out of them. All the while Jungkook was keeping her busy.

Nia was clinging to Jungkook’s shirt her nails grazing over his skin making him groan into her mouth; she shouldn’t be doing this right? These were her friends...yet she wanted more and for them to never stop. Her hands moved up from his chest to be tangled into his chocolate locks tugging him closer. God she missed kissing; feeling a body against her own, the way her body buzzed from the adrenaline and the way her core would ache for attention...why had she waited so long just to feel this again? Nia bit his lower lip and tugged getting a harsher groan from him, the sound was so addicting.

Jimin had been patient long enough; he had already discarded his shirt and feeling a bit neglected, he opened the link with Jungkook to tell him his intentions as he tugged Nia from him. Nia was turned around and pulled flush against Jimin’s bare chest; the contact sending shivers through her body.

“Don’t forget about me kitten.” His tone was husky promising her things only her body could respond to.

His lips latched onto hers moving from her lips to her jawline; down to her neck to over her pulse where he nipped her making her moan. That sound was spurring him on, he wanted to hear it more and more until she was calling his name so everyone in the building knew who’s she was. Jungkook was undressing himself slowly as he followed Jimin who had picked up Nia by the thighs, her legs wrapped around him. They left the doorway and took things to her bedroom. Jimin laid her down on the bed, his hands roaming over her exposed skin...he had to admit he loved the look of sapphire blue against her creamy skin but undergarments were overrated.

Comeon Kook time to get started.

Jimin smiled as he pulled back from Nia; her disappointment flashing across her face. He soon replaced that with appreciation as he started kissing his way down her chest to her stomach and then to the hem of her underwear. Jungkook had made himself comfortable behind her sitting her up again up against his chest. His nimble fingers unclasped her bra and tossed it aside before palming her breasts making her breath hitch.

Always knew you were a boob guy. Jimin chuckled through the link.

Who wouldn’t be I mean look at them, just the right size!

Jimin made his way to her thighs and kissed his way from her knee up her thigh just centimeters from her heat; only to move to her other leg to repeat the assault. Nia’s body was dancing under his assault; her hips were moving on their own and her back was bowing from the mattress. Jimin hooked his fingers in her underwear and pulled them down agonizingly slow.

“Please…” She moaned.

Satisfied grins crossed the faces of the men; Jimin felt very much the predator as he looked at Nia. Her skin flushed and body moving against her will wanting to be ravished to release. Jungkook looked up to his brother; both of them were going to have some fun tonight. Jimin lowered himself between her legs; putting one of her legs over his shoulder and he did not miss the way goosebumps trailed across her skin as she watched him. Locking eyes with her he slowly licked up her heat with the flat of his tongue; a strangled moan escaping her as her eyes scrunched up tight before she bit into her lower lip.

Was there anything about her that wouldn’t drive him crazy? Even down there she tasted so addicting; he was lapping at her and sucking on her clit eliciting moans and cries from her, she was so sensitive.

So how is it bro? Jungkook asked.

Jimin took one of her hands and forced her to finger herself before directing her to give her fingers to Jungkook, who licked them clean...her eyes following the whole thing. Her eyes dilating as his tongue cleaned her fingers; then he was kissing her so she could taste herself on his tongue. Jimin got back to work building her body up and coiling her body tighter adding two fingers to push against her g spot to spur her along, she was clinging to Jungkook’s arms as her body was pushed over the edge her orgasim making her scream out as Jimin lapped up every bit her body expelled. Only when she was twitching from over sensitivity did he stop. Using the back of his hand he wiped her from his face; licking a trail along his lips showing off his fangs.

“Don’t get tired on us yet kitten; we’re just getting started.” He cooed.

Jungkook left her back and took his turn in building her up again; she proved she was not a novice by wrapping her hand around Jimin’s member and torturing him with her mouth; his head thrown back as he moaned her name, she was using the suction power of her mouth and devilish skills of her tongue to bring him close before he stopped her. His breath leaving him in huffs as he watched her coming undone yet again by Jungkook’s ministrations under her between her thighs. The sight of her riding his brother’s face had him hard as ever.

I need her now. Jimin demanded through the link.

Jungkook removed himself from her; she wanted to protest but she was hushed by the dark gaze of Jimin. His tongue darting out to wet his plump lips, adrenaline was pumping through her system and butterflies took off like rockets in her stomach.

Remember our talks about sharing bro?

Mmhmm

Time to try it out; I call dibs on front. I want to watch her come undone. Jimin stated.

Jungkook didn’t argue he was fine from taking the back. Jimin grabbed Nia’s wrists and brought her up against his chest. He looked her in the eyes taking in all of her; she was beautiful before him, so fragile and so vulnerable.

“Are you ready kitten? Now the grand finale is about to start.”

“W-what do you mean?”

Jimin shushed her with his lips as he kissed her passionately feeling her melt against him. He lifted her up by her thighs so her heat was resting against his raging hard on that desperately wanted release, Jungkook was using some lube to coat himself as he got ready for his part in the finale. Jungkook stood on his knees on the bed like his brother with Nia pinned between them; her legs still wrapped around Jimin, they were the support to keep her where they wanted her. Jimin lifted her up with ease as he slowly eased inside her; both Nia and Jimin threw their heads back. She was so tight that Jimin had to fight for his control, Nia felt satisfied to be filled it had been so long since she had felt that good. Jungkook was palming her breasts again to work her up a bit as Jimin started to move slowly in and out of her earning moans from her. The men loved the way her body reacted to them, dancing for them and hearing their names from her lips only made them harder for her. After a bit of working her up Jimin stilled her; she looked at him with a pout.

“We can’t leave kookie out now can we. Come on bro.”

First Nia felt Jungkook’s fingers rubbing her ass before stroking her asshole making her gasp; surely he wouldn’t mean what she thought he did? She was familiar with ass play but she didn’t think she could handle it like that, two at once! Her mind was reeling. After he played with her for a bit she was feeling her walls tighten around Jimin who groaned from the sensation.

“Hurry up Kook she’s killing me here.” Jimin gritted through teeth.

Jungkook only chuckled as he lined up with her ass. Panic set in for a moment and Nia looked at Jimin with it evident on her face. He cooed her and told her to relax as he took her mind away from thinking with a mind numbing kiss, allowing Jungkook to ease the head of his member in her ass which instead of hurting only added to the pleasure she was experiencing from being filled by Jimin. He kept going and then soon Jimin was making her move along his member again and now with Jungkook’s added in her ass she knew she wasn’t going to last long at all it was too much to take at once. She was moaning their names and holding on for dear life as they filled her and made her muscles coil tighter and tighter with the peak in sight and coming up fast. Jimin could feel her tightening around him.

Now Kook do it now!

Both men leaned forward and bit her on the junctions of her neck and shoulder making her tip over that edge. A strangled cry left her lips as she released tightening and pulsing around them, the men let the blood from her flood over their tongues as they released in her. They all fell in a heap on the bed, the guys were smart enough to seal her wounds so she couldn’t bleed on the bed. Carefully they pulled out of her; she was twitching in their grasps from after shocks, even her teeth seemed like they were chattering from the experience.

“God damn.” Jungkook whispered as he rolled on to his back.

“No shit.” Jimin agreed as he pulled Nia close to him.

Her eyes were closed tight as she rode out the aftershocks her breathing slowly returning to normal. Then she bolted up right freaking out.

“You didn’t use protection!” She was looking wildly at Jimin.

“Chill...it doesn’t work like that. Its very hard to get pregnant from the undead. It's not unheard of but anyways we can already tell you are not fertile right now so relax.”

“How would you know that?” She exclaimed feeling her cheeks flare.

Jimin pointed to his nose as he smiled at her and dragged her back down to him. Jungkook had escaped the room only to return with water to drink and food for Nia to eat to keep her from getting anemic again.

“He’s right Noona; we can tell what you’re body is doing and when just by scent alone.”

“That's not weird or anything and a bit creepy.”

“Better we know though right? How else would we be able to look after you?”

Things started to make sense now; like how when she first started and Jimin knew what she needed even if she didn’t know herself. It still weirded her out a bit though. She didn’t have time to think about it though she just wanted to sleep she was exhausted; Jungkook caught on and picked her up before she could slip off into sleep. He took her right to the bathroom and started a shower.

“What are you doing?” She was starting to slur.

“You need to clean up first then we can go to bed.”

He turned the water on so it was pretty warm but not scalding; he pulled her in the shower with him and stood her under the water. For a moment he was entranced by the water running down her body in rivers before he shook free from his thoughts and started to clean her himself not missing a single spot. He shampooed her hair and made sure she was completely rinsed off before he handed her off to Jimin who was waiting with a nice warm towel to wrap her in. While Jimin got to work drying her off Jungkook took his time in the shower to clean up before giving it to Jimin. With a towel wrapped around his waist; Jungkook helped Nia in to a new pair of underwear and she insisted on wearing an old t-shirt of hers that just covered her ass from view. He tucked her in bed before he finished drying off and slipping his boxer briefs on again; Jimin came into the room with a towel on his head and one wrapped around his waist. Nia was out cold they noticed.

That was way better then I had expected. Jimin said.

Definitely.

Told you she was going to be the death of me.

Add me to that toll.

The guys crawled in bed with her and cuddled her between them; her soft breaths letting them know she was in a deep sleep already. The guys were content with their new caretaker and were already looking forward to playing more with her in the future.

[thecreativeseries]

Interview With Wildlife Photographer Kristin Campbell

Californian Wildlife Photographer @kristincampbell

Firstly, can you start with a little bit about yourself and when you started your photography career?

My name is Kristin, I am 33 years old and currently living in Orange County, California with my husband. While he is busy building rockets for the next generation of space flight, I spend my days buzzing around the Pacific Ocean looking for whales. I currently work as a guide and wildlife photographer for an ecotourism company called Newport Coastal Adventure.

For me, photography began as a research tool and has quickly grown into a passion. With my degree in marine science, I have been fortunate to work on several scientific projects including joining NOAA’s Marine Mammal Laboratory in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to conduct fieldwork. In the field, I use cameras to document orca behaviour in and around Steller sea lion rookeries to better understand predation pressures. The objective was simple: point, shoot, and catalogue. Only after I became a guide two years ago did I start to use photography as more than just a research tool. By photographing marine wildlife while guiding out on the water each day, I was able to quickly learn professional camera systems and start getting creative with my images.

What equipment do you use to create your images and why did you select it?

I use a Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 100-400mm lens. I also use a DJI Phantom 4 Pro v2.0 drone. Almost all of my photography involves freezing motion. Canon’s professional cameras and lenses have a long history of being ideal for wildlife photographers. I have put my Canon system to the test and am continually happy with its performance. Drones are a powerful tool in viewing whales from a new perspective. There have been many times where I have been observing a whale at the surface only to see its methodical breathing. After launching my drone I was shocked to see it swirling with dolphins, a behaviour I could not have seen without an aerial view. This aerial perspective also allows me to view the entire whale, rather than just segments of it as it surfaces.

How do you prepare before going for a shoot?

I am very lucky to be able to work on the ocean daily and all of my shooting occurs during our whale watching tours. My primary duties are to educate our passengers about the wildlife they are seeing, so I keep my camera close by and shoot when I can. I spend 8 to 10 hours a day exposed to the ocean’s many moods and shoot in all weather conditions. My gear is contained in one pelican case that has withstood 20-knot winds, surging ocean swell, and waves of saltwater.

The best way for me to prepare each day is to stay aware of my surroundings and an animal’s behaviour. Whales and dolphins only surface for a brief moment and they can do interesting behaviours in a split second. Being able to read an animal’s behaviour and react fast when they are about to do something interesting is imperative to capture those fleeting moments. You never know what is going to happen out in the big blue so you best pay attention!

You have a huge passion for whales, what is it about these majestic creatures that light you up?

During college, I worked in a Natural History Museum. While there I spent a lot of time cataloguing and looking at the bones of wild animals in the mammalogy collection. I conducted research on the cranial morphology (skull shape) of sea otters and how it affects their dietary ecology. I have always been fascinated by the skeletal adaptations marine mammals have to their extreme environment. For example, their elongated hand bones are formed into flippers and their fusiform body shape allows them to swiftly move through the water. Their form and shape is a unique design for aquatic life.

I distinctly remember walking through the museum’s whale warehouse filled with the skulls, ribs, and bones of these massive leviathans. So much of these animals lives are a complete mystery to us. They live in another world where eyesight, a sense humans completely depend on, is obsolete. Whales and dolphins rely more on sound to find food, communicate, and even navigate. I love the mystery of their lives and spend my days observing them. Each time I see them I hope to unlock a few more of their secrets.

How would you describe your current photographic style?

I would describe my style as artistic wildlife photography. My interest in form and anatomy has definitely influenced my artistic view of animals. I prefer minimal backgrounds to focus on the shape and physical features of my subject. I try to maintain continuity in my editing style so multiple species can be compared to one another and their uniqueness brought to light. An example of this is the top-down headshot of Blue, Fin, Sei, and Bryde’s whales often seen in my imagery. These whales are easily confused for one another out on the ocean, but an aerial perspective reveals the characteristics that make them unique.

My dark tones may contradict the sunny Southern California sunshine, however, they reflect the world in which whales live and the mystery that surrounds their lives. Light struggles to penetrate the depths of the ocean and thus whales live a majority of their lives in a darker world.

Which photographers have inspired your journey and why?

I view photography as a lifelong pursuit and one I hope to never master. No matter what level of photographer you are, there is always more to learn. My photography career is in its infancy and I have relied heavily on my peers to learn and grow. So many fellow marine wildlife photographers I work with daily have helped me learn the technical aspects of my camera and editing software. Even though we all photograph the same subjects, we each have our own unique point of view.

I have a deep appreciation for many wildlife photographers and enjoy a lot of wildlife imagery, however, there is something special about underwater photography and the photographer’s ability to connect with their subject. Photographers who choose sharks as their subjects, in particular, have an incredible knowledge of shark behaviour and appreciation for them as apex predators. James Ferrara’s images show that interaction between free diver and shark (@jferraragallery). Darren Jew (@darrenjew) and Jasmine Carey (@pxlexplorer) both capture incredibly stunning underwater images of whales that I find myself endlessly scrolling through. I imagine myself looking into the image as if beside them, sharing that moment with a swirling humpback whale or powerful orca. I love the minimalism in their underwater imagery and try to emulate that in my own images as well. I have incredible respect for the education, preparation, and time invested in their craft. A single image likely took hours of preparation and a team of support. It is easy for people to overlook that aspect of their photography when quickly consuming it on social media. I have a great appreciation for the process of photography. The image you are left with is simply a memento from an incredible encounter.

What has been your proudest body of work to date?

My photography career is quite young, however it is pleasing to know my images can contribute to our understanding of whales through the scientific community. This may include identifying an entangled whale in need of rescue or documenting a unique species or behavior rarely seen. Photography has been and will continue to be an incredibly powerful, non-invasive tool to help us understand whales and dolphins. I also hope my images inspire people to seek the ocean and to see these beautiful animals for themselves.

As a wildlife photographer what has been your greatest challenge and how have you overcome these?

Wildlife photography is built upon a foundation of patience. Wild animals are unpredictable and quite frankly sometimes just not around. I have invested hours on the water to be in the right place at the right time to capture some of my images. It is a fallacy to think at any given time whales are just breaching out of the water all over the ocean. 95% of the surface behaviours whales do is simply breathing. I challenge myself daily to transform a simple moment into a memorable image. That being said, all of this time invested is wasted if you aren’t prepared. That uncharged battery or forgotten memory card is a day wrecker out on the ocean. And I have learned that lesson the hard way.

Finally, do you have any advice for someone interested in a career in wildlife photography and working on boats?

In a way, I kind of fell into photography. I have always been open to trying new things and learning new skills. My best advice would be to focus on learning skills rather than being dead set on your dream job (especially if you want to work on boats). Be a student of life. Ask questions, volunteer your time to learn new skills if needed, and apply yourself during your free time. Stay humble and develop strong relationships with your peers.

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[swimintothesound]

Artistic Integrity and Commercial Success | Part 4

This is the fourth, final, and most speculative in a series of four posts on the combative relationship between artistic pursuits and commercial achievements. View the first post here, the second one here, and the third here.

Features Aplenty, Featuring Apathy

Unlike Drake, Travis Scott has yet to release an album in 2017. As a result, the final entry in this four-part series will now shift from a post-mortem into (admittedly) premature evaluation. While Drake isn’t quite out of the woods yet, he’s it at least trending upwards artistically. Meanwhile, Travis Scott has been trending upwards in terms of sales and popularity, but I feel like I’ve seen the inverse in his music. And because he hasn’t released a full project yet, all we can do at this point is look at some of the features and individual songs that Travis has worked on since the release of Birds.

Most recently, Trav dropped a trio of loosies on his SoundCloud: “Butterfly Effect,” “A Man,” and “Green & Purple.” Truth be told, none of these songs did anything for me, and for the most part, they feel just as devoid of life as Birds. Reading shitty comments online is what originally prompted me to think about this intersection between artistic purity and commercial success, but this recent drop of songs really inspired me to start getting my thoughts out on paper. If these songs are indicative of what Trav has in store for us on his 2017 album, I’m genuinely concerned.

But the bigger topic here is “what comes first: art or success?” I think most people would say the first one, and then those creations go on to achieve success (however you define that). However, once you reach a certain point, I think you can start creating from the other end of the spectrum and just let the money be your guiding light for creation. That’s the battle.

But maybe this is all just Travis Scott Fatigue at this point, so let’s look beyond the man’s own tracks at some of his 2017 features. If there’s anything that sparks inspiration, it’s working with other artists and jumping into some more varied sounds, right?

Even without an album drop, 2017 has been a banner year for Trav. With guest appearances on everything from Major Lazer to SZA and everything in between, it seems you can’t officially be a part of the music scene in 2017 without a feature from Travis Scott. One of the weirder tracks is the collaborative effort “Go Off” from the Fate of the Furious Soundtrack. Sure, it’s generic as fuck, but it’s hard to judge anything based off a watered-down lowest-common-denominator platform like Fast and Furious.

Even still, the most offensive Travis Scott feature (and quite frankly my tipping point) was his appearance on Migo’s CULTURE at the beginning of the year… but before breaking that down, I’d like to give some additional context on ad libs.

Get Hyped or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Ad Lib

For those unfamiliar, ad libs in hip-hop are distinct phrases that rappers interject within individual lines of their own lyrics. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m an ad lib-loving hypebeast (you have to be to start a Desiigner subreddit.) It’s nearly a facet of my personality at this point. Ad libs just get me fired up, and I love how much rappers have been utilizing them lately.

Adlibs are typically used to emphasize a point, excite the audience, or flex after a particularly impressive rhyme. Some artists like Migos use adlibs after nearly every line just to add context and extra texture to their bars. Meanwhile, other people like Chance The Rapper have developed their own repertoire of noises that act as a calling card.

As explained by Pigeons and Planes, ad libs at worst represent “a space-filler, a moment that allows for a word to be repeated, emphasized, or followed by an "uh-huh" or some other bland affirmation.” and at best act as “an opportunity for unique self-expression, a brief moment outside of the lyrics themselves to show character, expand the meaning of the song.”

One of my favorite examples of ad-libbing is Young Thug’s “Halftime” in which he drops a lung-collapsing 12-second “SKRR” forty-four seconds into the track. The prolonged cry lies relatively quietly beneath Thug’s yelped rhymes and just above Kip Hilson’s booming bass-drenched beat. After that, Thug goes on to discuss his eccentric fashion choices and throws off his own rhyming couplet by dragging out the syllables of “recycles” to which he laughs. He’s keeping the listener on their toes. Immediately after that subversion, Thug “winds up” into an increasingly-speedier set of overtly-sexual bars, each of which is punctuated by a series of escalating ad-libbed interjections which Thug himself then interrupts with a reserved “no” right at the rhyme’s climax. The fact that this is all happening in between rapped lines makes the track a treat to listen to and rewards repeated listens. Thug is literally his own backing track. On top of that, this barrage of ad-libs is surrounded by hilariously over-the-top lyrics like “suck my dick like Beavis no, Butthead” and “I just want that neck like a giraffe.” It’s an intoxicating display and one that all happens within the space of a minute on a single verse. Blink and you’ll miss it, but “Halftime” is an absolutely flawless example of ad libs flirting with (and improving) a song as a whole.

I’ve always been a fan of Travis Scott’s adlibs. From the hype-building Straight Up! and It’s Lit! to his trademarked La Flame! He’s made a career (and a name for himself) out of expertly-deployed soundbites. So imagine my surprise when I found myself listening to Migo’s world-conquering CULTURE at the beginning of the year and made it all the way to the album’s penultimate track “Kelly Price” which featured Travis Scott.

I entered hesitantly, given how fresh in my mind Birds was, but I remained optimistic since Travis and Quavo have had a near-impeccable track record up until that point. The song starts with a haunting beat and a hook that finds Quavo running down the typical Migos list of favorite things: Cars. Money. Drugs. Women. Pretty standard stuff so far. Then Travis Scott comes in.

He lazily floats the track by sputtering two words: Flash. Dash. and then drops a “straight-up” adlib. I couldn’t believe it. Maybe I shouldn’t be as offended at this as I am, but I was amazed that this dude just hopped on a track, said two words that barely rhymed and then dropped an ad lib as if he’d just spit some world-shattering bars. It called to mind “Biebs in the Trap” off of Birds in the Trap where Trav opened a verse in an almost identical, but even lazier way. The verse in question reads more like an unrelated grocery list of things that kind of rhyme but just sound cool when thrown together over a particular beat.

As mentioned before, I don’t go to Travis Scott for lyrical bars. So it feels weird to criticize him for verses like the two above… but at the same time, they’re just so far below his already-low bar for lyricism. I’m mainly surprised that he seems to be regressing towards such a simplistic style. One in which he relies almost entirely on production and v i b e s to carry him and his lack of personality or technical skill.

It’s also disappointing because I loved Days Before Rodeo and Rodeo so indescribably, yet I haven’t fully enjoyed anything that he’s put out since 2015. This all ties back to the first post in the series, because right now I’m just bitching that I don’t like the direction an artist is taking.

I Guess That’s It

I guess if there's any theme to this series, it's been about expectations, disappointments, and hope. I was expecting a lot from both Drake and Trav in 2016, and they both let me down in different ways. Since then Drake has really bounced back in my eyes, but Travis seems to be continuing down a different path. I know I started this series complaining about people online wanting to dictate artists art… so I won't do that. All I can do is hope. Hope that he has something grander and more experimental in stock for us.

I believe that Travis has it in him to create more albums on par (and better than) Rodeo, but he could also continue down the “easier” path that’s already laid before him. And I realize it’s a shitty thing for a fan to just say “their old stuff was better.” You can’t expect an artist to just keep remaking an album forever. To do so is to wish stasis and artistic malaise on someone that you’re supposedly a fan of. It's also hard when Rodeo and DBR are tied to such positive memories in my past, and Birds has no comparable equivalent, but it’s unfair of me to judge an album based on something external to itself.

Earlier this year I actually saw Travis Scott live at Portland’s Moda Center. It was a pretty great show (even if I wasn’t able to snag floor tickets) and oddly relevant to this topic since Drake made a surprise appearance at that show. It was a wild show, but the difference between Travis’ old and new material was night and day. It’s odd because he wanted Birds to get “straight to the meat.” The album was created with stadium tours in mind. According to Scott he quickly learned what songs from Rodeo did and didn’t work live, and that influenced his creative process while making Birds. Maybe I just like the more “intimate” feeling of Rodeo as opposed to the “broad” nature of Birds in the Trap.

Never Taking a Break

Even more recently, Travis Scott did an interview with SHOWstudio. HotNewHipHop had an interesting take on the interview, positing that he would “take a break” from music after the release of his upcoming third album. Travis Scott personally replied to the speculation on Twitter claiming “Nigga I'm never taking a break.”

Reading this exchange filled me with different emotions. First, honestly, a pang of sadness. Despite the recent perceived decline in quality, I would have been extraordinarily sad to see Travis take a break from touring or new material. At the same time, the more I thought about it, maybe a break is just what he needs. I mean, he’s released an album every year since 2013 with one (technically) scheduled for 2017 as well. On top of persistent touring and features, that output has to take a toll on even the most prolific of artists.

Working so tirelessly can be draining. I’ll be a fan of Travis till the end. The man can put on a hell of a show, and he’s released two albums that are absolute classics in my eyes. A true fan is along for the ride no matter what. The albums may vary in wildly in quality, but sometimes you have to take the good with the bad. Even Weezer still has fans, and in 2016 they released their best album since Pinkerton. I’m not saying Travis is scheduled for a 20-year stretch of disappointment, but I’m just hoping he carves out a niche that inspires.

And when I say “inspires” I’m talking about both himself and fans.

I could just be “aging out” of his music, but I hope not because even through the darkness and malaise of Birds he still dropped “Pick up the Phone” and “Goosebumps” which were some of my favorite tracks of the past year and ones I still spin on a near-daily basis.

I’m a fan. I want the best for Travis. Both commercially and artistically. The hard part is maintaining both without losing yourself.