bsky post here | twitter thread here | ao3 link here

namgikook | sentinel/guide | 7.1k words

Yoongi swallows down the cry that climbs up his already scratchy throat as the van transporting them hits another bump on the road.

Everything feels wrong.

The fabric is rough against his skin, the sensation becoming closer and closer to that of shards of glass the longer they are in the vehicle. The scents from the other passengers sting his nose, and the cherry leather fragrance coming off one of the officers is especially irritating. There are five officers total, because Yoongi and Namjoon are apparently so “special” they need more than the standard two when traveling between hives.

At least it’s dark.

Yoongi doesn’t know what he’d do if light suddenly came into the car.

His stomach twists with hunger, though the thought of eating causes the already lingering nausea to increase. He can only hope they’ll be able to eat when they finally get to where they’re going. Maybe this will be the last time they’re moved. The thought is laughable, because as long as The Ministry is alive and well, it’s more likely that this won’t be the last time they’re moved between hives.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

He and Namjoon were doing fine, coasting by on the assessments and fulfilling the mandatory duties. But that fucking guide who so desperately wanted to control Namjoon decided to fuck everything up.

If she had just left Namjoon alone, Yoongi wouldn’t have lashed out and exposed another part of his power, and Namjoon wouldn’t have zoned.

Now, what they’ve so carefully hidden for years has been revealed and he and Namjoon have spent the last six months suffering for it. The Ministry was more than eager to chip away at what they continue to fight to protect, gleaning as much as they can after catching a glimpse of what they can do.

A nauseating blur of assessments, including the one where they kept Namjoon and Yoongi apart for fourteen days as punishment, and training. They’ve been transported from hive to hive through the months, just like they’re being moved now.

To the Ministry, Namjoon and Yoongi are priceless, like treasure that The Ministry has “discovered.” Two sentinels that can manipulate all the senses, enough to incapacitate a guide, in the palm of their greedy hands. The Ministry will never let them go.

In general, a sentinel’s life is never their own, from the day they first display their abilities. They’re owned by the Ministry, and they die for The Ministry. There is no other option, especially for Namjoon and Yoongi, whose abilities are revealed to transcend every other registered sentinel.

The day any sentinel can live for themselves, will be the day The Ministry falls.

Yoongi wants to see The Ministry burn.

He’s pulled from his mental spiral by a gentle squeeze to his hand, and relaxes slightly at the touch.