Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Tae, put it down.”

Jungkook nudges Taehyung from behind, refusing to even look at the thing Taehyung’s carrying in his arms.

“Gukkie, stop being mean. It’s so cute! Look!” Taehyung says, holding the animal up in the air like how Rafiki held baby Simba in his favorite movie, The Lion King.

It had been a normal day, to say the least. Jungkook and Taehyung were sitting—cuddling—on their couch in their apartment, debating whether to buy Chinese or Thai takeout for dinner. Eventually, they decided on Japanese for fairness. They left the apartment to go eat at their favorite Japanese restaurant about three blocks down, and Jungkook had decided on buying Taehyung ice cream on their way back.

Jungkook realizes that mistake right when Taehyung squeals at the sight of it.

Right in the middle of the sidewalk, just a few steps from Taehyung’s favorite ice cream place sat a cat—soft, fluffy fur black as the night sky, eyes unnaturally big and bulging and round and yellow as the rays of the sun. The cat sat on the cold pavement, eyes dead-set on Taehyung as if he wanted to get his attention from the start.

It looks at Taehyung with its big, round, puppy dog—kitty cat?—eyes and Jungkook knew, he just knew what was going to happen next if he doesn’t drag Taehyung away. But by the time he reaches for Taehyung’s wrist to cross the street in order to avoid the cat, it was all too late—

Meow.

“Oh. My. God.” Taehyung stops in his tracks, voice barely a whisper. “Gukkie.”

“Tae, let’s go.” Jungkook says, tugging on his boyfriend’s hand.

Taehyung all but ignores him and lets go, walking towards the cat instead.

“Hi, little kitty.” Taehyung reaches out a hand to the cat. Carefully, of course. He doesn’t want to get scratched.

Meow.

“Babe, I think he just said he loves me.”

Jungkook scoffs. “Stop being ridiculous. Leave the cat and let’s go get your ice cream, baby.”

Meow.

“He wants ice cream too!” Taehyung squeals. “Do you, little cutie? Do you want ice cream?”

Meow.

“Gukkie… I’m in love,” Taehyung says dreamily, fingers scratching the area behind the kitten’s ear. The kitten purrs, tilts its head towards Taehyung’s slender finger.

“Yeah, with me. Now let’s go.” Jungkook reaches over to try and catch Taehyung’s wrist, but before he knows it, Taehyung takes the cat by its tiny arms and carries it.

“Taehyung!” Jungkook says more firmly now, tone tinted with irritation. “You don’t know whose cat that is. It might have rabies! Put it down.”

Taehyung almost chuckles. “Rabies? Come on. Could a sweet little baby have rabies when they look like the cutest little thing on earth?” He’s using his signature baby voice, lips forming a little pout. Jungkook could kiss it, had he not been carrying a black cat in front of his face. “Look at his eyes! Oh, aren’t you just the cutest kitty I’ve ever seen?”

Jungkook heaves a tired sigh. “Tae, put it down.”

Jungkook nudges Taehyung from behind, refusing to even look at the thing Taehyung’s carrying in his arms.

“Gukkie, stop being mean. It’s so cute! Look!” Taehyung says, holding the animal up in the air like how Rafiki held baby Simba in his favorite movie, The Lion King.

“Are you out of your mind? What can be cute about that?” Jungkook replies. He’s always hated cats, and his boyfriend’s love for all animals, big or small, 4 legged or slippery, insect or fish, has been a cause of bewilderment for him.

Jungkook is a dog person. His boyfriend just happens to be an animal person.

Taehyung looks at the cat who is now hanging up in the air safely in his hands. The cat looks right back at him, big, round eyes staring dead into Taehyung’s soul.

“We need to bring him home, Gukkie.” Taehyung says, still staring at the cat’s yellow eyes. They remind Taehyung of honey. He only notices now that there seems to be tiny shimmering particles swimming around the cat’s eyes, much like glitter. It glistens, even in the dark.

Jungkook takes a few seconds to process what his boyfriend just said. “What?”

“We need to take him home. To our apartment. Where it’s safe.”

Jungkook can’t quite believe what he’s hearing right now. A cat? In their apartment? Absolutely not.

“Baby,” Jungkook starts slowly, “listen to me. We can’t have a cat in our apartment. I know you find it cute, but someone probably owns him and is looking for him right now. We need to leave him here so the owner will find him easier.”

“How do you even know if someone owns him? What if he’s just a stray who needs a home?” And just like that, something shimmers and catches both Taehyung and Jungkook’s eyes. A black collar wrapped around the cat’s neck, almost camouflaging underneath the black fur. Hanging right in the middle is a pendant shaped like a crescent moon, and a single name engraved on it in cursive.

“Salem.” Taehyung whispers, looking at the kitten.

And just like that, Taehyung feels an instant connection with the kitten, an instant click in his soul that he can’t quite understand. The kitten purrs in satisfaction. “Is that your name? Salem?”

Meow.

“See? He has a collar, which means someone owns him. Not to mention his name should be a red flag already… Who names their cat Salem? That’s creepy.” Jungkook mutters. His eyes briefly lock with the cat and he instantly feels a chill go up his spine. This cat is bad news, he just knows it.

“Babe, come on. We can’t just leave this poor cat here. He might get run over by a car or a bad person who tortures kittens or puppies for fun might take him for themselves. We need to bring him home even just for one night.” Taehyung looks at Jungkook with pleading eyes.

Jungkook’s getting frustrated now. Why did he have to take Taehyung for ice cream? “Taehyung, I don’t want to be that person but haven’t you watched enough movies to know that black cats bring bad luck? He’s a black cat, he has yellow eyes, and his name is Salem. This is how horror movies start.”

Jungkook’s statement must have caused distress over the cat because the next thing he knows, the cat is reaching out to try and scratch him, displaying his fangs with a sharp hiss, two slits for eyes focused on him. Taehyung panics, pulling the cat backward just in time before its claws scratch Jungkook’s arm.

“Taehyung, we are not bringing that in the apartment.” Jungkook says, out of breath.

“The only reason he did that was because you said he’s bad luck, Gukkie. He’s gentle with me. Aren’t you, Salem?” The kitten purrs and melts against Taehyung’s soft touch. “Gukkie, I’m taking him home with me whether you like it or not.”

“But—“

“Just until the morning, baby. Then I’ll go around the neighborhood and put up posters with Salem’s photo on it so the owner can find him easier.” Taehyung’s tone had a finality to it, and he can clearly see Jungkook’s pout and irritation, so he reaches over and plants a soft, lingering kiss against his boyfriend’s pink lips. “Please say yes. Please? For me?”

And that’s all it took for Jungkook’s heart to soften. He’d do anything for Taehyung, even let the cat sleep in their bed if he asked.

“Fine,” Jungkook says, surrendering in defeat. He never did stand a chance against Taehyung’s soft voice and puppy dog eyes. “For you.”

—-

“Gukkie, wake up.”

Jungkook groans. Taehyung cannot be waking him up early in the morning. It’s a Saturday.

“Gukkie,” Taehyung says, shaking Jungkook’s shoulder. “Wake up, come on.”

“Mmm, Tae,” Jungkook says, as patiently as he can. Saturdays are reserved for sleeping in. “Please leave me alone. Wanna sleep.”

“Gukkie,” Taehyung says, more urgently.

“Baby,” Jungkook reaches out, taking Taehyung’s hand, “come back to bed. Let’s sleep.”

Jungkook and Taehyung don’t have classes on Saturdays, and they usually sleep until the afternoon. Taehyung waking him up is strange to say the least. He’s the heaviest sleeper in the world, as far as Jungkook is concerned. His boyfriend could sleep through a thunderstorm.

“Jungkook, this is serious,” Taehyung says, voice tainted with panic and urgency. “Please wake up.”

Jungkook squints, sun shining on his eyes. “What is it?”

Taehyung leans in, lips touching Jungkook’s ear. “There’s a guy on our couch.”

“What?” Jungkook reaches to rub his eyes.

“There’s a guy. Sleeping. On our couch.” Taehyung whispers, and Jungkook jolts.

“What do you mean there’s a guy sleeping on our couch?!”

Taehyung places a finger on Jungkook’s lips, shushing him. “Will you be quiet? You might wake him up, I’m scared.”

Jungkook pulls on Taehyung’s hand to sit on the bed. “How did you find him?”

“I woke up early to feed Salem, and when I opened our bedroom door to head towards the living room, I saw the guy sleeping on the couch,” Taehyung says, tiny voice hushed to a whisper. "That’s when I ran back to our bedroom to wake you up.”

Jungkook stares at the closed door, big doe eyes wide and unblinking, as if the intruder will burst in their bedroom any second now. He slowly gets up from the bed and takes the closest thing he can find that can resemble a weapon—their desk lamp. Taehyung follows, taking their sturdy pillow to protect himself and his boyfriend. You can never be too careful.

Jungkook carefully opens the door, and the two steadily tiptoe towards the living room, careful not to make any noise lest the intruder wakes up. They make their way around the couch and take a small peek, and true enough, a man is steadily asleep.

The man is young, probably around the same age as them. He’s wearing an all black ensemble—black silk shirt, black slacks, black stomper boots, and a black choker with a pendant around his neck. His hair was black as night and his lips were full and plump, as if it was stung by a bee. He was sleeping peacefully, pink lips parted, both hands folded below his rosy muffin cheeks, and snoring lightly. He almost looks like an angel, had it not been for the intimidating all black ensemble.

Jungkook cocks his head to the side and Taehyung follows. Taehyung’s curiosity gets the best of him, and as he looks at the man, he feels something—a certain pull. Before he knows it, he’s trying to reach out to touch the man’s shoulder. Jungkook flinches and grabs Taehyung’s hand before his fingers touch him.

“Tae! What the hell are you doing?” Jungkook demanded in a whisper.

“I-I don’t know Gukkie I just—“ Taehyung stammers, seemingly not himself. “I—“

And before Jungkook can stop him, Taehyung’s reaching over to cradle the man’s cheek in his hand, waking him up.

The man jolts awake and sits up straight with a sharp gasp, eyes landing on Taehyung and Jungkook and subsequently cowering in the corner of the couch, as far away from the two as the sofa would let him. Taehyung and Jungkook jump backwards and into each other, losing balance and tumbling over the coffee table.

“Who are you?” The man asks, eyes wide and carefully observing the two.

“Excuse me?” Jungkook scoffs, getting up and helping Taehyung get back on his feet. “You’re in our apartment. Who are you?”

The man looks around, eyes wide, brows furrowed, and lips formed into a pout. “Wait. Where am I?”

“You don’t know where you are? How the fuck did you get in our apartment?” Jungkook demands.

“Gukkie, be gentle. He seems… confused.” Taehyung says, voice soft, eyes observing the man.

“Babe, there’s an unknown man in our apartment and you’re concerned about his wellbeing?”

“I—I don’t know, I just, I feel like he means no harm,” Taehyung replies, eyes shifting to the man on the couch. “What’s your name?”

Taehyung starts to walk toward the man but is held back by Jungkook who grabs his hand. “Tae, what are you doing?”

Taehyung simply gives Jungkook a look that says he’ll be fine, and Jungkook reluctantly lets go.

He approaches the man on the couch but stays a few feet away. Looking at him, Taehyung suddenly feels—light. Like he has known this man for a long time. It’s a strange feeling, given that he’s never seen this man before in his life. “Do you know what your name is?”

The man must feel the same way, because upon looking at Taehyung, a wave of comfort washes over his face. The look of panic and confusion long gone, replaced by a look of content. The man nods, raven hair bouncing on his head as he does. “Yes, of course. My name is Jimin.”

“Hey… I’m Taehyung, and this is my boyfriend Jungkook. Jimin, do you know how you got in our apartment?” Taehyung asks, voice soft.

“No, I woke up and suddenly I was here. The last thing I remember was—“ Jimin gasps, hand flying to his mouth. “Oh no. Did you happen to see a black cat somewhere?”

Taehyung nods, a little too fast for his liking. “Yes, Salem! Do you know him?”

Jimin closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. “It all makes sense now. Yes. I know him.”

“Are you his owner?” Jungkook asks, finally speaking up for the first time after a while.

“No. I’m him.” Jimin says, matter-of-factly.

“What?” Taehyung and Jungkook ask simultaneously, because really—what?

“I’m Salem.” Jimin repeats, as if it’s the most normal thing in the world, claiming you’re a cat.

“What the fuck do you mean you’re Salem?” Jungkook demands. “Are you crazy?”

Jimin scoffs. “Yeah, I get that a lot. I wish, though. But no, I’m not crazy. I’m just a witch.”

Taehyung blinks. “You’re a… witch?”

“Yup. A witch,” Jimin says, getting up from the couch and circling around the room as he talked. “You know, magic and potions and sorcery—all that shit. Surprise! All of it is real.”

“You’re fucking crazy. Get out of our apartment.” Jungkook says, stern.

Jimin cocks his head to the side with a playful smirk, confidence suddenly apparent in his demeanor. “Now, now, pretty boy. I can’t just leave like that. See—I seem to have imprinted on pretty boy number two here, back when I was a cat last night.” He says, looking at Taehyung, who was staring back at Jimin intently.

“You did what on my boyfriend?” Jungkook asks, getting impatient by the minute.

“Imprint,” Jimin rolls his eyes. “My soul latched to his soul. In human terms, he’s basically my soulmate.”
Jungkook’s silent for a few seconds. “Are you hitting on my boyfriend right in front of me?”

Jimin laughs, a real one this time, as if Jungkook just told him the funniest joke he’s ever heard. “Believe me, I’m not. But I know your little human brains are having a hard time believing me, so I’ll just quickly get myself a cup of coffee while I wait for you to digest this information.” Jimin snaps his fingers, and a cup of coffee appears out of thin air, safely on their coffee table, complete with a coaster.

Jungkook jumps back while Taehyung just stares.

“You—how the fuck did you just do that?” Jungkook shrieks, hand flying to his erratic beating heart.

“I told you, I’m a witch. How many times do I have to keep repeating it? You humans are so annoying sometimes.” Jimin takes a seat on the couch right next to Taehyung, crosses his legs, and takes a sip of his coffee, nonchalant.

“Um,” Taehyung starts, voice soft. “You—you said you’re a cat? The cat from last night?”

“Yes,” Jimin replies. Jungkook notices how he talks to Taehyung with a gentler voice. “I am.”

“But… that cat… the cat’s name is Salem. How—how is it possible?” Taehyung furrows his brows, and Jungkook thinks about how insane it is that Taehyung seems unbothered by the fact that an actual witch is sitting on their couch. He doesn’t even look scared.

“Yeah—Salem. That’s my Familiar name. When I turn into a Familiar, I don’t remember anything that happens or who I interact with. Witches turn into Familiars for different reasons—sometimes it’s when the witch is in danger and they need to hide, sometimes, when we’re in extreme emotional distress, and other times, it’s when we’re about to imprint on someone. I guess this time, for me, it’s the latter.” Jimin explains, eyes boring into Taehyung’s soul, and Taehyung feels—light inside. The way he feels when he’s looking at Jungkook.

Jungkook clears his throat and the two snap their heads to look at him. They were starting to lean closer to each other and Jungkook was not happy about it. “What the hell does imprinting mean? Isn’t that for werewolves and shit?” he asks, his tone now more irritated. Is this dude seriously trying to steal his boyfriend from him?

Jimin sets his coffee on the table with an exasperated sigh. “Common misconception. Well, not a misconception so much as a misunderstanding. Yes, dogs—werewolves, rather… ugh, I can’t even say their name without cringing—do imprint, as popularized by movies and literature, but cats do, too. And since witches are capable of shapeshifting into cats, then that’s how we find our partners as well. Imprinting, in its most basic term, is sort of like claiming someone. It doesn’t happen as a choice, it happens when we least expect it. Meaning, we don’t get to choose who we bond with—it just happens. And witches stay with them for the rest of their lives.”

Taehyung stares at Jimin, observing every detail of his face—his honey golden eyes, the way his eyelids droop a little bit, his nose, his rosy cheeks, his pink, plump lips, his hair the color of the night sky with little specs of glitter on the strands making it look like stars. The more Taehyung stares at him, the more he’s convinced that he’s Salem—and, strangely, he feels something in his chest, an unexplainable tug at his heart that he felt while looking into Salem’s eyes last night.

“Well, imprint on someone else, Jimin. Taehyung’s taken.” Jungkook says, finality in his voice. “You don’t even know him. Couldn’t you have chosen literally anyone else? Someone you know, maybe?”

“Unfortunately for you bunny boy, I can’t. Imprinting is something that happens to us when we’re cats, and it doesn’t matter who we imprint on—whether it’s a friend, an enemy, or a total stranger. Once we imprint, we can’t separate from that person anymore. Like I said, it’s not a choice.”

“What happens if you do? What happens if we just throw you out right now—“

“—Jungkook—” Taehyung warns.

“—lock the doors, call the police, and get a restraining order?”

“Jungkook. You’re overreacting.” Taehyung says.

“I’m just asking, babe.” Jungkook replies.

Jimin takes a few beats to reply. “I die.”

“What?”

“I said, I’ll die.”

Taehyung and Jungkook stare at him, wide-eyed. “If you don’t stay with Taehyung, you’ll die?”

Jimin nods. “Basically, my soul has latched onto Taehyung’s soul. If a witch doesn’t stay with the person they imprinted on, our hearts will slowly shrivel and bleed out, and our souls will slowly evaporate. And then, well—we die.”

Jungkook runs a hand through his hair and Taehyung stares at him. Strangely, Taehyung hasn’t had any problem believing anything and everything Jimin has been saying, from him being a cat to him imprinting on Taehyung. It’s almost as if Taehyung just knows in his heart that he can trust Jimin with his life. It’s almost as if Taehyung knows for sure that Jimin’s telling the truth despite the fact that everything he’s been saying sounds almost unbelievable and otherworldly. But Jungkook… well. Taehyung can’t imagine how hard it must be for his boyfriend to hear and absorb all of this.

“How do I know you’re not faking this shit?” Jungkook asks.

“Well, why don’t we ask Taehyung?”

Two pairs of eyes shift toward Taehyung and suddenly, he feels incredibly small. “W-what? Why me?”

Jimin looks at him, fondness in his eyes. “Do you—did you feel something last night, Taehyung? When you were holding me—Salem—in your hands. Did you feel something in your chest?”

Taehyung wants to say yes, but he doesn’t answer.

Jimin tries again. “Taehyung… do you feel something when you look into my eyes?”

Taehyung blinks and looks into Jimin’s honey golden irises, sees how the little specs of golden glitter swim around his eyes like a snow globe. And he feels it. A tugging in his chest, the erratic beating of his heart, a certain pull that he can’t quite explain. All he knows is that he has only felt this way about one person his entire life—his boyfriend, Jeon Jungkook. And that scares him.

“Taehyung, do you?” Jimin places a soft hand on Taehyung’s. “Do you feel it? Because I do. When I look into your eyes, Taehyung, I feel… home. Like I’ve been lost for the longest time and I’m finally home. When I look at you, I feel a—a tugging in my chest… I feel my heart beating twice as fast. Do you feel it too?”

Taehyung doesn’t even have to think about it. He does. “Y-yes. I do.”

Jungkook stares at them for a few seconds, shakes his head, takes a couple of steps back as he looks at Taehyung in a flurry of emotions painted on his angelic face—disbelief, shock, pain… and walks out of the room.

Taehyung has known Jungkook all his life, but he has never seen him look so hurt.

— -

Taehyung can’t say the conversation they had in the bedroom was pleasant.

It was the worst fight he and Jungkook have ever been in. Jungkook insisted they make Jimin leave, but Taehyung asked—begged—him to let Jimin stay.

“Tae, please please tell me you’re kidding.”

“Jungkook, I know it sounds insane, but you have to listen to me, please—“

“The dude says he’s a fucking witch! That he’s a cat! That he has some kind of magical claim on you! How can you possibly believe all of that?” Jungkook’s voice is strained, like it’s getting harder for him not to raise his voice. Taehyung cannot possibly entertain someone who thinks he has some soulmate claim on him. He just—he can’t.

“Baby, I know how it sounds like. To be honest, I don’t even know why I’m saying this. But you saw him pull coffee out of thin air! And he has the same hair as Salem, the same eyes as Salem… Witches and magic and sorcery has always just been part of the series and movies we watch but it literally just came true right before our eyes. How can you still not believe it?”

“Tae, please, you’re not saying this right now. I’m not hearing this from you right now.” Jungkook says, sitting at the foot of their bed.

“Gukkie, it’s crazy to even think that this whole thing exists. But… when I looked at Jimin, I did feel what he was describing. Last night when I looked at Salem’s eyes, I felt… something. And it’s the same thing I felt when I looked at Jimin’s eyes this morning. They have the same eyes, Gukkie. The same eyes. You might think I’m crazy, but whatever it was that Jimin was describing, I felt it too.”

Jungkook looks at Taehyung, pain painted all over his doe eyes. He has been in love with Taehyung since he was 16, and Taehyung has felt the same way about him since then. They’ve been best friends since they were 5, and lovers since they were 17. They’re two parts of one soul, two halves of one heart. One cannot be without the other. He has never loved anyone his entire life the way he loves Taehyung, and he is positive it will stay that way until his last breath. He has never been more sure of anything or anyone his entire life. So hearing about this come from Taehyung’s mouth—hearing him say he… felt something while he looked at someone else… It’s a kind of excruciating pain Jungkook has never experienced before. Jungkook closes his eyes and takes a breath before saying the words he never thought he’d ever say. “You have—you have feelings for him?”

Taehyung sits on the bed next to Jungkook and cradles his cheeks between his hands. He looks at Jungkook and talks in a hurry, as if he needs Jungkook to understand what he needs to say as quickly as possible before everything is too late. “No, Gukkie, no. I don’t have feelings for him. But I do feel this… bond. This thing in my chest that I swear I can’t explain. But I promise, baby, I don’t have specific feelings for him. If you think I’m in love with him, I’m not. Okay?”

Jungkook stares at Taehyung. “Do… do you want to break up?”

Taehyung has never shook his head so fast his entire life. He throws his arms around Jungkook’s neck and hugs him, burying his nose against his boyfriend’s neck. “No! No, Jungkook, baby, please, no. I don’t want to break up. Ever. That’s the last thing I want. Please.. Please don’t leave me—“ Taehyung sniffs, and he doesn’t realize he’s crying until he feels Jungkook cradle his face and wipe a single tear off his cheek.

”Do you really want him to stay with us?” Jungkook asks. Their voices are softer now, seemingly exhausted from the heaviness of the conversation, from the emotion hanging around the room.

“Y-yes, I do. Not because I have feelings for him, but because I know there really is something… something there. A bond. I just… I just want to spend some time with him, you know? Just to see what this… thing in my chest means. I just… I want to see where it goes. I really don’t think he’s a bad man, Gukkie. I trust him. He’s not gonna hurt us.”

“Tae…” Jungkook speaks softly, “I don’t trust him, but I do trust you. And if you think that we should let him stay, then we’ll let him stay. But… I want you to tell me right away if you start having feelings for him. You’re the love of my life, Taehyung, but I don’t want to watch you fall out of love with me and fall in love with someone else,” Jungkook struggles to speak, like there’s lodge in his throat and a needle in his heart. “I—I can’t. I can’t just sit back and watch you look at him the way you look at me—"

Jungkook’s sentence gets cut off when a pair of lips softly land against his own. Taehyung pulls away and looks into his tear-stained eyes. “Jungkook, listen to me. I will never fall out of love with you. Okay? You’re the best thing that life has ever given me, and I cannot imagine ever going through my life without you. You’re the love of my life, my soultwin. It’s you and me forever, okay? Don’t ever think that I’ll somehow fall out of love with you. I can’t… I can’t ever imagine that happening. You’re mine and I’m yours. Always.”

Jungkook looks into Taehyung’s eyes, and the two of them stay that way for a while. They don’t know where things will go from now, but they do know that there’s a reason for everything that’s happening. They don’t know what’s in store, all they know is that they love each other, and they’ll stay in love with each other as long as they both want to hold on.

“Always.”

— -

“How about brooms? Do you have a broom? Can I see it?”

Jimin chuckles, “Tae, do you think I’m Sabrina the teenage witch or something?”

Weeks and months have passed since Jimin turned up at Jungkook and Taehyung’s couch, and things haven’t been the same since then. Taehyung and Jimin for one have started spending a lot of time together and learning a lot from each other everyday. Taehyung, the ever curious soul, has quite a number of questions about witchcraft, and Jimin is always happy to answer them.

Now, they’re chilling lazily on the couch, Taehyung’s head on Jimin’s lap while the witch skillfully braids his hair. They’ve been talking a lot about the accuracy of witches in films, and Taehyung has been bombarding Jimin with questions about which ones are real and which ones aren’t.

“Well, your name is Salem.”

“My Familiar name is Salem. I’m only Salem when I’m a cat, Tae.”

Taehyung hums and reaches a hand out to touch the shiny silver crescent moon-shaped pendant hanging from Jimin’s choker. On it is a single name engraved in gold: Salem.

“Then why do you still wear this even if you’re not a cat?” Taehyung holds the cold pendant and Jimin tries to ignore the shiver down his spine when Taehyung’s finger grazes the skin on his neck. That’s been happening quite a lot recently, them being more touchy with each other. Jimin can’t say he doesn’t like it. Taehyung can’t, either. They started with subtle touches, but recently, they end up cuddling on the couch whenever they binge watch on Netflix. It’s nothing big, just good old fashioned cuddling between two good friends. It’s not like there are any feelings involved. That’s what they keep telling themselves, anyway.

“I don’t know,” Jimin says, waving his fingers and pulling a single daisy out of thin air to decorate Taehyung’s braids, “I just like having it around my neck. Makes me feel… comforted for some reason.” Jimin seems to hesitate and takes a few seconds before continuing. “Can I tell you something I’ve never told anyone before?”

Taehyung nods.

“A few years ago, I got into a fight with this dark witch that tried to hurt me. Remember when I said witches turn into cats whenever they’re in danger, so they can run away from trouble as fast as possible? Well, the witch I was talking about managed to unlock my enchanted locks and tried to perform a dark spell on me while I was asleep. After I found her looming over my bed, I shape-shifted. The last thing I remember was seeing red eyes and black smoke. When I woke up, the next thing I know, I was lying behind a dumpster, beat up and bleeding. I didn’t have a collar then, so my best guess was that some sick animal-hating punks took advantage of me being a ‘stray’ and beat me to a pulp. After that night, I curated a special collar and enchanted it to keep me safe. So… I wear this collar because I can’t always tell whenever I’d turn into a cat and I guess it just makes me feel at peace that if ever I do turn into Salem unexpectedly, no one would take me for themselves—because when they see my collar, they’d think I was a house cat instead of a stray. I guess I just never had the sense of security and the confidence to know that I’ll be alright if I turn into Salem. I just… never feel safe.” Jimin looks at the floor, too anxious to look at Taehyung in the eyes.

Taehyung stares at Jimin for a few seconds, and then gets off his lap and sits up to face him. Taehyung places his two hands on each of Jimin’s flushed cheeks and looks him in the eyes. “Jimin, I’m so sorry you had to experience that. I wish you never had to, I can’t even imagine what you must have gone through without even knowing exactly what happened to you. But… I want you to know that you’re safe here, okay? You’re safe now. I’m here and I’ll always look out for you when you shape-shift, I promise. I know we just met a few months ago, but you’ve become incredibly special to me and I—“ Taehyung hesitates, looks away for a split second and then looks back at Jimin again, “I’ll keep you safe. Always. I promise. I know I’m just a human and I don’t have special witchcraft powers, but I promise I’ll do the best I can to make you feel safe all the time. You’re special, Jimin. And you… you mean a lot to me. I hope you know that.”

Jimin feels that familiar tug in his chest, the tug he feels when he looks at Taehyung. But this time, it’s stronger. He feels a glow run through his veins and he feels his heart run fast and he feels it beat slower at the same time. And Taehyung—he feels it too. A glow in his chest, a rush in his veins. He feels the tug get stronger the more he and Jimin look at each other. And their faces are close, so close. Their faces are so close that Taehyung can feel Jimin’s breath on his lips and Jimin can feel the tip of Taehyung nose touch the tip of his. Taehyung has the prettiest eyes, Jimin thinks. But it’s nothing compared to how Taehyung thinks about Jimin’s. Jimin’s eyes, Taehyung thinks, is like a jar of honey and the rays of sunshine perfectly mixing together in a bowl of gold. The speckles of golden glitter swim around Jimin’s irises and Taehyung thinks he can stare at it forever.

Jimin wants something to happen. He could lean in and close the gap between them, but he knows it would be wrong. Taehyung would never kiss him—he’s hopelessly in love with Jungkook, and Jungkook loves him just as much. And Jimin’s happy for them, he just has to live with his soulmate being in love with someone else for the rest of his life. And that’s okay, because all Jimin wants is for Taehyung to always be happy. And everyone knows Jungkook is his happiness. He knows deep down he’s in love with Taehyung, but there are lines that he can’t ever cross with him. This is one of them. So before he does something he’ll regret, he clears his throat, cutting the increasing tension circling the air in the room. He places his hand over Taehyung’s, which were still resting on his cheeks.

“I know, Taehyung. I do feel safe here. I feel safe with you. As long as you’re here, I know I won’t ever have to worry about getting hurt again. I trust you, and I’ll trust you with my whole life. I—“ Jimin momentarily stops himself and clears his throat. “I um, I hope you know you’re very special to me too.” Jimin pulls away from Taehyung’s hold and reaches behind his neck, snapping his collar open and carefully taking it off his neck. He places the collar in Taehyung’s hand and closes it inside his palm. “I want you to have this. I don’t know what you’ll do with it, but it’s really special to me and you just made me realize that I don’t need it anymore.”

Taehyung stares at the collar in his hand, black as the night sky, and the silver crescent-shaped pendant hanging from it. “Jimin, are you sure? You don’t have to—“

“I want to, Taehyung. I don’t need it anymore. Everything I need is already in front of me. Please keep it.” Jimin says, encasing Taehyung’s big hand inside his own small ones. Their hands look funny like this, like a tiny kitten holding a tiger’s paw. But it’s one of Jimin’s favorite sights in the world, among a lot of other things in his list (all Taehyung-related, but he doesn’t have to mention that).

“Okay,” Taehyung says, flashing his signature bright, rectangular shaped smile that Jimin has grown to love so much. It’s number one in his list of his favorite sights in the world, Jimin realizes. He’ll do everything to keep seeing Taehyung smile like that. “I’ll keep it, Jiminnie. And I’ll keep you safe. Always.” He says, placing a soft kiss on Jimin’s tiny nose.

Jimin smiles and tries to ignore that stronger glow he feels in his chest.

—-

It was a Sunday night when Taehyung suggests it.

The three of them were eating dinner at the apartment, Jungkook having cooked some cheap steak they bought at a market and instant ramyeon they had in stock in the pantry. The table had been extremely quiet, which has always been the case every time Jungkook and Jimin have to sit in close proximity with each other. Of course, Taehyung doesn’t blame them—he knows how Jungkook feels about Jimin being with them, given that Jimin keeps calling Taehyung his soulmate. Taehyung also knows how Jimin feels about him—he’s not stupid—and so he knows how uncomfortable it must be for Jimin to stay in the same room as his soulmate’s boyfriend. It’s all a very complicated situation they’re in, but Taehyung knows the two of them manage, because of how both of them feel about him.

But lately, Taehyung’s been wanting to break the tension between the two. He’s been racking his mind about what he could do to help build a good relationship between Jungkook and Jimin, and the only thing he can come up with is, well, quality time with each other. Quality time is his love language, anyway, and he thinks that if Jungkook and Jimin just spend time together, they’ll find a middle ground and manage to quit bickering every two seconds. Maybe even start to like each other at one point—but that’s thinking way ahead into the future.

So, he blurts out the first thing he thinks of to break the awkward silence around the dinner table. “Let’s watch a movie!”

Jungkook and Jimin look at him at the same time. “Who are you talking to?”

“Both of you,” Taehyung smiles, taking a big slurp of his ramyeon.

“What?” Both of them say simultaneously.

Taehyung loves watching movies, and he always tries to watch a movie with Jungkook or Jimin at least once a week. The issue here is that they’ve never watched a movie with the three of them together. And Taehyung will change that tonight.

“You heard me. I want to watch a movie on our couch, with blankets and pillows and popcorn and chips and wine and cuddles, with both of you.” Taehyung says, finality in his voice. They will not take this away from him.

“Tae, I can’t. I have class tomorrow—“ Jungkook starts, but Taehyung shuts him up.

“Your class isn’t until 12:30 pm. Come on, love, please?” Taehyung pouts, taking out his deadliest weapon—puppy dog eyes.

Jimin interjects. “But Tae—“

“But nothing. We’re going to watch a movie after dinner and that’s that.” Taehyung bats his lashes, taking a sip of his diet coke. “You know I won’t take no for an answer.”

Jungkook and Jimin let out a sigh. They know.

— -

A few hours, a couple of movies, and two bottles of wine later, the three of them are lazily lounging on the couch, looking for something else to watch. It’s around 11 in the evening, and Taehyung wants to watch one more movie before going to bed.

“What should we watch next?” Taehyung asks, scrolling through Netflix. “Do you guys want to watch horror?”

Taehyung was sitting in the middle of Jungkook and Jimin, cuddling them both at the same time, and he truly can’t be happier than he is at this moment.

“Absolutely not. I hate horror.” Jimin says, taking a sip of his wine. His cheeks are more pink and flushed than it usually is. Taehyung thinks it’s cute.

“You hate horror? You’re literally a witch.” Jungkook says, stuffing his face with popcorn.

“So?” Jimin replies, “Just because I’m a witch, doesn’t mean I like horror. How do those two even correlate?”

“Well, witchcraft is usually shown in horror movies,” Jungkook shrugs. “Can’t blame them.”

“Most of the shit in those movies aren’t even real.” Jimin says.

“Really?” Jungkook replies with a teasing voice, and Taehyung knows the next thing he’s going to say isn’t going to make Jimin happy at all. “They got it right with the unlucky black cats, at the very least.”

“Jungkook, shut the fuck u—“

“Okay!” Taehyung interrupts before Jimin gets mad and turns Jungkook into a frog again (long story)—“I found a movie!” Taehyung clicks on whatever title there is on the screen just to get the two to shut up.

The first minute of the movie, Jungkook already wants to throw up—and not because of the alcohol. “Baby… please don’t tell me you picked Twilight.”

Taehyung shrugs. “It’s the first thing I saw in the romance section. What’s wrong with it?”

Jimin chuckles, “What’s wrong with it? It’s like, the worst movie in the world.”

“What? You’re exaggerating, Jimin.” Taehyung replies.

“Tae, I know I don’t agree with Jimin 99.9% of the time, but he’s right—it’s the worst movie in the world. I don’t want to watch this.” Jungkook says.

“Same.” Jimin agrees.

And just like that, the screws in Taehyung head start turning, and a light bulb goes off. It’s the first time Jungkook and Jimin have ever agreed on something, and if it means making them go through watching Twilight with him, then he’ll take that risk. At least they’re bonding over a shared hatred for one movie, no matter how ridiculous it is. Taehyung personally thinks it’s not as bad as people say it is, but the two don’t have to know that.

“Well,” Taehyung says, coming up with an excuse off the top of his head, “I forgot how the movie went. I want to watch it to see if it’s as bad as you say it is.”

“Well, Tae, it is,” Jungkook says.

“It’s really bad.” Jimin agrees.

Taehyung is over the moon. “Okay, well, I wanna watch it. We already watched Spider-Man, Jungkook, and we also already watched The Greatest Showman, Minnie. It’s my turn, so I’m sorry to say, but you two don’t have a choice.” He says teasingly, taking a sip of his wine.

Taehyung will come to regret this decision halfway through the movie when Jungkook and Jimin end up arguing about Edward and Jacob.

“Jacob’s love for Bella is genuine,” Jungkook says, “he’s been there since they were kids and has supported Bella from the beginning.”

“And? Edward and Bella are meant to be. He says he was born to protect Bella and to keep her safe all the time. Jacob was too busy with his wolf friends to even care.”

Taehyung sighs. This is not how his night was supposed to go. Jungkook and Jimin were supposed to be bonding over their hatred for the movie, not fighting over Team Edward and Team Jacob. Seriously, is he in 2008?

“And when Edward came into Bella’s life and made her fall in love, what did he do? He left. He left her heartbroken. And who was there trying to make her smile? It was still Jacob! He’s been there for her through her toughest times because he truly, genuinely loves her.” Jungkook says, and Taehyung has to wonder—how many times has his boyfriend watched this movie without telling him? So much for ‘worst movie ever’.

“Edward left because he thought it would be safer for Bella if he stayed away! He was still protecting her even when Bella thought he just left her. Edward was born to love Bella, and Bella was born to love Edward.” Jimin replies. How the fuck do they know so much about this movie?

“The point is, Jacob has been there for Bella from the beginning, and stepped aside to see her happy. His love for her is true and genuine and runs deeper than anyone else can see.” Jungkook argues, downing his wine.

“So? After everything that happened, Edward was still the one Bella married. You wanna know why?”

“Why?”

“Because they’re soulmates.”

Silence. A long, uncomfortable silence.

“I’m going to bed,” Jungkook says after a while, getting up from the couch. “Good night, Tae.”

“Babe—“ Taehyung tries to reach for him, but he pulls away.

“It’s fine, I’m tired anyway. I think the wine got to me. Good night.” He walks away, and Taehyung watches him close their bedroom door quietly.

“Tae, I’m sorr—“

“Did you really have to say that?”

“I didn’t mean to, I’m really sorry. I didn’t know it would affect him that much—“

“But you know how he feels about our situation, Jimin,” Taehyung says. His voice was soft, given that he can’t imagine ever raising his voice at him. Jimin looks down, and Taehyung can see that his eyes were slowly starting to water.

“Jimin, I—“

“Are you mad at me?” Jimin asks, and Taehyung has never heard his voice this soft before.

“No, I’m not, Minnie. I’m just—I just hope we don’t bring up the soulmate thing when he’s around, you know? He feels really… hurt about it. Now that he has actually seen a lot of proof about witchcraft being real, he fully believes in the imprinting thing now. And it just hurts him to know that I’m soulmates with someone else, not him. I’m just… let’s be a little more sensitive, okay? Just until we can figure out what to do with our situation.” Taehyung reaches a hand out to touch Jimin’s, softly rubbing his thumb against the back of his hand. “Hey, I’m not mad. I promise.”

“I’m sorry, Tae. I really didn’t mean to.” Jimin says.

“It’s okay, Minnie. I’ll just go talk to Jungkook, alright? Good night.”

Taehyung stands to head towards his and Jungkook’s bedroom, but Jimin calls him back.

“Hey, Tae?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you tell Jungkook I’m sorry?”

Taehyung smiles softly. “I will. But, um, Jimin?”

“Yeah?”

“It would be really nice if you could say sorry to him personally as well. Not now, but maybe soon?”

Jimin takes a breath. That means he’s going to have to talk to Jungkook alone, but he’ll do it for Taehyung. He’s done enough damage to the couple as it is. “Okay.”

“Good night, Minnie."
“Good night, Taetae.”

— -

A few days later, Taehyung’s packing his bags for a quick out-of-city trip, having been chosen by the dean to represent their school at a national arts competition. The competition lasts for about a week, and is apparently a very prestigious one, so Jungkook has been giving him a million kisses to express how proud he is.

“I’m so so so proud of you,” Jungkook says, mumbling against Taehyung’s neck. He’s hugging Taehyung from behind while Taehyung folds his clothes to put inside his suitcase. “They couldn’t have chosen a better representative. I’m so proud, baby.”

Taehyung giggles, resting his head against Jungkook’s. “You’ve said that at least 65 times today.”

“I’m proud of you.” Jungkook replies, “I’m proud of you, I’m proud of you, I’m proud of you.” He says, placing soft kisses on Taehyung’s shoulder all the way up to his cheek after each I’m proud of you. “There. Now that’s 69 times.”

Taehyung lets out deep, breathy laugh. “You’re impossible, Jeon Jungkook.”

“Sooo…” Jungkook says, spinning Taehyung around to face him. “That’s a no?”

“I have to pack,” Taehyung says, but he’s giggling as Jungkook attacks him with soft little kisses all over his face. “We can’t.”

“Mmkay,” Jungkook says. “Hey, I’m serious, though.”

“Serious about what?”

Jungkook pulls Taehyung closer and looks into his chocolate brown eyes. “I really am proud of you. I’ve been a fan of your art since we were kids, and I always knew you were going to be one of the most popular artists in the world.”

Taehyung giggles, “I was called to an art competition, baby, it’s not like my paintings are about to be hung in Musée d’Orsay.”

“I know. But soon, baby,” Jungkook says softly. “Soon, the entire world will see how beautiful Kim Taehyung’s art is, and I’ll be there telling every person in the room that I get to call the artist mine. And then I’ll go around telling people how much of an art piece the artist is himself.”

“Always so eloquent with words, Jungkook-ah,” Taehyung says, snaking his arms around Jungkook’s neck. “You’ve always been my number one fan since that first time I drew a stickman on your lunch box back in kindergarten—you acted like it was the best stickman you’ve ever seen in your entire life. Thank you for always being the most supportive person in my life.” Taehyung closes the gap between them and places a soft kiss on Jungkook’s lips.

Taehyung pulls away but Jungkook chases after his lips, kissing him for a few more seconds before pulling away and looking back into Taehyung’s eyes again. “I’ll always be your greatest fan, Taehyungie.” He says, placing yet another soft kiss on the mole right on Taehyung’s nose. His favorite one.

“I know. I love you, Gukkie.” Taehyung smiles.
“I love you more.”

— -

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Jimin asks. Taehyung’s leaving in a few, and Jimin hasn’t stopped fidgeting and asking him all sorts of questions about the trip. “You might need my witch powers there.”

Taehyung giggles. “For what, Minnie? I’m going to be surrounded by art geeks and paintbrushes the whole time. I’ll be fine.”

“Mmm…” Jimin pouts. “How long are you gonna be gone?”

“Just a week.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“Clingy baby. I’ll miss you too, Minnie.” Taehyung says, pulling Jimin in for a hug. Jimin almost doesn’t want to let go. “I’ll be back before you know it, okay?”

“Okay,” Jimin says. “Come back soon, okay? And be safe there. If you need me, just tell me so I can use my broomstick to fly right to you.”

Taehyung chuckles. “I thought you said you didn’t have a flying broom?”

“I never said I can’t enchant one,” Jimin flashes his smile, eyes disappearing in a pool of flushed cheeks. “I know it will make you laugh if I make a grand entrance like that. I can so do it, you know.”

“You’re going to scare all those art geeks away.”

“Don’t care. I might just do it if I end up missing you too much.”

Taehyung smiles. “I’ll make sure to text you everyday. And it’s just 7 days, I’ll be home before you know it. I really will miss you, though.”

“I’ll miss you too, Taetae,” Jimin replies.

“You ready to go?” Jungkook’s voice startles them.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” Taehyung walks over to Jungkook, and before he closes the door behind him, he takes one last look at Jimin and smiles. “Bye, Minnie.”

“Bye, Taetae.”

— -

The apartment hasn’t heard a single word uttered within the last two days since Taehyung left. Jungkook and Jimin have been avoiding each other like the plague, only seeing each other when Jungkook leaves for and comes home from class.

He has been thinking a lot about Taehyung’s request of him saying sorry to Jungkook personally, but he hasn’t had a chance to because Jungkook wouldn’t even look at him. That is until the second night since Taehyung left. He had been on the couch watching a movie on Netflix when Jungkook comes out of the bedroom and heads straight to the kitchen. Suddenly, Jimin’s hyper-aware of everything—he’s anxiously fidgeting with the corners of his blanket as he waits for Jungkook to see what he’ll do.

He doesn’t expect him to stay long, though—since Taehyung left, Jungkook would always eat inside their bedroom so he doesn’t have to eat with Jimin. Jimin tries to concentrate on the movie, but he somehow can’t focus knowing Jungkook is just a few feet away from him. He knows Jungkook will leave soon enough—he never stays more than a few minutes in the same room as him. His comfort is short-lived, however, because after Jungkook heats up food in the microwave, he—to Jimin’s surprise—sits on one of the chairs by the kitchen table.

Jungkook sits quietly, eating his food and scrolling through his phone. He seems relaxed, which is the complete and polar opposite of what Jimin is feeling. He didn’t expect for Jungkook to stay, and now that he’s just a few feet away from him, Jimin can’t seem to focus on the movie at all. This is the first time they’ve ever spent this long together in one room without Taehyung present, and somehow Jimin keeps catching himself repeatedly looking at him.

The thing is, Jimin doesn’t really have a problem with Jungkook. He actually does want to get to know him on a deeper level, but Jungkook’s hatred for him keeps him from doing so. He’s wanted to talk to Jungkook personally since he moved in the apartment, but every time he tries to, Jungkook would always answer him in a sarcastic and condescending tone. After a number of tries, Jimin just gave up. Which personally sucks, because Jimin actually finds Jungkook to be such an interesting person. Jungkook doesn’t know, but whenever he and Taehyung are talking and joking around, Jimin would always take note of his little mannerisms: how he always makes sure Taehyung finishes speaking before he replies, how he always makes sure Taehyung has had something to eat for the day since Taehyung often forgets when he’s working on a new painting, how he looks at Taehyung when he’s talking about some new documentary he found on youtube. And Jimin knows that Jungkook’s not a bad person, because even if they almost always fight, Jungkook would still cook dinner for three and makes sure Jimin has always eaten well. Whenever he gets up to fetch water for them, he’d always offer Jimin a glass without even being asked to. He does all these little things that give Jimin hope that one day, they’ll actually end up talking and being good friends. And this is how Jimin knows Jungkook is a kind and lovable person—because if someone as sweet and caring as Taehyung fell in love with him, then that could only mean he’s really really special. Jimin knows Jungkook is a sweet guy, and because of all this, it saddens him that he hasn’t had a chance to get to know him without it ending in a fight.

Jimin gets his anger, though. If someone suddenly walked in his life and claimed to imprint on his boyfriend, he’d be pissed too. It’s a lot to take in, especially for someone who has been in love with the same person their entire life. So Jimin knows it’s really not fair for him to say what he did a few days ago when they watched Twilight together. Usually, Jungkook and Jimin would acknowledge each other with a few bickers here and there, but since The Twilight Incident,, Jungkook hasn’t even looked at him once.

Jimin knows he still owes him an apology, though. He’s not even just doing this for Taehyung—he genuinely wants to apologize and patch things up with Jungkook once and for all. And with Taehyung being gone, he figures this is the perfect time for him to do so without any distractions. Before he could change his mind, he walks over to the kitchen table and sits right across from Jungkook.

“Hi,” Jimin says quietly.

Jungkook doesn't reply—he just looks up from his phone questioningly.

“Uhm,” Jimin says, looking at the table, at the floor, at the wall—anywhere that isn't Jungkook’s eyes, really. “Do you want a glass of water?” He almost wants to punch himself. A glass of water, Jimin? Seriously?

“Uh, sure.” Jungkook replies, taking Jimin by surprise; he almost thought Jungkook would shoo him away. Without saying another word, he gets up from the chair and goes to fetch Jungkook some water. A long silence is followed when he gets back and hands the glass to him. He awkwardly watches Jungkook drink from the glass and clears his throat, determined to have an actual conversation.

“So, uhm,” Jimin says, “H-how was your day?”

Jungkook looks up from his phone again and raises a brow before replying. “It was fine.”

“That's good…” Jimin nods, trying to think of a way to prolong their conversation. It's going well for two people who have constantly bickered ever since they met. “How many classes did you have today?”

“Just two.”

“Were they good?”

“Yeah.”

“That's great.” Jimin notices he's fidgeting, playing with the sleeves of his oversized hoodie. He needs to say it now before he chickens out again. So before he can change his mind, he clears his throat and speaks up. “Jungkook… Can I talk to you?”

“Isn't that what you're already doing?” Jungkook says. On a normal day, Jimin would have replied with something sarcastic, but, well, this isn't just another normal day. This is the day Jimin patches things up with Jungkook for good. So, instead of coming up with a snide reply, he lets Jungkook’s sarcastic remark go and instead speaks calmly.

“Right. I just wanted to apologize.” Jimin says, sheepish.

“For what?”

“For what I said… Uh, after we we watched Twilight.”

“Oh, that,” Jungkook says, nodding. “It's fine, I don't even care anyway.” Jimin can almost taste the venom in his tone.

“Maybe you don't, but I do. It was out of line, and I’m sorry. It sounded like a funny joke in my head, but then I realized I shouldn't have said that when I knew how you felt about me being Taehyung’s soulmate—”

“Alright, I’m done with this conversation.” Jungkook says, but before he gets a chance to get up from the table, Jimin’s reaching a hand out to sit him down again.

“Jungkook, please. I’m really really sorry. I didn't mean to say what I said that night. I know it must really hurt you being in this situation, and I wish I could do something about it. I really do.”

Jungkook maniacally laughs, running both his hands through his hair in disbelief and frustration. “You know? You know it must really hurt me to be in the situation where my boyfriend, the actual love of my life, is soulmates with someone else? No, Jimin. You don't. You don't know how it feels like to have someone come into your life out of nowhere not just claiming that witchcraft is real, but also literally claiming your boyfriend for himself. You don't know how it feels to slowly believe the actuality of witchcraft come true before your eyes, and then realizing that if witchcraft really is true, then the imprinting thing must be, too. You don't know how it feels to look at the love of your life look at someone else the way he looks at you. You don't know how it feels like to watch the love of your life slowly fall in love with someone who isn't you. You don’t understand how it feels to try to keep saving your relationship but being anxious every single day about the possibility of them waking up one morning and deciding to break up with you and leave you for good. You don't understand the pain of thinking about living your life without your best friend, your boyfriend, the man you’ve always wanted to spend the rest of your life with, all because you didn't have a chance against some weird witchcraft thing called imprinting that has existed for thousands of years. You say you know how I feel, Jimin? You say you know how it must hurt me to be in this situation? Well, I hate to break it to you, but you don't. You don't even know half of it.”

Jimin looks at Jungkook. He knew it must have hurt Jungkook a lot to be in this situation, but he never once thought about how deep the pain runs through. He never once thought about Jungkook being anxious about Taehyung breaking up with him everyday, and he never once thought about how Jungkook must feel when he sees him and Taehyung on the couch, cuddling while watching a ton of movies on Netflix. He thought Jungkook was a hard wall, a solid chunk of strong cement that can’t be brought down. Jimin never once thought about Jungkook being vulnerable inside, and he certainly never thought about Jungkook ever being scared of the possibility of Taehyung leaving him for Jimin.

They stare at each other for what seems like an eternity. Jimin doesn’t know what to say, because really, what can you say to someone who has been in pain the moment you entered their life?

“Jungkook, I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. I didn’t realize it was this hard for you. I-I… I didn’t think for once that Taehyung might be falling in love with me. And I know he isn’t. He isn’t, Jungkook. He’s in love with you, you’re the only one who’s ever had his heart. To think that he’d ever fall in love with me is just… laughable. He’s deeply, insanely, irrevocably in love with you, and nothing will change that. Not even me. And I don’t ever plan to, I promise.”

Jungkook chuckles. “He’s falling in love with you, Jimin. You know how I know that? Because I saw it happen in front of my eyes when we were 16. The way he looks at you, the way his voice gets softer when he’s speaking with you. The way he tickles your chin when you say something he thinks is cute, the way he pinches your cheeks when you’re pouting. I’ve seen it all in front of my eyes when I was witnessing us falling in love with each other back when we were teenagers. The only other person he uses nicknames with is me. The only other person he’s ever looked at the way he looks at you is me. He’s falling in love with you, Jimin, and I don’t know how you can’t see that.”

“He can’t be,” Jimin replies. His heart is beating twice as fast now, his cheeks burning like never before. “Jungkook, he loves you. He’s in love with you.”

“I know he is. I know he loves me, and I know his love for me hasn’t lessened at all. I trust him with my entire heart, and he still looks at me the same way he did when I first told him I love him. But somehow, it’s not just me in his heart anymore. It’s the two of us. I know it, Jimin; I can feel it. He loves you just as much as he loves me, he’s just too scared and too guilty to admit it to himself. But he will soon, and when he does, I only ask for one thing: please don’t break his heart. This situation may be extremely painful for me, but I don’t ever want to see him get hurt.”

“Jungkook, I really don’t think he’s in love—”

“Jimin, I don’t care if you don’t think he’s in love with you,” Jungkook says, “I know he is. And I know how you feel about him, too. It’s so obvious how you light up when he’s in the room. The only thing I’m asking is for you not to break his heart when he confesses. Promise me.”

“Of course, Jungkook,” Jimin replies. “Like you said, you already know how I feel about him… I would never even think about hurting Taehyung. Ever. I promise.”

“That’s all I need to hear,” Jungkook says. He hesitates before speaking up again. “Hey, Jimin?”

“Yeah?”

“I want to apologize, too.” Jungkook’s looking straight at Jimin, and Jimin’s having so much trouble holding his stare.

“W-what? For what?”

“For everything, really. For being so mean to you all the time, for always answering you with snide and sarcastic remarks, for not even acknowledging your presence most of the time. I just had a hard time accepting the reality of our situation, knowing that my Taehyung’s soul is latched to someone else’s. I mean, I know it’s not an easy thing to accept, but still, I shouldn’t have been too hard on you. I did some thinking for the past two days after Taehyung left, and I realized that I shouldn’t have given you such a hard time, because the imprinting thing isn’t even something that you did on purpose.”

Jimin’s speechless.

Jungkook takes a deep breath before continuing. “I also realized after a while that you make Taehyung really, really happy. It warms my heart seeing him smile when you’re together, and honestly, well, you don’t know this, but sometimes I’d watch you two and find myself smiling, too. You make each other so happy, and there’s a particular glow when you two are together, I can’t deny that fact. And I guess that’s how I realized he’s falling in love with you, too. So then I thought—why am I giving Jimin such a hard time when he makes Taehyung so happy? When I know how Taehyung feels about him? It just… It all just suddenly didn’t make sense to me. And I know I kept indirectly hurting Tae everytime I fought with you, and I just can’t believe I made him go through that for months. He obviously cares for you, and that means I owe you an apology for all the times I made you feel bad. I also feel really shitty about fighting with you for all the most shallow reasons. You honestly had the right to turn me into a frog that one time a few months ago, I’m not even gonna lie.” Jungkook seems so shy, scratching the back of head. “So, I’m sorry, Jimin. I really am.”

Jimin doesn’t realize he’s crying until he feels one tear fall all the way down his cheek. He wipes it away and looks at Jungkook, who’s not crying, but is definitely teary eyed as well. It was probably hard for him to say all that. Jimin appreciates him a lot. “Jungkook... I don’t even know what to say. You honestly didn’t even have to apologize for most of the things you said. I came into your life unexpectedly and took a claim on your boyfriend, of course you would hate me. I never held any of it against you. But, yeah, I’m really sorry too, for everything.”

“Stop apologizing and just accept mine,” Jungkook says. “Please.”

“Okay,” Jimin nods. “Apology accepted.”

“Thanks,” Jungkook smiles, actually smiles and Jimin is stunned; he realizes that this is the first time he’s ever seen him smile directly at him. He’s always just received glares and blank stares from Jungkook, but now that Jimin’s seeing his smile, he realizes that Taehyung might just have to share the number one spot for the Prettiest Smile Jimin Has Ever Seen. Jungkook’s eyes disappear, his full cheeks rise up, and he displays a set of teeth that reminds Jimin of a bunny’s. A cute one.

Jungkook stands up from the table, but before going back to his room, he turns around and smiles sheepishly at Jimin, who was still stunned and sitting by the kitchen table. “Good night, Jimin.”

Jimin almost chokes. Jungkook has never, ever said good night to him since the first day they met. Even when he and Taehyung are right beside each other, he’d always just say good night to Taehyung, but never to Jimin. So hearing Jungkook his name without a hint of spite and hate with it makes Jimin’s heart beat double time. He collects himself, though, before he manages to ruin what has already been the most peaceful night the apartment has witnessed in months.

Jimin smiles back at him. “Good night, Jungkook.”

— -

Jimin wakes up the next morning to the smell of fresh bacon, fried eggs, and pancakes. He blinks his eyes open, squinting as the sun shines on his face. He stares at the ceiling of the living room, and waits for his brain and his body to adjust to waking up. He tries to remember what he dreamt about, but because Taehyung and Jungkook’s pull-out couch is extremely comfortable, he fell into a deep sleep right when he lied down, so he almost always falls asleep right away. He hasn’t remembered any of his dreams for the past few months now. He takes a deep breath and reaches his arms up to stretch, and almost gets a heart attack when someone from the kitchen clears his throat.

“Morning.”

Jimin startles, bringing his arms back down to reach for his blanket and cover half of his face with a squeal. He frantically looks over to the kitchen and sees Jungkook, whose hair was a haystack of a mess and big, round eyes half closed and still sleepy. “Oh, Jungkook,” Jimin says in relief. “Good morning.”

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook says, smiling just a little. He’s amused by the little squeal Jimin let out when he got startled. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, you didn’t scare me, I just um,” Jimin stutters, tries to come up with an excuse for letting out a squeal like that but apparently it’s too early for his brain to work. “I just—”

“—got scared?” Jungkook asks, amusement in his tone.

Jimin decides to admit defeat. “Yeah. I just wasn’t expecting you to be here, you’re usually gone by the time I wake up.”

“Yeah, well, my class isn’t until 1, so I decided to cook breakfast before taking a shower and getting ready.” Jungkook looks away and towards the pan on the stove, flipping the pancakes.

But they both know that even if Jungkook’s class isn’t for another three hours, he usually leaves the apartment everyday so he doesn’t have to interact with Jimin. Their little conversation the night before is already changing things in the apartment, thankfully.

After freshening up, Jimin heads to the kitchen to pour himself a bowl of cereal, like he always does every morning.

“What are you doing?” Jungkook asks. He was placing the plates of pancakes, bacon, and eggs on the kitchen table.

Jimin looks at him. “I’m… pouring myself a bowl of cereal. What does it look like I’m doing?”

Jungkook blinks. “You don’t want to eat actual breakfast for once?” He motions towards the table, and Jimin just now realizes that there are 4 pancakes, 6 bacon strips, and 2 eggs.

“You made breakfast for me too?” Jimin asks.

“Of course,” Jungkook chuckles. “It would be rude to just cook for myself while you’re with me in the apartment, don’t you think?”

Okay. This has never happened before, too. All these sudden changes with the way Jungkook is speaking and acting with him is throwing Jimin way off.

“Oh. Thank you.” He smiles. He puts the milk back in the fridge and walks over to the table, where Jungkook’s already devouring his breakfast plate.

Jungkook and Jimin eat quietly for a while. Jimin doesn’t know if he should talk since this situation is still really new for him. He’s still afraid that they still might not be on speaking terms, even after their conversation last night. But then again, Jungkook made him breakfast, so he guesses he should at least compliment it, right?

“This is really good, Jungkook,” Jimin says, taking a bite of the bacon. “Thank you.”

Jungkook looks at him and chuckles. “It’s not like it’s difficult to make, but thank you. I’m glad you like it.”

Jimin smiles shyly, thinking of a way to make the conversation more comfortable. “Do you want some coffee?”

“Yeah, sure. You know how to make cappuccino?”

“Hot or iced?”

Jungkook looks at him quizzically. “Iced.”

Jimin smiles. “One iced cappuccino, coming right up.” Jimin snaps his fingers, and a glass of iced coffee appears out of thin air, right in front of Jungkook.

“That’s gonna take some getting used to,” Jungkook says, taking a sip of the coffee. “Thank you, it’s really g—wait, this tastes exactly like my Starbucks order.”

Jimin clears his throat and looks down at his plate. “Yeah, uh, Taehyung once told me that you buy coffee at Starbucks before you go to class, so I figured I’d make it taste like what you drink everyday.”

“Are you saying,” Jungkook speaks slowly, eyes wide, “that I could’ve saved $5 every single day if I had just asked you to make me coffee every morning?”

Jimin nods. “Yup. Could’ve saved all that money if you weren’t so mean to me.”

They fall silent for a while, and then they burst into laughter. “And you really just let me spend all that money without even offering to give me coffee once?”

“Hey, I offered you coffee the first day we met, Jungkook. You didn’t even drink it.”

“Still, you knew I bought coffee everyday! You could’ve offered again.” Jungkook pointing an accusing finger at Jimin.

“Well,” Jimin says, “maybe if you weren’t such a dick to me everyday I would have. You deserved it.”

“Maybe I did a little bit,” Jungkook agrees. “But still, that was mean. You’re gonna have to make it up to me.”

“How?”

“By making me coffee every morning—”

“Unfair!”

“—and then, to pay for it, I’ll make you breakfast everyday!”

Jimin hums and acts like he’s thinking about it for a few seconds. Jungkook waits with a little smile on his face, hoping Jimin will take the deal. The coffee Jimin gave him tastes so much better than his Starbucks order, anyway.

“Alright,” Jimin smiles. “Deal.”

— -

That night, Jungkook and Jimin find themselves sitting on the couch, watching a movie. Jungkook came home from class with Japanese take out and Jimin had been watching some romantic movie Jungkook has never watched before. They end up devouring the food within 10 minutes, so now they’re just sitting lazily on the couch rubbing their stomachs. They probably ate sushi good for five people.

“What movie is this, anyway?” Jungkook says, staring at the screen. He immediately recognizes Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher from the movies he and Taehyung have watched from the past.

“It’s called No Strings Attached,” Jimin says. “It’s basically about these two making a deal about having sex together but Natalie Portman is like, emotionally constipated or something. She doesn’t want to date Ashton Kutcher.”

“If they don’t want to date then why is Ashton giving her a bunch of carrots right now?” Jungkook asks, referring to the scene that’s currently playing.

“Natalie is starting to like him, I guess. Ashton asked him out for Valentine’s Day and she said yes. So now, he’s taking her on a cute little first date.”

“First dates are usually always cute. On the other hand, my first date with Tae was funny and embarrassing to say the least.” Jungkook says.

“Really?” Jimin looks at Jungkook. “Tell me about it. I wanna know.”

Jungkook takes a deep breath. “Alright, but don’t laugh, okay?”

“I can’t promise you that, Jungkook.” Jimin’s already half smiling, a tone of amusement in his voice.

Jungkook rolls his eyes. “Nevermind, I don’t want to say it anymore.”

Jimin giggles. “No, I’m kidding! I promise I won’t laugh.”

“Promise?” Jungkook says, eyes narrowing.

“Promise.” Jimin says.

“Alright,” Jungkook starts, “We were 16, and we both had just confessed that we like each other. I asked him out on a whim without even knowing what the hell people do when they’re on a date. And of course, it had to be perfect, right? He’s not only my first crush, he’s my best friend too. I wanted to give him a perfect first date, because I know it’ll be a first for both of us, since he’s also never had a boyfriend. So then I brainstormed and came up with the most generic plan I could have come up with. Guess what it is.”

“What?” Jimin asks, head tilting sideways.

“I took him to the movies.”

“Wow,” Jimin says, dramatically covering his mouth with his hand. “Groundbreaking.”

“I know,” Jungkook rolls his eyes. He’s blushing a little bit, the way he does whenever he talks about Taehyung. Jimin thinks it’s really cute. It’s how he feels when he talks about Taehyung, too. “Blame the stupid teenage romantic comedies we watched back then. Anyway, we got tickets for this movie called About Time. In the middle of the movie, I wanted to hold his hand so bad, and it shouldn’t have been a big deal since we’ve held hands a million times before that day since we’ve been best friends for years, but it was different that night because it was finally an actual date. So for like 10 minutes, I was thinking of a way to hold his hand, and when I couldn’t find an opening, I just said fuck it and reached over. It would’ve gone so well and so smoothly, had it not been for his large cup of Coke on the armrest in the middle of our seats. So… instead of landing on his hand, I knocked over the Coke and it ended up spilling all over his clothes.”

Jimin stares at Jungkook, his mouth wide open. “Oh my god, Jungkook.”

“I know,” Jungkook nods. “I know. But of course, Taehyung being the sweetest, kindest, nicest boy in the universe, he just giggled and wiped it off even if he was soaking. I just know that if it had been anyone else, they would’ve gotten mad, walked out, and hated me forever. But, well. You know Taehyung.” Jimin nods. He does know Taehyung, and he does know that nothing could ever make Taehyung hate Jungkook, never in a million years. He’s starting to believe nothing will make Taehyung hate him, too. Jimin feels his heart glow a little with that thought.

“So,” Jungkook continues, “for a few minutes after the incident, I wanted to just curl up in a ball from humiliation. But a few seconds later, I felt Taehyung reach over, and then… he held my hand.” Jungkook is really blushing now, cheeks painted a pretty shade of pink. “Our hands were sticky as hell from the Coke, but at that point, I didn’t fucking care. He could literally have glue all over his hand and I’d still hold it, no questions asked.” Jungkook smiles, and Jimin does too.

“That’s really sweet, Jungkook,” Jimin says. “I don’t know why you called it funny and embarrassing. It was really cute.”

“Jimin,” Jungkook says slowly, “I spilled Coke all over him. On our first date. That’s embarrassing.”

“And? He held your hand after and you stayed together until now! That’s cute. Yeah, it’s embarrassing, but also very cute. It’s not some perfect first date you’d see in the movies, you know? It’s authentic and real.”

“I guess,” Jungkook pouts. “But still, I wish I had given him a better first date. Just like what Ashton Kutcher’s doing right now,” he says, gesturing towards the tv, “a mini golf date! That’s cute as fuck.”

Jimin chuckles. “Mini golf is stupid.”

“What?” Jungkook reacts rather overdramatically, “You don’t like mini golf? What kind of a monster are you?”

“I’m a witch,” Jimin says, matter-of-factly. “And yes, I don’t like mini golf. It’s stupid and pointless. Why would you want to go around and do all that boring stuff for a first date? Come on. Golf is stupid. It’s a stupid sport. And a stupid game. It’s just stupid.”

Jungkook narrows his eyes, looking at Jimin suspiciously. “Jimin…”

“What.”

“I feel like you’re just saying that because you don’t know how to play golf.” Jungkook says, trying to hold back his laughter.

Jimin huffs, looking every bit as offended as he can. “Excuse me! I can so play golf.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you can.” Jungkook says, teasingly smiling now.

“Okay, fine, I can’t.” Jimin rolls his eyes, lips formed into a little pout. “But still, mini golf as a first date is pointless and stupid.”

“It’s not,” Jungkook laughs, displaying the cute set of bunny teeth that Jimin could get used to seeing. “And I’ll prove it to you.”

“How?”

“I’m taking you to play mini golf tomorrow.” Jungkook says.

“What?” Jimin’s fully shocked, he’s never gone out with Jungkook ever since they met. They only ever see each other at the apartment, and he rarely ever goes out. Jungkook asking him to play mini golf with him catches him off guard, he almost couldn’t believe what he’s hearing. “No.”

Jungkook’s face falls. “No? Why not?”

“I told you, I hate mini golf, Jungkook.” Jimin says, looking down at his hands. Why is his heart beating fast? This is stupid.

“You just hate it because you don’t know how to do it. Luckily for you, I do. And I happen to be the best teacher ever, just ask Taehyung—I taught him how to play mini golf and he’s grown to love it ever since.” Jungkook looks at Jimin, waiting for an answer. When Jimin doesn’t speak, he tries harder. “Come on, Jimin! I promise you’re gonna love it.”

Jimin looks at Jungkook, and sees how his big, doe eyes are shining. He seems excited, biting his lower lip to keep himself from smiling too wide. Only his two front teeth are exposed, and Jimin really thinks Jungkook is a bunny hybrid now. He looks way too much like a bunny not to be.

Jimin thinks about it for a while, and is suddenly horrified by the thought of him messing up at the mini golf park and embarrassing himself in front of Jungkook. But seeing the big-eyed-bunny-teethed boy excitedly looking at him right now, how could he ever say no?

“Fine,” Jimin sighs. “I’ll do it.”

Jungkook claps his hands together and cheers. “Yes! You’re not gonna regret this. I’m a really good teacher! I promise you, you’re gonna love it, Jiminnie.”

Jimin smiles and tries to ignore the glow he feels in his chest upon hearing the nickname.

— -

Jimin’s having a hard time choosing what to wear. Which he thinks is extremely ridiculous, since this is just a normal hang out with a new friend, right? It’s not like it’s a date. But still, he’s been going through all his clothes—and in witch terms, that means standing in front of the mirror, snapping his fingers, and choosing between a million different outfits.

After about two hours and a whole bunch of different outfits changes later, he settles on a simple one—a black cropped sweater, black high waist ripped skinny jeans, and his favorite stomper boots. He then debates whether or not it would be weird to put makeup on, but decides he didn’t want his face to be bare. Not because he’s trying to look pretty, he tells himself—it’s just that he rarely ever goes out of the apartment and tonight is a nice excuse to finally put makeup on after a long while. He settles with a light brown shadow, a faint blush, and lip gloss. Just when he was looking at himself in front of the mirror completely satisfied with his look, he hears keys jingle and watches the door of the apartment open. Jungkook walks in coming from class and does a double take when he sees Jimin.

“Oh. Hey.” Jungkook says.

“Hi.” Jimin smiles.

“You’re ready?”

“Yeah, I uhm,” Jimin looks at the floor shyly, “I was bored so I decided to get ready early.”

Jungkook nods slowly, looking at Jimin. “Alright. I’ll just take a quick shower and get ready, is that okay? I feel sticky from walking from class and I don’t want to smell.”

“Yeah, of course! Don’t rush though, I know we don’t have to leave for another hour.”

“No, I’ll be quick so we can leave earlier.” Jungkook says, walking towards the bedroom.

“Okay.”

30 minutes later, Jungkook walks out with his hair still wet, wearing a black shirt, black cargo pants, and black boots. Which should just be a normal outfit, but on Jungkook, it just looks amazing, Jimin thinks. He has to physically stop himself from staring. His thoughts are interrupted by Jungkook clearing his throat. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” Jimin stands, too quickly for his own liking. He gets dizzy for a millisecond and stumbles a little, Jungkook quick to steady him.

“Hey, you okay?” Jungkook asks, looking at Jimin with concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Jimin answers. “I just stood too fast.”

“Are you dizzy? We can just stay home—”

“No!” Jimin says, a little too quickly again. He clears his throat, trying to dodge a bubbling awkwardness in the air. “I mean um, no. I’m fine, I swear. We can go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’m fine, Jungkook, don’t worry. Let’s go mini golfing.” Jimin smiles.

“Wow, for someone who hates mini golf, you sure do sound excited.” Jungkook teases.

“Shut up.”

— -

“Jimin, I told you, no magic!”

Jimin’s giggling, waving his golf club in the air. “You never said I can’t use magic.”

“Are you joking?” Jungkook asks, looking exasperated. “I told you I was going to teach you how to play golf, but you’ve just been using magic to make a hole-in-one for the past 4 putts!”

“Well, you haven’t been the best teacher either!” Jimin exclaims. “All you’ve been doing is showing off about how good you are. When are you going to teach me?”

“Okay then, big shot. If you don’t need my help, then why don’t you try making a hole-in-one here in #5 without magic huh?” Jungkook says smugly.

“Fine.” Jimin says, sticking a tongue out at Jungkook.

“Fine.” Jungkook raises a brow at him, looking at him expectantly.

Jimin turns around and looks at the hole, which was about 20 feet away and is surrounded by some giant plastic cakes and ice cream cones. Mini golf is such a weird place. He grips the golf club and looks down at the golf ball, trying not to conjure up a spell to enchant it. No magic, Jungkook said. He can do this.

“I’m waiting,” He hears Jungkook’s voice say behind him, teasing apparent in his voice.

“Shush, I’m concentrating.” Jimin hisses at him.

Suddenly, he’s hit by the sudden realization that he’ll most definitely miss and embarrass himself in front of Jungkook. But there’s no way out of this, so he has absolutely no choice but to do it. Jimin takes a deep breath and swings the golf club. Somehow, he hit it too hard, so the ball rolls a little too quick and ends up hitting one of the plastic cakes instead of heading straight to the hole.

“Wow,” Jungkook says. “You are good at this.”

Jimin turns around and narrows his eyes at Jungkook. “Shut up. You’re annoying.”

Before he knows it, Jungkook’s reduced to a fit of laughter, folding over himself.

“Whatever, I told you golf is a stupid sport anyway.” Jimin rolls his eyes, pouts, and starts to walk away.

He’s made it about a few feet away before he feels a hand grabbing his wrist, pulling him backward.

“Hey, wait,” Jungkook says softly. Jimin turns around and sees Jungkook’s eyes tearing up from laughing so much. “I’m sorry, I was just teasing. Come on, I’ll teach you.” Jungkook grabs his hand and drags him back.

“I don’t want to. I want to go home and watch a movie instead.” Jimin whines.

Jungkook chuckles. “Come on, it’s easy, I promise. You can do it, Jiminnie.”

There goes the nickname again. “Fine.”

Jimin takes the golf club while Jungkook places the golf ball in front of it and steps back. Jimin gets ready to hit the ball before he hears Jungkook giggling again.

“What is it now?” Jimin says, irritated.

“You’re holding the golf club wrong, dummy.” Jungkook walks over to Jimin. “You’re not supposed to be gripping like you’re choking the living hell out of it.” Jungkook reaches over and places both his hands over Jimin’s small ones, correcting the way Jimin’s fingers are wrapped around the golf club.

Jimin almost flinches at the touch. Like a bunch of other firsts the past two days, this is also the first time he and Jungkook have physically touched. It shouldn’t be a big deal, Jimin thinks. He’s just teaching him how to hold the golf club correctly, anyway. But why is it that his heart is beating a little faster than two seconds ago?

“See? It’s more comfortable, right?” Jungkook asks softly.

“Y-yeah, definitely.” Jimin nods, trying not to look at Jungkook.

“Alright,” Jungkook lets go of Jimin’s hands and steps back. “Give it a go.”

Jimin takes a deep breath and swings the golf club, hitting the ball too hard again, causing it to go way over the small railing surrounding the area.

“Well,” Jungkook chuckles, “Good grip, but we’re gonna have to work on that force.”

Jungkook takes another golf ball and sets it down on the golf tee. Then, he does something that almost brings Jimin into cardiac arrest. Jungkook walks around, stops behind him, and reaches over to place both his hands over Jimin’s. Jungkook’s a lot taller and broader than Jimin, so Jimin’s small frame is essentially engulfed within Jungkook.

“See how the hole is just a few feet from us?” Jungkook says softly. His lips are right beside Jimin’s ear and it’s causing his heart to palpitate.

“Mhm, yeah, yeah I uh, I see.” Jimin’s suddenly telling himself to stop stuttering before he embarrasses himself.

“Yeah, so uhm,” Jungkook’s voice is soft, and he’s talking a little slower than he was earlier. “So you just, you just basically swing way softer than you did earlier. Like this.”

Jungkook takes control of the golf club and swings softly, hitting the golf ball which smoothly heads straight to the hole with a soft thud.

“Woah,” Jimin says, mouth agape. “Hole-in-one without magic. You’re pretty good, Gukkie.”

Jungkook smiles at the praise and the nickname. “Thanks.”

It takes a few seconds for them to realize they’re still in the same position, Jungkook still standing behind Jimin, his arms still around him and hands over each other’s on the golf club. Jimin clears his throat and Jungkook lets go, taking a few steps away and placing a hand on his nape, looking down at his feet.

“Sooo yeah, uh,” Jungkook stammers, “t-that’s just basically how you do it.”

“Cool.” Jimin nods.

It’s awkward and silent for a while, before Jungkook speaks again. “Go on, your turn. Without my help this time.”

Jimin nods. Okay, he can do this.

He takes a deep breath and steadies himself for a few seconds before hitting the golf ball the way Jungkook hit it a few minutes before. The ball heads steadily straight, but misses just a few inches.

“Hey, that’s way better than you did earlier!” Jungkook exclaims. Jimin looks back at him, and he’s smiling.

“Still didn’t do it, though.”

“That’s alright,” Jungkook says encouragingly. “You’ll do it perfectly next time.”

Two hours later, the two become more comfortable with each other, tension all but disappeared. Jimin takes tips from Jungkook and ends up scoring almost as high as Jungkook does, which earns him an ice cream before they head home.

They sit at Taehyung’s favorite ice cream parlor, Jungkook with his mint chocolate and Jimin with his chocolate chip.

“You were pretty good back there,” Jungkook wiggles his brows at Jimin.

“Thanks,” Jimin smiles. “I had a pretty good teacher.”

Just then, Jungkook’s phone rings with a FaceTime call and a cute selfie of Jungkook kissing Taehyung’s cheek appears on the screen. Jungkook answers the call with a smile.

“Hey, angel.”

Jimin hears Taehyung’s chippy voice from the phone. “Hi, lovey! Whatcha doin?”

“I’m out right now. I’m at your favorite ice cream place.” Jungkook moves his phone around to show the surroundings.

“Are you really? Oh god, now I’m craving ice cream,” Jimin can hear the pout in Taehyung's voice, and he thinks about how much he misses his soulmate. He hasn’t been away from Taehyung this long before, and now that he’s hearing his voice, there’s nothing he wants more than for Tae to come back and cuddle on the couch like they always do. “Are you there alone? Did you go there because you’re missing me already, bubby?”

“I do miss you a lot, love. It’s driving me crazy,” Jungkook says, sadness in his voice. “But actually, I’m here with someone.”

“Who? Are you cheating on me? Whoever they are, they’re ugly as hell.” Taehyung says, teasing.

“Babe, who the hell would I cheat on you with?” Jungkook says dramatically. “You know you’re the only one I’ve ever had my eyes on since we met—”

“Ugh, shut up cheeseball!” Taehyung giggles.

Jungkook laughs. “I’m with Jimin.”

“Nice joke, baby,” Taehyung laughs. “No, really, who are you with?”

“I said I’m with Jimin!”

Taehyung laughs harder. “You’re so funny. Where’s Jimin, though? Is he at home? I hope you’re not being too mean to him. Bring home some ice cream! He loves chocolate ice cream. I miss him so much.”

Just then, a smiling Jungkook hands the phone to Jimin. “Hey, tiger. I miss you too.” He says, smiling. He’s seeing Taehyung through the screen now, and he feels his chest glow. Jimin misses that face so much it physically hurts.

Taehyung squeals for about three seconds before he brings the phone closer to his face. “Oh my god, Minnie! You’re there!”

Jimin giggles. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“B-but how? What? You two are together? Oh my god, am I dreaming?” Taehyung’s jumping up and down now.

“You’re not dreaming,” Jimin says. “Gukkie took me mini golfing.”

Taehyung gasps. “Mini golfing? Oh no, I’m so jealous! I love mini golf dates! Gukkie’s the best teacher.”

“Told you,” Jungkook says, smug.

Jimin rolls his eyes at Jungkook, and then smiles. “He is.”

“Wait wait wait wait wait. You two are okay now? You’re not fighting?” Taehyung asks frantically.

“Nope,” Jimin says, looking at Jungkook. “We talked when you left, now we’re all good.”

“That makes me so extremely happy, you have no idea,” Taehyung says, flashing his boxy smile. “Wait, I want to see you both in the frame to make sure this isn’t some hallucination.”

Jungkook laughs while moving his chair closer to Jimin. Jimin moves the phone farther so both of them can fit in the frame. “There, you dramatic little baby. Believe us now?”

“It’s really true,” Taehyung says, fake crying. “My two babies.”

Jimin and Jungkook giggle, fawning over how funny Taehyung looks on screen right now. They miss him so much. Taehyung does, too.

“I miss you two so much.” He says, pouting.

“We miss you too, baby.” Jungkook says.

“We miss you so much. Come home soon.” Jimin pouts.

“I’ll be home in a few days,” Taehyung says softly. “Until then, watch as many movies as you can, okay? Go bundle up on our couch and watch a movie every night until I come back!”

Jimin laughs. “Okay. What should we watch, cupcake? Any suggestions?”

“Hmm,” Taehyung looks up, lost in thought. “I know. Watch Harry Potter and tell him about all the spells you’ve done! Like when we watched them together. Remember?”

“Yeah, I remember.” Jimin smiles. It was about two months ago, he and Taehyung sat on the couch and watched the Harry Potter series all day. It was the day they ended up cuddling for the first time.

“Gukkie,” Taehyung calls.

“Yeah?”

“Jimin likes cuddling when he’s watching a movie, and I know you do, too. Go cuddle him while you watch, okay?”

“Y-you want us to cuddle?” Jungkook asks.

“Yeah, just like how you two would cuddle me if I was watching with you!” Taehyung says. “Both of you are good cuddlers, I would know.”

“Uh,” Jimin laughs awkwardly, “Tae, are you sure?”

“Yeah, why not? It’ll make you two closer, too. Do it do it do it,” Taehyung bounces up and down on his bed. “And then we can all cuddle together when I come home!”

“Alright, baby,” Jungkook says, and Jimin looks at him with wide eyes. “I’ll cuddle him.”

“Yay,” Taehyung does a little dance, the one he usually does when he’s extremely happy. “I’m so happy right now, you have no idea.”

“I think we kinda do, babe.” Jimin giggles, looking at Taehyung through the screen. He’s beaming.

“Alright, I have to go now. I’ll see you soon, okay? I love you two.” Taehyung does little kissy faces on the screen.

“I love you, too.” Jungkook and Jimin say simultaneously, watching the screen go black.

“I miss him.” Jungkook sighs.

“Me, too. So much.” Jimin answers.

They fall silent for a while, so Jimin looks out at the street and thinks about how familiar it is.

“You know,” Jungkook says, “this is where we saw Salem for the first time.”

Jimin looks at him. “Really?”

“Yeah. Just over there by the pavement.”

“This is where you guys first saw me? Salem’s cute, huh.”

“More like demonic.”

“Hey!” Jimin says, taking offense.

“What? Come on, you were a black cat with extremely yellow eyes and you even tried to scratch me.” Jungkook says, shivering at the memory.

“Well, you probably said something that triggered me to do that. Salem doesn’t usually scratch people, that I know for sure.”

“Huh, let’s see. I said black cats are scary and bad luck—”

“See!”

“Well you can’t blame me! That’s always what they say in movies.”

“Well those movies are wrong. Like most movies. The only film about witches that I wholeheartedly like is Harry Potter.” Jimin says.

“Harry Potter? Oh god, you and Taehyung really are soulmates.” Jungkook blurts out.

Jimin gets caught off guard. Does this mean Jungkook has accepted Taehyung and Jimin being soulmates?

“What?” Jungkook asks when he sees Jimin staring at him with wide eyes. “What did I say?”

“You said Tae and I are soulmates. I’ve never heard you acknowledge that before.” Jimin admits.

“Well,” Jungkook says, “I’m not the same person I was. It was hard for me to accept, but I know that you make Tae happy and Tae makes you happy too. Like I said, there’s a different glow when you two are together. And he’s in love with you too, Jimin. I’m okay with that now. I’ve spent three whole days alone with you and it’s easy to see why Taehyung fell in love with you. You’re easy to be with, you’re really thoughtful, and you have a nice smile—”

Jimin raises a brow, smiling a little bit. “My smile, huh?”

Jungkook clears his throat, almost choking on his ice cream. “Y-yeah, uh, Taehyung, he—he was the one who said that. Before. He told me you have a pretty smile. It was Taehyung.”

Jimin bites on his lower lip, trying not to giggle. He feels his chest glow, like how it does when he’s with Taehyung. “Guk, you said ‘nice smile’ earlier, though. Now it’s pretty, too?”

Jungkook visibly swallows. “Yeah, yeah, uh, Taehyung said you have a pretty nice smile. That’s what he said. Before. Taehyung said it. It was Taehyung.”

Jimin looks at Jungkook, feeling the glow in his chest grow by the second. He’s confused, but he’s gonna have to deal with it later.

“It was Taehyung, huh?” Jimin smiles.

“Yeah, that’s what I said. Taehyung. I-it was Tae who said you have a pretty smile.” Jungkook looks down and drinks a whole glass of water. “Hey, let’s go home, huh? It’s getting pretty cold. Aren’t you cold? It’s pretty cold.”

Jimin hides his laugh. “You’ve said the word pretty about a hundred times within the past minute.”

“Shut up,” Jungkook says, scratching the back of his head. “It is cold though, and we’re both not wearing jackets, so let’s head home before we get sick.”

Jimin giggles. “Okay.”

— -

Jungkook comes home from class the next day and sees Jimin moving around the kitchen.

“Hey.”

“Oh, you’re home.” Jimin smiles.

“What are you doing?”

“Cooking us dinner. You’ve been cooking for me for days, so I thought I’d return the favor.” Jimin says.

Jungkook walks over to the kitchen counter and sits on one of the stools. “Can’t you just snap your fingers and have an entire buffet laid out in the room?”

Jimin laughs. “It doesn’t work that way. I can only make food appear if I know how to make them. And I only know how to make mac and cheese, and I figured you didn’t want that for dinner.”

“Mac and cheese is awesome. I love mac and cheese.” Jungkook shakes his head.

“Well, I’m cooking for the first time so I want it to be special, not just something that takes me a few minutes to make.” Jimin rolls his eyes.

“Fine. That’s sweet of you,” Jungkook smiles at him. “What are you making?”

“Chicken alfredo pasta and garlic butter steak.” Jimin smiles, quite pleased with himself.

“It sounds good and smells amazing,” Jungkook says. “God, I’m starving now. I can’t wait, Jiminnie. Do you need any help?”

“No, I’m good! Just go freshen up or do your homework or whatever, I got this.”

“You sure?” Jungkook asks. Jimin appreciates how extremely helpful Jungkook is. He can’t believe they spent this long fighting with each other when they could have had it this easy.

“Yeah, I’m sure Gukkie. Now go, I’ll just call you when dinner’s ready.”

— -

After dinner, Jungkook finds himself rubbing his tummy. “Holy shit, Jimin. That was amazing. Are you sure you didn’t use magic to steal Gordon Ramsay’s recipe or something?”

Jimin giggles. “No, I promise. It was all me. No magic.”

“Well, it was amazing. I can hardly even move,” Jungkook says, letting out a little burp. “Thank you for dinner.”

“It’s nothing, you almost always cook for me and Tae, so I figured it’s your turn to be cooked for.”

“You’re sweet.” Jungkook says.

Jimin smiles back at him and panics when he feels that same glow blooming in his chest again. It’s been happening a lot since that night they talked, and it’s confusing him because he can only ever feel that when he’s with Taehyung. Witches only feel the glow when they’re with their soulmates, so why is he feeling the same when he’s with Jungkook? There’s a glitch in the system, and Jimin doesn’t understand what to do with himself.

“Well uhm,” Jimin says, clearing his throat, “Are you going to bed now?”

“No. We’re going to watch a movie, right?” Jungkook looks at him with his big round eyes.

“What?”

“Harry Potter. Tae asked us to watch it every night til he gets home, remember?” Jungkook says, tilting his head to the side.

“Oh, right,” Jimin nods. “Right, yeah let’s watch.”

“Wait, we gotta clean up the dishes first.” Jungkook says, reaching for the plates.

“Don’t worry Gukkie, I got it.” Jimin snaps his fingers and the dishes disappear.

“Where the fuck did the dishes go?” Jungkook says, eyes wider than usual.

“In the cupboard, all clean.” Jimin laughs.

Jungkook narrows his eyes at him. “Are you saying that I could have saved all that time washing dishes when you could have done them with a snap of your fingers?”

“Told you you shouldn’t have been mean to me.” Jimin says, giggling.

“Wow, you’re cruel. Just plain evil.” Jungkook says, shaking his head.

“Okay, drama queen, let’s go watch that movie.”

— -

“There, how about that one? Have you ever done that?” Jungkook points at the TV screen.

“Wingardium leviosa?” Jimin asks, looking at Jungkook.

Since the movie started, Jungkook hasn’t stopped asking Jimin about all the spells he’s done that are the same as the ones in the movie. Jimin has never seen Jungkook talk this much before, and it’s amusing him.

“Yeah. Making stuff fly and all that.”

“Of course,” Jimin says. “I can make stuff fly but I don’t have to say ‘wingardium leviosa’ to do it, though.”

Jungkook looks at him with wide eyes and mouth formed into a little ‘o’. “That’s so cool. You’re so cool.”

Jimin smiles at him. “Thanks, Gukkie. You’re so cute.” Jimin stops breathing for a moment. Did he really just say that out loud?

When Jungkook doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, Jimin risks it and sneaks a peek. Jungkook was already looking at him, surprise painted across his face. Jimin tears his eyes away and looks towards the TV screen instead. They’re quiet for a few more minutes and Jimin starts to devise a plan to conjure up a spell that will make the ground swallow him whole. Anywhere is better than here. He’s about to apologize when he hears Jungkook clear his throat beside him.

“Uhm, Jimin?”

Jimin swallows. Here it comes. He crossed the line because of his stupidity and now he’s ruined the progress they made. Jungkook will tell him he doesn’t like him like that and that they should stay away from each other until Taehyung comes back home. They’ll go back to being awkward and fighting all the time and—

“Are you cold?”

What?

Jimin looks at him. “Huh?”

“You’re um, you’re shaking a little. I can feel you.”

“Oh, no, I’m—I’m good. I’m just—”

“Come here.” And just like that, Jungkook puts an arm around Jimin, taking his breath away and makes his heart stop for a second. He’s pulled into Jungkook’s frame, and his head ends up resting on the area between Jungkook’s chest and shoulder. He feels Jungkook’s arm wrap around him like it’s the most natural thing in the world, and surprisingly, he’s extremely comfortable.

“Better?” Jungkook asks.

Not for my heart.

“Yeah, thank you.” He says instead.

The glow in his chest returns, but this time, it’s stronger. It’s not just a glow this time; it’s a pull. A tug in his chest. The feeling he got when Taehyung looked at him for the first time. The feeling he got when he and Taehyung cuddled for the first time. The feeling he got when he realized he’s in love with Taehyung. But this time, he’s feeling it in Jungkook’s arms, for Jungkook. Jimin swallows and starts to feel really sick.

Jimin’s confused, to say the least. He knows Taehyung is his soulmate, he knows he’s imprinted on him already. More than that, he knows he’s in love with Taehyung. So why is there a glow and a tug in his chest right now, while he’s safely tucked in Jungkook’s arms? Can witches have more than one soulmate? He doesn’t know for sure, and there’s no way for him to know for sure, it’s not like he can just google it.

The only thing he knows for sure is he’s falling for Jungkook, too.

He’s falling for his soulmate’s boyfriend.

He’s fucked.

— -

A couple of days later, Jungkook sees Jimin laid out on the pull out couch, shivering in his blanket.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jungkook asks, standing by the couch.

Jimin opens his eyes. “Hey, Gukkie.”

“What’s wrong?” Jungkook’s concerned, Jimin looks really sick.

“I’m fine, Gukkie,” Jimin smiles weakly. “Go to class.”

Jungkook isn’t convinced, so he sits by the edge and puts a hand on Jimin’s forehead to gauge his temperature. “Jimin, you’re burning up!”

“I’m fine, Koo. I promise. Go to class—” Jimin then goes into a coughing fit, using his blanket to cover his mouth.

“No, there’s no way I’m leaving you at home like this.” Jungkook says. “I’m staying home.”

“No!” Jimin shakes his head. “Go to class, I’ll be fine, I can manage on my own. Go on.”

“I’m staying with you.”

“No.”

“You’re so stubborn. You look like you’re dying and you’re still pushing me away.”

“You’re stubborn. You have class and you’re risking getting sick to stay at home with me.”

“Well, I’ll have you know that my immune system is amazing. I haven’t gotten sick in a long time, and no witch virus is going to change that.” Jungkook says, wiggling his brows.

Jimin frowns weakly at him. “Witch virus, really?”

“What else am I going to call it? You’re a witch. You have a virus. It’s a witch virus.” Jungkook says, matter-of-factly.

Jimin takes a pillow and swings it at Jungkook. “You’re so annoying. Get out.”

“Wow, I’m sooo scared. What are you gonna do, cough on me?” Jungkook says teasingly.

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yeah, I do, actually.”

“Do you call everyone you hate ‘cute’?”

Jimin stares at him, dumbfounded. He’d almost forgotten he called Jungkook cute a few days ago. His cheeks burn up and he feels a furious blush paint his cheeks within seconds. “Fuck off, Jungkook!”

Jungkook laughs, folding over himself. His eyes disappear and his bunny teeth are all displayed. “Don’t you mean ‘fuck off, cutie’?”

“If you don’t stop, I’ll turn you into a frog again.”

The fear that washes over Jungkook’s face is a look Jimin will forever treasure in his brain.

“Okay,” Jungkook says quickly, bringing his hands up defensively. “I get it. No need to get all witchy.”

Jimin grabs the pillow and hits Jungkook again, harder this time. “You’re so annoying. Move.”

“I gotta tell you, you’re more likeable and way cuter when you’re not all sick like this.” Jungkook says, heading towards the kitchen.

Jimin feels his cheeks burn again. Jungkook just called him cute. Jungkook just called him cute. Jungkook just called him cute. He hides his face under the blanket and takes a deep breath. “Whatever. Go away.”

Jungkook looks over at Jimin from behind the counter and sees that he’s hiding under his blanket. “I told you, I’m not going away. I’m cooking you breakfast. You hungry?”

Jimin peeks from the blanket, only showing his eyes and his tiny nose. Jungkook almost coos at how cute he looks, his little fingers clutching the blanket like that. “Yeah… I’m kinda hungry.”

Jungkook chuckles. “See? You would have starved if I left you and didn’t stay home.”

“No,” Jimin sniffs. “I would have snapped my fingers and made myself some mac and cheese.”

Jungkook looks at Jimin disapprovingly. “Yeah, okay, because mac and cheese is the best food to eat for a sick person, right?”

Jungkook sees Jimin roll his eyes, so he tries to hide his laughter by biting on his lower lip. “No, seriously. It has all the nutritional values you’d need to get better.”

“Is it Annoy Jimin Day? Seriously.”

“Annoy Jimin Day is everyday for me,” Jungkook chuckles.

“What are you making, anyway?”

“Chicken noodle soup.”

“Ew.”

Jungkook gasps dramatically. “Chicken noodle soup is not ‘ew’. Chicken noodle soup is good.”

“I have never tasted good chicken noodle soup before. So. Ew.”

“Well you’re about to taste the best chicken noodle soup ever. I swear.”

Moments later Jungkook approaches Jimin with a tray full of different stuff: a jug of water, Gatorade, 4 different kinds of medicine, and of course, the chicken noodle soup.

Jimin chuckles. “What is this?”

Jungkook looks at him quizzically. “What? It’s all the stuff you need to feel better. It’s what I give Taehyung when he gets sick. 100% success rate. You’ll feel better in no time, I promise.”

Jimin smiles. “Thanks, Gukkie.” He reaches for the spoon before Jungkook stops him.

“What are you doing? Stop that. I’ll do it for you.”

“What?” Jimin says, eyes wide. Jungkook’s going to feed him? “N-no, I can do it myself.”

“No, I’ll do it. I’ll take care of you today, you don’t have to do a thing, okay?”

“Jungkook, you don’t have to, really—”

“I want to. Please let me.” Jungkook looks at him, puppy dog eyes on display. Jimin’s heart melts.

“Okay.”

— -

Jungkook pretty much stays with Jimin the entire day.

He would tend to Jimin’s needs and urge him to drink water every five minutes, much to Jimin’s annoyance. Jimin thinks it’s cute though, the way Jungkook cares enough to take care of him like this, like how he takes care of Taehyung when he’s sick. Jimin has seen it once, and thinks about how nice it is to be on the receiving end for the first time. Not that he’s thankful he got sick, he just likes that it gave him the chance to experience getting taken care of by Jungkook.

By the end of the day, they’ve watched about four Harry Potter movies. They sit beside each other and by the middle of the movie, Jungkook looks over at Jimin and notices that despite wearing a hoodie and being covered by a blanket, he’s still shivering slightly. Jungkook thinks about it for a few seconds and then reaches over, gently pulling Jimin close and wrapping both his arms around him. Then, he takes Jimin’s arm and wraps it over his torso so Jimin can get all of his body warmth.

Jungkook thinks this is nice, being all cuddled up with Jimin like this. He feels Jimin’s fast-paced heartbeat, and realizes his heart is beating just as fast. This has happened a lot during the past few days he has spent with Jimin—his heart would beat faster whenever Jimin would do something, even the simplest things.

The first time it happened was when he first saw Jimin smile at him. Immediately, he thought about how pretty the smile is, and how much he regrets that it’s the first time he’s seeing him smile like that. He felt his heart beat faster and felt a little warmth in his chest that he couldn’t explain. All he knows is that he feels the same thing with Taehyung, and has only ever felt it with Taehyung. It happened again the next day, when he came home and saw Jimin ready for the mini golf night. Jimin looked extremely pretty, he almost couldn’t take his eyes off him. His chest felt warm again, which extremely confused him, so he headed straight to the shower to avoid Jimin for a short while. The next time it happened was at the mini golf park, when he touched and wrapped his arms around Jimin for the first time. He felt a specific warmth in his chest, a small tug that he has never experienced before. And ever since, the warmth that blooms in his chest has happened again and again every time he interacted with Jimin.

Jungkook’s not sure exactly what it is, but he knows for sure that it isn’t something that he would feel normally for a simple friend. It’s definitely something more. Ever since they talked, Jungkook has felt a stronger bond and attraction for Jimin, almost as if the last few months where they constantly fought didn’t even exist at all. Suddenly, the anger and hatred he felt for Jimin almost seems like a lifetime ago. Now, Jungkook feels as if they’ve bonded for more than a few days. There’s a certain pull, a certain warmth that he has felt ever since that night, and frankly, Jungkook likes it. Jungkook likes the warm feeling that’s blooming in his chest right now.

It’s the exact same feeling he gets whenever he even thinks about Taehyung. Taehyung is the love of Jungkook’s life, everyone knows that. They’ve been together for the longest time that Jungkook doesn’t even remember a time when he and Taehyung weren’t attached to the hip. He’s hopelessly in love with Taehyung, just as in love as he was when they were 16, and even a million times more than that. He would do anything for Taehyung, even jump off a building if he asked.

What he’s feeling for Jimin isn’t as intense and as extreme as his love for Taehyung yet, but it definitely is something. And somehow, he knows it’s going to end up in that direction as well. Taehyung, his boyfriend, the love of his life. He’s feeling the way he feels for Taehyung for someone who he has only talked to for a few days. Is this even possible?

The thing is, Jungkook can’t even try to push it away. He wants to feel this way. He feels like he’s supposed to feel this way. He feels like he’s always felt this way. Is this what Taehyung felt when Jimin imprinted on him?

Imprint.

Is it possible that Jimin imprinted on him, too? Is it possible for a witch to have two soulmates?

“Jimin?” He asks softly.

“Hmm?” Jimin hums, snuggling closer.

“Can you tell me more about imprinting?”

Jungkook feels Jimin freeze, almost stops breathing entirely. He can tell this is a stressful subject for Jimin, so he calms him down by rubbing small circles on his back. He feels Jimin relax almost instantly.

“Uhm, well, like what I said before… It’s when a witch’s soul latches onto someone else’s soul. That’s why your kind calls it soulmate. They’re someone your soul is meant to be with your whole life.”

Jungkook hums. “So, Taehyung is my soulmate?”

Jimin smiles. “Yeah, you two are soulmates.”

“And you said you can’t choose who you imprint on, right?”

“Right. It happens unexpectedly, and to someone who we could know all our lives, or not know at all. In this lifetime, at least.”

“So, basically, this is the person you’re destined to be with, right? It’s predetermined?”

Jimin nods. “Yeah, my grandma even said that the person a witch imprints on is the same one they’ve imprinted on during all their past lifetimes. That means that all reincarnations of the witch were spent with the same soul. And it’ll keep happening over and over, for all lifetimes, until the end of time. Beautiful, isn’t it? Knowing you get to spend multiple lifetimes with one person.”

Jungkook’s heart breaks a little. He said one person. Jungkook takes a breath. “Uhm, what do you feel? When you, uhm, when you imprint. How did you know that you’ve imprinted on Taehyung?”

Jimin smiles, recalling the fond memory. It was a beautiful feeling, one he would relive over and over again if he could. “When I looked at Taehyung for the first time, I felt a certain tug, an instant connection with him, as if I’ve known him my entire life. That’s when I knew.”

“A tug?”

“Yeah, like a pull. Like my soul was being tied up with his; like i was being pulled to him. There’s a certain glow I felt, too.”

“A glow… Like, a warmth in your chest?”

“Yeah, exactly like that.”

“Like… a certain warmth and a sudden feeling that you’ve always seem to have felt this way for the person, no questions asked? Like… you suddenly have a specific bond with this person even if you’ve never known them before? Like… you’re suddenly feeling as if you don’t know how you once managed to even neglect the existence of this person?”

Jimin freezes and sits up to look at Jungkook with wide eyes.

Jungkook continues, looking straight at Jimin. “A certain warmth, a glow that slowly blooms in your chest, that makes you feel alive and happy and content with everything. A warmth you feel when you’re with them. A warmth you feel when you’re seeing their pretty smile. Is that it?”

Jimin’s staring at him. “Jungkook…”

“Jimin, is it possible for a witch to imprint on two people?”

Jimin chokes on air, finding it hard to breathe. He feels like he’s drowning. “I—I don’t know… Why are you asking?”

“You know why.” Jungkook says. “I feel like you know why.”

“Jungkook, I—”

“Is there a warmth in your chest right now? At this very moment. Do you feel the tug? The glow?” Jungkook asks, eyes boring holes into Jimin’s soul.

Jimin thinks about lying. He could lie, he could definitely say no, that Jungkook’s hallucinating, that Jungkook’s just missing Taehyung so much that he’s projecting it onto Jimin. But Jimin also knows it won’t be fair. Jungkook described the feeling of being imprinted on so perfectly that’s there’s no way he could have just been making it up. And Jimin knows it’s true—he feels it too. A tug, a warmth, a glow in his chest that he has only felt with Taehyung until that night when he and Jungkook talked for the first time. And at this moment, there’s no point in denying it anymore. Jungkook knows.

So, Jimin takes a deep breath and speaks softly. “Yes.”

Jungkook swallows and stares at him. “You still feel the same for Taehyung, right? Or… did you transfer the imprint to me?”

“No no no,” Jimin answers quickly, “I still feel the same for Taehyung. I can’t transfer or take back imprints—it’s permanent. I just… seem to have imprinted on you, too.”

“Is that possible?” Jungkook asks, dumbfounded.

“I don’t know,” Jimin says, exasperated. “I just know that this feeling I have right now is the same feeling I have when I’m with Taehyung.”

“Me, too.” Jungkook says softly.

Jimin looks at him, eyes wide. “You what?”

“The feeling you described. I feel it for you, right now. I’ve felt it since that first night we talked.” Jungkook explains. “These feelings I have for you, Jimin… it’s overwhelming. I’ve only ever felt this way about Tae, and I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’m emotionally cheating on him and it’s making me feel like shit. I still love him, so, so much it consumes me. But now, I also have these unexplainable feelings for you and it’s just really confusing. I don’t know what to do.”

Jimin looks at Jungkook whose face is painted with sadness and confusion. Jimin reaches forward and cradles Jungkook’s cheek.

“Gukkie,” Jimin says softly, sadness in his voice. “I’m sorry I made you feel this way. You’re sad and confused and I’m really really sorry. I really wish there was something I could do.”

Jungkook smiles weakly. “Don’t say sorry, Jiminnie. It’s not your fault. Like you said, it happens when you least expect it, right? To someone you might not expect. This time, it just happens to be the best, kindest, sweetest, prettiest boy ever, and also somehow a guy you’ve fought with everyday for the past few months.”

Jimin smiles. “You’re kind, sweet, and pretty, too.”

“No, that’s Taehyung. And you.”

Jimin shakes his head. “Then you really don’t see yourself the way Taehyung and I see you.”

Jungkook smiles, and then covers his face with both his hands. “Fuck, what are we gonna do? I’m in love with Taehyung. And you. And you’re in love with me and Taehyung. What the fuck is happening?”

Jimin thinks for a moment. “We have to talk to Taehyung about this. I know it’ll be weird and awkward and maybe even scary, but we both know Tae, right? He won’t get mad. Like you said, he’s the kindest, sweetest boy ever. We just have to talk about it and then everything will be okay.”

Jungkook looks at him. “Everything will be okay?”

“I promise.” Jimin smiles.

As if on cue, they hear keys jingle and see the front door of the apartment swing open.

Taehyung walks in carrying a ton of bags that he drops the moment he sees Jungkook and Jimin sitting so close to each other on the pull-out couch. Taehyung instantly feels his chest glow brighter than it ever has. He spent an entire week trying not to get distracted, but has ended up thinking about Jungkook and Jimin more than he cared to admit. Now, he’s looking at both of them, and he feels a sudden burst of energy, as if his battery was at low and upon seeing them both, it zaps right back to a hundred percent.

“Hi.” Taehyung says quietly before making a beeline for the couch and jumping on the two boys. He hugs them both at the same time. “I missed you two so so so so much.”

Jimin and Jungkook hug him back tighter, and they stay like that for a few seconds before letting go.

Jungkook leans in and kisses Taehyung, soft and sweet. “I missed you, angel.”

Taehyung smiles. “I missed you too.”

“The apartment felt weird without your constant whining about cuddling one of us.” Jimin says, cradling Taehyung’s cheek.

Taehyung rolls his eyes. “That’s why you two are going to make it up to me by cuddling me to death.”

Jimin giggles. “I promise we will, but first, we have to talk.”

Jungkook takes a deep breath.

“About what?” Taehyung asks.

“About us, baby.” Jungkook says.

“Wait, us us? Like you and me, Jungkook?” Taehyung says, tilting his head to the side.

Jungkook shakes his head. “No. You, me, and Jimin.”

Taehyung furrows his brows. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”

Jimin looks at Jungkook, and Jungkook nods his head encouragingly. Jimin speaks slowly so he doesn’t shock Taehyung too much. “When you left, I took your advice and talked to Jungkook so I could apologize for my behavior that night when we watched Twilight together. We then got to talking, and he apologized too. And then… and then I felt a glow in my chest.”

“A glow?” Taehyung says. “Like… the glow we feel for each other? The soulmate glow?”

Jimin nods his head. “Y-yeah. And Jungkook and I just talked and apparently, he felt it, too. It happened again and again everyday whenever we’d interact the entire week you were gone.”

Taehyung looks at Jungkook, who was looking back at him anxiously. “It’s true, Tae.”

“Wait, I’m confused, I don’t get it.” Taehyung says. “How can you feel for Jungkook the same thing you feel for me?”

“I think…” Jimin says carefully, “I think my soul imprinted on Jungkook, too.”

“Wh—” Taehyung’s shocked, like he has just been dumped by a bucket of ice-cold water. “What? You imprinted on Jungkook?”

“Yes. The feeling he described to me is the same exact feeling that we have when we’re together, Tae. He feels it, too. At first I thought it was just me, that it was just a feeling that I’m having because I was missing you so much, but Jungkook said he felt it, too. And there’s no other way to describe it but, well, imprinting.” Jimin looks at Taehyung.

Taehyung turna his head and looks at Jungkook. “You feel it too?”

Jungkook nods. “Y-yes, baby. I do.”

“You’re in love with him?” Taehyung asks quietly.

Jungkook swallows and takes a deep breath before answering. “Yes.”

Taehyung’s quiet for a while, trying to absorb the information he was just told. Jimin and Jungkook don’t speak as well. It was starting to get tense and awkward, and Jimin was already trying to come up with something to say just to fill in the dead air, until Taehyung speaks. His voice was the tiniest it’s ever been, and his lips start quivering as soon as he starts talking.

“Does that mean you don’t love me anymore?”

Jimin and Jungkook aren’t sure exactly who he’s talking to, but both of them answer as quickly as they can, anyway. “No!”

As if on impulse, Jungkook quickly reaches for Taehyung and pulls him in for a hug. “Tae, please don’t think that. We love you,” He says, rubbing small circles on Taehyung’s back, the way he likes it when he’s sad. “We love you so much. That never changed.”

Jimin positions himself so he’s sitting next to Jungkook and he can see Taehyung’s face. Taehyung starts to cry as soon as Jungkook pulls him in for a hug, and his nose is red and his cheeks are all puffy. Jimin reaches over to wipe Taehyung’s tears away. He looks at Taehyung in the eyes, and makes sure Taehyung’s looking back at him.

“Hey,” Jimin says softly, “We love you. We’re in love with you, Tae. Don’t ever think for a second that we’re not. You’re our middle ground here. You’re the one that bonds us three together. We don’t even know what we’d do without you.”

Taehyung sniffs. “Both of you love me?”

“Yes.” Jungkook says.

“So much.” Jimin adds.

Taehyung sniffs again. “And you two love each other?”

Jungkook and Jimin look at each other. They haven't explicitly said it yet, but they both know that they do.

“Yes.” They both say.

Taehyung’s quiet for a while, just quietly thinking. His tears have stopped streaming, but his face is still pretty puffy. Jungkook positions Taehyung in between him and Jimin, and they both cuddle him like how they know he’d like. Taehyung instantly feels a million times better, the feeling of being in between the two people he loves most in the world giving his heart so much warmth.

“I love you two.” Taehyung says. “I do. Jungkook, I’ve loved you since the moment I drew that stickman on your lunchbox. I’ve loved you with all my heart ever since. You’re my best friend, my boyfriend, the love of my life. You’re everything I’ve ever asked for.”

Jungkook smiles and kisses Taehyung’s forehead.

“Jimin,” Taehyung continues, “I never thought I’d be able to love anyone else like I love Jungkook, but here you are. You’ve grown to be one of the most important people in my life within a span of a few months, and now I just don’t know what I would do without you. You’ve made my life a little brighter and a little more colorful since we met. You’re my soulmate, Jimin. I love you.”

Jimin smiles. “I love you too, tiger.”

Taehyung sighs. “So. I love you two, you two are in love with me, and you two are in love with each other.”

Jimin and Jungkook giggle. “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up, love.” Jungkook says, intertwining his fingers with Taehyung’s.

Taehyung reaches over with his other hand and takes Jimin’s, intertwining their fingers together. “I see three problems with one solution here.”

Jimin tilts his head to the side. “What are you saying?”

“Gukkie,” Taehyung says, sweetly kissing the back of Jungkook’s hand, “you think there’s room for one funny, clingy, sexy, and extremely pretty witch in our relationship?”

Jungkook looks at Jimin and smiles, and then looks back at Taehyung. “Definitely, babe. We can make room for one more.”

Jimin’s mouth is agape. “What?”

Jungkook and Taehyung look at Jimin, each of them taking one hand, as if making a proposal.

Taehyung speaks. “Park Jimin, beautiful witch of the north—”

“I’m not even from the north,” Jimin interjects. Jungkook’s biting on his lower lip, trying not to laugh.

“The first of his name, king of the land of sexy kittens, khaleesi of potions and sorcery—”

“Baby, this isn’t Game of Thrones.” Jimin rolls his eyes, and Jungkook’s already bursting out into so much laughter his eyes are starting to tear up.

“Will you shush? Let me do my thing, I’m trying to be romantic here.” Taehyung snaps.

“Okay, okay.” Jimin says, smiling.

Taehyung clears his throat. “Park Jimin, will you be our boyfriend?”

Jimin looks at the two boys in front of him and thinks about how incredibly lucky he is to have not only one, but two soulmates in all his lifetimes. He smiles to himself, his chest bursting with every single emotion he can feel all at once, he almost feels like he’s going to explode.

“There are no two other dorks I’d rather be boyfriends with. Yes, I’ll be your boyfriend.” Jimin smiles.

Almost as soon as he says it, Jungkook reaches for Jimin’s cheeks and pulls him in for a kiss. The kiss was, well, unlike any other kiss Jimin has ever had before. This one feels more authentic, more real. Jungkook’s lips were as soft as he thought they’d be, and he’s definitely an extremely experienced kisser. He takes in Jimin’s lower lip between his teeth and bites on it, earning a little moan from Jimin.

“Excuse me?” Taehyung says from beside them, brows furrowed and pouting. “Gukkie, you were literally with Jimin all week. It’s my turn.”

Jimin and Jungkook are reduced to a fit of giggles as they break away. “Sorry, baby. He’s all yours.” Jungkook says.

Jimin’s lips are swollen from Jungkook’s bite, but he still bites on his lower lip as he anticipates Taehyung’s kiss. He’s been wanting to kiss his soulmate for the longest time, but held himself back everytime out of respect for Taehyung and Jungkook’s relationship. Now, they’re finally boyfriends and he can kiss him as many times as he wants. It almost feels surreal.

Taehyung looks at Jimin with a smile and puts his arms around Jimin’s neck. Then, he slowly closes the gap between them.

Kissing Taehyung is different from kissing Jungkook. Jungkook is a little aggressive and more sensual, whereas Taehyung’s kisses are soft and slow. Taehyung kisses him with a certain gentleness he’s never experienced before, and when he feels Taehyung’s tongue swipe at his lips seemingly asking for entrance, he opens his mouth and feels Taehyung kiss him deeper. Taehyung swirls his tongue against Jimin’s, and tastes the sweetness of his mouth. Taehyung feels electric, like he can feel every single vein in his body light up all at the same time. Jimin’s lips are soft, so soft, and his tongue tastes like honey. He feels like he can kiss him forever until he realizes he’s out of breath, so he breaks away to finally come up for air.

“Wow,” Jungkook breathes. “That was so fucking hot.”

“Yeah?” Taehyung says, voice deep and low. He’s looking at Jungkook with hooded eyes and biting down on his lip and Jungkook feels like he’s going to explode.

“Come here,” Jungkook says, grabbing Taehyung’s waist and crashing his lips against his.

It almost feels automatic, the way Taehyung wraps his arms around Jungkook’s neck. They’ve done this about a million times to know what to do when they’re heated and kissing. Jungkook grips on Taehyung’s waist almost possessively as he bites down on Taehyung’s lip. Taehyung responds by licking into Jungkook’s mouth, sexier and more sensual than obscene. Taehyung tilts his head to kiss Jungkook deeper, and Jungkook lets out a small moan, gripping Taehyung’s waist even tighter. Taehyung has spent an entire week thinking about this—about Jungkook’s lips, about the way he kisses him. Jungkook knows exactly how he likes to be kissed, and it’s quite concerning how terribly obsessed he is with his boyfriend’s lips.

Jungkook kisses him so deep, Taehyung almost forgets his name.

They come up for air after a while, panting and staring at each other, Jungkook kissing Taehyung’s lips one last time before breaking apart.

“Holy fucking shit,” Jimin says, trying to contain the growing problem in his pants after watching Taehyung and Jungkook make out.. “That was hot.”

Taehyung and Jungkook look at Jimin, and let’s just say the three spend their first night as boyfriends with each of them moaning each other’s names at one point throughout the night.

— -

A few weeks later, Jungkook comes home from class to Jimin and Taehyung making out and cuddling in their bedroom.

“Really?” Jungkook says, irritated. “It’s like you two are about to suck each other’s faces off and it’s not even 5 pm.”

“Aww,” Taehyung says, “Is our little Jungkookie jealous?”

“No, it’s just funny that you guys are already making out. Without me.” Jungkook pouts.

Jimin giggles, pulling Jungkook in bed to position him in between him and Taehyung. “We were just trying out how comfortable our new bed is. It’s more roomy now that it’s king-sized. We can all fit in it comfortably now.”

Jungkook rolls his eyes. “So? You don’t have to be kissing to do that.”

Taehyung kisses Jungkook’s cheek. “Love, stop being a whiny baby. We were just waiting for you. But now that you’re here…” Taehyung slowly traces Jungkook’s jawline with his finger, making Jungkook shiver.

Jimin does the same, but this time tracing a finger along Jungkook’s collarbones. “Hm, Tae, what do you think we should do to our boyfriend who’s all jealous and whiny right now?”

Jungkook swallows, electricity sparking every inch of his skin that Taehyung and Jimin touch. “W— Uh, what do you mean…” Jungkook mumbles.

“Hmm,” Taehyung purrs, dragging his finger even lower, tracing the outline of Jungkook’s abs through his thin black shirt. “I don’t know, Jiminnie. Do you wanna play?”

Jungkook’s barely breathing.

Jimin bites on his own lip, dragging his finger down even lower, tracing little swirls on Jungkook’s muscular thighs, making Jungkook flinch. “I don’t know, baby… Should we play? I feel like playing.”

“Me, too…” Taehyung’s finger is on Jungkook’s zipper, playing with the button of his jeans, dangerously close to where Jungkook desperately wants to be touched.

Jungkook can’t believe his two beautiful, extremely hot boyfriends are teasing him like this. He honestly feels like he’s going to explode.

“Why don’t you start by pressing the button, tiger?” Jimin says, voice dangerously seductive.

Taehyung smirks, bratty demeanor lighting up like fireworks. “Yes, sir.”

Taehyung swirls his finger around the button of Jungkook’s jeans and drags it down, applying pressure to Jungkook’s crotch. Jungkook flinches a little, taking a deep breath to anticipate what’s to come.

Which is him.

He wants to come.

And then, in true Taehyung fashion, ever the tease—the pressure on Jungkook’s crotch all but disappears as Taehyung drags his hand down to the area between Jungkook’s thighs. Taehyung reaches below and takes out a remote—a fucking remote—and presses a button. The on button.

“What the fuck.” Jungkook says, face falling.

Jimin and Taehyung burst into laughter, falling over each other on top of Jungkook.

“I fucking hate you both,” Jungkook says, trying to shimmy his way from his two cruel boyfriends. So much for playing.

Jimin giggles. “No, puppy, don’t leave!”

Taehyung hugs Jungkook, throwing all his weight on top of him. “Come on bunny, we were just teasing.”

“Whatever.” Jungkook rolls his eyes, still trying to push the two off him.

Of course, the combined weight of Taehyung and Jimin overpower his strength. The two pepper his whole face and neck with soft little kisses, giggling the entire time.

Suddenly, Jungkook has forgotten everything that has happened within the past 5 minutes. All he knows is he’s being kissed by the two boys he loves the most in the world, and there’s literally nowhere else he’d rather be.

Jimin and Taehyung finally stop giving him kisses after a while, Taehyung giving him one last nose kiss and Jimin giving him one last forehead kiss. Jungkook feels like he’s on cloud nine.

“All better?” Jimin asks.

Jungkook smiles. “Definitely.”

“Good.” Taehyung says, snuggling closer to Jungkook.

“Can we just stay like this, though?” Jimin purrs, wrapping his arm and leg across the two like a koala.

“Yeah,” Jungkook says. “This is nice.”

Jimin smiles to himself, safe and sound in the arms of his two soulmates.

He still can’t believe it, having two soulmates. Until now, he didn’t believe it could actually be possible. He thinks it’s some kind of miracle, the way the universe aligned for the three of them. It was instant with Taehyung, the feeling of love and connection. The moment Jimin laid eyes on him, he just knew. The click he felt, as if he has known this pretty boy his entire life. The surge of love he felt, as if he would do anything Taehyung wanted, no questions asked. Taehyung is and has always been his constant.

It took a while with Jungkook. Looking back, Jimin believes the tension that built up between them in the months they constantly fought all led up to the moment they first seriously talked, and then felt that familiar tug in his chest. Even the week they were together, they both didn’t even recognize the pull they had. It was a slow burn kind of thing, the way they skirted around each other for a while until they both came to realize how they were feeling for each other. It was like the soulmate connection wasn’t instant; they both had to slowly come to the conclusion that they were in love for them to realize it.

Jimin feels calm, content. Like the universe has finally aligned all the stars and planets and galaxies, and now everything makes complete sense for the first time in his life. He was lost, and now he’s found. There’s no way to know for sure if reincarnations are even real, but somehow, he knows in his heart that he has spent all his past lifetimes with these two. And if he was given the chance, he would relive all those lifetimes, just to see how it all played out between the three of them. And he feels safe, knowing that in all the lifetimes that will come, he will still spend it with them, for all eternity. Nothing could ever replace the feeling he has for Taehyung and Jungkook. The love. The tug. The click.

The glow.