Chapter Text
"So let me get this straight -" Seokjin stands in the middle of their humble living room, hands perched on his hips as he glares at both Namjoon and Yoongi "- you two geniuses somehow lost a draia; after he almost ate Yoongi?"
In the deafening silence, Hoseok's amused chuckle echoes around the room as loud as a gunshot.
"In our defence, we didn't realize it was a draia." Namjoon sighs warily and watches Yoongi from the corner of his eye; Yoongi almost got eaten. Had Jungkook not stopped when he did, pushing the stiff cat off his lap, his hyung would have been a goner.
Instead, here he sits now, a bag of frozen peas pressed to his head and a permanent scowl on his face.
"He didn't mean for it to happen. He was hungry." Yoongi mutters, but like everything else either of them said in the past hour, it just flies right over Seokjin's head.
"He didn't mean to -" Seokjin is practically boiling with rage, but Namjoon can see that beneath it, small embers of concern and dread at what could have happened are skilfully hidden "Yoongi-yah, he could have killed you! Sucked out every single emotion you had until there was nothing left but an empty, dry husk. Do you realize that?"
"Hyung, I think he gets it." Hoseok is done laughing and instead, the familiar reaches out to his witch "I think they both get it." he adds when his eyes land on Namjoon's unnaturally pale face. He's still coming to terms that Yoongi could have died today - and there would be nothing Namjoon could to do help him.
While they were dealing with the aftermath of what had happened, Jungkook wailed out an apology and booked it out of the shop and into the deserted street. There was absolutely no trace of him once Namjoon stepped out as well, after making sure that Yoongi was okay.
"I'll inform the Council of the situation. It is highly unusual to see a draia this far into a populated area, but stranger things had happened, I guess." Seokjin theatrically sighs and brushes off imaginary lint from his sleeves. The room gets eerily quiet and Namjoon draws in a sharp breath, starting the countdown in his head as soon as he feels Yoongi tensing up by his side.
"You listen to me Kim Seokjin." Yoongi, in all of his glory, rises from the couch and stands in front of Seokjin "If you even breathe a word of this to the council, I will disown you." without another word, Yoongi throws the soggy peas onto the coffee table and leaves the room while Seokjin stares after him, mouth gaping open.
"Don't look at me, you know I'll always side with hyung." Namjoon mutters once Seokjin's gaze lands on him and he too, without as much dramatics, exits the room after Yoongi.
They had reached a stalemate.
Namjoon really hoped that they would stay at one too, for as long as possible.
⚜
Jungkookno longer visited the book store. And he'd never admit it, but Namjoon could see that it was driving Yoongi insane. The usually stone-still feline no longer slept in the window, dead to the world, but rather sat in it, vigilantly staring out into the street as his eyes searched for any sign of Jungkook.
As the days marched on and the heat hanging over Seoul receded, Yoongi only grew more worried. Jungkook was freezing in 40 degree weather, the thought of how he'd fare against the rapidly declining temperature kept him up at night.
The weather wasn't the only thing that was frosty lately; Seokjin tried various forms of apologies; went even as far as getting Yoongi a pound of bluefin tuna, straight from the Atlantic, but the stubborn familiar wouldn't budge.
("Fish? He thinks he can bribe me with fish? Am I supposed to magically forget about his murder-happy intentions?")
Namjoon didn't point out that it wasn't just any fish, but in a way, he understood Yoongi - Namjoon was also angry at Seokjin's rash and mindless decision. Had the eldest witch gone through with his plan and alerted the High Council of Seoul about Jungkook's presence in the city, well - the draia would have been put to death, no questions asked; none needed answer.
Gourmet or not, Namjoon was sure that a pound of fish wasn't gonna cut it when it came to Yoongi's anger. In a not so distant past, Yoongi would have been tried and faced with the same punishment for his deemed transgressions, because mingling with humans wasn't only frowned upon back then, it was also forbidden.
Still, days passed; weeks, in fact - without Jungkook in sight.
"Did you turn him in? Tell me the truth!" in one of his more frantic episodes, Yoongi had turned on Seokjin, hissing and growling at his oldest friend with wide, distrustful eyes fixed upon him - like a predator, closing in on a kill of his prey.
"Yoongi-yah, I wouldn't do that." Seokjin had the mind to look embarrassed, but it only worked in his favor "I was wrong. There had been no new reports of mysterious, unexplainable deaths. You were right, I doubt he even knows what he is or what he's doing."
Yoongi's initial assumption was that Jungkook had no idea as to what he was - the horrified reaction on his face, once he realized that he was draining Yoongi's emotions - and effectively his life - away; that alone was enough to confirm the suspicion. The confused and hurt tone of his voice when he said he's never been this cold and lonely, yeah that just cemented it it. After that, Seokjin had been in Yoongi's good graces once again, but the slight, chilly strain was still present.
A small reprieve came from Jimin and Taehyung who, in exchange for some pets, promised to keep Yoongi up to date on Jungkook. Grumbling and complaining, the familiar agreed, but made Jimin and Taehyung promise not to put him in stupid costumes - and not to pull on his ears or god forbid, tail.
"I thought the kids had a ban on petting you." Namjoon murmured against Yoongi's hair later that night, when they were finally alone in the small apartment above the shop.
"True, but they're gonna keep an eye on Jungkook. I can deal with my tail and ears being pulled a time or two for that." Yoongi sighed, arms wound around Namjoon's waist as he breathed in the familiar and comforting scent of his boyfriend. The tingly, almost stinging aroma of crushed pine needles, bergamot and warm, cozy amber. Home. Namjoon smelled like home - did so from the first time Yoongi set his eyes on him in Seokjin's old, rickety kitchen that has long since been upgraded.
"More like a hundred times - you will not know peace from now on, whenever they're around." Namjoon's chuckle carried through his chest, a pleasant and welcome vibration against Yoongi's cheek. It reminded him of a cat's purr - his purr, to be more specific. As a human, Namjoon wasn't physically capable of producing a purr, a clear sign of affection, happiness and content, so Yoongi was grateful and managing with what he could get.
Turns out, a chuckle is a great substitute for a cat's purr.
"You may hide it well Min Yoongi, but I'm on to you." with a last chuckle, Namjoon stumbles towards their bed and tips them over with an affectionate smile on his lips "You're actually soft-hearted."
"Tell no one about it." Yoongi joins in and presses his cheek against Namjoon's, trying to trap the moment in his memory, so it would reside there forever.
But the thought still gnawed on him - was Jungkook okay?
⚜
The bookstore was busy - not just regular busy, but swamped and crammed kind of busy. Seokjin and Hoseok had been put to work hours ago, serving customers, ringing people out at the check out - even stocked the shelves at one point in time.
Yoongi had been on his feet since the bookstore opened. It was a witching holiday, the pagan equivalent of Christmas and every damn witch in Seoul had decided to stop by in order to purchase some last minute ingredients; things needed for altars and shrines, a random eye of newt for a potion here and there - but the candles? Those were going like crazy.
"Namjoon-ah, we're all out of black candles!" Yoongi all but hollered across the shop and a few university students looked at him like he's crazy, but the witching folk sagged with relief when Namjoon just nodded and disappeared in the back, returning with a box full of black, ritual candles.
The witches were cautious at first, choosing to travel further and spend more on their supplies in order to avoid doing business with Namjoon, a lowly human who thought he could steal and bind the power of a familiar to himself.
Their small boycott however, bore no fruit and Yoongi still bonded himself to Namjoon. Once the majority saw that there was no changing their minds, the business slowly returned, witches trickling in from all over Seoul in need of fresh, quality ingredients.
They were still pariahs, there was no doubt about it and no one would be caught dead talking to them, even about something meaningless like the weather, but the money was coming in, so neither of them cared.
By the time 7 pm rolled around, Yoongi was dead on his feet - they all were. Finals season combined with a pagan holiday meant that the shop was busy and full the entire day, from opening till closing time. Half of the people were anxious students strung out on too much caffeine and the other half were arrogant, nosy witches that looked down on Yoongi and Namjoon.
Yoongi was just about to get up and lock the door when he heard the bell above the door jingle, signaling that yet another customer had came in.
"We're closed. No more exam guides or black candles, for the love of god, no more." he groaned without looking up and instead let his head thump against the solid wood of the counter. Yoongi was fairly sure he could hear Seokjin's squeaky laughter come from somewhere in the store, but he was too tired to function properly and tell his hyung off.
"I'm sorry, but where's the cat?" the voice was timid and soft, barely audible if Yoongi was honest.
"Cat?" with all the activity of today, his brain took an embarrassingly long moment to connect the word to a shape, shape to well, him.
"The cat, the one that always sleeps in the window?" ah, so it was just another student, on a pilgrimage to Instagram the fluffy white cat named Seoltang. Lately, they took up a trend of snapping pictures of Yoongi and putting them on instagram. Namjoon loved it because in his words, publicity was good, but free publicity was even better.
Yoongi was a little less enthusiastic about the entire thing, but he had to admit that Namjoon was right.
"Oh God, is the cat okay?" the voice changed, losing it's softness and gaining a harsh edge as the speaker grew more anxious. It piqued Yoongi's curiosity enough to make him peel his forehead off the wooden counter and look up at the newcomer.
Jungkook.
Sure enough, the young draia stood on the other side of the counter; wide, doe-like eyes fearful and shining with tears as his stare bore holes into Yoongi's skull.
"Did I kill the cat? Oh God, I didn't mean to, I didn't.." fear blossomed into panic on Jungkook's face as he worried his lower lip between his bunny-like teeth, constantly looking back at the display which Seoltang favored. Display that was painfully and obviously empty.
Because Yoongi was working the cash register.
"Oh, erm, uh - he's fine. He's upstairs." the half-assed lie sounded pitiful, even to Yoongi's own ears "We've been really busy today and he hates the crowds."
That sounded more plausible and believable. Mostly because it was true. Yoongi did hate the crowds.
"I hurt the cat. Oh God, oh God, oh God.." Jungkook was beyond hearing or reasoning and Yoongi was aware of it. He was also aware of the fact that if he was indeed right and Jungkook knew nothing of his lineage, shifting out of the blue was out of the question, lest he wanted to give the younger a heart attack.
"Hyung, is everything okay - " Namjoon stumbles in at the best possible moment, because Yoongi is at a complete loss about what to do. The sight of the panicking draia was enough to render him speechless and helpless, unsure if he was even allowed to near the boy that reeked of misery and pain.
"Jungkook-ah, there you are! We haven't seen you in a while." Namjoon's smile is wide and bright as he creeps closer to the draia. Just as his hand is about to make contact with Jungkook's shoulder, the draia drops to the floor in a crouch with a heartbreaking wail ripping from his lips.
"I didn't mean it! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt him!"
Namjoon and Yoongi stare at each other, unsure how to convince Jungkook that the cat was fine without Yoongi outright shifting and scaring the living crap out of the dude.
"In omnias nox, in omnias somnum." the chant comes out of nowhere, taking Yoongi by surprise when Seokjin's usually squeaky, high-pitched voice takes on a deeper quality to it as the witch steps from between the shelves and claps his hands once, twice - three times.
At the third clap, Jungkook drops to the floor like a doll with it's strings cut, out cold.
"Well Yoongi-yah, that settles it, I guess." Seokjin frowns and steps closer to Jungkook, taking in the young face that even in the enchanted sleep looks troubled and pinched with pain "You were right. He has no idea what's going on."
⚜
"Hyung, you'll have to move off him - eventually." Namjoon regards the small cat with respect and care, but Yoongi was taking it to the extremes. After Seokjin oh so helpfully knocked Jungkook out, they carried him upstairs, where Yoongi decided that they'll take residence in the spare room the kids usually used for sleepovers at their place.
Since then, Yoongi's been loafed on top of Jungkook's chest, refusing to move.
A threathening yowl is all he gets in return and knowing Yoongi well enough, it's all the incentive Namjoon needs to leave him the hell alone.
So they wait. People in the apartment come and go, but Yoongi stays still as stone. That's how Jungkook finds him when he finally wakes up.
"You're okay." his relief is so obvious that Yoongi can hear it in his voice as Jungkook's fingers find their way into his soft fur, settling right behind his left ear.
"Didn't mean to hurt you - don't know how that happened."
Before Yoongi can offer him a pitiful meow in return, the doors open and Seokjin steps in with Namjoon following closely behind him.
Yoongi cannot help it - the defensive stature nor the aggressive growl that rumbles through his tiny chest as he spots Seokjin.
"Really Yoongi-yah, I've never pegged you as one to hold grudges." Seokjin teases before focusing all of his attention on Jungkook - Jungkook, who's gone eerily still underneath Yoongi, all but his heart that's hammering away in his chest seemingly frozen in place.
"I didn't mean to hurt your cat." it's a strange mixture of a whine and a squeal, the high pitch of Jungkook's voice registering with Yoongi's sensitive ears that twitch at the sudden noise.
"You didn't hurt him - you almost killed him." Seokjin mumbles casually, to Jungkook's mortification "And he's not a cat."
"Well, I guess the cat's literally out of the bag." Namjoon, with a long-suffering sigh looks at Yoongi "Hyung?"
It's not how he planned to reveal it to Jungkook, but the kid is probably gonna think that they're all insane if they just start spouting random bullshit about witches, magic and draias. Ergo, cat into man is the fastest way of driving the point home.
Or so they hoped.
Well, here goes nothing, Yoongi thinks as he leaps off of Jungkook's chest and wills his form to change before he lands on the floor.
The silence is deafening. Yoongi's flexible cat form elongated to absurd proportions as the bones resized and reshaped under his skin, the fur giving way to smooth, pale skin with practiced ease. The entire thing barely even registered with Yoongi anymore - long gone were the days where he cried his way through changing forms, unused to the stretch and pull of exchanging one form for the other.
"Kid, say something." Yoongi urges him slowly, but the kid is pale as a sheet.
In fact, he looks like he's gonna barf.
"Not on the persian rug, thank you!" Namjoon panics, but Seokjin is well prepared, a trash can already in hand and under Jungkook's mouth - just in time too, because in the next second, the kid is puking his guts out and hugging the can to his chest like it's a damn lifeline.
'Y-You're not a cat."
"I told you." Seokjin's smirk is as obnoxious as ever and Yoongi fights the urge to slap it off the older's face.
"Yeah, I'm not really a cat - I'm a familiar." Yoongi awkwardly scratches the back of his neck because none of them really thought this through exactly.
"You worked the cash register - but you're a cat."
"I thought we already established the fact that Yoongichi is not, in fact, a cat." Seokjin snaps his fingers and Jungkook, bewildered, finally looks away from Yoongi.
"You, my magical soul-eating baby, you're not human either." the merry look on Seokjin's face doesn't really match his words and as Yoongi watches the rest of the color draining from Jungkook's face, he decides to step in.
"You're creeping him out."
"Draias don't eat souls." Namjoon mumbles at the same time and Seokjin just lets out a theatrical huff.
Yoongi clocks it first - the subtle change in body language and the fast breathing, but Namjoon and Seokjin are quick to follow him.
"Jungkook, it's okay-"
The rest of Namjoon's words are drowned out by the ear-piercing wails that leave Jungkook's mouth.
Until he passes out. Again. Without Seokjin's help this time.
"Well, we're back to square one, I guess." Seokjin just shrugs and ignores the pointed glares that are practically drilling into the side of his face.
Apparently, Yoongi did hold grudges. Huh, who knew?
(literally everyone.)