Archive of Our Own

Part 2: to Belong

“…Tennis player Jung Hoseok was found alive two months after his disappearance. According to the police statement, he visited his family on his own volition presenting no signs of harm. The tennis player assures to have no recall about his whereabouts during this time period, which has been the talk on social networks such as Twitter. The most popular theory about his disappearance being that he was abducted by aliens, according to netizens----”

Hoseok shut down the TV, incapable of hearing any more nonsense about his disappearance which, unfortunately for him, seemed to be the favourite topic in all media, especially the Internet.

What a mess he had come back to.

“Bloody idiots...” A voice cursed as a short man made his way inside Hoseok’s apartment, hands carrying a bag of takeout food. His cat-like eyes were squinting into slits as he stopped to remove his shoes. “I can’t believe they are still here, camping in front of your building.”

Hoseok greeted his best friend with a weak smile. Of course, he knew Yoongi was talking about the half dozens of journalists that practically never left the front door of his building in hopes of getting a few words from Hoseok about the incident.

“Yeah... Security is sick of them, but they can’t really do anything about it since they don’t actually step on private property,” Hoseok let out a defeated sigh, “I hope my story gets old soon, so they can leave me alone.”

“How was practice?” Yoongi asked once they were seated with full steaming bowls in their hands. 

“It was OK. At least it seems that no one looks at me like I’m a ghost anymore.”

When Hoseok reappeared before his parents, he never thought about the impact of a public figure like him disappearing for months. So, when not only the police but also hordes of press came after him, he had been overwhelmed.

The police detectives had been pressuring for answers, clearly not believing the story of the memory loss, especially after the medical revision he had been subdued to. However, Hoseok had stood his ground and didn’t plan on revealing the truth any time soon, at least as long as he didn’t want to end up in a mental ward.

On the other hand, his parents and Yoongi had been just happy and relieved to see that he was ok, not pressuring the issue. They were his main pillar of strength during these difficult days.

Readapting to his old life was hard. Things like taking the subway or the continuous sound of traffic didn’t feel like they were normal anymore. After Ilhieden, there were just too many people and too much noise everywhere, the press were constantly on his heels and, on top of that, he missed Jungkook. Tremendously. 

One day, the longing got so bad he pretended that the stick of his broom were a sword, dancing around his living room as he remembered the movements the young Prince had taught him. The standing lamp didn’t survive the ordeal. 

But it wasn’t the same. Without Jungkook, it was as if his life wasn’t exciting anymore. 

One night, Hoseok couldn’t take it anymore, his need of talking about it with someone surpassing his fear of being taken for a mad man. After tossing around for hours in his bed, Hoseok called his best friend.

“ Hobi? Is everything ok ?” Yoongi asked through a hoarse voice, probably still half sleep. Hoseok could picture him with his hair in every direction, eyes blinking profusely in trying to stay awake.

“Yoongi, about the incident...”

“ Hoseok ,” The rustle of fabric through the phone made him picture Yoongi sitting on the bed now. “ I need to let this out of my chest: I knew you were really stressed but was disappearing like that necessary? Couldn’t you just tell me? Do you even imagine how difficult it was for us? Thinking that you could be dead ,” His voice broke and Hoseok’s heart fell.

“Shit, hyung, that’s not it. I didn’t disappear on purpose, something really happened to me. Meet me in the park? I need to tell you in person.” Otherwise, Yoongi wouldn’t believe him.

“ See you in ten ,” Was all Yoongi said before hanging up.              

When they met minutes later under the watch of the moon, Hoseok embraced Yoongi in a tight hug that was way overdue. What a self-centered idiot he had been for only focusing on his own problems, never stopping to consider the feelings of the people he left behind in Seoul. 

“Hyung, I am sorry that you were so worried about me. I promise I did my best to come back as soon as I could,” He said against the other’s shoulder.

“Come back from where?” Yoongi asked as he released the hold on the other.

Hoseok simply took his hand and led him through the park. He was thankful to Yoongi for not questioning anything, especially when they made their way through the trees instead of following the paved path as any normal person would.

On their way to the portal tree, Hoseok wondered how he could convince Yoongi if the portal had disappeared, but luckily he didn’t have to worry too much as it was waiting for them in the same place it had stood before.  

Just as the first time he had encountered it, the lake from Ilhieden was gleaming under the moonlight, creating a captivating sight that shouldn’t be there. But still, it was. He turned to face Yoongi, whose widened eyes were trying to understand the sight before him.

“Hobi, what...”

“That’s where I was, hyung. The tree is a portal to another universe. Do you want to hear what happened to me?”

Yoongi nodded speechless, his small mouth open in a comical gape. Hoseok made them both sit in the grass, knowing that it would take a while. And so, he told Yoongi everything from the moment he had crossed the tree to his last night with Jungkook at the lake, the same lake they were facing as proof and witness of the story.

“Wait wait wait... You mean, that weird mark is that guy’s, Jungkook, name?”

“Yeah my... my soulmate,” Hoseok looked down and fiddled with the strings of his jacket. He knew that his next words were not going to be well received. “I’m going to go back, Hyung. To Ilhieden.”

“You what ? Are you losing your mind? You can’t just… leave .”

“Actually, I can . I’ve already done it before, although it was unintentional.”

“But what about your parents? And your career Hoseok, the Olympics! You’ve dreamt about this your whole life.” Yoongi grabbed his hand tightly.

“That’s why I am telling you now! And I’m going to tell my parents too. I can leave in peace if you know that I am alright and not dead somewhere. I am sure I could even visit you again in the future! And about the rest of the world, my career…” Hoseok sighed and looked down to their held hands. “To be honest, I don’t care that much anymore; it’s been years since I’ve been playing tennis and winning competitions just because it was expected of me. But there, playing with them... I realised that I still love the game just for the joy of playing.

And Jungkook. I feel so bad for leaving him... He had been looking for me for years and the minute he finds me, I disappear on him!”

“Yeah, that was such a dick move on your part,” Yoongi chuckled softly, “But still, you don’t owe him anything. Unless... Hoseok, do you miss him?”

“I... low-key do?” Hoseok felt the tip of his ears burn at the confession. “But it’s not just that. I can’t stop thinking about the implications of the soulmate thing, that we are supposed to spend our lives together... and shouldn’t it be because we are supposed to be the happiest together, even if our bond happens to be platonic? Why would I throw that future away?”

“I don’t know what to say to that, it’s not like I’m well versed on the soulmate thing. The whole idea still sounds crazy but... I get your point; if I knew there was someone out there that was destined for me, I wouldn’t let them go either. I just... shit, I’m gonna miss you so much.”

“Gonna miss you too, hyung.” Hoseok squeezed him in a tight hug. They embraced each other in silence for a bit, enjoying the warmth of friendship under the cold November night.

“Fuck, the press is gonna go mental when you disappear again.”

Both of their laughs resonated in the silence of the park.

+

“Jungkookie,” the soft voice of his brother caught his attention. “You’ve been distant since you came back without Hoseok.”

Jungkook let down his sword and turned to look at his brother from his position at the training field, quick breaths leaving his chest and arm wiping off the sweaty bangs from his face. Since that fateful day when he woke up alone at the clearing, he had focused on exercising until extenuation, the pain residing in his muscles and the will to do better and be more precise with his sword successfully keeping away the thoughts about what happened at the clearing. About how he had lost his soulmate as soon as he had found them. The ultimate joke of the Universe at his expense.

Explaining to his mother that Hoseok had seemed to vanish without a trace had been easy, lying to himself about how he wasn’t worried sick about it, not so much. Because he couldn’t afford to think about the older if he wanted to preserve his sanity or his heart from being broken. Mostly the latter.

And so, Jungkook had kept to himself the discovery about his soulmate mark, even though his family would have been a strong support. However, that meant he would have to put his feelings about it out in the open, and so, as his brother had noted, he had been distant since that day.

Seokjin grabbed a sword and stepped into the field, the blade cutting the air as he made it spin casually. “Let’s make a bet: if I beat you in a duel, you’ll tell me whatever it is that is eating you inside. And don’t try to deny it, we know that something happened with Hoseok that you are not telling us.”

Jungkook accepted, though the outcome wasn’t favorable for him. It wasn’t a long affair: despite Jungkook being exhausted, he still managed to put up a more than decent fight, if only Seokjin hadn’t used Magic to disarm him. 

Jungook looked at his sword lying on the ground and then threw his brother a glare. “You used Magic, that’s unfair.”

“We never clarified that it wasn’t allowed.”

“Whatever,” Jungkook rolled his eyes but accepted the defeat, not in the mood for arguing. He cleaned the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and sat on the ground. If he was going to talk, he better just got it done with. Seokjin followed his lead and sat next to him, patiently waiting for the younger to gather his thoughts.

For a moment, Jungkook considered to keep pretending that everything was alright and to come up with some excuse. But when he looked up to his brother’s kind eyes, his resolve cracked.

“We found out... I-, he is my soulmate,” He got to say through the lump that had settled on his throat. 

“HE WHAT!?” 

Jungkook flinched slightly. He was certain that Seokjin’s scream had been heard even from the distant kingdom of the East.       

“My name was right there, on his chest.” Jungkook's gaze was lost, as if he were seeing what he was retelling right in front of him. “He also claimed that my soulmark was his name, in whatever language he naturally speaks. And then he left.”

“What do you mean ‘he left’?”  

“I don’t know!” Jungkook thrashed his leg, a spray of sand being casted away by the breeze at the action. “But what else could have been? I just woke up and he was gone, hyung. Guess he realized he didn’t want to be stuck with me for life.” He bit his lower lip and looked down, not wanting to meet his brother’s gaze.

“Oh, Jungkookie...” Seokjin said in the most gentle tone, one hand coming up to Jungkook’s nape in a comforting gesture. “I’m sure that’s not it.”

“I didn’t treat him right. Maybe if I had been more open with him from the beginning, he wouldn’t have left.” Jungkook sniffed as his sight turned blurry, blinking repeatedly to keep the tears from shedding. Damn it, that was why he didn’t even want to think about Hoseok, because he knew that deep down he was an emotional wreck.

“And thinking that something happened to him while he was with me is even worse,” Jungkook admitted in a weak voice, “I’d rather think that he decided to get away on his own.”

Just as Seokjin was about to reply, Taehyung broke into the training field, running with all his might.

“HE IS BACK!” Their cousin yelled at the top of his lungs, “HOSEOK-HYUNG IS BACK!”

Jungkook definitely did not cry.

+

Jimin kept thrashing around in his sleep until he woke up abruptly, chest heaving in distress. The witch could feel Magic being restless all around him, which had no doubt caused the unsettling dreams that filled his mind. The contents of the dreams were not important, none of them remained in his mind after waking up. But he knew what the signs meant.

Something bad was going to happen.

+

Being back at the castle felt strangely like coming back home. Hoseok laid down on his bed, lazily stretching over the soft bed sheets that smelled like soap, and took a peek at the view from his window that had become so familiar.

“Hello ladies, I’ve missed you,” He greeted the shining figures of the two crescent moons.

He closed his eyes and sighed, mentally recounting the events from the day. After saying goodbye to Yoongi and his parents (they had surprisingly taken the whole ‘ I am moving to a different universe’ thing pretty well, just content to know what was actually happening with their son’s life), Hoseok had crossed the portal. Unlike before, he came prepared this time with his new phone and a ton portable chargers for when he felt homesick, so he could go through all his photos and listen to his favourite music; at some point in the future he would have to come back to Seoul to recharge them and meet his family, but still he wouldn’t need to do that in a long time.

It was pretty unclear to him how he had managed to find the right track to the castle on his own, mostly following what his gut was telling him, and he wondered if somehow Magic was guiding his steps unknowingly. But anyway, what mattered was that he had made it back safely.

Now, his biggest concern was that he had no idea how he was going to explain his disappearance, would they believe him if he claimed to not have any memory of those two weeks, again? They hadn’t asked him straight away, but the question would surely come up eventually.

But that wasn’t his only concern, no. Jungkook, soulmate of his and the main reason behind Hoseok ditching his old life, had yet to appear before him. It was clear that he knew about Hoseok’s return to the castle, which only meant that he had just decided not to meet him. Ouch.

His train of thoughts was interrupted by the sudden entrance of Jungkook in his room. Hoseok’s face lit up at the sight of the brunet, happy that his soulmate had finally come to see him. 

But his happiness was short lived after noticing the hard stare from Jungkook. 

Both of them remain quiet. Hoseok felt like he couldn’t move, pinned down to the bed under the stare from Jungkook, not even daring to blink. A stare that with each passing second turned softer and warmer until Jungkook held a deep sigh and, surprisingly, laid down on the bed next to Hoseok. 

“Did you think it was funny, leaving like that? Soulmate or not, you are making it very difficult for me to trust you.” Something in his voice made him sound so vulnerable that Hoseok felt a pang of guilt. 

“I’m sorry if that’s your impression of me, but I promise it wasn’t as you think. I never intended to hurt you or make fun of you in any way.”

“So, where were you during these two weeks?” Jungkook pointedly inquired.

Damn it. Here was the question that Hoseok was dreading to answer. He shifted and sat up on the bed with his legs crossed, one of his knees shyly bumping into the side of Jungkook. A comforting warmth spread from the point where their bodies met.

“Does it really matter? Isn’t it more important that I came back?” Hoseok looked down to his hands that were fiddling with the hem of his pants in nervousness, clearly leaving the question answered.

Jungkook huffed and also sat up, taking the warmth with him.

“Are you really not going to answer? Did you expect to come back with no explanations and hoping that everything would be as normal?”

“I’m sorry Jungkookie, I cannot tell you where I was,” Hoseok insisted, trying to convey his sincerity through his eyes.

Jungkook nodded at this with his lips pursed in a thin line and stood up. 

“Please leave me alone unless you decide to finally be truthful with me. I don’t like being lied to,” He said with his back turned to Hoseok and then left the room with long strides. Surprisingly in spite of his contained anger, he didn’t leave with a bang but actually took the care of closing the door softly behind him. What a man of contrasts. 

Hoseok just watched him go dumbfounded, not expecting the night to unfold like this. A cloud of disappointment settled over him; why had he been so stupid to expect that Jungkook would be waiting for him with open arms? It was completely understandable that the younger had felt nothing but betrayed when he woke up on an empty field.

He got under the covers, making himself into a ball at the thought that he had made Jungkook build his walls up again. And how to make him trust him apart from revealing the truth, as the younger wanted? Was it really that important keeping his origin a secret? Perhaps it was time to have faith in Jungkook and explain everything to him.

In that moment, a stray cloud covered the moons and the world turned into shadows.

+

Another day passed with Jungkook still avoiding Hoseok, until his mother made him attend an important dinner that night. The young heir of the Jenless family – Alin – and Lady Iris Larmaril had come to request the blessing of the Royal family for marriage and it was tradition for the whole court to attend such events.

The official blessing had been a private affair, but the following dinner was more of a casual celebration in which people would roam the ball freely with no strict protocol, many people preferring to dance in the centre of the room.

Jungkook wasn’t feeling in the mood for festivities, but he made his best to cordially congratulate the soon-to-be-married couple and then simply remained in a quiet corner from where he could see what was happening around.

His eyes kept drifting to Hoseok unintentionally. His soulmate was chatting with Taehyung and despite his cheerful demeanour, there was some stillness in his posture that revealed that there was something else in his mind. Jungkook scolded himself for observing him like a creep and tried to drive his attention towards somewhere else in the room.

Despite his efforts, soon enough his eyes were on them again. To his surprise, his mother had approached the pair and was gently smiling at something that Hoseok was saying, offering with a laugh her cup that someone had just delivered to her. Jungkook blinked profusely and something warm expanded inside of him at the sight, it was very unusual to see the Queen laughing.

However, the laughs were cut short abruptly and the warmth inside of him turned into sharp cold blades the instant that Hoseok lifted the cup to his lips and, shortly after, his body fell limp to the ground, the remaining content of the cup spilling around him.

The world stood still until Jungkook broke into action screaming Hoseok’s name and kneeling next to him, his trembling hands faintly shaking the lying body, but no matter how many times he caressed his face, how many times he called his name with desperate determination, Hoseok gave no signs of life. There was no pulse, no breaths... nothing.

As if he was dead.

“NO!” Jungkook screamed in horror, taking one hand to his chest. Soulmarks were supposed to hurt with a piercing pain when your soulmate died, but Jungkook felt nothing. The pain he was feeling wasn’t physical.

“Jungkook, let go. Let Jimin check him,” Taehyung said while gently trying to pry Jungkook away. The Queen, although also shaken, joined his son on the floor and brushed his hands through Jungkook’s locks of raven hair with a mother’s utmost care. But Jungkook didn’t let go.

Hoseok couldn’t be dead.

The young witch, who had also been attending the celebration as Taehyung’s partner, kneeled on the other side with horror painting his soft features.

“He is not dead,” Jimin gasped in realization after a brief silence, “he is under a sleeping curse.”

The relief Jungkook felt at those words was unprecedented. Sure, curses were bad news but at least they could be reversed, broken. Unlike death. He looked up to the others with a bright smile, but he froze when he saw the grim faces that surrounded him.

“Why do you all look like this? If it’s a curse, let’s just break it!”

“There’s only one way of breaking a sleeping curse, my son,” the Queen said softly, “and that’s with a true love kiss. Only Hoseok-ssi’s soulmate could break the curse and we don’t even know who they are.”

“Wait, wasn’t the cup given to you, Auntie?” Taehyung was saying while Jungkook processed his mother’s words.

“Yes, I am afraid so. If I had taken that drink, I wouldn’t have been able to wake up; ever.” Because her soulmate, the late King, was long dead. A clever plan to get rid of her from whoever was trying to take over the throne.

Jungkook’s nervous laugh suddenly interrupted the conversation, which caused the others to look at him with worry.

“Mother, I am Hoseok’s soulmate,” Jungkook revealed with hope twinkling in his eyes. “I can break the curse.”

And before anyone could respond, Jungkook tenderly held Hoseok’s face in his hands and kissed his cold lips. He pressed for one, two, three seconds and then remained close waiting for a reaction, eyes travelling through the other’s features. But the seconds passed without any changes.

“Why... why is he not waking up?” He asked in a weak voice, looking at Lord Jimin with the hope of hearing that maybe the effect wasn’t instant. But the witch was looking back at him with something akin to pity.

“Prince Jungkook, are you in love with him?”

“I am... not.” It was all he could reply.

“Then I am afraid that, as long as you are not in love with him, your kisses are as powerless as ours. It’s unfortunate that this happened before you two could have a full developed soulbond,” Lord Jimin stated with apologetic eyes.

And just like that, all Jungkook’s hope crumbled.

+

Tall nose, the sharpest jawline, cheekbones and lips sculpted with the utmost finesse, Hoseok’s side profile was truly a remarkable gift for the eyes. They had taken him back to his room under Jungkook’s request, and the younger was sitting next to him watching as the moonlights painted that beautiful face silver.

He knew he would be incapable of getting any sleep that night.

The gentle press of hands over his shoulders startled him, so deep in his thoughts that he had missed his brother entering the room. Seokjin didn’t say anything, simply stood there as a comforting presence. And Jungkook couldn’t be more grateful for it.

“I was so angry at him,” Jungkook broke the silence after a while, his voice sounding too loud in the quiet of the room, “for not explaining why he left and he asked me if it wasn’t more important the fact that he was back. And oh, hyung, it really was; but I was too blind to see it. And now Hoseok is gone... forever,” He said, through the lump in his throat, something inside of him breaking at the thought. 

Because Hoseok was truly gone forever, wasn’t he? Hoseok needed a true love kiss and Jungkook wasn’t able to give it to him. Not now nor never. What a failure of a soulmate he was.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. There was no way you could have anticipated this,” Seokjin said with conviction, his words meant to make his brother feel a bit better, even if it were a tiny amount.

But Jungkook had always found it easier to blame things on himself, so those words didn’t change his perspective. However, he didn’t want to worry Seokjin even further, so he just bit his lip and nodded.

They didn’t exchange any more words after that, the only exception when Jungkook finally convinced his brother to go back to sleep.

Although the younger refused to leave his soulmate’s side, exhaustion took over him inevitably at some point through the night, his upper body falling limp next to Hoseok’s on the bed.

Right before falling asleep, his last fleeting thought was of falling asleep next to Hoseok on the glade and then waking up without him. How terribly similar both situations felt.

+

How could someone have so blatantly casted a curse in front of everyone’s noses? It had been such a shock to witness someone so bright as Hoseok fall lifeless to the ground. Jimin kept musing about it in the comfort of his private room at the High Council, until a soft few knocks on his door broke his chain of thoughts.

“Lord Namjoon?” He was surprised to find the young nobleman standing at the other side of the door, fidgeting non stop.

He let the man enter the room and offered him a cup of tea to calm his nerves, to which he accepted. As the water started to boil over the portable magic fire that sat in a corner of the room, Jimin took it upon himself to fill the uneased silence with small talk.  

“As much as I would like for this to be a friendly visit from your part, we both know that is not why you are here, are you?” Jimin asked.

“Indeed.” Namjoon replied with a nervous chuckle. He looked frantically around the room and then lowered his voice, as if fearing that unwanted ears could be listening. “I wasn’t sure who to turn to with this information I am about to share. You are Lord Taehyung’s soulmate and a member of the High Council, so I figured it should be safe to trust you.”

He inhaled loudly, gathering courage, which caused Jimin’s curiosity to reach new levels. What on the name of Magic did Lord Namjoon know that he was weary to trust even a member of the High Council? 

“I know who is trying to kill the Queen.”

+

Hoseok was back at the clearing, but something wasn’t right about it. Although the scenery was as breathtaking as usual, it was as if the day remained still in a perpetual twilight, he was sure that at least a couple of hours had gone by already and the sun hadn’t moved an inch on the peach sky. 

Besides, the portal was gone.

He wondered if he should feel scared, but the only feeling inside of him was a peaceful resignation.  

Hours went by and the changeless environment drove him into a dozed state of him, lying idly on the soft grass until he felt a presence close to him, his eyes opening lazily in response.

“Jungkookie!” He greeted the younger with a beaming smile, sitting on his elbows. Jungkook was gaping at him for some reason until he suddenly knelt and hugged him around the shoulders, definitely taking Hoseok by surprise. “Wow, did you forgive me for not explaining why I left? Is the prince getting attached?” He teasingly asked.

“Shut up.” Jungook simply tightened the hold, the warmth of his splayed hands seeping through the thin material of Hoseok’s shirt. Hoseok didn’t complain, not one to refuse physical affection, especially from someone that was such a good hugger, as he was discovering. There was something special in the way that Jungkook had fitted his body against his that had Hoseok automatically enveloping the other.The younger’s head had come down to rest over the crook of Hoseok’s neck and the calm breaths against his pulse gave him goosebumps. 

They stayed like that for a while under the unmoving setting sun, Hoseok’s hand coming up to fondly caress the raven locks and wondering if being in someone else’s arms had ever felt just so... right. And despite not wanting to, he was the first one to break the moment.

“Why are we here, Jungkookie?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t remember coming here.” He distractedly played with the silky hair between his fingers, fascinated with the way the strands caught the light of the sun.

“Hyung, I am pretty sure this is a dream. You didn’t come from anywhere, you are just... here, inside my dream.” He was silent for a moment. “You are not real.”

“Excuse you!?” Hoseok broke the embrace and pushed Jungkook with no real force. That had to be the stupidest thing that someone had ever told him. “Not real!? I should be the one questioning your realness! Maybe it’s me who is dreaming and you are just a creation of my mind.”

“That’s not...” Jungkook groaned, running his hands through his hair. “Hyung, why are you like this even in my dreams? I am the one who is real!”

“Stop questioning my existence, oh my god!? I. AM. REAL.”

A silence set between them, both of them glaring at each other until their expressions started to soften and they bursted into laughter, falling all over the other.

“I can’t believe you are really making me question my existence, Jeon Jungkook. You are gonna drive me insane.”

“Same. I am still convinced you are not real and I am just dreaming, though.” The younger replied through an adorable grin.

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes and teasingly pushed the younger again, not feeling like arguing anymore. “Hey, If this is a dream, let’s just have a good time.”

“What do you want to do, hyung?”

Hoseok pretended to think hard for a moment before bursting.

“I’m gonna race you!” 

He sprinted in a run towards the lake and looked back expecting to find Jungkook following him closely, but he was stunned to check that there was no one in the clearing, as if the younger had vanished.

“See? I told him he wasn’t the real one!”

+

The next day, Jungkook woke up with a renewed energy that filled him with hope. He could not tell what had caused the feeling, but he was still grateful for it. A new resolution filled him:  he wouldn’t give up on Hoseok. Not yet.

With that determination fuelling him, he was once again back in the library with the intention of gathering all available information about soulmates and soulbonds. The common knowledge on this topic was too basic for his liking, so he hoped to get a deeper understanding about how it worked and the possibilities it entailed.

Much to his disappointment, they seemed to be just a few books on the topic and he blamed the typical working soulbonds for causing the lack of investigation on the matter. Surely, most people weren’t interested in finding out more when they didn’t have reasons to worry about their own soulmates.

The first couple of books he went through didn’t shed a new light on the matter, but it was on the third one when he came across some interesting information. The book studied the theme of soulmates with a focus on evidence of special cases such as platonic soulmates, multiple soulmates or even people with no soulmate at all. Jungkook frowned when he read about the latter, why did no one ever talk about that possibility?

Anyway, what really interested him was a short part that explored cases in which the soulbond had behaved in exceptional ways. It said:

“ It has also been reported that souls can communicate through dreams in times of extreme necessity. Both souls need to have a deep emotional connection for these dreams to appear, one soul strongly calling for the other; although not necessarily in a conscious way.

Evidence of this particular connection has been found on the diary of princess Luysia of Ilhieden, where she wrote in detail about seeing her husband in dreams while he was away at war, conversations that both of them claimed to remember when he came back to the capital .”

Jungkook read this part over and over again, something inside of him tingling. He could recall dreaming of Hoseok last night, but he had attributed it to the tragic turn of events from the previous day. He had been sure that his subconscious was just recreating the image of Hoseok in a small attempt of giving him an option to cope with the loss of his soulmate.

Now, however, he knew that the dream could have been more than just a dream. Maybe he had been really talking to Hoseok. His heart sped at the thought, an amused laugh resonated in the silence of the place when he remembered the way dream-Hoseok had been so exasperated due to Jungkook’s constant questioning of his existence.

Could it really be?

He tried to contain his excitement, not wanting to blindly throw himself into pointless hope. First, he would wait to see how the next nights unfolded; see if Hoseok appeared in his dreams once again, really hoping that it would be the case.

He would go from there.

+

Time passes in a peculiar way when you seem to be stuck into a timeless reality. Hoseok had accepted that there was something definitely going on when he felt like he had been in the clearing forever and yet the sun refused to move an inch to leave room for the night, the beautiful hues of the twilight perpetually painted in the sky.

There wasn’t any breeze either, the grass and trees remained as still as if he was inside a lifeless photograph. He didn’t also feel neither coldness nor warmth. Actually, the only warmth he remembered was from hugging Jungkook earlier. Definitely weird.

At some point, he had tried to leave the clearing and go back to the castle, to Jungkook. But his efforts had been to no avail for, every time that he had walked into the woods, he had inevitably come out to the clearing in an endless loop.

So Hoseok had laid down in the grass, alone, and waited and waited until he couldn’t tell if minutes had turned into years or if it just felt like it. Because he didn’t know how to change his new reality.

When suddenly there was a body lying next to him, he was startled.

“Hyung, you are still here.”

He opened his eyes and turned to see Jungkook lying on his side with his head on his hand, intently looking at him with a beaming smile. He took a moment to appreciate the presence of his soulmate, a very welcomed sight.

“I cannot leave, for some reason. This place is so weird, I just walked into the forest but keep getting back here. How do you do it? Coming and going.”

“I...” Jungkook bit his lip and fiddled with some strands of grass. “I think this is happening inside a dream, so I don’t go anywhere. I just wake up.”

“What? A dream? You can’t expect me to believe that.” Sure, there was something weird going on, but to think that he was trapped inside a dream… Jungkook was probably just messing with him.

“What is the last thing you remember? Before being here.”

“I was at a celebration in the castle,” Hoseok replied after focusing hard. For some reason, it hadn’t come to his mind until Jungkook brought it up. “You were avoiding me and I was talking to your mother and Taehyung. I said some lame joke about how the Queen must have a special beverage prepared for them and she let me drink from her cup to prove me wrong. And ... that’s it.” 

Hoseok frowned. How on Earth had he ended up in the clearing then? 

Jungkook sighed and looked uncertain, probably looking for the words to say whatever was on his mind.

“When you drank from that cup,” He finally said, “you fell under a sleeping curse. Someone had definitely targeted my mother but you got in the way and drank it before her.”

“I did WHAT?”

“Hyung, it’s so scary. Your body... it looks like you are dead, but you are not. We took you back to your room and I made sure that there’s always someone guarding you.” The younger assured him as if that was supposed to make him feel better. 

“My...body? Oh my god, so this place is like a limbo and that’s why it never changes.” He looked at the unmoving sun. That would actually explain everything. 

“What is a ‘ god’ ? It is not the first time you have said it but I am not familiar with the word.”

“Unimportant. Can we focus on the fact that I am lowkey dead ? Did you cry?” Hoseok blatantly asked, deciding to light up the mood for his own sanity. 

“Hyung!” Jungkook looked a bit flustered. “Yes, I cried, ok? My soulmate looked like he just died, can you blame me for it?”

“Awww, Jungkookie,” Hoseok cooed and cradled the younger’s cheek softly. “It’s ok. I would have cried too.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened and he blushed furiously, lying on his back and covering his face with his hands so his embarrassment wouldn’t show. Hoseok felt terribly endeared by the reaction, but he took mercy on the younger and didn’t insist on the matter.

“Hey, so if I am under a sleeping curse, do I need my prince to kiss me? Like Snowhite.” He said as a joke but instantly regretted it. Damn it, he shouldn’t have probably said that. First he kept saying ‘god’ and now he was mentioning another Earthly thing.

“Snowhite?” Jungkook tilted his head like a confused puppy.

“Yes; she was in love with a prince but an evil witch put her under a sleeping curse because she was jealous of her. However, the prince broke the curse with a true love kiss.” He couldn’t believe he was actually using a fairytale as an example of the course of action they needed to take. What had his life come to.

“I’ve never heard of her. But actually, that’s what I was told that I need to do to break the curse... I’m sorry, hyung. I failed you.” He added after a short silence.

It took a bit for Hoseok to understand the meaning behind those words. “Wait, do you mean you kissed me and nothing happened?”

Jungkook just nodded, terribly ashamed, and refused to make any eye contact. Hoseok sighed, but he couldn’t blame the Prince for the unfortunate events. He extended his arm to grab his hand, hoping that it would comfort the younger.

“It’s ok, Jungkookie. I am still happy that is you who I get to meet here in this limbo. Our meetings are literally going to be the highlight of the rest of my existence, so I’m looking forward to seeing you every night in your sleep.”

Jungkook finally met his eyes and smiled weakly, but before any more words could be exchanged he vanished in the air. Hoseok looked at the empty space that the younger had left behind, his hand holding nothing but air now instead of warm skin. It was going to take a while to get used to these fleeting meetings.

And the truth was that he wasn’t exaggerating when he said that seeing Jungkook would be the best part of his time. Not even a few moments later, Hoseok already missed him.

+

Night after night, Jungkook kept meeting Hoseok in his dreams. Although they could only see each other for a short amount of time, Jungkook looked forward to the moment he would finally fall asleep.

They found out that Jungkook seemed to be the person in control of the dream, making things appear or disappear as he wished. That’s how they managed to spend their time playing that game that Hoseok invented –tennis– and he even sometimes turned the continuous twilight into a clear night sky under Hoseok’s request.

Those nights stargazing were definitely one of the favourite dreams for Jungkook. He loved telling the stories of the constellations to Hoseok, who had turned out to be an enthusiastic listener that always provided the best reactions to the stories. More than once, he had faltered during his narrations due to his soulmate’s cute behaviour. And of course, whenever that happened, Hoseok always pointed it out; but not in a mean way, never.

 No, Hoseok just teased him with such fondness in his voice that Jungkook couldn’t even get mad about it.

“I want to hear you sing,” Hoseok blurted out one day.

“What?” His heart raced like crazy at the request, taken by surprise. So far, the Moons had been the only audience to his songs.

“I know you can sing. I heard you in the gardens one night.” Hoseok confessed. “Please don’t be mad?”

Jungkook flushed at his words and covered his heated face with his hands. The thought of anyone listening to his lame love songs, especially Hoseok, was terribly embarrassing. How could he have been so naive to think that no one beside the guards would wander through the castle at night and listen to him?

“Aww, Jungkookie, don’t be embarrassed.” Hoseok gently pried his hands from his face, keeping them in his hold instead. Jungkook looked down to their joint hands, avoiding to meet the older’s gaze. “You have the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard. I’d really really like to hear you sing again.”

Jungkook finally gathered the courage to look up and he felt his insides melt under the warmth of Hoseok’s gaze. He swallowed audibly and nodded, incapable of looking away. If Hoseok wanted a song, a song he would have. 

Under his hands he could feel now the wood of a lute, the instrument having manifested the instant he had decided to grant Hoseok’s wish.

Still looking at Hoseok, he started to play, his knowing fingers finding the right strings with ease as if meeting an old friend. And Jungkook simply sang acutely aware of Hoseok’s presence instead of immersing himself in the music as he usually did. Not long into the song, he started to relax, feeling comfort in the company instead of being on edge for sharing such a private thing with someone else.

Knowing that Hoseok was looking intently back at him, he smiled and started to play a popular light-hearted song instead of his depressing self-written tunes. It was a beautiful and happy song about two soulmates that found each other, so it wasn’t a wonder that it was incredibly popular at any celebration. For that reason, he wasn’t entirely surprised when Hoseok stood up and started dancing along, although it was clear that he didn’t know the traditional dance. 

Even so, Hoseok’s improvised dance movements were gracious and always on point to the rhythm of the song. A smile full of wonder plastered on Junkook’s lips, laughs bursting through him and disturbing his singing when Hoseok started to dance in circles around him.

“Come dance with me!” He requested, hands tugging at him with no true intent, giving Jungkook the choice to turn him down.

But Jungkook had discovered that he had a hard time saying no to Hoseok, so he naturally abandoned the lute on the grass and stood up to grab Hoseok's hands, as if that was the only possible course of events.

Jungkook never stopped singing, even through his beaming smile and occasional laughs as he danced with Hoseok, both of them twirling and occasionally tripping, their hands always only letting go to meet again. 

Ah, so that must be what pure happiness felt like.

Jungkook wished for them a future full of moments like this in the real world, out of the curse.  Days playing tennis and nights stargazing and dancing and music, so much music; so there would always be heart-shaped smiles.

+

It was unusual for the witches of the High Council of Magic to gather unless one of the members sent a formal request. Despite knowing that his novelty at the Council could influence the other members to not take his words as seriously as was needed, Jimin trusted that with Magic and the truth by his side it would be enough. 

Therefore, Jimin faced the fourteen members with self-composure, looking around him at the faces of his colleagues, who were chattering between them in a distended mood sitting around the large oval table that was in the center of the room. From the garments of the witches to the tapestry hanging on the walls, everything was filled with the deep green colour that was characteristic to their Order, the same colour that painted their lands. 

Jimin closed his eyes for a moment to gather his thoughts and then, once he felt ready, he cleared his throat. That successfully caught the witches’ attention.

“My brothers and sisters, it is with sorrow in my heart that I’ve called you here.” Jimin started, the strength of his conviction clear in his voice. “It has been brought to my attention that someone from this room has casted shame upon this Institution and what it represents.”

His inspecting eyes roamed the faces surrounding him at the table, everyone looking shocked at his words, everyone but...

“Yes, Lord Mawu, I am speaking about you,” Jimin accused, locking eyes with the older witch, who harshly got up, his chair falling backwards due to the force of the movement.

“Who do you think you are to accuse me so easily? And under what crimes?” The man bursted in anger, arms flailing at his sides.

“Lord Jimin! Lord Mawu is a very respected member of this Council and-”

“I am a rightful member of this Council as well,” Jimin pointed calmly.

“Let Lord Jimin explain himself,” Someone else intervened.

Jimin inhaled, he knew there was a pride in the members of the Council and that it would be difficult to make his case against a member as well positioned as Mawu. But Magic was on his side, he was sure of it.

“I have the testimony of a witness that Lord Mawu gave a mysteriously looking liquid to Lord Angus Jenless, the same liquid that later that same night would put Prince Jungkook’s soulmate under a sleeping curse. The same liquid that was served in a cup for the Queen to drink.”

“How could you lie so blatantly, child!?” Lord Mawu yelled in a scornful way, as if Jimin’s youth were something that could numb his judgement and Jimin could just look back to him in disappointment. As expected, his age was being used to diminish his judgement. “This is slander! Why would I want to kill the Queen!?”

“We leave our family names behind when we join the Council, but it is not really a secret that you were a Jenless before, Lord Mawu,” One of the members added, making a point. The Jenless were one of the most powerful families, descendants of a second son of a king generations ago. If the Jeon line were to disappear, the throne would rightfully become theirs.

“And so? I am not the only one of noble blood here!”

“Don’t try to sway the discussion.” Jimin sharply interrupted him. “I made my accusation and now I urge the members to consult with Magic if my words are true.”

Jimin smiled sweetly to Lord Mawu, who had started to turn ashen with every passing second. They both knew that he had won the instant Magic had been brought in.

As expected, the conclusion of the Council was that Lord Mawu had conspired with Lord Angus Jenless to end the Jeon bloodline and take the throne upon themselves. Both of them were sentenced to a life of magical prison in a distant kingdom.

Jimin felt a bittersweet contentment at the resolution of the case, for although the culprits had been found, the impeccable reputation of the institution had been stained. A millennia of the High Council walking hand in hand with the Crown for the good of the Kingdom had been so easily discarded by dishonour.

Now, they had a long road ahead to prove their rightfulness once again.

+

The melodic voice of Jungkook filled the clearing, the young man no longer shy about sharing his music. Hoseok rested his head on the other’s shoulder and closed his eyes, absentmindedly humming along to the song. It was one of Jungkook’s heart-wrecking creations, a song he had already played a couple of times before so he was already familiar with the tune.

“You know, I’ve never told you that I am honoured you wrote such beautiful songs about meeting your soulmate.” Hoseok broke the silence after the song ended. “I am sorry that meeting me wasn’t what you expected, though.”

“You don’t have to apologize for that, it was my fault for having such idealistic expectations in the first place.”

“Do you still think that we are broken?” Hoseok asked in a weak voice, face still hidden on Jungkook’s shoulder. Honestly, he had grown considerably closer to the younger since the cursed-limbo trap started, so now it hurt to think that there was something wrong with their bond.

“I don’t think so anymore,” was Jungkook’s reply, “I think the bond was there from the very beginning and we were just too distracted by the circumstances to realize. We are having these dreams, aren’t we? It wouldn’t be possible unless there was a strong soulbond between us. Or that’s what I’ve read.” He added, and if Hoseok would have lifted his head, he would have seen the nervous way in which the younger was biting his lower lip. But he didn’t.

Instead, Hoseok’s acknowledgement to his words was a simple “Oh.”

Actually, their bond must have been insanely strong to link them even between universes. Why didn't it occur to him sooner?

However, there was something else eating him up inside lately and Hoseok decided to finally be brave and address it, even if his heart clenched under the possibility of rejection. Because what had started as a friendship had turned into something more, at least on his part. Wonderful feelings that had bloomed inside of him and he now treasured. 

“You said that our bond could be platonic, so I was wondering...” Hoseok left the question implied, his heart racing up. He closed his eyes, waiting for Jungkook to give him some clarity about what was going on between them. Because he was sure that his feelings had changed, but that didn’t mean it was the same for his soulmate. 

“Hyung, correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t think there is anything platonic between us. Or at least not anymore.”

Hoseok lifted up his head from the shoulder to find Jungkook looking down at him with a soft smile and cheeks flushed in a lovely pink, their faces too close due to their sitting position. He looked at Jungkook’s big honest eyes, so close he could count the stars held in them, and then his eyes flitted to the younger’s small lips. The need of kissing those pretty lips flooded him, his face getting even closer on instinct.

“Thank god,” Hoseok managed to say in a whisper, as if speaking any louder could break the fine tension that had built between them.

“Again with this ‘god’ thing.” The younger chuckled before finally closing the distance between them.

Hoseok had had his good fare of kisses before, but none of them could compare to what he felt when Jungkook kissed him. And it wasn’t even a physical real kiss, on the contrary, it was their souls touching each other. But that was probably what made it feel so good.

There weren’t any fireworks exploding behind his eyes, but instead he felt the most pleasant warmth spreading through him from his heart to wherever Jungkook was touching him, in this case being his cheek –that Jungkook had gently cradled– and his lips. It was short, sweet and overall, the most significant kiss Hoseok had ever gotten.

When they parted, huge beaming smiles were lighting their faces. But Jungkook couldn’t get too far before Hoseok pulled him down into another kiss, their blooming smiles making it difficult for their lips to properly meet, but Hoseok wouldn't change a single thing. The same warmth filled him still and Hoseok wondered if it would feel the same to kiss Jungkook in the real world.

“I think I’m ready to break the curse,” Jungkook declared, his eyes still crinkling in a smile.

Hoseok hummed in approval, his hand caressing the silky hair of the younger. At that moment, he just felt happy to be there with Jungkook, even if it was in a weird 4th dimension.

Unfortunately, life was tricky and before any more kisses and soft confessions could be exchanged, Jungkook vanished into nothing. Hoseok groaned in frustration, getting sick of all the constant interruptions. He couldn’t wait for the curse to be broken and enjoy his Jungkook’s company for as long as he wanted.

+

In the real world, Jungkook woke up with the biggest smile already plastered on his face. He could still feel the warm remnants of Hoseok’s kisses running through his body, which was a pleasant contrast to the chilly air outside the cocoon of his bed.

The weak light that entered through the window indicated that it was barely dawning, but Jungkook didn’t care. Without wasting any more seconds, he got up and put on a large robe over his nightgown. It had gotten really cold now that the winter months had arrived to the Kingdom.

The guards posted outside Hoseok’s room let him in without any questions, already used to Jungkook’s constant visits at any time of day.

Inside, Hoseok lied on the bed, body still cold as dead. Even though it probably didn’t make any difference, Jungkook had made sure that he was always covered under the warmest of blankets and that the fire never died out during the long nights.

“Good morning hyung,” he greeted softly once he had sat on the bed, right next to Hoseok.

He took a moment to consider. Now that he was there, Jungkook felt his courage fail under the possibility of not being able to break the course. If that were the case, his heart wouldn’t take it. 

However, he couldn’t wait forever either. The power to change their destiny was in his hands; or well, more literally, in his lips. So after taking a few deep breaths, he casted aside any lingering doubts and leaned over Hoseok, trusting in this new feeling that he identified as love.

Jungkook tried to pour all these sweet feelings into the kiss, all of his hope of a future with the older where the both of them grew old together in the real world. He remembered how special it had felt to kiss the older in his dream, and although it was completely different to kiss his now almost-corpse, he hoped it was enough.

Expectant eyes awaited for a change in Hoseok’s visage, any sign that it had worked. But minutes passed and nothing happened.

He has not broken the curse.

Tears welled up in his eyes and Jungkook looked down in defeat, weak sobs that he tried to contain tearing the silence settled in the room as he buried his face in his hands. How could it have not worked, when he was finally so in love with his soulmate?

“I am s-sorry-”

“Why are you sorry?”

He gasped loudly as a hand gently wrapped around his wrist, thumb caressing the pulse point. Jungkook removed his hands from his face and locked eyes with Hoseok, who looked as healthy and alive as ever. The older was looking at him with a knowing smile, a healthy colour painting his cheeks as he sat up on the bed.

“I knew you could break the curse, Jungkookie,” Hoseok declared with a blinding smile.

At his words, Jungkook couldn’t help but cry even harder. He had been so scared and hopeless for a moment that all his efforts were to no avail.

“Oh Magic, this is so embarrassing,” he tried to laugh as Hoseok wiped the rolling tears off his cheeks with caring hands. “I am not a cry-baby, I swear.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Hoseok agreed, voice full of fondness, and Jungkook’s heart tugged pleasantly at the pet name. “You just care too much. I knew it from the moment you were so fiercely set on protecting your family.”

“Is that something bad?” Jungkook asked, suddenly insecure under the weight of his many flaws.

“Absolutely not. It is one of the reasons I fell in love with you.”

Jungkook could swear that he felt his heart expanding inside his chest, as if adapting to the growing feelings towards his soulmate. A big bunny smile bloomed on his face, cheeks still under Hoseok’s hands, and as the older leaned in to connect their lips, the door suddenly opened with a bang.

“OH DEAR MAGIC, JIMIN YOU WERE RIGHT!” Taehyung screamed as he barged into the room, making the couple separate abruptly as if they were not about to kiss just a second before. However, the pink of their cheeks betrayed them.

Lord Jimin walked inside the room shyly, clearly not as shameless as his soulmate. He was soon followed by Seokjin, who must had been alerted by Taehyung’s scream.

“I am sorry, I just told him that Magic felt Hoseok had woken up and he just ran over here before I could stop him.”

“Yeah, I broke the curse.” Jungkook announced smugly, puffing out his chest without even noticing, which made Hoseok laugh.

“How? Not that I am not happy to see you alive, no offense,” Seokjin said to Hoseok, “But I thought you had to be in love with Hoseok?”

“We’ve been meeting in dreams!” Hoseok exclaimed cheerfully. He and Jungkook explained how both of them had been seeing each other every night, those encounters causing them to get to know each other better and, consequently, for the romantic feelings to appear.

Jungkook looked at Hoseok with adoring eyes, still trying to convince himself that he was not inside a dream anymore. This was reality. Hoseok linked their hands and squeezed tightly, as if feeling that the younger needed some reassurance. 

The others proceeded to fill Hoseok in about the resolution of the murder attemps, about the culprits and how they had been sent far away. Throughout the explanation, Jungkook and Hoseok kept exchanging little smiles, which also brought along lots of teasing from the others.  

But Jungkook didn’t care at all, he would take all the teasing in the world as long as Hoseok remained by his side just like that. 

+

“Jungkook-ah, there’s something I want to tell you.”

A few days had passed since Hoseok woke up from the curse, and each one had been filled with sweet moments with Jungkook. Unsurprisingly, it hadn’t taken much for Hoseok to get used to his new life as the prince’s soulmate.

They were lying in the younger’s bed, their naked bodies intertwined for warmth, but also mostly for the sake of feeling each other close after the intimate night-time activities, fire lit in the hearth and casting a dim light. It was in this intimate setting where Hoseok felt the urge to share everything about him with Jungkook. He didn’t want to keep that huge secret from him anymore.

“What is it, hyung?” Jungkook questioned, his hand softly caressing the other’s back where it was settled.

“I... oh god, how do I even start?” Hoseok sat on the bed, running a hand through his hair. 

“You are scaring me. Is it something bad?” Jungkook asked, sounding anxious. Nevertheless, his hand found again his place on his soulmate’s back, unknowingly giving Hoseok the comfort he needed to put his thoughts in place. 

Hoseok would have slapped himself for making the younger worry. He shifted on the bed to face the younger and grabbed both of his hands, their fingers intertwined with purpose.

“No! No, just please... Try to be open-minded?”

 Jungkook nodded, attentive eyes full of sincerity.

“Jungkook-ah, I know you must have been suspecting that my memory loss is fake, am I wrong?”

The younger simply shook his head in silence, letting Hoseok continue with whatever he needed to say.

“Well, that’s because I am not from here and I didn’t know how else to explain that I had no clue about this strange place I was suddenly in.”

“I know you are not from here, hyung. You spoke a foreign language, remember?”

Hoseok glanced to the translating charm wrapped in his wrist, the emerald glistening beautifully with the light from the fire.

“When I say that I am not from here I mean that I am not from this world, Jungkook. As in, I came through a magical portal from another universe.” He added and looked up to meet Jungkook’s gaze with a racing heart, trying to gauge his reaction.

To Jungkook’s credit, he didn’t look weirded out nor gave any signs of thinking that Hoseok had lost his mind. His eyes, however, had probably doubled in size. “What?” He asked, voice not louder than a whisper.

“I know it’s difficult to believe, but I can prove it! I’ll be right back.” Hoseok leaned to give a quick peck to the younger’s nose before putting on a warm robe and leaving the room.

It didn’t take him long to come back to his place in the room and the bed, taking his phone from the small bag he was carrying. He quickly turned it on and showed it to Jungkook with a nervous laugh.

“Please don’t break it, I promise it’s not a weapon.”

Jungkook took the device in his hands carefully, clearly following the request. “I don’t understand. What is this? And why is this dog trapped here? Is he ok?” His eyes were locked on the screen, where a picture of Mickey was on display.

“This is called a telephone. In my world, it allows me to communicate with whoever owns another phone, even if they are on the other side of the world.”

“Oh, so like a Link ,” Jungkook nodded to himself, as if letting clear that he was following. “But what about the dog?”

Terribly endeared by his genuine worry for the animal, Hoseok laughed softly and kissed Jungkook’s nose, again. Because Jungkook’s nose was just too cute and deserved to be kissed countlessly. 

“I promise the dog is ok. This is just a photo; it’s like a painting, but it’s made with light so that’s why it looks like reality.” And that was the simplest way he could explain what a photograph was. 

“Oh” Jungkook’s jaw fell. “That is incredible! I wished we could do something like that with Magic.”

Hoseok took the phone from Jungkook’s hands and snapped a photo of him, the flashlight making him gasp in surprise. It wasn’t the best photo due to the darkness of the room, but he showed it to the younger anyway, anticipating his reaction.

And he wasn’t disappointed. Jungkook gaped at seeing himself on the screen.

“And that’s how it is done!? Just like that!?”

“Just like that.”

Hoseok showed him photos of his life, Yoongi, his parents. The younger looked at each one full of wonder and attentively listened to Hoseok’s stories about them. When they reached a photo of Seoul’s skyline, Jungkook gasped loudly and grabbed the phone in both of his hands close to his face.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” He said, trying to soak in every detail of the image.

“If you take me to the clearing, I can show you the portal.”

At his words, Jungkook looked back at him abruptly, realization dawning on him. “Wait, the clearing? Those two weeks you were gone...”

“Yes, I went back to Seoul.” Hoseok confirmed.

“Then, why did you come back here?” Jungkook’s huge honest eyes were fixed on him and Hoseok smiled sheepishly.

“Because my life there didn’t have much meaning anymore knowing that you were right here. It was like something was missing, and with time I realised that something was you,” Hoseok replied without a doubt, what was the point of keeping his feelings anymore?

Jungkook smiled brightly, clearly pleased with the reply.

“Glad to know that I wasn’t the only one feeling that way.”

Later that night, when they were lying next to each other again, Jungkook proposed, “Let’s go to the clearing tomorrow. It’s not that I don’t believe you, especially after everything that you’ve shown me. But I feel like I need to see that portal myself.”

Hoseok burrowed his face in Jungkook’s neck and gave it a kiss, sighing full of delight at the feeling of the strong arms embracing him.

“Ok, Jungkookie. Let’s go tomorrow.”

+

As promised, the next morning both of them travelled to the clearing; the place where it all started: their meeting, the revelation of being soulmates, their feelings for each other... Even in their shared dreams, the clearing had turned into their place. It wasn’t just Jungkook’s anymore, but theirs.

Even under the lash of winter, the place still managed to preserve beauty, a mystical aura that seemed to live intrinsic to the place.

It was freezing cold though, so instead of playing around like they would have wanted to at any other moment, Hoseok grabbed Jungkook’s hand and pulled him towards the barren trees as soon as both of them had dismounted.

“There. That’s the portal.”

Jungkook took a look at the anomaly standing in front of them. Where there was supposed to be a tree, the hollow trunk allowed to see a line of trees that were different to the species foresting Ilhieden. He sucked in an audible breath.

Holy Magic. It was definitely real. Hoseok wasn’t just foreign, he literally came from another world. Suddenly, he burst into laughs.

“I can’t believe I spent all those years trying to find out the language of your name. Can you imagine if you hadn’t ever crossed? I would have probably lost my mind eventually.” He kept laughing due to the absurd of his past situation, laughing until the point that tears started to well up in his eyes. Oh no, was he having a nervous crisis?

Hoseok looked at him with concern, unsure of how to take all these laughs.

“So, do you believe me? I can cross again if you are still not sure,” Hoseok suggested as he walked resolutely towards the portal to make the live demonstration. But before he could even take a couple of steps, Jungkook trapped him in a tight back-hug.

“NO! I believe you. Please don’t leave me again.”

Jungkook’s stomach churned at the thought of Hoseok coming near the portal. Last time it happened, Hoseok had disappeared for two weeks and then he had fallen under a sleeping curse.

Hoseok turned inside the embrace and held Jungkook’s cheeks with both hands, a loving smile placed on his lips before he pulled Jungkook in for a kiss. Jungkook’s eyes fluttered closed at the warm feeling that took upon him whenever his soulmate graced him with a kiss, even when it was a chaste brush of lips. It was a sensation that made him feel connected to Hoseok, especially after everything that had happened to bring them to this moment. 

“I won’t leave you again, sweetheart. I promise.”

“ I will have to go to pet my dog sometime, though. Wanna come?”

FIN