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Hoseok’s panicking, but only a little. Okay, maybe that’s a lie, he’s panicking a lot. Especially now that Jungkook’s in front of him with his wide doe eyes lined in kohl. God, Hoseok never had a thing for makeup before, what the hell? But, to be fair, he hadn’t known one Jeon Jungkook before either.
It all started last year. Hoseok’s had a pretty good life; he’s 25, living in a flat above his flower shop-slash-magic potions shop; and he’s been known to cook up a mean good luck charm potion. Hoseok’s not new to magic but he’s certainly never met someone who was clairsentient- like Jungkook, who’d walked in genuinely looking for flowers to give to his grandma for mother’s day. Now this wouldn’t be such a problem, really, if Hoseok hadn’t gone stupid for the kid in that passing year. He was absolutely smitten by the beanie-wearing, tattooed, longish-haired hoodlum that could sense spirits. But here Hoseok is, unable to stop himself from shuddering all-over whenever Jungkook brushed up against him in the slightest. It was fine, really. Hoseok was good at keeping his secrets to himself, he was a master- people actually believed his shop was a flower shop when he grew most of those for his own purposes. Heck, he’d kept it a secret from his best friend- a non user- for most of his life. And would have continued to do so if it weren’t for that little transformation potion mishap last month- it’s not his fault the potion looked like Kool-Aid, Yoongi should have known better than to drink anything from the shop’s fridge. Hoseok isn’t a witch but his mother was; and she’d taught him everything he knows about potions and herbs and old rituals that don’t require the spark for executing. He’d made a good business out of it. But back to his current situation.
Jeon Jungkook had strolled in on a Monday morning last week, lower part of his head freshly buzzed (Hoseok knows, he’d done it) and the long part tied into a messy bun, and demanded breakfast. Hoseok had provided, of course, because he was weak and Jungkook was too cute for everyone’s good. They’d sat and chatted about their weekends and the upcoming gathering of the Great Witch Council which Jungkook was attending and then- when they had gone quiet; Jungkook had looked at his chest and squinted. The younger had been staring at it long enough that Hoseok felt a little embarrassed about his bird bones sticking out.
‘Seok, your spirit’s changed, it doesn’t move like it did before.’ Jungkook had looked puzzled, koala-like nose scrunching and a lip caught between his teeth. Now, Hoseok had read up on clairsentience- he’d had to because he’d never really met anyone with it and he was curios. Also he wanted to be prepared because he gets scared easily and Jungkook would randomly talk to air at times which freaked him the fuck out because he knew that there was a spirit present. Clairsentience was sensing of spirits through energy and usually this wasn’t as pronounced as with Jungkook and people who claimed to be clairsentient were probably experiencing draft or something. But Jungkook talked to the spirits of the dead and usually tried to help them pass to the other side. But wait, there’s more. The young hoodlum could also see the spirits of the living in them. He could identify how good of a person they were, if there was something burdening them or if there was something health-endangering in their near future. So Hoseok had given him a job twice a week to take clients in the back of his shop if he wished but other days of the week he’d be free to do whatever he wants. But, usually Jungkook just stuck around the shop anyway.
So clairsentience- really bad in Hoseok’s situation because of course Jungkook would sense a change in his spirit. God, even his spirit got all jittery whenever Jungkook was around. He’d laughed it off at that moment, saying he’d probably picked up a cold somewhere and Jungkook had nodded his head but the look on his face was very skeptical.
So here he was now, panicking and Jungkook had just walked into the shop for his usual appointments and he’s a damn fucking cat because god, never ever drink anything from the shop’s fridge. He'd run around the room, tiny cat paws scarping against the tiles as he tried to hide- it was useless, Jungkook can sense spirits, there’s no hiding. It’s all Jungkook’s fault, the younger had called and said they needed to talk, and Hoseok had been reaching for his drink in the damn fridge and he took the wrong fucking bottle. Serves him right for updating from glass to biodegradable plastic. On the other hand, his potions don’t taste like shit anymore (kinda like mango actually) and work in record time- he will be proud of that later. Right now, he needed to get out of the shop or away from Jungkook in general so he doesn’t do something stupid like rub the underside of his head on Jungkook’s shin like he had the inexplicable urge to do so. Realistically, he should have been able to avoid Jungkook but then the younger was walking through the door and heading straight to where he was- under the fucking couch.
“Seok?” Jungkook had called and Hoseok had seen his feet moving around the couch. “Seok where are you? I can sense you but I can't see you? What did you do?”
Typical, assume it’s my fault. He huffed indignantly but in the end, it was all his fault. Then, Jungkook had crouched down and Hoseok saw his doe-eyes that hold galaxies in them looking straight at him and blinking.
There are strands of hair falling across his face and he looks so painfully handsome Hoseok actually feels his spirit pulse.
“Seok what the fuck?” Jungkook squeaks, voice cracking a little as he reaches for him, for the cat. Hoseok sighs internally and lets himself be picked up. It’s a little embarrassing but he likes the feeling of Jungkook’s strong hands on him- he feels content, safe. He realizes he’s purring and quickly stops; tries to wiggle out of the hold.
“Alright, alright, I’m letting you down.” Jungkook places him onto the couch and crouches down so that he’s at eye-level with him. “What happened?”
I can't actually answer you, you dingus. Hoseok meows loudly and Jungkook looks taken aback.
“Okay, so no speaking.” Jungkook tucks the flopping hair behind his ear.
Yeah, no shit. Hoseok chuffs lowly and Jungkook’s mouth parts in a smile, bunny teeth making their appearance.
“Are you stuck like that?” Jungkook asks, even though he now knows that he can't answer.
No, leave me alone. Hoseok tries to wiggle his head left and right but this damn cat body won’t cooperate and he ends up walking forward and head butting Jungkook’s nose. Jungkook startles and falls back on his ass and Hoseok would laugh if he could. Instead his instincts make him jump off the couch and land on the younger’s chest. Jungkook stares at him helplessly and Hoseok really doesn’t know what he’s doing but he’s not all there at the moment because maybe he’d gone a little overboard with those cat hairs. So he does indeed end up rubbing his cat face against Jungkook’s own.
“Not that I don’t appreciate the kitty cuddles but Hoseok, shouldn’t we try to fix this?” The brunet asks slowly like he’s afraid to spook Hoseok.
No, it’ll wear off, let me rub off on you. He meows loudly and then mentally cringes at how wrong the sentence sounds. He’s thankful that Jungkook can't understand him. The younger’s hand makes its way across the fur on his back and he gets the sudden urge to bite Jungkook so he pinches the younger’s cheek between his teeth lightly.
“H-hey!” Jungkook protests and pulls away while Hoseok continues with the rubbing. He yowls as Jungkook picks him up and places him so that he’s belly first on Jungkook’s forearm. “Come on, let’s see what happened.”
Hoseok freezes in horror, Jungkook can't see his potions book- he can't. Because Hoseok is weak and has a stupid crush and there’s Jungkook’s name followed by hearts doodled all over the damn notebook and that’s just embarrassing.
So he starts to struggle against Jungkook’s hold, trying to distract him. Maybe if he initiates a chase he’ll drag this out long enough for the potion to wear off. But he can't leave the building, if he transforms he’ll be buckass naked and public indecency is punishable by law. He digs his claw into Jungkook’s skin, mentally apologizing, and the younger yelps and drops him. He lands on his paws and scrambles away as Jungkook chases him with shouts. He makes it upstairs, thankful that he’d left the door open as he ducks inside. Realistically, it’s no use- Jungkook can sense him and it’s only a short while before he’s being picked up again.
“Seok, you gotta stop doing that.” Jungkook reprimands and Hoseok hisses at him. Wow, he can't seem to stop the sudden mood swings- no wonder cats are assholes.
“Now, come on. We’re gonna see what potion you last used.” And yeah, Jungkook can probably sense traces of his spirit around the room as well. Since he’s alive, his spirit is more active and present in his surroundings this is also why deceased spirits don’t hang out around people who are alive. Lively spirits tend to occupy too much space and shine too brightly. And if it’s there’s anything Hoseok is confident about then that’s being a bright spirit. Naturally, Jungkook locates the notebook with ease and flips to the page he’d last been reading without much preamble.
“Alright, let’s see.” Jungkook skims the page and nods to himself. Hoseok waits for it. “Transformation, huh, makes sense.” Jungkook chuckles. “By the looks of this it seems like it’ll wear off. Well, nothing we can do except for close up shop today and cancel the appointments.” Jungkook pulls out his phone and types up a couple of messages. Hoseok waits for it but it never comes. Instead, Jungkook takes him upstairs and puts a bowl of water down for him and Hoseok warily drinks. Then the younger takes up residence on the couch and puts in some of the movies they’d been meaning to see. Hoseok lets out a content sigh as they settle down and thinks about the averted crisis and maybe a nap. Jungkook strokes his fur timidly and Hoseok lets him because it feels nice. When he starts to purr Jungkook lets out an adorable giggle.
“You make a cute cat, Seok.” The younger nuzzles down into his fur and Hoseok weeps because he wants Jungkook to do that to him while he’s human, too.
I’m always cute, you brat. He mentally chides. You just never notice because you’re as oblivious and I’m a fucking coward. God, I’m so glad you didn’t see the embarrassing Mr. Jeon Hoseok I wrote like fifty times over that one page. He doesn’t realize he’s making little grumbling sounds until Jungkook shushes him and scratches his fingers against the underside of his jaw.
It’s halfway through the third movie when he feels the tingles. He’s about to change back and he needs to get the fuck off of Jungkook’s lap because that will be mortifying. But as soon as he starts to squirm away, Jungkook grips him and turns him around so that they’re face to face. His eyes are so wide and innocent and his spirit jitters again and Jungkook looks down at his chest then smiles. It’s with a puff of smoke and a loud pop that Hoseok turns back instantly. And he’s sitting in Jungkook’s lap, very much naked.
“Oh, okay, you’re naked.” Jungkook exclaims and quickly averts his eyes but the warm hands still hold onto Hoseok’s torso, right across his ribs.
“Yeah, thanks. You could have let me go.” Hoseok croaks as his cheeks heat, matching the blush on Jungkook’s.
“No way, now that I know, you’re not going anywhere.” And Jungkook turns back to look him in the eye with such determination that it has Hoseok taken aback.
“What are you talking about?” Hoseok subtly drops his hands to his lap to conserve his modesty.
“Seokie,” Jungkook coos. “You like me!”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” There it is. Hoseok groans and throws his head back as embarrassment washes over him. “Leave me to die, please.” He whines out as tears gather in the corners of his eyes. He was right, it’s mortifying.
“No, hey, come on. It’s cute, you’re cute.” Jungkook coos and reaches up to caress his the side of his neck. Hoseok startles and looks down to see Jungkook’s honest eyes. “I like you too, and I like that you like me because it makes your spirit dance.”
Hoseok snorts, “You’re so cheesy. I can't believe it took me becoming a cat for you to realize it.”
“To be fair, I was gonna talk to you about it today. I wasn’t sure at first but I observed your spirit. It’s a lot more honest than you are.” Jungkook smiles brilliantly and Hoseok smacks him on the chest.
“Fuck off, I had no idea how you felt. It’s not fair, I can't just magically see your life mojo or whatever.” Hoseok pouts because he’s a mature adult.
“You seriously couldn’t tell? Not even after I followed you around like a lost puppy for most of last week? Or all the times I bought you flowers?”
“I own a flower shop, Jungkook, I just put them up on display because I thought you wanted to make our offer wider.” Hoseok rolls his eyes.
“Alright, fair enough, I should have brought them in bouquets instead of flowerpots.” Jungkook grins and leans forward. “I know you’re kinda naked right now but I’d like to kiss you.”
“Yeah, in retrospect the pots weren’t the best idea.” He smiles back and runs a couple of fingers down Jungkook’s cheek. “Yeah, you can kiss me.”
And that the younger does, it’s sweet and Jungkook smells like something fruity and he’s warm and Hoseok thinks he tastes much better than that damn potion. In the end, maybe all it does take is a simple accident to be happy.
“Your spirit’s doing the mambo, the horizontal mambo.” Jungkook whispers with an eyebrow wiggle.
“Good god, way to ruin a moment.” He gets up and Jungkook squawks when Hoseok struts his naked ass towards his bedroom with a meaningful glance towards him. Hoseok thinks his spirit’s gonna be doing all kinds of things tonight.