Chapter Text
“This skin is itchy,” A deep voice complained.
“Stop! You can’t put your hand in the fire: it’ll burn and then it will feel even worse.”
A deep throated hum of disapproval.
“And you, you don’t have gills in this form so stop trying to drown yourself,” The same chastising voice scolded.
You rolled over in your sleep, trying to push out the sounds.
“Now, we need to keep it down so we—WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU’RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!”
You jumped and your eyes opened wide as a crash reverberated throughout your house. You scrambled out of bed and into the living room. The coffee table was in pieces underneath two strangers and the window was open.
“You can’t fly in this form! Oh man. Would you guys listen? We’re just borrowing this space, we can’t wake…up…the…” The scolded had stood up and seen you. He gulped. “Owner.”
“I don’t have a horn, where’s my horn?” A different man came out of the bathroom in a panic, feeling his forehead. “And my tail!”
“Bigger issues, dude,” Scolder hissed, shoving the person who he had tackled into the table into the panicker’s arms. “Um, hello, I’m sorry to be intruding in your house but—aah!”
You swung the baseball bat at him again. “Get out! Get out! Get out!”
“We can’t! I’m sorry! Please let me—ow!—Explain!” The scolder pleaded as you swung at him. “A little help, guys?”
One you hadn’t seen caught the baseball bat as you swung. You automatically kicked at him and he yelped and jerked the baseball bat from your grip.
You quickly snatched the golf-club from the wall next to the bathroom and swung.
There were screeches of panic as they avoided you.
Then four of them were stopping you, starting with a tan one, followed by the one who can’t fly jumping on your back, the panicker stopping you from falling over, and a completely new one prying the golf club from your hands.
The last one looked at the club and shivered. “You’re supposed to say ‘Fore’.”
You tried to wiggle out of the grasp of the three people holding onto you.
“Guys, maybe just hold her by her arms so she doesn’t bludgeon me while I explain?” The scolder said, sounding exasperated again.
“He almost knocked her over!” The panicker continued to hold you up until after the flyer was off of you and sticking his tongue out petulantly at the scolder.
The tan one chuckled. “She’s fierce, I like it.”
You tried to break free, but the one who had caught the baseball bat earlier had your one arm and while you were distracted by that discovery the panicker had kept hold of your other.
“Shut up. Now, look, I’m sorry about intruding in your house. It wasn’t my first choice. And I’ll reimburse you for the coffee table and whatever was on it. But in all the world, this is the safest place for these guys according to the oracle. They need a place to hide, and if the oracle’s records are correct, you come from a long line of warriors and protectors.”
“What the hell are you talking about?!” You snapped.
“Look, I know it’s hard to believe but those fairytales that you all tell each other are true, every creature in them is real. These are those creatures. Dragon, fairy, elf, unicorn, merman, werewolf, and then me, an enchanter.” The scolder shrugged. “I’m charged with protecting them, which is why they’re all in human form. Well, I mean, Jungkook’s already in human form a lot of the time but for now he’s more like a were-husky instead of a werewolf.”
“You’re insane,” You said, staring at him.
“Look, I’m Taehyung and as crazy as it seems, it’s true. You’re y/n. Your parents were protectors before they died. You were very young.”
“Don’t talk about my parents,” You warned, glaring at him.
“Don’t you remember having siblings growing up? Never playing alone? They were the ones your family protected.”
“I said, don’t talk about them.”
“Look, whether you believe me or not, I need you to protect these guys. Keep them hidden. I can enchant your cupboards, fridge, and freezer to have whatever food you need so you won’t have extra expenses there and after we get safety locks on the windows so Jimin doesn’t try to jump out and ultimately get himself killed things should be relatively easy. And I can pay you.”
You hesitated, a biting remark on your tongue. Today had been your last day at your job, and you had yet to find another job.
And your gut was screaming at you that he was telling the truth. That you could trust him.
That you knew him.
And you needed that money.
“How much?” You asked.
“Two hundred dollars a day.”
“And how exactly should I hide them from my aunt?”
He shrugged. “She mixed up the dates and forgot to visit.”
You frowned. “Excuse me.”
“At least, that’s the story. And now she can’t get away because the dates she requested were denied. Her schedule won’t free up until after these guys are safe again. Not that you actually wanted her to visit. You two don’t get along well.”
“You know what, one, that’s creepy as hell. Two, three hundred a day or I take a golf club to everyone’s heads. And any damage to me or my house, you pay for.”
“Agreed. Now can I introduce them without you trying to kill me?”
You nodded sharply. “You’re lucky I’m broke.”
He nodded, looking nervous. “Very lucky, apparently. Um, Yoongi, the wall behind you. Don’t let her get to it.”
You glanced toward where he was looking and saw a very pale man take up the position in front of the sword you had hanging on your wall. “Right, could you tell your goons to let go of me, maybe?”
He shifted his feet again, fingers fiddling with each other. “I’m not sure you won’t start swinging again.”
“I told you, I’m broke. I need the money. Now, tell them to let go or I’ll feed them nothing but rice and beans the whole time they’re here.”
Golf club guy looked desperately at Taehyung.
Baseball bat guy and the panicker released you before Taehyung could say anything.
Taehyung shivered. “Okay, um, let me introduce you then?”
You nodded, pulling a different sword from behind the bookshelf and unsheathing it.
His eyes widened, and everyone froze a little.
“You were introducing everyone,” You prompted, casually adjusting your grip on the sword.
“Um, right, um,” He said, glancing at the one that had tried to fly.
The flyer nodded and came over, hugging Taehyung’s arm.
“Um, this, um, this is Jimin. And guarding the other sword is Yoongi—”
“And what are they supposed to be?”
“Oh, right, well, Jimin is normally a fairy. With wings. And Yoongi…well, he’s a merman….”
You blinked a couple times. “So he was the one that tried to drown himself and Jimin was the one that tried to jump out second-story window?”
Taehyung gave a weak smile. “Yeah, again, I’ll pay for a new coffee table.”
“Four more people to introduce.”
“Right, um,” He muttered, looking at the remaining men. “Well, Hoseok, he is, well was, a unicorn.”
You looked at panicker as Taehyung gestured to him. “Explains the skittishness. So you’re normally a horse?”
He almost looked insulted. “Unicorn.”
“Same thing.”
“I’m magical.”
“Were.”
“What?”
“You were magical,” You corrected. “Now, you look like a human. If you were a horse to begin with.”
“Unicorn,” Taehyung corrected. “Anyway, um, the guy holding the golf club is Seokjin-hyung. He’s an elf.”
Seokjin nodded to you.
“Namjoon was a dragon,” Taehyung said, gesturing to the tan one, then to the baseball bat guy, “And Jungkook is a werewolf.”
You nodded.
“Do you believe me about any of them?” Taehyung asked, deflating a little.
You pointed at Jin. “He has pointy ears, so I’ll tentatively believe that he’s at the very least extremely unusual.”
“Alright, well, then…why don’t I show you?”
You noticed that the other guys got even more tense and even Jimin started backing away. “Show me?”
“Yeah, I’ll turn one back so you can see.”
Namjoon was opening the window again, and Yoongi was looking back into the bathroom with a look of deepening regret. Jimin was hiding behind Seokjin, and Hoseok behind Jungkook.
“Can’t do Hoseok and Namjoon because they’re too big, how about Jimin?” Taehyung turned toward the supposed fairy.
Jimin’s eyes got huge and he hid completely behind Seokjin.
“You know what, how about we just leave it at I tentatively believe you and you leave them alone because they look a little too freaked out for it to be something as simple as showing me,” You said, tapping the flat of your blade against his chest and making him back away from Jimin.
He looked surprised. “Um…yeah…okay.”
You lowered the sword again. “Okay. Now, what time is it?”
“Four,” Taehyung answered hesitantly.
You took a deep breath to stop yourself from trying to impale the most direct target. “You couldn’t have brought them here at a decent hour of the day?”
“I think that would go over even worse, your senses might be heightened during the day allowing you to form a coherent plan of attack, which would have led to the successful bludgeoning of Taehyung,” Namjoon said, closing the window again. He regarded you with a mysterious smile.
“That’s kind of the point,” You said, offering to hit him with the point of the sword.
He pressed himself against the wall, eyes widening. “She’s very quick.”
“And you’re without armor or weapons,” You added.
“Definitely a fighter,” Jungkook murmured.
You lowered the sword. “Okay, first things first, second floor is my floor. My bedroom, my bathroom, my space. That bedroom can be used by someone, and I have two more bedrooms downstairs. I don’t care how you guys divide them up, but I suggest you do so without fighting. One of you, not Yoongi, is going to go drain the bathtub and please remember that I have to pay a water bill. Jimin, we don’t climb out windows, we don’t jump out windows, we don’t try to fly when we don’t have wings. Namjoon, you will burn if you touch hot things and it will hurt like hell. I’m not dealing with it, don’t make me deal with it. Yoongi, you have to hold your breath under water or you’ll drown. Hoseok, we’ll try to keep you on a vegan diet but frankly I’ve never made vegan food so it’ll be a learning curve. Jungkook…I don’t know. Don’t wolf out on me. And Seokjin, really? I almost hit your friend with a golf club and all you say is that I’m supposed to say, ‘Fore’? Priorities, man.”
The last just shrugged. “We’ve actually only just met a few days ago.”
“Can I just ask what we’re hiding these guys from?” You asked Taehyung, resting your free hand on your hip.
“Um…I’ll get you their files after I report that they’re safe. They are safe, right?”
“You’re the person I’d like to skewer most at the moment, so let’s go with yes,” You replied dryly, letting the tip of the sword rest on the rug.
He looked unconvinced.
“They’re safe. I’m going back to bed. You’re going to report so that you can actually tell me what I’m protecting them from.” You rolled your eyes, and moved to grab the sheath. “I’m sleeping with the sword next to me, but I’m going back to sleep, even if it takes me two hours.”
“You actually believe him?” Yoongi finally spoke, his voice soft and deep, and with a slight lisp.
“Enough. I believe him enough. Now, you go report. The rest of you be quiet, don’t die, and let me sleep.”
They nodded, all watching you somewhat warily.
Taehyung bowed slightly, then whispered to the boys, “I’ll try to be back soon.” Then he disappeared with a flash of purple light.
You shuddered. “I’m not sure if I would call this a dream or a nightmare.”
“Um, where are the bedrooms on the first floor?”
You blinked at Hoseok a few times and sighed. You weren’t going to get back to sleep, really. You were just trying to kid yourself. “Do you guys have any belongings?”
Seokjin and Jungkook shrugged a bit, while the others shook their heads.
You sighed a little. “I suppose I’m probably lucky Hoseok even has clothes since he was a horse before this.”
“Unicorn! And Yoongi was the one they struggled to get to wear clothes.”
“It looks like sails and netting,” Yoongi grumbled.
“That’s valid,” You agreed. “But seriously, aside from them terrifying Yoongi, who was the hardest to get to wear clothes.”
“I’d still say Yoongi, the others just decided that if they had to wear clothes they should look nice and then realized that it wasn’t going to happen. And Taehyung sort of magically put the clothes on Hoseok and Namjoon during their…transformation,” Seokjin explained. “Jungkook and I are used to it. Jimin just doesn’t like that his clothes in this size aren’t as comfortable as the clothes when he’s small.”
“He’s still short,” Jungkook hissed teasingly.
Jimin made an indignant sound.
“Snack size,” Namjoon agreed.
Everyone looked at him and he cleared his throat.
“Not that I eat humans, or fairies, or anything humanoid. Usually things like deer, cows, ho—homeless…goats…yeah, goats…oh, and fish!”
You shook your head. “Should have stopped after goats,” You muttered. “Come on, downstairs everyone. Might as well make breakfast since we’re all awake and you guys can tell me a little bit about yourselves. Other than what you ate.”
“I’m supposed to be running my shop,” Jimin said quietly, the pout evident in his voice.
“I’m supposed to be running away from hunters…actually, you know what, forget the horn and the tail. I’m good. Let’s hide forever.” Hoseok kept a good few people between him and Namjoon. “Well, maybe not him.”
“Hey, I didn’t ask to be here. I’d much rather be at home, decorating.”
“And where do you call home, Namjoon?” You intervened, seeing how quickly their conversation might devolve.
“Oh, it’s a nice little volcanic island, not too hot, not too cold, decently close to the mainland where there’s tons of prey and only a two day flight from the nearest kingdom when I need to work out some frustration or add to my hoard.”
“Charming. And you, Jungkook? Where are you from?”
“We just called it the pack territory….” He answered a little shyly.
You nodded. “What’s it like?”
“Nice….”
“Wow, sounds like heaven. You describe it so well.”
Jimin giggled.
“What about you Yoongi? Any great descriptions of where you’re from?”
“It’s darker, and colder. We used sunken ships and magma to shape the cities. The surface reef is full of hiding places.” He glanced at you, then shrugged. “It’s boring to me.”
“Sounds interesting to me. Jimin? What about you?”
“There’s this forest we live in, near a field of flowers, and I live in a cherry tree on the edge. My shop is in an apple tree, though. We sometimes make big trips to the town nearest us and pick up little things that they won’t miss. It’s fun. Like a game of hide and seek.”
You tilted your head. “Like…buttons?”
“What are buttons?”
You showed him the buttons on your shirt. “Buttons. Hoseok?”
“Um…well, the fields were full of flowers and tasty things…and the forests were good to hide in…and the mountains…it was so beautiful. And my family was there, and my friends. It was great. It was perfect,” He was whispering by the end of it.
You nodded. “It sounds nice.”
“It sounds really nice,” Seokjin added, and patted Hoseok’s shoulder.
“What about you Seokjin?” Jimin asked, his voice still softer.
“I’ve been living in different safe houses for a few years now,” He answered nonchalantly. “Before that it was a forest.”
“Oh,” Jimin whispered. “Sorry.”
Seokjin shrugged. “I still talk to my family. They’re all safe. That’s what’s important.”
“Right, and we’ll make sure you’re safe. Okay, so, breakfast.” You frowned as you tried to think of something they all could eat and came up pretty blank. Hoseok would need a specialist diet, and you weren’t sure what the others needed. “Any dietary restrictions?”
“Too many greens make him gassy,” Seokjin said, wrinkling his nose at Namjoon.
“Okay, so Namjoon needs mostly meat, Hoseok needs a vegan diet. Jungkook?”
“I can eat some fruits and vegetables, but meat is preferable.”
“Rice?”
Jimin grinned. “Yes! I love rice! A few grains make a great dinner.”
“Well, you’re going to need more than a few grains of rice to fill your stomach now. Do you eat meat, Jimin?”
“No…only the occasional aphid…” He looked away, rubbing and worrying at his fingers.
“Okay, what about eggs? Cheese? Milk?”
“Yes please.”
“Okay, so vegetarian but not vegan. A vegetarian, a vegan, a carnivore, at least one omnivore…Seokjin?”
“Omnivore.”
“Yoongi? What was your diet?”
“Fish, kelp, sometimes birds if we can catch them. Crustaceans.”
“So, sea food mostly. I’m putting you as an omnivore. So three omnivores and three with specialist diets. I’ll try to make sure meals are…all encompassing.” You sighed, and paused outside the refrigerator. “So, maybe oatmeal? Do you guys think Hoseok might be able to drink milk?”
“In his human form he should be able to…I think. I mean, if it’s really really pure milk.” Seokjin said thoughtfully, positioning himself so that he could
“So…fresh from the cow or goat?”
“Or horse,” Jungkook muttered.
“Magic fridge, right?” Yoongi said, dryly.
You opened it and saw a glass jar that hadn’t been there before. “Kind of scary. Okay, oatmeal it is. Hopefully it’s okay for Namjoon too.”
He made a strange humming sound. “Well, I’ve sampled some fields before and corn is okay as a side dish.”
You nodded again, not having any other response. You weren’t about to tell them that you actually hated oatmeal. Then they might not eat it and you’d really be screwed.
“Well, it looks like I have some sausage so I can do some of that for you guys too.” You pulled out the package, looking at it skeptically before starting to cook. You weren’t a great cook by any means, but you could cook oatmeal (working at a summer camp you learned a few basic meals, and the kids always seemed to eat more on the days you made the oatmeal) and other basic meals. Enough to survive. “So, you guys have only known each other a few days?”
“Yeah, but Seokjin-hyung was the only one besides Taehyung-ah that could communicate with everyone in our…original forms,” Jimin explained.
Seokjin shrugged. “I have language magic.”
“Ah, thank you, that’s my next question: do any of you have magic abilities, in this form? I know Jungkook can shift into a…canine, and Seokjin, you probably still have your language magic?”
Jungkook shifted into a rather large husky and whined, immediately shifting back. “Not cool….” He shuddered, rubbing his arms and shoulders.
You let out a breath laugh of relief. “Thank god your clothes magically reappear.”
“Oh, yeah. Taehyung-hyung gave them to me.”
You set the sword down so that it was leaning against the cabinet next to where you were cooking. “All of you trust Taehyung, then?”
“Well…trust is a strong word,” Hoseok said almost sheepishly. “Or at least, let’s not say that we trust him implicitly.”
“Speak for yourself. My life sort of rests in his hands. And has for a few years now. Sweet kid.” Seokjin gazed out the window, his shoulders drooping slightly.
Jungkook nodded. “He’s got a good smell to him. Honest. A little scared and stressed, but nice. Kind of sugary smelling.” His nose twitched.
You stared at him until he noticed and got a scared look.
“What?”
“No offense, but you remind me more of a bunny than a wolf.” You turned and kept cooking.
Someone snorted and another chortled.
“Do not,” Jungkook finally protested.
You grinned and giggled, stirring the oatmeal before flipping the sausage patties. You set a timer and turned around and took in the faces of your six new roommates. “I guess having you guys here won’t be too bad. And the money will be good. Let’s agree to try and get along, yeah?”
They nodded their agreement.
None of you knew that this would be the start of huge adventure.