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Taehyung hummed quietly to himself, tapping out another spell across the handle in his hand to keep it moving the long wooden spoon in steady circles. The concoction he was working on had thinned out some, near water-like in its consistency as it splashed and lapped at the sides of the cauldron, glowing a soft, warm purple that flooded the darkened apartment.
Sitting not far away, Jungkook sat backwards in a chair. He had been observing, but at some point he’d started to doze, his head pillowed on his folded arms on top of the chair’s back.
Content that the spell was staying consistent, Taehyung stepped away from the pot, walking barefooted to where the younger was napping. Smiling to himself, he ran his fingers slowly through the other’s hair, taking in Jungkook’s parted lips with fond eyes.
“Kookie,” he murmured, nudging the man’s cheek with his knuckle. “Wake up for me, Love.”
Letting out a pitiful whine of complaint, the younger tried to resist him, squeezing his eyes shut and burrowing deeper into his arms. Taehyung huffed softly, prodding him with just a bit more force.
“What?” Jungkook groaned, voice high and sleepy. Brows furrowed, his eyes squinted open to glare unhappily at the witch.
“You need to go to bed,” Taehyung told him lowly, stroking his cheek, ruddy and indented from the seams of his hoodie’s sleeves. “I’ve let you sit here for too long, Love. Your back will hurt tomorrow.”
Jungkook's lips rolled and pursed, his eyes blinking blearily. He yawned. “What time even is it?”
Taehyung tapped the other’s scrunched nose lightly, then moved to slide his hand back through the shifter’s hair. “An hour or so from sunrise. Like I said, Hyung let you sit here for too long.”
Jungkook whined again. Pout still present, he pushed his head into Taehyung’s touch. “Wanna stay with you, though,” he sighed.
Taehyung smiled, humming in thought. “D’you want me to carry you in my pocket or something?”
Jungkook eyed him hopefully. “Would you?”
Tapping his nose again, Taehyung just patted his own hoodie’s pocket.
Scrambling rather clumsily to sit up properly in the chair, Jungkook’s hands endearingly curled over the back of it while he shut his eyes, making sure to even out his breathing as he picked and started a shift.
Taehyung stepped back a little to give him some room, taking the moment to glance over and assure himself the spell on the cauldron was holding up just fine, and to also give Jungkook a moment of privacy; shifting was extremely quick, but if you sat and focused while watching, it was a rather odd sight. Teenage Jungkook had been shy about eyes on him during a shift, and thus Taehyung had developed a habit of looking elsewhere while it happened. For grownup Jungkook, while he would shift anywhere, there was only a handful of people he was completely comfortable with watching. Taehyung was in that group of people, but the habit remained, ingrained in him but also out of respect.
A soft barking sound caught his attention.
Jungkook’s clothes lay abandoned, slumped on the chair and floor, while Jungkook himself sat perched on the back on the chair, big dark eyes staring at him.
“A sugar glider kinda night, huh?” Taehyung mused, reaching his arm out. Jungkook crawled up happily, scampering along his arm and down his hoodie, diving into the front pocket.
Taehyung let him turn and wiggle until he was comfortable, turning to return to his cauldron.
A tiny head poked out, shiny eyes blinking and peering up at him while a pink nose booped against the pad of his finger, almost like a tiny kiss.
Laughing softly, Taehyung reached into the pocket, running his hand over his sleepy boyfriend’s head and ears.
“Sleep well,” he whispered, smiling at the soft chirp he got in return.
✶
“So, how did this one go?” Seokjin asked, leading him down the hallway.
“Pretty well. The whole process went much smoother this time than it did last month,” Taehyung told him.
Seokjin huffed a laugh. “Well, you knew what to expect this time. Any spills or anything?”
“Nope!”
“And the spells I gave you for the cauldron and ladle worked fine?”
“Perfectly,” Taehyung assured him as they sat down. “They took less magic to keep them stable than I assumed they would.”
“I know! So convenient for such a little price,” the elder witch agreed enthusiastically. The little grey face of one of Seokjin’s three familiars peeked over the back of the couch, crawling over and onto Seokjin’s shoulder. A similar glider followed suit, chirping.
Taehyung smiled at the sight of them, jumping in surprise then giggling as another sugar glider, Gukmul, crawled from behind him, his fur tickling his neck. He scrambled to the front of Taehyung’s shirt, and the witch ignored him as he continued the conversation, only to pause when the white little creature poked and prodded at his hoodie pocket with his tiny muzzle.
“What’s in your pocket? Gukmul’s seems pretty interested,” Seokjin asked him, chuckling at the small crabbing sound Gukmul made.
Taehyung hummed curiously, sticking his hand into his pocket.
And paused.
“Oh.”
Seokjin raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Taehyung covered his face with his other hand, laughing embarrassedly. “It’s Jungkook. I forgot he was there!”
He reached in, carefully cradling his boyfriend in his hand and drawing him out into the light.
Seokjin started giggling, nearly folding himself in half with the force of it. “Oh my Hecate,” he snorted, grabbing for his phone, no doubt to take pictures.
Gukmul crept up to peer into Taehyung’s hand, then promptly curled up beside a very oblivious, very asleep Jungkook.
Seokjin just giggled harder.
✶
Jungkook peeked an eye open, then cozily burrowed further into the warmth of his boyfriend.
Operation Stay With Tae All Day, a success.