Archive of Our Own ^beta

The sun shining through the windows hit his eyes and made him slowly stir out of sleep, frowning and grumbling. He had a kink on his neck from falling asleep on the chair, even though he was fairly sure he hadn’t fallen asleep on the chair last night. Or had he? Mornings were always confusing for him, with the whole “never really knowing where he’d be” thing. He slowly rubbed his face and opened his eyes, taking in the room before him. 

He was, indeed, in a chair. His white shirt and black pants a little wrinkled but still clean, like always. The room itself wasn’t big at all, he noticed, and the clutter of dirty clothes, books and cables on the floor made it seem even smaller. Finally he looked at the bed and saw the young man sleeping. He was cute, he thought, high cheekbones and snoring lowly, an arm dropped over his eyes still covering them from the sun. He was today’s assignment and, judging by the state of the apartment, he really needed it. 

Looking around, he surprisingly quickly found the man’s wallet and picked it up, trying his best to not make any sound and disturb the man. He checked the ID and saw that his assignment was 25 year old Kim Namjoon, and he was a university student. That was enough information for now, so he put Namjoon’s wallet back where he found it and snapped his fingers, getting rid of the wrinkle on his clothes and, with another snap, closed the curtains to try and keep the sunlight out for a little bit longer.

His efforts were in vain, though, because Namjoon’s phone immediately went off, the alarm loud and obnoxious, causing Namjoon to grumble and blindly reach for it, pressing his fingers around the screen trying to shut it up. This part was always the hardest, he thought, as people didn’t really like waking up and finding a complete stranger in their room. It was a bit easier when they were university-aged and assumed they had brought someone home from a party, but Namjoon didn’t look hungover so that assumption wouldn’t exist.

He watched as Namjoon sighed deeply, before rubbing his eyes and slowly blinking awake. He finally opened his eyes and immediately spotted the other man standing there, smiling kindly at him, trying his best to look as unthreatening as possible.

“Hi” he tried, in a small voice to match his kind smile.

It was for nothing, Namjoon let out a yelp and grabbed for the comforter, trying his best to cover his bare chest and get as far as possible in the same movement.

“Please don’t be afraid” he tried again, raising both his hands slightly to show he was really not a threat “I’m only here to help”

“Take whatever you want” Namjoon said, his voice still high with fear and his face still hidden in the covers “There isn’t much but you can take it”

It shouldn’t but that offended him a little. He didn’t need anything Namjoon owned and he definitely would be a much better thief if he did want it. “Kim Namjoon,” he said, firmly “I’m not here to rob you, you idiot.”

That made Namjoon stop shaking and lower the sheets he was hiding behind “How do you know my name?” he asked, carefully.

“I’ve been assigned to you, I have to know your name” he lied, but it didn't matter that much, really. Namjoon would never know and, after today, would never see him again anyway.

“What do you mean ‘assigned’?” Namjoon asked, his voice rising again “Are you gonna kill me?”

He sighed, even though that was his own fault. Poor choice of words, really. He snapped his fingers, making the chair hover over to where he was standing, laughing as Namjoon’s eyes widened at the effortless magic “Look,” he said, sitting down “I was sent here to take care of you and make sure you make it alive to sunset.” He explained, calmly, making sure Namjoon heard every word “I’ll be around until you fall asleep tonight and, after that, you won’t ever see me again. That’s it.”

Namjoon seemed to be at a loss for words, eyes still darting from his hands to the chair which had stopped hovering since he sat down so, really, Namjoon had just been looking at his face. He waited a bit until Namjoon finally said “So, you’re like, a guardian angel?”

 He frowned “Not sure about this angel business,” he replied “but if it helps you understand, then yes.”

Namjoon pondered this for a second before asking “If you’re not an angel, who sent you?”

“I don’t know,” he answered, honestly. He really didn’t know how everything worked. He would wake up in a new room every day, go through the panic-filled introduction, protect his assignment throughout the day and, once they fell asleep safe and sound, he would too fall asleep. And he would wake up in a new place and the thing went on and on. He didn’t remember when it started, but he knew this was his existence. The magic he could do to keep his assignment safe was a bonus.

“What's your name?” Namjoon asked, head tilting slightly like an overgrown puppy. It was endearing, he thought.

“I…” he hesitated. He wasn’t sure he even had a name, no one had really asked before, most uncaring for his presence and some more interested in what he could do with his magic. Namjoon noticed his hesitation and, for some reason, he felt ashamed telling Namjoon he didn’t have a name, even though he would never see Namjoon again, “Call me J” he said, finally. J sounded ok, he thought, easy to remember.

“Jay,” Namjoon tried, “You don’t look like a Jay.” 

“Call me whatever you want,” he said, finally, feeling his ears burning up at Namjoons stare. Could he even blush? That was new. “I don't really care.”

“Hm,” Namjoon hummed and he wished Namjoon would stop staring so intensely at him. It made him feel...awkward. “I had a friend when I was young called Jin. I’m gonna call you Jin. Yeah, you look like a Jin.” Namjoon decided, at last and an image invaded his mind, of a child version of Namjoon running across a grassy field, stopping to point at the little bugs and smiling wildly. He shook it out and snapped back to reality.

“Jin is good,” Jin said, and Namjoon smiled.

He felt sad.

“Namjoon, your apartment is a mess!” Jin yelled towards the bathroom door. Namjoon said he needed to get ready for the day but refused to let Jin escort him into the shower. Jin hoped Namjoon wouldn't slip on the wet floor, hit his head and die but Namjoon said he could manage it alone. Jin wasn’t sure what would happen if he ever failed a mission. He never had and wasn’t planning to start now. Instead, he used this time to wander around Namjoon’s apartment which, to be honest, wasn’t much wandering at all. Namjoon’s apartment was tiny, if the bedroom had been any clue, and Jin could see the man tried his best to keep it clean and orderly but failed ever so slightly. Jin snapped his fingers in quick succession, making the dishes scattered around the living room to fly to the miniscule kitchen and wash themselves under the sink. There was considerably less clothes in the room than in the bedroom, but Jin still made them fold themselves into neat piles and shove themselves in the basket near the washing machine.

He wasn’t above using his magic for chores even though he was sure he wasn’t supposed to. If anything, he was preventing Namjoon from tripping on his own mess or getting some sort of bacterial infection from dirty dishes. It was work.

“You didn’t have to do all this,” Namjoon said, quietly from behind him and Jin turned around. His hair was still wet and dripping, plastered around his head and over his forehead. He wore a white shirt but the towel he had used was still wrapped around his waist.

“It was nothing,” Jin said, snapping his fingers once again. Namjoon’s hair immediately dried off and styled itself into an approximation of the style he had on the picture of his ID. The few wet patches on his shirt also dried off and a pair of underwear and pants jumped out of the clean clothes basket and flung themselves into Namjoon’s arms.

Namjoon watched everything with wide eyes and mouth hanging open, gingerly touching his newly styled hair and his slightly warm, dry shirt. “That is so amazing,” he said and Jin once again felt his ears burning at the tone of his voice. 

He wasn’t sure he liked all this blushing business, Jin thought. 

“It’s just magic,” Jin said, aiming for nonchalant, “or, at least I think it is. Anyway, you should keep your space clean,” he turned to Namjoon, pointing a finger at him like he was scolding him “that would make my job much easier.”

Namjoon, for his part, looked properly chastised, as if being scolded by cosmic entities were commonplace for him “Sorry,” he said “I really meant to clean it up. But I got distracted by work and, well, everything fell into chaos.” he looked down, still clutching the pants and underwear with one hand and holding the towel in place with the other.

Jin tsked but with no heat behind it “Go get dressed,” he said, “I’ll fix you some breakfast.”

Namjoon looked up again at that “You really don’t have to-” he started but cut himself short as Jin just smiled and waved his fingers at him, hoping Namjoon would get the hint. He guessed he could cook, he never really tried before or, if he did, he didn’t remember. He didn’t even have to eat, anyway, why would he need to know how to cook? And also, magic was so much easier, why would he even bother?

 If the apartment had been a mess before, it was only a reflection of the man who lived in it. Throughout the day, Jin wondered how the hell Namjoon managed to make it alive and healthy to 25 years of age. He found ways to trip over completely flat surfaces, nearly always dropped whatever he was holding when something distracted him from the task of just holding something and didn’t seem to have full awareness of his elbows or just the space his body occupied in the world. He was, simply put, a menace.

Jin was endeared by it.

By all means, he should be angry. If anything, all it did was make Jin’s job exponentially harder. Invisibly following Namjoon down the streets, Jin found himself having to snap his fingers constantly, to make sure Namjoon didn’t fall in the oncoming traffic, to save his airbuds for the nth time, to detour other people so that Namjoon wouldn’t bump into them. It was exhausting and Jin thought he felt his fingers start to hurt from all the snapping.

Still he couldn’t find it in himself to be angry at Namjoon.

It wasn’t like the man was doing it on purpose. Sure, he could be a little more careful in life in general, but Jin came to discover that Namjoon’s brain simply worked too fast for his body to catch up. He wasn’t distractly crossing the street, in his mind he had already crossed it and his focus was already on whatever paper he was reading and/or discussing on his phone. Jin caught snippets of conversation Namjoon had with friends or colleagues, something about composition and tempo and chords, and marvelled at the proficiency Namjoon discussed these topics Jin knew nothing about.

He found some peace when they made it to the University and Namjoon holed himself up in some sort of studio, soundproof and mostly illuminated by the several large monitors that stood over several more keyboards and knobs and other things Jin didn’t know the name of. As soon as the door closed behind them, Jin made himself visible again and asked, amazed “What is all this?”

“What the fuck?!” Namjoon exclaimed and turned around, his face changing from surprised to curious to apologetic “Oh, Jin. Sorry, I forgot you were there.”

Jin grimaced. It stung but it wasn’t surprising “Sorry, I forgot to tell you,” he explained, sitting softly on the sofa behind the desk with all the monitors “your brain can’t really retain the information that I exist. When I disappear, you start to forget about me.”

Namjoon put down his bag, not breaking anything, and sat down on the rolling chair, facing the couch “So, all of the people you helped, no one remembers you?” he asked and, when Jin shook his head, he pouted “That sounds lonely.”

Jin just shrugged “It is what it is,” he said, kindly. He wasn’t bitter about it and he didn’t do it for praise. To be fair, he didn’t know why he did it or even what he was, but that was beside the point. And sure, it could be lonely sometimes, but Jin never really had any time to think about it since he was constantly meeting new people. New assignments, he corrected himself, but still. 

Namjoon’s pout got even more pronounced and he said, in a tiny voice “I don’t want to forget you.” It was so low that Jin wondered if maybe he wasn’t supposed to hear it, but he did and he answered anyway “Not really anything we can do about it.”

They sat in silence for a while before it became too much and Jin felt the need to draw Namjoon back out of his own mind “So,” he said, sitting up straighter “are you gonna tell me what all this is?” he signaled with his hands to show Namjoon he meant all the equipment on the desk.

It seemed to work. Namjoon snapped out of whatever thoughts he was having and carefully began pointing out the different keyboards and knobs and what each of them did, showing their effects on the monitors in front of him. He explained in a clear fashion that didn’t feel patronizing and Jin, despite having no musical talent of his own (he thought. He wasn’t sure), could see the patterns forming and soon enough Namjoon had created a small sample of a song for him.

“That’s awesome,” Jin said, eyes glued to the screen, missing the way Namjoon smiled shyly and ducked his head.

“Thanks,” Namjoon said, warmly “I’m still struggling with a few progressions but it’s coming together nicely.” he looked at his watch “A friend should be on his way here soon to help me out with this.”

“Oh,” Jin said “Don’t worry, I’ll just be invisible for a while.”

“First of all,” Namjoon began, turning in his chair to look at Jin “the fact that you can turn invisible is unbelievably cool.” Jin shrugged as if it was nothing but felt his ears go warm. Again. Were they always able to do this? It was getting annoying. Namjoon, however, kept going “Second of all, if you turn invisible, I’ll forget that you’re here, won’t I?”

Jin nodded “A little, and it isn’t all at once,” he said “I don’t really know how long it takes for people to forget about me entirely because after they go to sleep I never see them again.”

Namjoon’s pout returned in full force and, once again, he looked down at his hands “The more you tell me about it, the sadder it sounds.”

It could be sad, Jin supposed, if he really thought about it. He wasn’t expecting anyone to actually think about it, though, and no one had really asked about it before. Most people seemed to be interested only in what he could do, they didn’t actually seem to care about him and again that was what he was there for. He also couldn’t expect anyone else to care about his feelings when he himself didn’t even know if he had any. He was saved from coming up with a response by a short knock on the studio’s door. Namjoon looked up at the sound and his eyes met Jin’s for a brief moment, before Jin winked and snapped his fingers.

He knew he was invisible but that didn’t stop Namjoon from staring at where he had been for a few extra seconds, mouth agape and eyes wide in wonder. Another knock on the door, however, made him shake his head quickly and get up to get it. On the other side stood two young men, seemingly around Namjoon’s age, with complete opposite apparent dispositions. The first one, who just fistbumped Namjoon on his way in, looked like it was in pain from being anywhere else other than asleep, even though he beelined straight to the work desk and began pulling out even more equipment from his messenger back. In contrast, the second one, with bright orange hair, hung back by the door, hugging Namjoon tightly and smiling so wide his eyes all but disappeared. 

As Namjoon invited him in and offered him a place to sit, Jin thought he saw the orange-haired boy’s eyes linger around his general area, as if he could see him, even though it was impossible of course. Still, the feeling lasted a few more seconds before the boy put his bag down and sat on the opposite side of the couch from Jin.

“So, what do you need help with?” the sleepy man asked Namjoon, eyes jumping from the laptop he had set up on the desk to the monitors Namjoon had previously shown Jin. He seemed to read the information there expertly and nodded as Namjoon pointed some things Jin didn’t quite fully understand yet and both of them fell into easy music talk.

Meanwhile, the orange-haired boy seemed content to sit on the couch, eyes on his phone even though sometimes he would pitch in with a suggestion or a question of his own. This didn’t seem to faze the other two and more than once they took in whatever the boy had mentioned. The work went on for a couple hours, enough for even Jin to feel bored despite the passion with which the boys discussed their music. If Jin could he would fall asleep but he was lucky he couldn’t.

He saw it as if in slow motion. Some of the cables had tangled around the wheel of Namjoon’s chair and he hadn’t noticed as he tried to wheel back in order to stretch his back. The cables tightened and, unable to roll back, the chair began to tumble backwards, Namjoon’s head in a direct line of collision with the floor. Namjoon barely had time to express surprise or fear at the fall when Jin acted, snapping his fingers and causing the cables to untangle. The chair forcibly rolled backwards, the front wheels hitting the ground with a loud noise due to the weight of Namjoon’s legs.

“Wow there,” the other boy said, smiling a little at the near miss “try not to hurt yourself while I’m here or they’ll think I did it.”

“You have me as a witness, hyung,” the orange-haired boy laughed, along with Namjoon “plus Namjoon must have someone watching out for him, that’d been a pretty nasty fall.”

It was a throwaway joke, something people said all the time, and Jin was sure he imagined that the wink the orange-haired boy threw in Namjoon’s direction was meant for him.

“I guess that’s our cue to go get lunch,” the other boy said, packing up his laptop and putting it back in his back “Text me if you need anything else, Namjoon-ah”

“Sure, thanks for your help, hyung” Namjoon said, getting the door for him “And let me know if you need help with those lyrics”

The boy grumbled something and stepped out, waiting for the orange-haired boy to finish his goodbyes “Do be careful, hyung” he said, hugging Namjoon again “And I hope to see you again soon.” (Jin thought he imagined the emphasis on the word see ).

“You too, Jimin-ah” Namjoon said and the boy, Jimin, reached and grabbed the other boy’s waiting hand “And make sure to get Yoongi-hyung something else to eat that isn’t coffee.”

Jimin laughed their way out of the studio and quietly Namjoon closed the door behind them, still smiling. “Is it me,” Jin began, making himself visible again “Or was that boy hinting at me ?”

“Holy shit, you thought so too?” Namjoon exclaimed, turning around to face Jin “I thought I was imagining things.”

Jin chuckled “Maybe we’re just paranoid, although” he rubbed at his chin “there’s really no reason to be.”

“Are you not a top secret kinda deal?” Namjoon asked, sitting down on the chair, carefully checking to see if no cables were tangled around the wheels

“Not that I know of,” Jin answered, truthfully “I think it’s more of a ‘no one would believe you’ kinda thing”

Namjoon hummed something and they stayed in silence for a while, until it was broken by Namjoon’s grumbling stomach. He blushed and laughed “I guess I should get something to eat,” he said, pulling out his phone “What do you want?”

“Oh,” Jin said, surprised to be asked “I don’t eat.”

Namjoon looked up from his phone “What?”

“I don’t eat,” Jin repeated “Never have. Surely that isn’t the thing that surprises you more about today.”

“Weirdly enough, it is” Namjoon laughed “We just assume that every living thing has to eat, don’t we? And, well you are alive.” he paused for a breath “You are alive, right?”

“I think so,” Jin answered, feeling the now familiar but still annoying blush covering his ears “Never really thought about that either.”

And that was all Namjoon needed to hear. The time it took for the food to be delivered was filled with questioning and pondering, more from his part than Jin’s who couldn’t actually supply most of the answers Namjoon was looking for.

“Like, you said I’m your assignment but that implies that someone is actually doing the assigning,” Namjoon continued, between bites “which would mean that there’s someone overseeing the whole thing. And why would they assign you the people they do, what makes those people more worth helping than others? And who decided on all the rules you have to follow?”

“I don’t know, and I’m also not sure there are any rules,” Jin sighed, unhelpfully “I just show up, do my thing, get whoever I’m with through the day, and move on.”

“But there’s gotta be a reason, right? It can’t be random,” Namjoon continued. Jin had a feeling he would continue even if he could answer any of his questions “You’ve never wondered why you do what you do? You’ve never wondered what you are?”

 “No,” Jin said, quietly “I haven’t”

The walk back to Namjoon’s apartment was just as eventful as before and Jin felt tense everytime the man crossed a street or got distracted by something but kept walking. They did two stops at a grocery store nearby: the first to actually buy groceries and the second to recover Namjoon’s phone which he had forgotten while paying. That one was on Jin, he was the one distracted by the magazines on the stand and didn’t see Namjoon put down his phone.

“It could have been much worse,” Namjoon was saying, putting the groceries away in different cabinets and the fridge “I could have been having a real busy day, then who knows if I’d even notice my phone was missing.”

“This wasn’t a busy day?” Jin asked, standing by the door and watching Namjoon move around the kitchen. Sure, they’ve only been to the studio but they’ve spent so many hours there, even after lunch, Jin assumed this was Namjoon’s routine.

“Oh, no,” Namjoon laughed “I’d kill for the chance to just work with music. But I still have a few classes before I can graduate, and I work as a tutor for the university and I also give private english lessons.”

Jin nodded “Yeah, that sounds much worse” he said, sincerely

“It’s honestly not that bad,” Namjoon said, shutting the last cabinet “It can get pretty hectic but I actually enjoy it.”

“Lucky me that I come on a light day, then. If I had to take care of you during a hectic day, I think I’d snap my fingers raw.” Jin joked, raising his hand to examine his fingers

“Very funny,” Namjoon replied, smiling “Are they hurting now?” he took a step forward, reaching out to touch Jin’s hand.

The second their hands brushed, something like an electric current made the jump apart. It was stronger than just static, it even made a sound, but it didn’t hurt. Not Jin, at least, since he couldn’t feel pain, but Namjoon also looked unharmed.

“Ow,” Namjoon said, shaking his hand “What was that?”

“I don’t know,” Jin replied, studying his hand “It’s never happened before.”

People have tried touching him before, mostly just to check if he was real, but usually they just went through him as if he was a ghost (maybe he was, who knew?) and no one has ever been able to make contact. 

Namjoon’s eyes kept darting from his hand to Jin’s and back “Did it hurt you?” he asked

“No,” Jin said “Just surprised me.”

“Yeah, same” Namjoon agreed and, apparently deciding something, reached out again, offering Jin his hand.

Jin looked at him and his outreached hand and Namjoon raised his eyebrows “Come on, then” he said, grinning and Jin rolled his eyes. Might as well, he thought, slowly reaching back and carefully laying his hand over Namjoon’s.

The electric-like current was there again, popping and cracking between their hands, but they didn’t pull back this time. A shiver ran through Jin’s body and he was sure he made a face because Namjoon asked “Does it hurt?”

Jin shook his head “No,” he said “It feels...warm.”

What he didn’t say is that he meant more than just his hand. He felt warm all over, like a heat blanket had been dropped over his shoulders. Not only that, but another myriad of new feelings assaulted him: he felt the warmth of the kitchen and the smell of the apartment, the breeze flowing through the door and Namjoon’s pulse against the palm of his hand. Things he didn’t know he could feel because he had never felt them before.

“You?” Jin asked, watching Namjoon. He had only made a face when their hands first touched but now his gaze seemed much more analytical.

“It feels weird,” he said, at last “Like I’m holding a phone that’s vibrating, only ten times more.”

“Bad?” Jin asked again, weirdly worried. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t want Namjoon to hate this. It felt really important to him for Namjoon to not hate this.

“Not at all,” Namjoon replied, and smiled at Jin “It’s kinda soothing.”

Eventually, Jin pulled back first when the feelings became too overwhelming. He didn’t think it was possible to just feel so much at once and wondered if that was how other people experienced the world or if it was just Namjoon especifically. 

“That was,” Namjoon began, slightly out of breath “that was...wow.”

“Yeah,” Jin agreed. Wow sounded about right.

“I’m guessing by your reaction that that was the first time something like that ever happened” Namjoon said, smiling “And that you have no idea what it was.”

“Your guess is correct,” Jin joked along “It’s like you know me already.”

Watching Namjoon cook was even more stressful to Jin than watching him out on the streets. Once again Jin wondered how Namjoon managed to remain alive for so long without any help. He was a menace to himself with a knife and onions, he forgot he had turned on the gas while looking for matches, he let water boil over while excitedly telling Jin about this idea he had just had for the song he was working on.

Jin listened, it was impossible not to, not with the way Namjoon’s eye shone with excitement. He listened while snapping away, making Namjoon’s hand steadier around the knife, turning off the gas while Namjoon looked for matches, turning down the heat under the water and disappearing the splashes.

Namjoon, for the most part, didn’t seem to notice but when he did, he thanked Jin profusely, blaming his scattered mind and uncoordinated, lanky limbs (Jin thought they were beautiful, then he suppressed that thought). He just dismissed Namjoon’s apologies and told him to focus on not burning anything.

It was a success, at the end, Jin thought as he watched Namjoon sit down and eat what he had prepared, still discussing his thoughts out loud with Jin and, sometimes, texting that Yoongi person something.  Jin, for a moment, envied the way Namjoon wolfed down his food, wondering what it would be like to feel hunger. It wasn't the first time he watched people eat, but something about the way Namjoon enjoyed it, humming to himself when he wasn’t talking, sparkled something inside of Jin that he had never felt before.

It was, in many ways, a day full of firsts for Jin.

Jin volunteered to do the dishes, partly because Namjoon did all the cooking (even though he didn’t eat any of it) and partly because imagining Namjoon back in the kitchen but this time with water and soap involved gave Jin great concern. He did everything with a series of snaps before Namjoon could even protest and was met with another admiring glance from Namjoon.

He felt the tip of his ears burning again and almost snapped them off. The magical kind of snapping not the violent one.

As the night turned darker and Namjoon got ready for bed, he turned quieter, more introspective. He all but stopped talking and his pout took permanent residence on his lips (Jin thought they were beautiful, then he suppressed that thought). The melancholy hung over him like a cloud and Jin wished he could snap it away, make Namjoon happier somehow. 

Namjoon sat on the edge of the bed and Jin took a seat on the chair he had woken up that morning, waiting for the exhaustion to take over as it usually did. 

“Do you,” Namjoon began, measuring his words “also forget the people you help?”

“Over time, yes,” Jin answered “It’s not caused by magic, I don’t think. I just believe I can’t remember everything all the time.”

“How do you know the people you help forget about you?” Namjoon asked again “I don’t think I will.” he finished quietly

“I don’t know it for a fact,” Jin began, matching his tone to the softer one Namjoon used “But if they didn’t my existence would be common knowledge, wouldn’t it? Plus, during a few hours when you didn’t see me today, you started to forget too. That’s usually what happens.”

“If I don’t go to sleep,” Namjoon said “Maybe you’ll stay. Maybe I won’t forget you.”

Jin smiled, softly “You will fall asleep eventually. This might be magic, but no one has ever stayed awake past midnight when I’m with them.”

“Midnight,” Namjoon laughed sadly, “Just like the fairytales.”

“Just like the fairytales.”

At that, Namjoon yawned, not loudly but enough for Jin to know he was already beginning to fall asleep. It was time, Jin felt, the exhaustion already making his eyelids heavier. Namjoon laid back, over the cover, as his eyes struggled to stay open.

“I don’t,” he said, between yawns “I don’t want to forget you.”

Jin smiled sadly again but Namjoon was already asleep, snoring very quietly. His own eyelids closed and he fell back on the chair, his last thought of the day being that he didn’t want to forget Namjoon either, but he was already asleep before he could even try to suppress it.

The sun didn’t wake him up the next day because it was raining. The soft tapping of the raindrops on the window almost lulled him back to sleep, but then a cry that sounded somewhere between fear and amazement had him jumping up and snapping his eyes open. 

He looked around and the room felt familiar, weirdly. It was much more tidy, that was for sure, but the clothes and the music equipment that he could even name looked pretty much the same. As did the young man, sitting up on the bed in front of him, his face still puffy from sleep but his eyes wide open and shining with what looked like happiness.

“Jin!” he shouted again and, right, his name was Jin. Had it ever been Jin? Had it ever been something else? “You stayed!”

Jin looked at Namjoon, because of course it was Namjoon, smiling widely, dimples out in full display (Jin thought they were beautiful, then he suppressed that thought) “I,” Jin began, at a loss for words “I stayed.”

Namjoon kneeled on the bed and carefully made his way over, closer to Jin’s chair. He carefully reached out and grabbed Jin’s hand, which shouldn’t be possible but it was. It was much less charged than it had been last night but it still felt much warmer than anything Jin had ever felt before. “How?” Namjoon asked and Jin shook his head.

“I don’t know.” Jin felt out of breath and he wished he could feel as happy as Namjoon seemed to be. He was happy, of course, but he was also worried. Had he, somehow, fucked up? Had something happened to Namjoon without him knowing and now he was stuck here? “It never happened before.”

He was confused, he was shocked and, most of all, he was overwhelmed by the heat of Namjoon’s hand covering his own, It felt too good and too much and a lot of other things Jin didn’t have words for. He had never, never, ever, ever woken up in the same place twice, ever. Once he had been assigned to a young girl and then to her neighbour, but those had been ten years apart from each other and that was the closest he had ever gotten to see one of his assignments for a second time.

“Are you okay?” Jin asked, looking at Namjoon “Did you hurt yourself yesterday and I somehow missed it?”

“Nope,” Namjoon answered promptly “never felt better”

His smile, his goddamn smile almost overwhelmed Jin as much as the heat from his head still covering Jin’s. He felt dizzy.

“I feel dizzy,” Jin said and sat back down, removing his hand from Namjoon’s. It felt better and infinitely worse, simultaneously. He wanted that warmth forever and he also never wanted to feel it again. It was too dangerous.

“It’s okay,” Namjoon said, quickly “It’s gonna be okay, we can figure this out. Do you want some water?”

“I don’t drink” Jin reminded him calmly despite the storm brewing up inside of him. It only grew worse, then, when the unimaginable happened, almost on cue: his stomach growled.

It was loud and primal and almost echoed in the silence of the room. Both him and Namjoon looked down at his torso, hoping to be mistaken, but then a second growl came and Jin felt his ear and better part of his neck blushing at the sound (the blushing, sadly, continued and it was mortifying).

“I think,” Namjoon began, smiling softly “Today, you do.”

So, this was hunger, Jin thought as Namjoon piled breakfast food and different kinds of drinks in front of him so they could try out and see what Jin liked. He did not like hunger, he thought, but he very much liked eating. Maybe a little too much but absolutely nothing of what Namjoon put in front of him was a waste and he thought that feeling this satisfied was real happiness.

Namjoon, for his part, mostly drank coffee and watched with a goofy smile as Jin wolfed down food much like he had the previous night.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Jin joked, poking Namjoon’s dimple and turning his face away (yes, he aimed for the dimple, he had been dying to do that ever since he had first saw it and would not be judged because of it, thank you very much), “I’ve never been hungry.”

“I’m not looking at you like anything,” Namjoon defended himself, pretending to be offended, “I’m just impressed that you’re still eating.”

“Shut up” was Jin’s witty response to that.

After breakfast, Namjoon informed Jin that it was the weekend so he didn’t have anything to do other than finishing some schoolwork on his computer. That bode well for Jin, he wouldn’t need to be on high alert watching Namjoon and, instead, could focus on his own predicament. His power, luckily, still worked fine as he proved by once again making the dishes wash themselves. If he had to snap twice for a water glass to actually float to the sink and get washed, he tried not to think about it.

He threw his memory as far back as it would go, trying to find a pattern, a time when he had seen the same assignment twice but other than the neighbor young girl, he had never. Not even once, while shadowing a current assignment through the streets or in public transportation.

He had had assignments in different parts of the country and, sometimes, in different time periods although, he reminded himself, never too far from what he was used to. He also reminded himself that most of his assignments seemed to be around the same age, it had never crossed his mind but it had to mean something. Right?

“Why are you thinking so loudly?” Namjoon asked from across the room, where he had situated himself with his computer and a few books.

“I am not” Jin protested, loudly, and snapped one of Namjoon’s books closed just to be a little shit. Namjoon didn’t notice or didn’t care, his eyes on Jin (it was unnerving, the intensity of his gaze, sometimes.)

“You are, I can hear you from here,” Namjoon shot back, smiling “Also, you’re pouting which, cute, by the way.”

Jin pretended not to hear the last part and he also pretended not to see the blush across Namjoon’s face and neck as he coughed loudly and turned back to his computer.

“Are you done with homework yet?” Jin asked. Maybe he whined, but he would not confirm that.

“Almost,” Namjoon replied, still typing “I know it’s much more boring than going to the studio but I need to do this if I want to still have access to it.”

“I could grant you access to the studio whenever.” Jin pondered, snapping his fingers without using any magic, just to prove a point.

“Legal, non-criminal, non-magical access” Namjoon corrected him “I’d have a hard time trying to explain to authorities how my invisible friend broke me into the university’s studio.”

“You’re probably right,” Jin conceded, laying down on the floor “even though it would be funny seeing you have that conversation with a police officer.”

“Oh, I’m sure it would be hilarious,” Namjoon said “If it ever happens, please make a video of it and send it to Yoongi-hyung, he would love it. Speaking of…” he trailed off, picking up his phone to check his messages.

“Yoongi texted me earlier, saying he had a sample he wanted us to go over,” Namjoon explained “Want to hear some more about music?”

“Yes,” Jin promptly answered, in part because he actually wanted to, in parts because he was bored and, in parts, because he didn’t want to think about his situation anymore. He figured that there was nothing he could do about it and he had been assigned Namjoon two days in a row. So what if it fundamentally shook up everything he thought he knew about who he was and what his purpose was? 

Yoongi, blessedly, didn’t live far from Namjoon and they made the trip there on foot. There were decidedly less people on the streets even though it didn’t seem like they lived in a central area of the city. Namjoon stopped by a small supermarket to pick up some snacks and drinks and, in almost no time around, he was being buzzed in by the electronic keypad after ringing Yoongi’s apartment bell.

“I’ll be here, okay?” Jin asked as they rode the elevator up, waiting for Namjoon to take a long look at his face before whispering an “Okay.” in response.

Jin snapped himself invisible and followed Namjoon out of the elevator and a couple of doors down the corridor. He stopped in front of the one with the number 1306 on it and knocked twice, not very hard, Jin noticed.

“Namjoonie-hyung!” the orange haired boy from yesterday, Jimin, exclaimed as he opened the door to greet him “When I said I hoped to see you soon, I didn’t think it would actually happen”. 

Jin saw, once again as if in slow-motion, Jimin’s eyes drift past Namjoon and in a way that was too coincidental, fall on him and look at him right in the eyes. It couldn’t be, he had to be mistaken, he was invisible, no one could see him. Jimin’s eyes seemed to widened a bit, in surprised, but he immediately turned around and continued talking to Namjoon, closing the door slowly enough Jin could slip in

“I told Yoongi-hyung to talk to you before showing up Monday with a track you might not like,” he was telling Namjoon, guiding him (and Jin) into the apartment. He pushed open a door to what should have been a room but, instead, was a much cheaper looker version of the university’s studio they had visited yesterday “So I’m glad he listened to me, for once.”

“Yeah, yeah” Yoongi, sitting down in front of his computer, grumbled “You say that as if I never listen to you.” he shook Namjoon’s hand and offered him a stool so he could sit down next to him. Jimin, on the other hand, moved over to Yoongi’s other side and kissed him on the cheek “You do when it matters.” he said with a smile.

Once the music talk began, it went on for hours. Like before, both boys would pitch in different arrangements and ideas, Namjoon excitedly sharing with Yoongi everything he had told Jin the night before, and Jimin sometimes piped in with suggestions of his own. Other times, Jimin would distract them by showing something funny on his phone. On a few occasions, though, Jin would feel Jimin’s eyes on him, like he could see him standing there behind them, head cocked in curiosity.

It’s not possible, Jin reminded himself, he can’t see you.

After a while, however, a totally new feeling made itself known to Jin: a pressure on his lower abdomen that he had never felt before made him wonder if whatever had gone wrong that made him stay with Namjoon was finally catching up to him.

Then he remembered all the water and juice and tea and coffee he had that morning and it hit him: he needed a bathroom.

That realization was as thrilling as it was terrifying. He had never needed a bathroom before and it only made sense, since he apparently ate and drank now, that he would need to go eventually. He looked around and sadly realized that Jimin had closed the door to Yoongi’s studio when they walked in, making it impossible for him to slip out and find a bathroom.

Weighing his options, he decided to appeal to magic and to Namjoon. He snapped his fingers and Namjoon’s phone beeped once, signaling a text. Namjoon looked at it, then put the phone down. Then picked it back up and looked again, sitting up straighter. 

“Uh,” Namjoon began “Yoongi-hyung, may I use your bathroom?”

“Sure, you know where it is,” Yoongi replied, not really paying much attention.

Namjoon nodded and got up, slowly opening the door and crossing it, making it obvious to Jin that he was supposed to follow him. Jin did so, noticing how Jimin’s eyes seemed to follow him, the smile on his face at once soft and mocking.

Namjoon took his time closing the door, carefully whispering “You here?” and waiting for Jin’s also careful “Yes” before taking off in what Jin hoped was the bathroom’s direction. 

He was and it was just around the corner. Once again, Namjoon took his time opening the door, entering the bathroom, and closing the door.

“Holy shit” he said, as Jin snapped himself visible again “I can’t believe you have to go to the bathroom!” he sounded excited 

“I don’t understand it,” Jin said, “I mean, I do, but I don’t.”

They looked at each other for a beat, until Jin said “Uhm, Namjoon…”

“Right,” Namjoon replied, realization dawning on his face. He turned around, facing the door, and opened a faucet, letting the water run and create some sort of background noise. As quickly as he could, Jin did his business, wondering what sort of magic happened inside of him to turn all that coffee into pee, before flushing it all down.

“Don’t forget to wash your hands!” Namjoon reminded him, still sounding gleeful. Jin scoffed but did so, snapping his hands dry afterwards and then snapping himself invisible again.

“Let’s go” Jin whispered and Namjoon nodded

“Man, at least you didn’t have to take a shit” Namjoon joked, opening the door and leaving.

Jin felt terrified of that prospect.

Later, after they got back home, Jin indeed had to take a shit. It was much more time consuming than he expected and he didn’t like it at all. 

“What about now?” Namjoon asked. It was late, the sun had already set and Namjoon was already ready for bed “Do I say goodbye to you?”

“I don’t know,” Jin answered. He felt full. They had eaten again, Jin delighted in tasting all the things Namjoon set in front of him, but he also felt full of Namjoon. Not in a bad way, he just felt content. Happy.  “I know you’re tired of hearing me saying it, but I have no idea what’s happening to me.”

“We could look it up,” Namjoon suggested, grabbing his phone. “Maybe we can find something about you that isn’t like all religious and stuff.”

“Do you think there would be anything about me,” Jin asked “Or what is happening to me?”

“I’m not sure,” Namjoon answered, “but it might be worth a shot.”

And so they searched. Namjoon soon giving up his phone and turning on his computer, trying every combination he could think of keywords to find some approximation of what Jin was or what he did. They did find, like Namjoon predicted, several religious references that weren’t quite right, a couple movies that apparently were closer than the religious stuff, one song that Namjoon proclaimed “trash” and a few books, most of them labeled as fantasy.

“Damn,” Namjoon said, “the internet has never failed me so hard.”

“It was expected,” Jin replied. He had felt a bit of hope at Namjoons’s enthusiasm, but not enough to feel disappointed now “No one can write about you if they don’t remember you.”

“I know,” Namjoon said, but he sounded sad. Until he perked up and pointed at the screen “Holy shit, Jin, look at this!”

“Don’t really think I qualify as a vampire, I don’t think.”

“What, no!” Namjoon pointed lower on the screen, “Look at the time.”

And there it was, clear, unmistakable: it was 1am.

“What the fuck?” Jin exclaimed, looking from the clock to Namjoon’s grinning face “It can’t be”

“I think we reached the point where you don’t really get to be surprised anymore,” Namjoon said. He was joking, of course he was joking, but all these new things, all these changes Jin was going through, everything was monumental to him. The existence he had always known was not so slowly crumbling around him and he didn’t have a clue as to why.

He wanted to laugh along with Namjoon, he really did. But he felt so scared.

Namjoon’s phone beeped, bringing Jin out of his mind for a second. Namjoon put down the computer and reached for it, reading the text that had arrived.

“It’s Jiminie,” he told Jin “Weird, he usually doesn’t text me.”

“I thought you were friends” Jin asked, not sounding accusatory but rather wondering

“We are,” Namjoon explained “I mean, I’ve been friends with Yoongi-hyung since forever and then he started dating Jimin so we kinda became friends because of that, but we don’t really text each other.”

“Is it anything serious?” Jin tried not to sound worried, but if they don’t usually text each other and now Jimin sent Namjoon a text, maybe there was something wrong. Although, if it were an emergency, Jimin would have probably called. The picture of Jimin’s sweet and mocking smile, like a cheeky little fairy, flashed through Jin’s mind.

“Not really,” Namjoon asked, “He asked if I was up and if I wanted to go with Yoongi-hyung and a couple other friends to a bar tomorrow.”

“Kinda late for an invitation” Jin mused. He thought of Jimin waiting to text Namjoon at exactly 1am, as if he wanted to see if Namjoon was still awake after midnight. But there was no way he would have even thought of that.

“Er, it’s saturday” Namjoon said and looked up at Jin “So, wanna go?”

“You’re assuming I’m gonna be here tomorrow” Jin reminded him “For all we know today was just a fluke.”

“Well, we don’t know anything, so all we have are our assumptions” Namjoon winked “You could even come visible tomorrow and I’ll introduce you as a friend from my home city or whatever.”

“Absolutely not,” Jin protested. He didn’t know much, hell, he didn’t know anything, but he knew that even if he were here again tomorrow and he did go out with Namjoon’s friends, he would be invisible “I can’t be seen by anyone other than you.”

Namjoon sighed but didn’t argue that point any further. However, he did say “Fine, but it seems less like a rule and more like you don’t want people to see how pretty you are.”

Jin choked on nothing and began coughing, his ears, face and neck turning a deep shade of red. Oh how he hated blushing, he was going to snap that away as soon as he got his wind back.

“You can’t say that!” Jin cried, covering his ears to hide how red they were.

“Of course I can,” Namjoon replied. He was also blushing, but his smile was victorious “You have seen yourself.”

There was a pause that stretched for far too long.

“You have seen yourself, right?” Namjoon asked and Jin wished he hadn’t.

“Not really,” Jin answered, carefully, “I’ve looked in mirrors but when I look I can’t distinguish any sort of facial features on myself.”

“Oh, no, that’s just wrong” Namjoon said “You truly have no idea how beautiful you are.”

“Namjoon-ah!” Jin protested again, pushing Namjoon away (he was thrilled when his hands made contact and the push was actually felt by Namjoon. He was also thrilled by being called beautiful, but he suppressed that thrill).

“Hold on,” Namjoon said and quickly grabbed his phone again. Without warning, he pointed it at Jin and Jin heard the shutter go off.

“Wait, no,” Jin said but it was for nothing. Namjoon was frowning at the screen, so Jin asked “What?”

“Nothing,” Namjoon said, and turned the screen to show it to Jin. All Jin could see was a picture of the wall behind him, and in the center where his eyes would be, a very slight blur “Literally nothing.”

“I guess your vampire theory just got a little more plausible,” Jin joked and Namjoon hid his face in his hands.

“Shut up,” his voice was muffled but Jin could still hear the smile in it.

It shouldn't have been a surprise, and it kinda wasn’t, when Jin opened his eyes and he was still in Namjoon’s room. It was far more exciting than surprising, and a little bit scary, but Jin chose to focus on the exciting part. He had never imagined he would wake up in the same place twice, let alone three times. 

Soon, he also realized that not only did he wake up in Namjoon’s room, he woke up in Namjoon’s bed. They must have fallen asleep like that last night, exhaustion quickly taking over them once they realized what time it was, the magic maybe remembering to work like it was supposed to. 

Namjoon still slept, curved around himself in a tight ball of warmth and peace, facing Jin. His tiny snores would be imperceptible if Jin hadn’t been literally inches away. He watched Namjoon sleep, some unknown feeling threatening to engulf all of him from the inside out. He didn’t know what it was, but it felt like the heat and the electricity from Namjoon’s hand on his. 

He quickly thought back to Jimin kissing Yoongi’s cheek and Namjoon saying that they were dating and wondered what that meant exactly and also what it could mean for him. He remembered Namjoon calling him beautiful and he wondered.

Jimin’s friends were a loud and happy group, who excitedly welcomed Namjoon with hugs and fistbumps when he arrived at the rooftop bar they were meeting at. Their table was already crowded with different bottles of liquor and plates with different, delicious smelling foods. For a second, Jin regretted his decision to come invisible, realizing he couldn’t eat any of it.

Jimin’s face lit up with excitement when he spotted Namjoon, quickly whispering something to Yoongi and getting up first to greet him. After all the greetings were done, Namjoon making sure to say everyone’s name out loud as he greeted them for Jin’s benefit, he was offered a chair and a plate and a glass and he excitedly accepted all of it.

“Namjoonie-hyung, when are you gonna show us this song you’re working on with Yoongi-hyung?” deep-voiced, boxy grin Taehyung asked at one point “Jiminie keeps being all mysterious about it”

“Stop pressuring him,” bright shirt and even brighter smile Hoseok chided him with no heat “he’s gonna show us when it’s ready.”

“Maybe we can make a routine out of it” bright-eyed and dark clothed Jungkook suggested, looking at Hoseok but also waiting for Namjoon’s approval of the idea.

“I’m not sure you can dance to the kind of music I make, Jungkookie” Namjoon said but Yoongi scoffed at that.

“Of course you can,” Yoongi said, and pointed at Hoseok “Besides, Hobi can whip out choreography to virtually any song ever.”

“Oh, no” Jimin chimed in, his voice loud and clear “Remember the ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ incident of last year.” the table exploded in laughter and Hoseok sputtered and almost choked on his beer.

“I stand by that body roll,” he said but no one listened, still laughing out loud.

Their banter got louder and their laughter even more frequent the more alcohol they drank. Jin could barely keep up with the conversation, not knowing all the inside jokes of the group, but that didn’t prevent him from having to stifle some giggles into his hands once or twice.

Eventually, on unsteady feet, they began partying ways after splitting the bill. Hoseok left first, claiming he had to work early in the morning. Taehyung and Jungkook left soon after, holding hands and leaning against each other.

“Should we go, Namjoonie?” Yoongi asked, collecting the bill and the money they all left at the table to take it to the cashier.

“Yeah, let’s go” Namjoon agreed and got up, helping a much wobblier Yoongi up and all but carrying him downstairs to the cashier.

Jin made to follow them when a hand, a hand , stopped him on his tracks. It couldn’t be real, it must have been an accident, but his eyes followed the hand on his forearm and found Jimin looking straight at him. 

There was no one else on the rooftop, seeing it was a small space and their group had occupied the only table up there, and Jin felt as dizzy as those who had been drinking the whole night. So Jimin could see him, it was no accident, it was no coincidence all those times before. He could see him when it should have been impossible. He could see him and he could touch him like only Namjoon had ever been able to and it should be impossible. It should be impossible and yet it wasn’t. 

“I’m glad you could come,” Jimin said, sincerely, smiling his fairy smile at Jin “I’m glad you stayed.”

“Everything ok, Jimin-ah?” Yoongi, poking his head through the rooftop door, yelled at them. 

“All good, hyung” Jimin yelled back, throwing on his coat and pocketing his phone “I’m coming!” Yoongi nodded and disappeared again.

Jimin turned back to look at Jin “We’ll talk more later,” he whispered, conspiratorially “you can find me in a jiffy” he snapped his fingers and laughed at Jin’s widened eyes, leaving him with a wave and a wink.

Still invisible, Jin held Namjoon’s hand tightly and they slowly made their way back home. It really wasn’t far, closer even than Yoongi’s house, but Namjoon was a sleepy drunk and Jin wasn’t sure if he’d be able to make the journey back home alone.

“Jinnie,” Namjoon said as they entered his apartment and Jin made himself visible again “I wish you were there with us tonight.”

“I was, Namjoon-ah” Jin said, carefully pushing Namjoon towards his room

“No, I mean there there ” Namjoon protested, discarding his coat in the living room and his beanie on the floor “Drinking and laughing with us. With me”

Jin felt his throat tighten at the image of himself, sitting alongside Namjoon with his friends, laughing at some years-old joke, holding his hand (holding his hand?). It felt right but so impossible.

“I had fun, Namjoon-ah” Jin said, at last, and Namjoon nodded, falling heavily on the bed.

“Stay” Namjoon said, already more asleep than awake “Don’t make me forget you.”

The pressure he felt in his throat intensified and now there was also pressure behind his eyes. He didn’t know why but he had the urge to cry, another thing that should have been impossible. Jin didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what was happening or why it was happening or how to make it stop. With light fingers he brushed the hair out of Namjoon’s forehead and whispered 

“I won’t.”

Much like the other mornings, the fourth one found Jin once again in Namjoon’s room. He couldn’t bring himself to step away from him after last night, his slurred words echoing over and over again in Jin’s head until he passed out on the floor, hands inches away, but not touching, Namjoon’s.

He woke up first, as usual, and unsurprising since Namjoon was probably going to spend the day nursing a pretty annoying hangover. Or, he would be, if Jin hadn’t been there. At the first sign of life from Namjoon, some mix of of grumbling and sighing, Jin  sat up straight and again brushed the hair out of Namjoon’s face and whispered

“Good morning, you drunkard,” it was meant to come out as a joke but Jin could clearly hear the fondness in his words. No time to wonder where that came from, as Namjoon stirred and sighed again.

“No talk, head hurt” was the muffled response Namjoon could muster through the covers.

Jin smiled at that and he knew his smile was also fond, he could feel it, and he would very much like it to stop now. He couldn’t, though, so all he did was snap his fingers.

Immediately, Namjoon opened his eyes. He sat up on the bed and, confused, scanned the room “What did you do?” he asked, slowly.

“Instant hangover medicine,” Jin explained, winking at him “Faster than water, better than basically anything else.”

“Shit,” Namjoon sighed, falling back on the bed with a huge smile on his face “I love you”

He didn’t mean anything by that, right? Right?

“You weren’t kidding when you talked about having busy days, huh?” Jin joked, invisibly following Namjoon as he pushed his away across the university campus, unaware or uncaring of the other students trying to do the exact same thing. For Jin, it felt a little like a dance, keeping up with Namjoon’s fast pace while simultaneously trying to avoid bumping into anyone else.

If he did, he let Namjoon take the blame for it. He was like a bulldozer of a person anyway.

“This is still calm,” Namjoon said, the earbuds he had on not playing music but instead allowing him to talk to Jin without looking like a crazy person. Not that any of the other students would care, just that morning alone Jin saw a young man doing laps around his library desk in tears and no one around him even batted an eye.

“I only have two classes in the morning, then a lunch break and a few hours of tutoring this afternoon,” Namjoon continued, cutting across the lawn and earning himself a dirty glare from the group sitting there, definitely not smoking clove cigarettes.

 “It doesn’t help that the classes are in different buildings,” Namjoon continued as they crossed the threshold of the other building, not breaking his stride “but that just makes it fun.” He turned and grinned at where he assumed (correctly) Jin was standing.

A good thing about being invisible is that no one else could see him blush.

Namjoon tripped because of course he did and Jin didn’t even bother snapping his fingers, he just reached out and grabbed Namjoon by the front of his hoodie, “Eyes forward when you walk” Jin reminded him.

“I know, it’s just,” Namjoon stopped walking in front of a classroom. “For a second, I thought I could see you.” he shrugged and walked in, trusting Jin would follow him.

That was another thing that had been bothering Jin all day, even more so than whatever feelings he was having for Namjoon. His magic was kinda wonky.

It had begun the day before, with the stubborn glass that wouldn’t wash itself, but slowly and surely it had progressed the more time Jin spent with Namjoon. His magic felt weaker, less immediate and it exhausted him faster than before. He had to snap three times to fill Namjoon’s cabinets with food that morning (he was eating a lot of it, it was only fair that he repaid. Namjoon didn’t need to know). Luckily, he was able to prevent Namjoon from getting hurt all day so far, even though he resorted to either physically pushing or pulling Namjoon out of harm’s way or making him stop walking to tie his shoes or whispering to him to grab his phone or backpack before walking out.

He wasn’t used to not trusting his magic and it annoyed him. He couldn’t help but to add it to the growing list of things that seemed impossible before but that now were becoming his new normal. Waking up everyday in the same place, feeling hot and cold and thirst and hunger. Having to go to the bathroom. And now, losing his magic.

It all kept adding up to the feeling of wrongness, of being out of place, being disconnected from himself. He told himself that he could get used to everything else, but without his magic, what was the point of him?

“Namjoon-ah, I’m scared,” Jin whispered, once they were back at Namjoon’s apartment that night. Namjoon put down his backpack and turned to look at Jin, his head cocked in confusion “I think I’m losing my powers.”

“What do you mean?” Namjoon asked, immediately, pulling out a chair for Jin to sit on “You were invisible all day, no one could see you. And I know you helped me a lot with your…” he snapped his fingers, mimicking the way Jin made magic.

“You could see me, for a second” Jin reminded him “And the snapping has been...failing, all day long.”

“Maybe you’re just tired, I imagine I demand a lot of magical help,” Namjoon laughed “And before I couldn’t actually see you. I just thought I did, like in my mind’s eye or whatever.”

Namjoon reached out, like he was about to cup Jin’s face in his hand, but he hesitated and let his hand fall, grabbing hold of Jin’s hand instead “It was like I could imagine you there, with me.”

As usual, Jin was assaulted by the avalanche of sensations that came with holding Namjoon’s hand. All the things he had never felt before, all invading him all at once, the epicentre of it all the small expanse of Namjoon’s skin that touched his own.

He wondered, for a second, if kissing Namjoon would feel like this.

He suppressed that thought.

“Jimin,” Jin said, suddenly and Namjoon raised an eyebrow “Jimin could see me. Yesterday, when you and Yoongi went downstairs to pay the bill, Jimin grabbed my arm and told me he was happy I could go.”

“No way,” Namjoon said, surprised “He didn’t say anything all night.”

“But he knew I was there, somehow.” 

“Well,” Namjoon finally and sadly released Jin’s hand, “I guess we gotta talk to him then.”

They didn’t, at least not that night. Instead, Jin helped as he could while Namjoon cooked, more often than not using his hands when his snaps failed him. He was feeling pretty tired so maybe Namjoon had a point there, maybe he just needed a good night’s rest to get his magic back.

He knew it wasn’t it but allowed himself this little bit of hope.

Namjoon thought it might be a good idea for Jin to shower, even though he wasn’t nearly as human enough to actually need one. Yet, at least. But, since it was Namjoon’s suggestion, he accepted it and the pair of soft pyjamas Namjoon offered him on his way to the bathroom.

He couldn’t exactly say he liked the shower but he also couldn’t say he disliked it. He didn’t accurately feel the temperature of the water so he didn’t know if he was doing it right, but he did appreciate the pyjamas Namjoon had given him. His usual clothes, the ones he thought of as work clothes even though he didn’t own any other, he snapped clean and folded and came out of the bathroom holding them in his arms.

Never, in his entire existence, had he ever worn anything other than those clothes. In the grand scheme of things, it felt like nothing but, to him, it was another piece of his identity torn from him, changed forever, gone.

He pretended not to see the way Namjoon looked at him wearing his clothes, all giddy and bright-eyed. He knew that if he allowed himself to see it, and then wonder what it meant, his ears would go on full tomato mode and he would never live that embarrassment down. So, for now, better to suppress it.

It was an awful lot he had to remember to suppress at this point.

While Namjoon got ready for bed, Jin made himself comfortable in the chair he had woken up on, the very first day. He let his mind wander for a bit to those simpler times, when he would just help people for a day and get out, without a single worry in the world. He asked himself if he would go back, if he could. It scared him that he didn’t have an immediate answer.

“What are you doing?” Namjoon asked, eyeing the way Jin was sitting on the chair.

“Getting ready to sleep, why?” Jin asked and Namjoon raised an eyebrow

“You can’t sleep on the chair,” he said “you stupidly fell asleep on the floor last night. Just get on the bed.”

“Wait, no,” Jin protested “Then where will you sleep?”

“Also on the bed.” Namjoon answered, slowly as if Jin wouldn’t understand his words.

Jin pointed at the bed “On that bed?” he asked

“Yes, Jin” Namjoon answered “That bed”

“On the same bed?” Jin was sure he was misunderstanding something “Both of us? On the same bed?” Was it hot in here?

“Both of us on the same bed, yes” Namjoon confirmed and cocked his head to the side “We’ve done it before.”

“Yeah, on accident” Jin reminded him but still got up from the chair, eyeing the bed and trying to come up with the best course of action on how to lay down properly next to Namjoon while they were both still awake.

“If it’s a problem I can sleep on the couch” Namjoon suggested but Jin shook his head

“No, it’s fine,” Jin said, “Your legs won’t fit on the couch anyway. Remind me to snap you a new one tomorrow, I’m tired now.” 

“Thanks for the couch,” Namjoon replied, sitting down on the bed “Not sure how to feel about the leg commentary”

“Oh, shut it, noodle man” Jin laughed and laid down next to Namjoon, feeling stiff and slightly uncomfortable.

Namjoon sighed and turned on his side, facing him “Hey, Jin” he called and Jin mirrored his movements, also laying on his side but facing Namjoon “I know you’re scared, but it’s gonna be alright.”

Jin nodded, feeling the knot in his throat, and they stood like that for a beat, just watching each other. As the seconds flew by, Jin began feeling more and more relaxed, whatever awkwardness just evaporated beneath Namjoon’s warm gaze. He thought he saw Namjoon’s eyes glance down at his lips for a second and tried to suppress it.

But failed miserably and suddenly all of the things he had suppressed before came bubbling back: the way he thought his lanky limbs were beautiful, the way he thought his lips were beautiful, the way he didn’t want to forget Namjoon and also didn’t want Namjoon to forget him, how adorable his dimples were, the way Namjoon called him beautiful too. 

What it would feel like to kiss him.

He let his head fall forward, unsure of what he was doing and hoping Namjoon would understand, silently begging for Namjoon to understand. He did, luckily, and with a tiny smile also let his head fall forward. For a brief second, Jin expected it to feel the same as when they held hands, but nothing could have prepared him for what it would feel like to have Namjoon’s lips on his.

Namjoon slept, snoring peacefully, his face still turned to the side but Jin was wide awake. He too still laid on his side, just watching Namjoon sleep but unable to do the same. His whole body shook with adrenaline and electricity, his heart beat a million times per minute but he had never felt more at ease. More welcomed, more embraced. The feeling of wrongness he had felt all day long, finally gone.

Except, underneath it all, he was afraid. His fear changed, though, after that kiss. Before, he feared he would never be the same again. Now, he feared falling asleep and waking up tomorrow, somewhere else, full of magic but empty of everything else. And, worse of all, without Namjoon. 

He needed answers and he needed them now. Slowly, as to not disturb him, Jin snuck out of bed. He watched Namjoon sleep for a few more seconds before gathering whatever magic he could in that moment and snapped his finger decisively.

The apartment was dark which was expected, it was the middle of the night after all. Jin looked around, trying to remember the design of everything from his previous visit but was saved to do so by a sleepy form emerging from a door on the other side of the room he stood in.

Even through the grogginess and the darkness, Jin could see the fairy smile clearly

“I hoped you’d come,” Jimin whispered.

They sat on the kitchen table, two mugs of hot chocolate in front of them while Jin struggled to put into words everything he wanted to ask Jimin. Meanwhile, Jimin drank in silence, patiently waiting for Jin to begin the conversation.

“How can you see me?” he thought he might as well start there “Before, you could see me from day one.”

“I could,” Jimin agreed “At first, I thought you and Namjoon-hyung would be a one-day deal, like usual, but then you stuck around.”

Jimin smiled again “When I saw you again at the bar, I knew I had to say something. For both your sakes.”

“But, still,” Jin asked “That doesn’t tell me the how .”

“I was just like you,” Jimin explained. “Wake up everyday in a different place, follow people around invisibly, magic” he whispered the last word dramatically “The whole deal.”

“And what happened?”

“I woke up in front of Yoongi,” Jimin said, wistfully “And that was it. Everything started to change. I wanted food and I wanted touch and the magic started to fail. It’s always like that, the first few days.” He grinned “How was your first trip to the bathroom.”

“Awful,” Jin replied promptly “I was never so happy to have magic.”

Jimin laughed, clear and mockingly “You’re gonna have to learn how to do all that without magic”

“Will I?” Jin asked and saw Jimin’s laughter die down “Will I lose my magic?”

“Not exactly,” Jimin said “It’s your choice.”

“What do you mean my choice?”

“Sometimes, people will describe couples or good friends as made for each other or soulmates ,” Jimin explained “Some other times, some very rare ones, that is actually literal.”

“So, what, I was made for Namjoon?” Jin scoffed at the implication of that, ignoring the burning on the tip of his ears,

“I mean, kinda,” Jimin continued “There are some people who are so special that the universe has to make sure they end up together.”

“Is that what happened, to you and Yoongi?” Jin asked and Jimin smiled again

“I like to think so,” Jimin said “Like I told you, when I saw him on the first day, it was over for me. I knew I couldn’t ever leave him and not see him again, I knew I wouldn’t be happy anymore if I did.”

“I was so happy when I woke up on the second day, still next to him,” he continued “and I knew he was too. And also on the third day and on the fourth day. Then, like you, I started to panic about losing who I was and I made a choice. One last bit of magic.”

“You’ve met others,” Jin said, not a question “Others like us.”

Jimin nodded “I did, mostly one-day deals. I like to make them panic by insinuating I can see them.”

“Oh, I know” Jin said, laughing “Nearly gave me a heart attack at the studio.”

Jimin laughed at the memory before continuing “I’ve also met others who found their place to stay, who learned who they were and what they wanted.”

Jin thought he was finally beginning to understand what Jimin was telling him, and now he faced the choice of everything he ever knew versus what could possibly be.

“What if I don’t choose?” he asked

“You can’t have both,” Jimin said “You’ll wither away, not just your magic but everything else. And fast. It’s not pretty” he sounded sad and Jin assumed Jimin had seen it happen first hand. “Your magic is already failing, isn’t it?” he asked and Jin nodded, “That means you’re almost out of time”

“Will we remember each other?” he asked, at last, even though he had pretty much just made up his mind.

“He won’t. You can choose if you want to or not” Jimin thought about it for a minute “I chose to remember everything so I would never take it for granted.”

They didn’t speak again for a while, until finally Jimin got up and gave Jin a quick hug “I know you’ll do the right thing.”

He made for the door but, before he could leave, Jin called him back

“Jimin,” he asked, “is it worth it?”

He smiled again, full of certainty and happiness “Every second of it.”

Jimin closed the door behind him, leaving Jin to his thoughts but it was for nothing. He knew what he wanted to do, what he needed to do and he was trying to wish things went back to normal. He felt it in his bones what Jimin was describing before, how he could not imagine existing anymore without Namjoon by his side

Finally, he thought he would give up all the magic in the world if it meant staying.

He gathered all the magic he still had, focused it with all of his might and, one last time, snapped his fingers.

There was a little boy, running around in the grass, stopping by the taller leaves to gawk at the bugs there. His intrepid steps took him farther and farther away from his parents who were distractedly setting up the picnic table. They didn’t see the little boy following the blue-winged butterfly even farther away and they didn’t see the way his feet got tangled in some overgrown roots and they didn’t see the way he almost fell but didn’t thanks to another boy holding tightly to his shirt. The other boy was a little older, a bit more coordinated and a little less distracted by all the little creatures around there.

“Careful there,” the boy said “You can hurt yourself.”

“Butterfly” the first boy pointed but the butterfly was already too far away to be seen.

“Come on,” the older boy said, grabbing his hand “Where are your parents?”

Together they found their way back to where the little boy’s parents were setting up the picnic table. They thanked the older boy and, eventually his parents, when they showed up, for helping prevent the little boy from getting hurt.

“I’m Namjoon” the little boy said, when his parents encouraged him to introduce himself to his new friend. He raised his hand automatically like he saw the grown ups do.

The older boy chuckled but shook his hand diligently “Hi, Namjoon. I’m Seokjin.”

Shit, shit, shit , Namjoon thought to himself as he ran across the campus. He was late for his tutoring hours, having slept through his two alarms that morning. He wasn’t precisely a morning person but he also didn’t hate mornings and he usually would always be on time. But he had been feeling weird all morning, like he was hungover but without any of the actual discomfort.

He just felt groggy and sleepy and late. Very late.

He kept running though, doing his best not to run over any of the other morning students roaming about, balancing his bag and coffee in one hand and trying to text his apology with the other one. Gravity failed him, though, when his feet got tangled with each other apparently, and he fell forward, already bracing himself for the impact.

Which never came. Instead, he felt a hand around his midsection, holding him upright. The only casualty was his half-drunk coffee that fell on the floor and spilled a little over his shoes and whoever’s had saved him.

“Thank you,” he said immediately, bowing twice before getting a good look at his savior.

He was point blank gorgeous. Easily the most handsome man Namjoon had ever met and he hung out with Jimin and Yoongi and their friends. But, in all honesty, to Namjoon, none of them held a candle to this man.

He was also very familiar.

“No worries,” the man laughed and his laugh should be annoying but wasn't and Namjoon heard something like bells in the back of his head.

“Do we know each other?” Namjoon asked and blushed profusely at the reaction the man in front of him had. He couldn’t define what it was, but the man’s eyes shone with something akin of hope?

“Smooth, never heard that one before,” the man joked and Namjoon felt his cheeks grow warmer, which only made the man laugh harder. Namjoon thought he heard the man say something like turning tables under his breath but it didn’t make sense so he ignored it.

“I wasn’t flirting,” Namjoon clarified, “I literally feel like I’ve met you before.”

The man pretended to be disappointed “Well, I was,” he said and Namjoon felt his blush deepen. The man then fished out his phone from a pocket and offered it to Namjoon “Give me your number and we can see if you can meet me later.”

Namjoon felt flabbergasted. He looked at the man’s offered phone, to his face and back to his phone. He thought what the hell then and grabbed it, typed in his number and saved it just as “Namjoon”. The day was already weird enough and he was surely going to have today’s tutoring session discounted from his payment, he might as well give his number to an incredibly hot stranger. Yoongi would never believe him when he tells him this story.

“Namjoon,” the man said, with a smile, reading it off his phone “Cute name for a cute face. See you around, Namjoon.” he turned and began to walk away.

For some unknown reason, it felt like a test and if there’s one thing Namjoon can’t do is fail a test. He called back “Hey, what’s your name?”

The man stopped and turned around, his smile wide and truthful, very unlike the flirty one he was sporting just moments ago.

“Kim Seokjin,” the man said and then he winked, “But you can call me Jin”