Chapter Text
Of all places in the realm, Park Jimin found himself in the Magical Creatures Academy one sunny morning, his small bag of belongings tucked close to his side as he flew past the swarm of other magical creatures on their first day of school and their parents who came to see them off.
It was more like a shock than a surprise when Jimin received the letter of acceptance, hand-delivered by wizard Kim Seokjin who arrived at his little tree stump in the brightest of pink the secluded forest had ever seen, a sugar glider on his shoulder watching Jimin with the kind of attention that made him uneasy. It had been years since Jimin had applied, he nearly forgot about it along with other things he tried hard to bury deep down. He applied for the academy when there was still hope when everything was still normal when his people were alive and well and the forest flourished; when his parents were still there and his home still intact.
Now Jimin lived alone in a tree he could hardly call his home and stared at the stars through the crack in the trunk at night because sleep was something he still couldn't get used to. Not when the fire danced in the darkness whenever he closed his eyes; the fire that burned everything to ashes and distant memories.
It wasn't a hard decision to make, coming here to the academy. Not when it was his mother's dream to see him going.
Jimin knew that coming here came with consequences. Like the stares on his back, laughter at the small burn in the upper hand of his left-wing, his beautiful soft pink wings that were the pride of every fairy, only to be damaged in the fire that burned his home but left him alive for some reason; left him with a mark that will make sure he never forgets, never forgives the ones who caused it.
"Another pixie?" A girl said from where she was perched outside her room, and a flurry of laughter followed. Jimin made sure, not to look, not to give them what they want.
"C'mon tiny, show us a trick!" A boy twice his size, loomed over Jimin, his bulky hand sliding across Jimin's shoulder and the mere touch felt like insects crawling down his back. He shrugged his hand off and focused on turning the damn key to open his room.
"Leave him, Kihyun. Maybe he's afraid he'll run out of magic."
Jimin clenched his teeth and turned around, the girl, a siren Jimin realized from the bright blue of her hair. She gave Jimin a smile, her sharp teeth glistening and maybe she expected him to be afraid, to cower away in fear. Jimin however felt anything but. His eyes glanced down at the key chain dangling off her doorframe and the fairy smiled.
With a flick of his wrist, the door to the girl's room shut with a click, and silver dust enveloped the keychain, carrying it out of the window and somewhere out of sight or reach. A gasp echoed along the hallway as curious eyes followed along the line of fairy dust left behind and all eyes turned to Jimin.
"My magic does not run out," Jimin announced and the girl glared at him, barely holding back her anger or humiliation. "Unlike some little fishes that have swum from their sea."
Seething she charged forward but Jimin was already unlocking the door and slipping inside, offering only a small wave and a smile to make sure the message came across.
He may be small and have the smile that could fool everyone, but his magic was alive as long as nature was, as long as trees grew and flowers bloomed and the sun rose every morning. Fairies were the first magical creatures to be created and Park Jimin was the last of his kind.
Magic was all he had left. And he'd make sure he is remembered for it one way or the other.
»
The first few weeks go by like that, a few incidents and Jimin standing up for it without any shame. He has punched a goblin and threatened a werewolf with silver. What began as loud words have now died down to whispers and murmurs and Jimin night not have made a friend through all of this but he did make sure to put his enemies in places.
It was a quiet late at night on a Saturday evening when the rest of the students are immersed in washing down the weekdays away in alcohol and music while Jimin lay on his bed fascinated by yet another book on fairies and their history.
A knock on the door startled him. It was well past midnight and Jimin had no roommate thanks to the one that fled the day Jimin moved in. He rather enjoyed his alone time in the room, getting both beds and the rest of the space to himself. And he did not have a lot of friends. Kim Namjoon, the student body president was the only person who had spoken to Jimin in a somewhat civil manner but all the fairy could do was stare at the mismatched blood-red eyes of the grass green frog sitting atop the wizard's head.
In conclusion, there was no one he was expecting; and if this was some random drunk creature interrupting his peace at the expanse of a little joke… Jimin was more than willing to put them in their place.
Except when Jimin opened the door, it was a complete stranger standing on the other side, face covered behind a mask and long dark hair falling all the way to his shoulders. There were hints of tattoos peeking from where his shirt had bunched up due to the bag on his back and Jimin took his time studying him before he finally met his eyes, the crimson in his iris making him do a double-take.
"Who are you?" The fairy asked.
Turns out the boy was regarding him with equal curiosity because when Jimin spoke he felt their eyes jump back to focus, which were earlier watching his wings.
"Jeon Jungkook." The boy spoke and Jimin frowned. That was a name he hadn't heard before and he was good at remembering names.
"And?" The fairy asked verily. "Why are you at my room at 1:37 am? Are you drunk?"
"I am not drunk." The boy said back patiently. His eyes were fixed behind Jimin, scanning the room and Jimin found himself standing taller, not wanting to give this person even a glimpse of his personal space.
"And I am at your room because… well it's our room now."
And just like that, he pulled the mask down to reveal his smile, and Jimin felt his heart race at the sight of what he was seeing. On any other day he would have found those big front teeth cute but not when his eyes found what he was most shocked to see; the sharp glistening fangs that peeked through the smile.
His new roommate was… a vampire?
»
"I said no!" Jimin roared and his wings fluttered upon sensing his frustration. He had to reach back to smooth them out, breathing deeply to calm himself down.
"I want a new room or a new roommate or just- I will sleep in the library but I will not live with… that- that stupid blood-sucking monster!"
"That is very inappropriate, Jimin-ssi." Namjoon supplied and even his worried gaze was not enough to placate Jimin. He kept his glare intact. "We are all creatures of magic."
"The only magic those vampires have is the one they stole from us! My family! And after they decided they were done… they left them to die. You expect me to stay with him, look at his face every day knowing he might be the son of one of those people who burned my house, my entire pack?"
"I am aware of the… circumstances but-"
"Stop talking like that!" Jimin groaned, running a hand over his face. "Are you 700 years old or what? Nobody literally talks like that."
When he paused to look at Namjoon, the man looked close to tears, and well, that made Jimin feel like shit because he certainly did not mean to take it out on this man who was only trying to help him. But he couldn't help it either, all the other times Jimin had made complaints about the bullying, he had been given a cold shoulder by other members of the so-called student body.
"Listen, Kim Namjoon…" Jimin said, sighing deeply. He straightened his shoulder and looked back at Namjoon, gaze fierce.
"I know the people here don't like me as it is. There are probably a bunch of complaints against me already if any of those threats weren't hollow. But when you told me to stay out of trouble I listened to you because well… I respected that you didn't blindly believe their words."
Namjoon nodded.
"But this-" Jimin gestured frustratingly. "This is… something else. If you really want me to stay out of trouble, then please just… do this one thing for me. Keep that bloodsucker away from me."
Jimin fled out of the room before Namjoon could respond, and in his haze of fury, he did not notice a body standing against the door, who had heard everything. When he was a good distance from the room, Jungkook emerged from the shadows, and his eyes met Namjoon, who immediately rushed to him, eyes filled with worry.
"Jungkook-" Namjoon tried.
But the vampire only shook his head.
"Let me talk to him." The vampire proposed, and immediately the wizard took an opposing stance to his idea.
"That's a very bad idea. He may look small but you haven't seen him cast a spell, Jungkook. He doesn't know his own power. It will not turn out good, you-"
"Have no magic." The vampire finished for his friend. A sad smile took over his place as his eyes followed the path along which the fairy had flown away.
"I know hyung. Maybe he needs to know it too." Jungkook said and his fingers reached out to envelope the pendant he was wearing, brighter than the red in his eyes and he is reminded of it again, how he has something that does not belong to him and must be returned.