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Yoongi sighed for the umpteenth time as he tried to lay down in his little wooden paddle boat. The skies were clear, the weather was sufficiently warm and the water was calm. The lake was large; he had drifted out so far that he could only just about make out the forest edge where he started. It was a beautiful day. It was a quiet day. Irritatingly calm and quiet. Yoongi would endure just two more minutes of this before shooting back up into a sitting position and grumpily stabbing his oar into the water.
“You need to get out and get some exercise Yoongi-chi, take a bit of time to yourself. The lake is particularly calm and relaxing this time of the year,” Yoongi muttered under his breath, the water sloshing messily around him as he paddled back to the forest edge, “Damn you, Jung Hoseok, you will be lake trash when I’m done with you.”
The conversation of Yoongi and his lack of exercise had come up once again in the living room the night before. Kim Namjoon, a dryad, and Jung Hoseok, a fox spirit, had shown up (uninvited as always, much to Yoongi’s chagrin) and decided an intervention had to be made. Yoongi had countered that he walked through the forest every day and that was exercise enough, but Namjoon was quick to point out that using charms to hover around the forest was not technically exercise before returning to his football game on the television. “No magic Yoongi, I would know, the fish talk,” Hoseok had insisted, “You may be a witch but your body still functions like a human. You look like you are withering away in this cottage of yours. Namjoon and I have to come around from time to time just to make sure you don’t poof into non-existence. Time to get shredded, get a tan and get that hot summer bod.” Namjoon nodded in agreement, his eyes still glued to the television.
Yoongi levelled him with a look, “It’s autumn, winter is coming, and I like my pasty white complexion and distinct lack of muscles thank you very much.”
Yoongi thought that that would be the end of that conversation. However, the very next morning, he was dragged out of bed by the cheery red- haired fox spirit and dumped unceremoniously in his PJs into his old tiny paddle boat and shoved out into the lake. Yoongi fumed at the audacity of the meddlesome spirit and the disrespect he had to endure in his own home. He hadn’t even had his morning coffee.
There was a reason why, Yoongi realised about 5 minutes into this activity, he had not touched the damn boat for the past ten years and now his arms, back and abs were paying for it. He was ready to turn back about three meters from the shore but the nosy duo must have conspired with the lake for playful small waves would form, pushing him further out into the centre of the lake.
Yoongi was busy grumbling and cussing out his friends when a small black object floating on the surface of the lake caught his eye. Curiously, he drifted closer, thinking that perhaps it was a bit of trash. The lake would be happy if he got rid of it and maybe he can convince the waters to push him back to shore. As he got closer, he noticed that the object looked a little irregular. Squinting into the distance, he could just make out feathers? Yoongi quickened his paddling until he was only about an oar’s length away. There, floating in the middle of the lake was a raven, sprawled on its front and unmoving. Death was the natural way of things in this forest, the lake as much as it had kept Yoongi safe, had also taken many lives and Yoongi knew to respect the ways of nature. Yoongi gently prodded it with his oar. If it were dead, he would let the lake put its body to rest.
There was a faint twitch of a wing. Yoongi’s eyes widened, realising the raven was still alive, but barely, too tired to carry on. He hastily lifted the bird on his oar and heaved it onto the boat. The raven stumbled around blindly for a bit before its legs gave out and it fell onto on its side with a splat. Its onyx feathers were dripping wet and matted to its body. The oar clattered back into the boat as Yoongi reached over to the bird tentatively. Its eyes blinked at Yoongi heavily and it opened its beak as if trying to make a sound but displayed no further aggression towards Yoongi. Yoongi carefully cradled him, wrapping him up with the base of his pyjama shirt and resting him on his lap, feeling the cool lake water soak through the cotton and onto his skin. The raven squirmed slightly, nuzzling into Yoongi’s warmth. “Shh little one,” Yoongi murmured, his fingers deftly stroking the raven’s head, “Let’s get you back and warmed up. Rest for now.” With one hand gripped around the oar, his other reached into the water as he whispered a plea for the lake to take him back. The water swirled gently around his hand as though giving it a light squeeze in understanding.
The trip back was significantly faster with help from the lake. Yoongi tugged the boat back up onto the shore and jogged the short path back through the trees to his cottage. He held the raven close to him, careful not to jostle him too much on the way. Hoseok was nowhere to be seen as Yoongi careened through the front door. He gently deposited the raven onto his kitchen table and then swaddled the trembling creature in a thick fluffy towel. He quickly cast a warming and drying charm onto the towel that was wrapped around the raven and then onto his own clothes. Yoongi though reaching one hundred and fifty-three years old in a couple of months, was considered a young witch. Charms for him made everyday living easier, however, his talent laid in herbology and potion making. It was more difficult for him to cast charms onto living creatures directly.
He got a fire going in the fireplace just in case, despite it being a relatively warm autumn day, and carefully moved the raven closer to it. He brought a small dish of water close to its mouth which it took a few hearty sips from before it seemed to settle into the towel and dozed off. When the raven seemed sufficiently warmed up, Yoongi carefully unwrapped the towel checking for any other injuries. There was some mattered blood on his right wing and a cut just beneath the feathers. Yoongi lightly pried the feathers apart, inspecting the wound with a small frown on his face. The cut was not deep enough to require stitches but the raven would probably have to wait for it to heal before it would be able to use the wing again. Yoongi dabbed on a light healing salve and wrapped the wing in a bandage before tucking the raven back into the towel. The poor bird barely moved the whole time Yoongi was treating the wound. Yoongi’s felt his heart twinge at how exhausted the raven must have been.
While the raven rested, he took his time to get his daily dose of caffeine and made himself some pasta for lunch. He did not know what the raven would like to eat so he left out some bits of uncooked chicken, coaxed the shrubs in his garden for a couple of blueberries and dug out a few worms from the soil in his garden. He was just about to dig into his pasta when he heard a quiet squawking coming from beneath the table. He looked down and only to see the raven lift his bandaged wing and tilt his head quizzically. Yoongi chuckled and picked up the raven, placing him on the dining table with him.
“Your wing was injured little one, but not to worry, it should be all healed up and ready to go within a few days. I just put a little healing salve on it and bandaged it to speed up the healing,” Yoongi explained as he reached for the food he put together for the raven. The raven moved his injured wing up and down experimentally as Yoongi placed the food before it, “I don’t really know what you eat so I got a bit of everything. Take your pick.”
The raven stared at the squirming worms and clicked its beak in distaste before hopping away towards Yoongi’s plate of pasta, pecking at the chicken bits. “Oh…” Yoongi stammered, baffled by the raven guzzling down his food. ‘Well then…” Yoongi sighed, picking out the chicken bits with his fork and leaving it at the side of his plate for the raven.
That night, Yoongi gathered a soft pillow and a few blankets and made a nest by the fire for the raven. He tucked it in, petted its head before returning to his own bed to sleep. When he woke up the next morning, he found the raven tucked into the crook of his neck on his pillow, soft feathers tickling the underside of his jaw as the raven’s chest rose and fell with the rhythm of its breathing. Yoongi lightly chided the raven over breakfast that morning despite knowing that the raven might not understand a word he said, communicating his concerns that he would roll over and squish him in his sleep. The raven merely rolled its eyes dismissively (as much as a raven could roll its eyes but Yoongi swore he saw it) and returned nonchalantly to his breakfast.
The next few days occurred in a slightly similar fashion. Yoongi would check on the raven’s wound, make them both breakfast, then go about his daily chores. He knows now to make a second portion of his regular food with only the meat and some vegetables for his raven friend. The raven had taken to hopping or squawking at Yoongi until he picks it up and places him onto his shoulder as a means of following Yoongi around for his daily chores. The trees had curled in closer, curious about Yoongi’s new found friend, while he was out collecting plants for his potions and healing the ones that need help. A spring of thyme had curled around his finger inquisitively as the raven perched on his shoulder, wide- eyed, as Yoongi coaxed it for some stems. It had dropped a couple lovingly in his palm nudging Yoongi’s finger fondly as it shrunk back into itself. The mushrooms were more annoying, letting out little puffs of spores in excitement, agitating Yoongi’s nose. They were the most gossipy of the plants and were naturally overly dramatic about Yoongi’s new friend. “I thought Yoongi didn’t have friends? He’s always alone! His friend is very handsome.” they whisper- shouted to each other in front of him. Plants do not form words per say, but Yoongi can sort of understand the gist and emotions behind what they are trying to imply. He skipped past them as quickly as he could, taking care to avoid the mushroom circles that threaten to pull him into a magical realm where he suspected the mushrooms would pester him till his ears dropped off.
The raven would perch on the shelf behind him while he was making his potions and poultices for his orders from town. Yoongi suspected the bird might be unusually smart when he was muttering to himself about having misplaced his jar of bay leaves which he had painstakingly immersed in bat’s drool and left to bask out in the moonlight for a month for a slightly more complicated potion order. He had half a mind to curl up on his couch for the rest of the afternoon and wallow in his misery at the thought of having to start over again when the raven had started pecking at a jar of young ginger roots. Lo and behold, the misplaced jar of bay leaves were hidden right behind it. After that incident, the raven had taken to hopping around the shelves and pointing out potion ingredients to Yoongi as he reads it out from the recipes.
Initially, the raven would sneak into his bed after Yoongi had fallen asleep, whether in the early morning or late at night Yoongi wasn’t sure, but soon after, the bird had just settled himself onto the bed while Yoongi was getting ready for sleep, claiming the spot as his. Yoongi had relented, reasoning with himself that the bed was warmer and more comfortable anyway and he wouldn’t be a very good host if his guest wasn’t given the best, as he snuggled into the feathery lump, pretending to himself that he did not enjoy the extra company.
After a couple of days, the wound had mostly healed, but the raven still seemed to be having difficulty using the wing. It would flap the wing but then wobble to the side and not be able to fly when asked to try. Yoongi let him stay a few more days thinking perhaps it just needed some time to regain its strength but no matter how much coaxing and encouragement Yoongi gave, and even after trying some of the strength restoring potions, the raven showed no improvement.
Yoongi was about to ask for advice when advice himself appeared at his doorstep, and along with him, his other friend. Like every other time, they invited themselves into his living room, ate his food and sprawled out on his couch as though they owned the place. “Do you ever knock?” Yoongi grumbled as he came out of his potions room. Hoseok grinned lazily, “Oh Yoongi- chi, if you meant to keep us out the wards wouldn’t have let us in honey.”
Yoongi tsked, turning to his fridge, “Dinner?”
“Oh, we already helped ourselves to your food,” Namjoon answered, his eyes trained on game on television. How they got reception this deep in the forest is beyond Yoongi, magic, probably. Taehyung had set it up as a Christmas present, despite Yoongi’s insistence that he did not require a television (Namjoon would disagree). Yoongi did not use it much, he was not one for technology, but Namjoon had always been intrigued.
“Rude,” Yoongi mumbled.
“Actually, we came to check out the new friend the trees have been telling us about. Very interesting actually considering we are the only friends we know you have and we have been friends for a good hundred years,” Hoseok teased.
“I have other friends, like Taehyung and Jimin from town,” Yoongi retorted.
“Well, alright then, maybe you have four friends, but the trees know who Taehyung and Jimin are. So, spill, who is the new dude?” Hoseok pried.
Yoongi rolled his eyes, “It’s not a dude, it’s a raven I saved from drowning in the lake. I’m just looking after it while it recovers. This is good timing too, I only saw a small scratch on his wing but he seems to have problems flying even after the wound has healed, maybe you could take a look?”
Hoseok hummed.
It was at this point that the raven trotted out of the potions room. It had been adamantly trying to knot a stray rope it found on one of the shelves and Yoongi had left it to it. Its chest was puffed, feathers fluffed, the knotted rope proudly displayed in its beak. Yoongi could not stop himself from cooing, giving the raven a couple of head scritches.
Namjoon’s jaw dropped at the sight in front of him. Yoongi had a fond look in his eyes. A fond look! Namjoon could not decide if he should be disgusted or endeared. He turned to Hoseok for help to decipher his very conflicting emotions only to see Hoseok glaring at the raven with narrowed eyes.
The raven, now noticing the guests in the room, straightened its stance and stared back unblinkingly at Hoseok. Yoongi, seeing the change in the raven’s behaviour followed its line of sight, looking back and forth between Hoseok and the raven who seemed to be in a silent battle. The tension was almost palpable, looked on by a confused Namjoon and a nervous Yoongi, until suddenly it snapped. Hoseok lunged forward, shifting into his fox form and at the same time the raven skittered across the room.
“Hey!” Yoongi cried out, trying to place himself between the raven and Hoseok. Hoseok slinked around Yoongi’s legs, nipping at the raven while the raven lithely skipped out of his reach. There was some growling on Hoseok’s part and some squawking from the raven before the two froze and began engaging in another staring battle. Yoongi was about to forcefully remove one of the two from the room when Hoseok huffed and sidled up to the raven, nosing and scenting him. The bird in turn bumped its head against Hoseok’s fur.
“He’ll be fine, he just needs a bit of time,” Hoseok commented, switching back to his human form.
Yoongi gawked, “What was that all about?”
“Oh, just getting to know each other,” Hoseok said dismissively.
“By the way, he tells me his name is Kookie, and it’s a boy,” Hoseok smirked at the raven, earning an indignant caw from it.
The raven, now back on his perch on Yoongi’s shoulders, wrapped a wing around his neck and started nipping at his ear. Yoongi turned away, momentarily distracted by the raven and when he turned back, his guests were gone.
***
Days pass, weeks pass, and Kookie stays. Kookie still could not fly no matter how Yoongi tried. He scoured the old tomes in his library looking for any possible information that could help with Kookie’s condition but nothing seemed to work. Their days continue as before. The trees brush their leaves against Yoongi and Kookie as they pass and they tell Yoongi he looks happier. The mushrooms still puff their spores at Yoongi, prodding and badgering him to tell them how he met such a handsome friend. Yoongi blushes and promptly ignores them. Every time Yoongi asks Hoseok regarding Kookie and his inability to fly he replies with a “he just needs a little more time.”
Yoongi had never had anyone around before since he left his birth coven when he was 30 years old. He spent the better part of the next 15 years travelling before settling down in the forest he was now in. He always had the habit of muttering to himself, perhaps because there weren’t many others to speak to but now, he tells all to Kookie. He tells him about his life before the forest, about the crap day he had settling the owls’ territorial disputes over the patch of pine trees even though it was really none of his business except that the nearby Geraniums were getting stressed out from all the shouting, about Namjoon and Hoseok, about Jimin and Taehyung, about his likes and dislikes, about his ire at the recent increase in the price of rice, about anything and everything under the sun. Kookie sat through it all, dark obs focused on him, tilting his head occasionally in acknowledgement, nuzzling into him in encouragement and even stomping around the table in indignation on occasion. The thought crosses Yoongi’s mind as he was perched on his couch, nursing a cup of warm genmaicha. Kookie was hovering over an old book about common poisons and remedies found in the Gobi desert that Yoongi had left out earlier. Yoongi could not fathom how he lived before Kookie, the winter had felt colder and he had felt emptier. Now it was as though a hole he never knew was there had been filled. He never wanted this feeling to go away.
***
A smattering of early winter snow covered the forest floor. The mushrooms were quieter, muffled by the blanket of snow. Most of the leaves had fallen and the trees typically kept to themselves. The evergreens were prickly as usual so Yoongi tended not to go too close. The animals had mostly gone into hiding. Even Hoseok comes around less, usually appearing somewhat half asleep and mostly ends up dozing off by his fireplace anyway. Namjoon usually stayed with the trees during winter, preferring to watch over them as the cold descends upon the forest. The lake sloshes lazily along the forest edge as slabs of ice started to form.
Yoongi had just returned from attempting to heal a tree by the lakeside that had unfortunately got its roots stuck in a puddle for a bit too long and was battling a rot that Yoongi had discovered a little too late. He had exhausted a vast amount of energy trying to save it but even that may be in vain. He ran a hand dolefully over the bark, promising to be back again once his magic had been replenished and apologised that he could not be of more help. The tree smiled wearily, branches tilting slightly towards Yoongi. It told him it had lived a long life, it was not in pain, just tired, and thanked Yoongi for trying his best. Yoongi stumbled back along the path to the cottage with a heavy heart, Kookie following closely, squawking and flapping his wings in concern every time Yoongi tripped over a root, or over his own feet. Sometimes this happened when he used up too much of his magic. He wanted to tell Kookie that everything was alright and that all he needed was a long, deep nap but he did not even have energy for that. He could barely keep his eyes open as he pushed open the cottage door. Then, all he remembered was the bed being a little too far away, but the floor seemed to be getting closer, and closer. He vaguely felt a pair of hands around his waist and an alarmed, “Yoongi!” before darkness took him.
***
“You’re awake.”
Yoongi rubbed at his eyes. Sunlight streamed through his windows so it was day time. He felt the thrum of his magic at his fingertips, slightly thinned out and weak but it was there.
“How long have I been out?” Yoongi asked, voice hoarse from sleep.
“Three days,” Hoseok replied, his lips pressed in a thin line.
Yoongi made a noise of acknowledgement, not his longest blackout at least.
“You’ve scared us all Yoongi- chi, how long has this been happening? You were unrousable, I didn’t know if you needed a human hospital, you were still breathing but I can’t leave the forest, I couldn’t find Namjoon. Eventually I had to send Kookie to get Taehyung from town and we only waited it out because Taehyung and his elfish powers said you were stable, just burnt out, and thankfully not dead.”
Hoseok ran a hand over down his face and Yoongi realised it had been a long while since he had seen Hoseok without a smile. He took his friend’s hand in his, grasping them tightly, conveying his apologies and also his gratefulness for his concern. Hoseok squeezed back, telling Yoongi that he was a precious friend and that he should take better care of himself. They sat in silence for awhile before Yoongi’s stomach produced an embarrassingly loud grumble. Hoseok’s lips twitched. And Yoongi followed in a flat voice, “Hoseok, I really need to pee,” effectively ruining the moment.
***
“Eat,” Hoseok commanded, pushing the bowl of soup and bread towards Yoongi.
Kookie had charged at his legs the moment he was out of the toilet, cawing and nuzzling him aggressively the moment Yoongi had picked him up off the floor.
“You can cook?” Yoongi exclaimed in surprise, “But you eat all your food raw…”
“It’s store bought, how hard can reheating soup be,” Hoseok answered, avoiding his gaze.
Yoongi narrowed his eyes at him. Suspicious, Hoseok had never been a good liar, but he will let it slide for now.
Kookie flittered across the table, looking at the soup, then the bread, then at Yoongi, as though making sure he had enough of everything. Yoongi ran a reassuring hand over the raven’s back, pressing down slightly so that he would calm down with his fussing.
Hoseok left awhile later after Yoongi reassured him he would stop making dumb decisions and that no, blackouts from exhaustion of magical energy does not kill a witch (although if the blackout happens for long enough a witch can technically die from lack of food and water, but he conveniently left that bit out) and Yoongi began getting his life back in order.
It was at dinner when Kookie hopped around his ankles, waiting to be lifted up to the table when Yoongi realised what was nagging him at the back of his mind.
“Let’s try that flying again Kookie,” Yoongi said, his arms crossed over his chest.
Kookie eyed Yoongi wearily before lifting his wings and giving them a tentative flap. He hovered about two feet into the air before falling out and flopping to his side.
Yoongi frowned at him, “Are you sure that is the best you can do?”
Kookie dropped his head and shrugged his shoulders.
“Because there is no way you could get to town and back within the same night without flying. It would have taken you days to get there so don’t even think about lying to me.”
Realisation dawned on the raven as he quickly worked himself up into a panic, whining and grasping at Yoongi’s legs with his wings. He burrowed his head into Yoongi’s shins, looking properly devastated.
Yoongi sighed, the fight leaving him as he bent down and picked up the raven, placing him on the table before him so they could be at eye level.
“Why did you do it Kookie?” Yoongi asked in a soft voice.
Kookie raised his wings, hiding his face behind them letting out a sad caw.
“Were you afraid that if you could fly, I would have asked you to leave?”
Another sad caw, a wing reaching down and covering a hand Yoongi had on the table while the other remained over his face.
Yoongi sighed, “I wouldn’t have chased you out Kookie, I would just be happy for you to recover, you are welcome to stay as long as you like little one.”
Kookie peeked out from under his wing, letting out a questioning caw. At Yoongi’s encouranging smile, he hopped over and started cawing incessantly, bumping its head into Yoongi’s neck.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I love you, I love you, I love you.”
Yoongi thinks as he hugs the raven, that he never wants Kookie to leave.
***
“Something’s wrong,” Yoongi thinks, jolting awake from his sleep, and that is all the warning he gets before there was a loud crash of his front door smashing to the ground. Beside him, Kookie stirred.
He shot up from his bed and the next moment, his bedroom door is flying off its hinges and he is up against the wall, a hand around his neck, squeezing his windpipe.
He finds himself looking into blood red irises and through the dim outline he could make out fine features of a man, whom Yoongi thought would look ethereal under the moonlight, if he were not crushing the life out of him.
“Where is my fledgeling?” the intruder growled menacingly.
Yoongi gasped, the lack of air was starting to make his head woozy.
“I repeat, where is my fledging?” the intruder shrilled, lifting Yoongi off the wall and slamming him back on it again.
There was a sharp pain to the back of his head and Yoongi thought he felt his brain shift. He clawed at the ice-cold hand over his neck and wondered if this was how he would die. Then, there was a vigorous flapping noise in his ears and the hand was gone from his neck. Yoongi slumped towards the ground, his lungs burning and taking in desperate gulps of air as his vision clears.
The intruder was backing away, swatting at Kookie as he flaps his wings in his face, cawing hysterically.
“Get off Jungkook, are you crazy? What are you doing?” The intruder exclaimed irately, swatting at the raven.
Yoongi was ready to lunge at the intruder and shout at Kookie to leave when Kookie merely backed off and perched on the head of the bed. The intruder ran a hand through his hair and fixed his shirt, all the while muttering angrily under his breath before standing with his arms akimbo and weight leaning on one leg.
“What’s the meaning of this Jeon Jungkook? I hear nothing from you for over two months, two whole months! I even waited an extra week, thinking oh maybe the mail was delayed, they just had a storm down south. I thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere! Then I come and save your sorry ass and I get clawed in the face?” the intruder ranted so fast Yoongi could only just barely make out his words.
There were a couple of quick squawks from the raven.
“I can’t understand you in this form Jungkook. Turn back,” the intruder said exasperated and added on a warning, “Now.”
Yoongi tried to see as much as he can in the dark, confused by why he was suddenly choked and then suddenly released, and now this intruder was talking to seemingly the air. Was there a ghost in his house?
There was a slight movement in the dark and then another figure was forming. Another man!
Yoongi retreated back against the wall thinking he must have hit his head hard. Why were there so many strangers in the house?
‘Jin…” the second man started. Yoongi’s eyes widened as he realised he had heard this voice before! That day where he blacked out from exhausting his magic, this was the voice that called his name. Letting a bit of magic escape his fingers, Yoongi turned on the lights in the room. Squinting at the sudden brightness, he found both pairs of eyes turning to him. One belonged to the man, the blood red irises already fading into a duller red. He was tall with wide shoulders and delicate features. Yoongi was right, this man looked out of this world. The second pair belonged to another man, more boyish in appearance, about the same height as the first man but younger. He stared at Yoongi like a deer caught in the headlights.
Yoongi cleared his throat awkwardly, using the wall to support himself as he stood up on shaking legs. “Excuse me, who are you, and what are you doing in my home?”
The younger man started towards Yoongi, a mixture of forlorn and alarm in his doe- like eyes but then abruptly held himself back.
The older man turned to face Yoongi, giving him a small nod of his head, “I am Kim Seok Jin. I apologise for the damage to your abode and for frightening you. There seems to have been a grave misunderstanding. I had assumed my fledgling was in your captivity but it seems he was merely hanging out and failed to inform his very loving and very concerned sire, causing me so much anxiety and stress that I think I may even have a grey hair now.” Kim Seok Jin sighed dramatically as he ran another hand through his perfect black locks, “And this is Jeon Jungkook, my wayward fledgeling, I hope he hasn’t imposed on you for too long.”
“Kim Seok Jin…” the familiar name rolled off Yoongi’s tongue, “You are… Kim Seok Jin, of the magical council?”
All the magical folk knew about Kim Seok Jin. Kim Seok Jin, one of the originals, arguably one of the most powerful vampires alive (or dead, but living). He was one of the leading members of the magical council that oversaw all magical creatures and enforces laws within the magical community for continued peace and harmony. He was known to be beautiful, intimidating for his powers, just, and rumoured to come from plenty of old money. He lived alone, and apart from the people he turned during his youth, he had never openly claimed to sire anyone. About over a hundred years ago, it was said he adopted a fledgeling. The fledging was a non- vampire from the Jeon family.
“The one and only,” Kim Seok Jin replied.
“Uh, well, would you like some tea? I’m afraid I don’t have any blood on hand…” Yoongi stammered, coming to the realisation that Kim Seok Jin could have pulverised him to dust if he so wished.
“Tea sounds wonderful my dear.”
***
“Explain,” Kim Seok Jin ordered sipping at his steaming cup of oolong.
The younger boy was sitting ramrod straight, shooting worried glances at Yoongi whenever he thought the witch wasn’t looking. Yoongi wondered where he came from, and then wondered if Kookie was safe. He had not seen the bird since his attack on Kim Seok Jin and could not help but worry about him. He hoped the raven had got away to safety after clawing at Kim Seok Jin like that.
“About two months ago while I was headed up north, I cut myself on the sharp edge of a cliff by accident. I thought I could get to safety but then there was a freak storm and the lake I was flying over was way larger than I thought it would be. So, I fell in and almost drowned, if not for Yoongi who pulled me out of the water and saved me,” Jungkook explained, throwing timid glances at Yoongi.
Yoongi’s eyebrows pulled together in a frown. He had done no such thing, the fledgling was clearly lying and he wasn’t sure if he should play along. The only thing he pulled out of the water was a raven… The gears in his head turned and a light bulb flicked on as his last brain cells put two and two together.
“Kookie?” Yoongi whispered.
“Yes, Kookie is me, I can shapeshift. I’m really sorry Yoongi, I didn’t mean to but I really, really wanted to stay and I figured the only way I could’ve stayed was as a raven and not as a human…” Jungkook whimpered.
Yoongi was speechless, a part of him felt like he should feel angry at being lied to but there was not even a hint of anger. He was confused at what he even felt at that point, he just needed a moment for his mind to process all the information he just received. He was having store bought oolong on a chipped dining table with the most powerful vampire alive for goodness’s sake.
“So you’re saying,” Kim Seok Jin started, gazing thoughtfully into the distance, “that you couldn’t fly straight, got yourself hurt, almost drowned, was saved by this lovely witch here, and then decided to stay in his home like a creepy stalker in your raven form because you’ve gotten yourself utterly infatuated.”
Jungkook blushed.
“Kim Jungkook you imbecile, I taught you better than that!” Kim Seok Jin shrieked, “If you like the boy, buy him flowers, bring him out to dinner, romance him off his feet and all that, don’t go all Edward Cullen on him and watch him in his sleep! Oh heavens, help me, what is this embarrassment of a child I have raised.”
“Jin!” Jungkook whined, “I did not watch him in his sleep, you are embarrassing me!”
The vampire tugged his fledging up by the ear, “Well you and I are going to have words. Now let us leave, we should let this poor boy have his rest, we have imposed on him far too long.”
He waved a hand and the smashed doors and bits and pieces of fallen out furniture, books and trinkets started putting themselves back into place.
Jin turned to Yoongi taking his hands in his, “I’ve fixed up the place best I can but unfortunately, I can’t do very much about the potions and ingredients lost. I’m very sorry about that darling, but if you take stock of what has been lost, I assure you I would be very happy to pay for the damages. In fact, I demand to pay for the damages, especially after all the trouble my fledgling has caused.”
Yoongi vaguely remembers mumbling out a, “it’s no problem at all,” flustered in the presence of such a powerful being he never thought he would have the chance to meet. Jin turned on his feet and hauled a sulking Jungkook out the front door, disappearing once he had crossed the entrance.
***
After a rather bizarre night and about three hours of fitful sleep, Yoongi finally worked up the courage to peek into his potions room. It seemed that Jin had cleared up any mess from shattered bottles and spilled potions and poultices. The missing bottles on the shelves were the only indication that some damage was done. Relieved that he would not have to put in hours of scrubbing or charm works to clear the more stubborn potions, Yoongi set to work updating his inventory. His bay leaf concoction was thankfully untouched; it would have been a pain to ask the bats for another vial of tears. His client would be glad that there would be no further delays in his potion. There were a few missing herbs, some he could just obtain easily from the nearby forest, but a few vials of ingredients he had obtained from a trip down south a couple of years ago were missing. The dragon scales had fallen out of its jar but were nothing too unsalvageable, they would do before Yoongi could get a new shipment of them. Some of the poultices he had been working on would need redoing, but he was certain Taehyung and Jimin wouldn’t mind giving him an extension. A couple of simple remedies had been spilled and those clients would need to be informed of the delays to their orders. One of them was a vision improving potion for an old lady in town. Her diabetes had made her mostly blind but she wanted to see her new born grandson and Yoongi had agreed to make a potion that would allow her to see temporarily. Perhaps he would start with that, it was quick to make but he would need some replacement mandrake roots. A new shipment would take a couple of weeks to arrive but Yoongi knew that a few stray mandrakes were growing about a half day’s walk away. He could check if there were any extra roots from the fall that the plants could spare him if need be.
A knock on his door pulled him out of his work. Behind it stood Jungkook, a sheepish smile on his face. There was a blush on his cheeks from the cold and in his arms a potted plant with small pale pink flowers.
“Hi, Yoongi, I’m Jungkook, um, but you already knew that,” Jungkook rambled, “I, um, I brought flowers?”
He bashfully held out the potted plant in his hand, “Yarrow, I thought they looked nice, I tried my best to make them grow but I’m not the best with green magic so they’re a bit…”
Yoongi bit back a chuckle, the Yarrow was slightly wonky, some of its petals and leaves a little curled in on itself. It leaned towards Yoongi, emiting a wave of frustration at the cold and complaining about how the other witch’s magic was weird and how he wasn’t doing it right.
Yoongi took the pot with a quiet thanks, using some of his magic to placate the whining plant, opening the door a little wider for Jungkook to come inside. Jungkook gave him a bashful smile, toed off his shoes and shuffled in after him.
Yoongi placed the flower pot on the kitchen table, the Yarrow significantly more appeased now that it was out of the cold.
They sat at the table with Darjeeling this time and Yoongi asked Jungkook to tell him about himself since Yoongi had pretty much shared his life story with Kookie. He learnt that Jungkook’s parents were powerful curse breakers. They passed away when he was a child in an expedition that went wrong. The black magic on the curse was too ancient and strong that it rebounded on them, killing them instantly. The curse was ultimately broken, but at the price of two remarkable witches and Jungkook’s whole world. His parents were also on the council, and close confidants of a one Kim Seok Jin. Jin took him in as a child and was sort of like a friendly uncle – fatherly figure to him. Despite being a vampire, being an original, Jin had powers similar to the magic used for spell casting and witchcraft and taught Jungkook how to summon and wield his magic. Following in the footsteps of his parents, Jungkook had a greater affinity for defensive and offensive magic, he was adept at charms and dabbled in some curse breaking and study of black magic for interest. He was only about twenty years younger than Yoongi but had been travelling for the better part of the last hundred years, never quite staying anywhere more than three months.
Yoongi’s heart sank, another two weeks and it would be three months since Jungkook came to this place. He excused himself with more inventory work offhandedly telling Jungkook to make himself at home. When he emerged for dinner, Jungkook had been tinkering around outside the cottage. “I’ve fixed up the wards Jin destroyed last night,” Jungkook announced excitedly, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, “He didn’t have enough time to put them all back in place before he left. Added a few of my own upgrades as well if you don’t mind. They’ll keep you safe from most night creatures. I haven’t quite figured out something that will keep Jin at bay but I’m working on it.”
Right, Yoongi with his blatant disregard for his safety had completely forgot about checking that. Yoongi hummed gratefully, “Thank you Jungkook-ah.” Jungkook replied with a blinding grin, digging into his soup eagerly. Yoongi thought the soup Jungkook made tasted remarkably similar to Hoseok’s, warming him up from the chill of winter.
Jungkook comes back the next day, the day after, and the day after that. Each time with a different gift. A small box of chocolates, a cupcake he brought from town where Jin and him are temporarily staying at. One day, Jungkook brought him a pebble with swirls of emerald. Yoongi had fashioned it into a necklace on a fine silver chain and wore it tucked beneath his shirt. It was an old tradition to court someone with courting gifts and the sentiment was not lost on Yoongi. He thought it was endearing. Sometimes Jungkook tinkers with the wards, conducting little experiments of his own while Yoongi slaves by the cauldron, making up for lost time. Sometimes he follows Yoongi into the woods for a stroll which was now thankfully quieter due to the winter. Yoongi didn’t think he could survive all the whispers if he were seen walking around with Jungkook in the height of spring. Jungkook had flown back in raven form, bringing message back to Jimin and Taehyung in town informing of the order delays, saving Yoongi the trip down. He even received a charmed reply from them in the form of many suggestive winks and grins and very vivid verbal instructions on how to get down on his man. Yoongi swiftly burnt the letter, thanking the heavens Jungkook was not around when he opened it.
Hoseok had come by to check in on him and Yoongi had updated him on the recent happenings. Hoseok’s slightly less than over the top response to hearing that Kookie the raven was actually really a shapeshifting witch gave away the fact that he had known for a while.
“Ever since I first met him!” Hoseok admitted as Yoongi sent another pillow flying towards his face.
“You traitor!” Yoongi hissed, “You knew he was an actual man and you never told me? I let him sleep in my bed!”
Hoseok sniggered and raised his brows suggestively, “Well now, see where that got you, what scandalous things have you been doing in bed Yoongi- chi, seducing innocent men- ”
Yoongi gave him an unimpressed look. The frying pan started to hover in the air.
***
It was on the last week of the three- month limit when Jungkook and Yoongi were having dinner. “Jin is leaving tonight, he has to return to the council for work but I would be following him to do a job, some curse that needs breaking…” Jungkook muttered, fidgeting in his seat.
Right, it’s now three months. Yoongi decided the stew tasted a bit bland after all.
“I’ll be back though!” Jungkook added quickly, “Well… it may take a couple of weeks or so but I’ll come back, I promise.”
“Will you be safe?” Yoongi asked quietly.
“Yeah, well, nothing too bad usually happens when Jin is around,” Jungkook reassures.
“Alright then Kookie, I’ll wait for you to come back to me.”
Jungkook beams. His hand reached across the table lacing their fingers together. Yoongi later stashes a handful of protective charms and about five vials of healing poultices and healing potions into Jungkook’s pockets. He feels a bit like a bride sending her husband to war. It’s probably all a bit overly dramatic for what is but a business trip for Jungkook. Maybe the mushrooms were rubbing off on him. He sobs to the yarrow later who in her pity extended a leaf and rested it on his head. “There, there, drama queen.”
***
It’s been a week since Jungkook left. Yoongi had understandably been a bit on edge. Curses were notoriously trickly and could cause great harm. Nevertheless, his knew his fretting was uncalled for as Jungkook was under the careful watch of the great Kim Seok Jin. He found himself back by the edge of the lake. It was now almost completely frozen over. Despite the years, he always found it a bit disconcerting when the lake was so quiet; she had always been a bit mischievous. He rested his hand on the tree that he had tried to heal a few weeks back. He had come by a couple of times between then and now and the tree had only seemed to grow frailer. It still made an effort to lean its branches into the witch, sending over waves of comfort, thanking Yoongi for keeping an old fellow like him company in his final days. Then one day, Yoongi placed his hand on the trunk and there was just silence. The tree was not disintegrating as fast due to the dryness of the winter but Yoongi knows come spring its body will seep into the soil and become nourishment for whatever stray spore or seed that came by. In the silence, he let his everyday thoughts occupy his mind. The shipment for the mandrake roots were taking a bit longer than expected and Jimin had sent word that the Granny’s health had taken a turn for the worst, hit with a bad pneumonia that may well take her life this winter. It seemed like a trip for the forest mandrakes could not be avoided after all.
***
Yoongi may be a forest witch but he wasn’t the forest’s witch. It had allowed him a humble plot of land where he had built his home and lived in peace with his neighbours but the forest was not obliged to keep him safe. Creatures of the night roamed the forest, there were more poisonous plants and magical traps than one can imagine. Despite it being a day trip, Yoongi made sure to bring his best protective amulets and a couple of healing salves just in case. He spent a little more magic than usual on his warming and drying charms, a little nervous to be travelling to a part of the forest he was not familiar with. At least in winter, the blanket of snow would keep most of the poisonous plants at bay and the larger animals tended to stay in hibernation. He sat out bright and early the next morning, a note left on the table for Jungkook should he return.
Travelling was made easy as the warming charms and weight charms on his bag and clothes meant that he could dress light and walk without a pack weighing him down. Teleportation took up a vast amount of magic and was not commonly used by witches so he went by his traditional means of levitating his way there. By far, Kim Seok Jin was the only person he had seen properly using teleportation magic. Namjoon could do something similar but his magic was slightly different and it was limited to this forest and the trees within it. The mandrakes were slightly grumpy having been woken up in the middle of their slumber but had eventually agreed to provide the roots Yoongi wanted in exchange for relocating a couple of them to a new plot of land. By the time Yoongi was done with everything, the sun had dipped beneath the horizon.
Yoongi’s clothes were warm but he shivered anyway. He had always been careful to return home before nightfall but obtaining the roots had taken longer than he had expected. Unwilling to risk attracting unwanted attention with a brighter source of light, Yoongi had to make do with a navigation charm to aid in leading him in the right direction home. He hurried along as silently as he could in the direction of the faint glow of the navigation charm, trying his best not to jump at every little sound. Every rustle of the leaves and howl of the wind sounded sinister in the darkness. As the night progressed, the fear grew, gnawing relentlessly at Yoongi. He longed for nothing more than to be shut within the safe walls of his cottage. He chanted prayer after prayer in his mind to keep the fear at bay. Thoughts of people he loved flitted through his mind, Hoseok, Namjoon, Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook, oh how he longed to see them again. Hot tears started filling his eyes as irrational fears of the unknown consumed him. His head felt fuzzy and the navigation charm faltered as he lost the ability to concentrate. Yoongi felt his breathing quicken as he worked himself into a frenzy, the rational part of his mind losing the fight as he succumbed to his imagination. In his haste, he slammed his shoulder into a tree, the force of which tossed him backwards to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, his hands scraping along the rough bark of a tree. He scampered blindly forward, the navigation charm now lost entirely, with his heart in his throat and the blood rushing through his ears as the forest whizzed past him. Finally, after he had exhausted himself, he regained just enough composure to find his bearings. With trembling hands, he re- casted a new navigating charm. A sudden bone- chilling cold wrapped around him as the spell started to form. Yoongi’s eyes darted around the forest as an unnatural silence descended. Yoongi was sure he was not imagining it this time. The charm started to glow, revealing a large figure towering over him. It hovered in the air, a large black cloak over its head and torso with the ends swaying beneath it. It had no face or legs but possessed claw- like hands that measured up to half Yoongi’s height. Yoongi stilled and held his breath, hoping the forest wraith would not notice him. Yoongi had heard about them from Hoseok. He knew they were blind but were led to their prey by sorrow and negative emotions so it may feed on their soul. It must have detected Yoongi’s despair and gravitated towards him. The only way to get rid of a forest wraith was either with offensive magic, which Yoongi was inept in, or to wait it out until it left on its own. The forest wraith paused, tilting its head slightly as though to sense Yoongi. It was a battle at this point between Yoongi’s lung capacity and the wraith’s patience. Yoongi’s lungs burned as he fought to keep his breath in. He was at his limit when a whoosh of air slipped past his lips.
The wraith whipped towards Yoongi. Before Yoongi could react, he was pinned down by the wraith’s claws. Up close, he could smell the rot from the souls that the wraith had consumed and the dark energy that seeped from every pore of its being. There was an incessant tugging which transformed into a searing pain that spread from head to toe as Yoongi’s soul was forcefully split from his body. There was a shrieking in his ears, whether it was his own screaming or the wraith’s Yoongi wasn’t sure. His eyes were squeezed shut as his body spasmed in agony. He vaguely heard a cawing in the distance as the pain reached an unbearable level. A strong force of energy rushed over him and all of a sudden, the shrieking stopped.
When Yoongi opened his eyes, he was staring at the night sky, the forest floor beneath his back. His body felt like a deadweight. He squinted as a light was shone onto him and Jungkook’s face came into view, blocking out the night sky. Yoongi felt his body sag in relief. “Beautiful,” his mind supplied. Yes, Jungkook, his beautiful boy. Jungkook was mouthing something but Yoongi could not hear it over the ringing in his ears. It seemed like Jungkook was calling his name. He was flushed and tears were streaming down his face.
Yoongi lifted a heavy hand and rested it on Jungkook’s cheek. “Don’t cry,” Yoongi thinks he managed to croak out as he felt his chest vibrate with his words.
Jungkook raised a hand, cupping the one Yoongi had over his cheek, sobbing even harder.
Yoongi gave his best effort at a smile, hoping it was more comforting than an ugly grimace. He thinks as he gazed at the teary, flushed, sweaty boy before him with snot dripping from his nose, that he had not seen anything more exquisite. The thought that he had, even if for a fleeting moment, occupied a small corner of Jungkook’s heart filled Yoongi with happiness.
Yoongi sensed the darkness slowly closing in on him, but there was one more thing he wanted to say.
“I love you. I love you, Jeon Jungkook.”
***
The hand running through his hair stilled as Yoongi stirred. The faint glow of dawn streamed through the windows. Yoongi was met with a worried looking Jungkook, perched on the edge of his bed.
“Yoongi,” Jungkook’s lips wobbled.
Yoongi reached over and pulled Jungkook into an embrace, burying his face into the soft cashmere of his sweater, “Missed you Kookie.”
Jungkook shifted around so that he laid facing Yoongi, “Missed you too, love. How’re you feeling?”
“Like I could sleep for 50 years.”
Jungkook chuckled tiredly, “Never scare me like that again Yoongi. You should’ve waited for me to come back.”
“Didn’t mean to, the mandrakes were being fussy, I should’ve been back by nightfall. And granny’s potion couldn’t wait, I wasn’t sure when you would come back.” Yoongi whined.
“I know, love. I knew something was wrong when you weren’t back by sundown. Luckily, you had my pebble with you. I put a protection charm on it so at least I could track you by tracking my magic. Perhaps we should look into getting you a phone…”
“No reception,” Yoongi mumbled into Jungkook’s shoulder.
“I’m sure Taehyung would find a way around that. He says he’s been trying to wheedle you into getting one but you’re a stubborn technologically inept old man.”
“His words, not mine,” Jungkook added at the glowering look Yoongi shot him.
“He’s older than me,” Yoongi grumbled, “And since when were you friends?”
“Oh, I hung out at the shop while Jin and I were staying there. He showed me all his charmed electronics and what not he’d been experimenting with. He’s very up to date with modern magic for an elf. Must be Jimin’s influence.”
Yoongi smiled at the thought of Taehyung’s human mate. Elves have old magic. Taehyung was probably centuries older than Yoongi but had the external appearance of a twenty-year-old. Most elves tend to do things a little more traditionally but it seemed like Taehyung had sparked an interest in modern technology after meeting Jimin. Before that, Taehyung had run the apothecary in town while Yoongi provided the supplies. It gave Yoongi just enough money to get by but with Jimin’s addition of an online store in the recent years, Yoongi had been able to indulge in the finer things in life, like his humble collection of store-bought tea.
Jungkook leaned in and gave Yoongi a light peck on his forehead, “Don’t worry, I’ve had plenty of practice with Jin’s old ways. He insisted I sent him letters, the old fashion way by mail, every month while I was travelling. I’m sure I could get used to your old man ways as well.”
Yoongi pouted and lightly smacked Jungkook’s shoulder while Jungkook cackled obnoxiously.
“How was the job? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Jungkook shook his head, “It was easier than expected, Jin didn’t even have to lift a finger.”
Yoongi hummed in acknowledgement.
“Nap with me?” Yoongi murmured as he felt his eyes begin to droop.
“Of course,” Jungkook smiled, tightening his arms around Yoongi.
Yoongi sighed contentedly as he drifted back into a dreamless slumber.
***
Everyone had gathered at Yoongi’s cottage to celebrate the return of spring. Or rather, everyone had invited themselves to Yoongi’s home to celebrate the return of spring.
Hoseok and Namjoon had appeared in the living room just after lunch, Namjoon finally leaving his trees as they began to awaken with the warmer weather. They gave Yoongi a lazy wave and a perfunctory nod of their head, eyes still fixed on the television, as if they lived in the house. Yoongi rolled his eyes, mentally reminding himself to ask Jungkook to insert a “Hoseok and Namjoon repelling” component to the protective wards. Jimin and Taehyung had arrived later, knocking on the door like normal guests, food and wine in hand. Jimin had hugged a very befuddled Yoongi while Taehyung had given him a friendly pat on the back.
“What’s the occasion?” Yoongi had asked with a confused frown on his face. It wasn’t every day that Jimin would make the two- hour trek into the forest. “We got your invitation for a dinner party, to celebrate the return of spring?” Jimin replied.
“I never… who gave you the invitation?”
Jimin pointed at Taehyung who in turn pointed at Namjoon who in turn pointed at Hoseok.
Yoongi glowered at the incorrigible fox spirit.
“I asked Jungkookie!” Hoseok exclaimed, hands in the air in surrender.
“Asked me what?” Jungkook piped up, coming in from the garden upon hearing the arrival of guests. He walked up to Yoongi placing a hand on his waist and pulling him close.
“Well, maybe I just asked Jungkook if he celebrated the return of spring and he said yes…” Hoseok muttered, pouting.
Yoongi felt the magic at his fingertips, itching to toss another item of furniture at the fox spirit.
“Well since we’re all here and we have food and drinks for everyone we might as well,” Jimin jumped in, ushering Taehyung into the kitchen to grab everyone a glass.
Yoongi deflated, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. Hoseok let out a rejoicing whoop as Namjoon calmly returned to the football game on television.
Jungkook chuckled rubbing Yoongi’s shoulder and placing a light kiss on his head. Yoongi gave Jungkook a weary glance and sighed, “You might as well invite Jin now that everyone’s here or he’ll chew off our heads for the next century for leaving him out.” Jungkook laughed and took out his phone to shoot Jin a text. The reply was instantaneous and ten emojis long. Five minutes later, Jin materialised in Yoongi’s living room.
“You call that a ward Jungkookie? That wasn’t even your best one. Didn’t take me five minutes to take it apart. I even uploaded a new selfie on Instagram while doing it,” Jin goaded, shoving his phone in Jungkook’s face to show him said selfie. Jin had been obsessed with his smart phone ever since Taehyung gave him one (“Trust me hyung, this will change your life,” Taehyung had said with a cheeky wink. Taehyung had earned a good amount from the phone, and an even heftier amount from his new patron, Kim Seok Jin, to aid in furthering his experiments with making modern technology even more magical than it already is).
Jungkook scowled, “I’m working on a better one, I think this one may even take your arm off.”
“That’s cute Jungkookie,” Jin grinned, ruffling Jungkook’s hair, causing him to deepen his scowl.
Later into the night, everyone was sufficiently boozed and stuffed with Jimin’s marvellous cooking. They had just finished ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ leaving everyone snotty and teary. Yoongi had cradled the Yarrow to his chest, resolutely looking away from the screen every time something sad came on. Taehyung had just put on ‘Marley and Me’ and Yoongi knew he was a goner. Refusing to ugly cry and ruin his reputation in front of his unruly friends, he excused himself for some air and headed out to the porch.
Hands circled his waist and a chin rested on his shoulder. Yoongi’s hands habitually reached up and rested over Jungkook’s around his waist.
“What are you doing out here, love?”
“Just admiring the moon,” Yoongi replied.
They stood awhile in silence just listening to the sounds of the forest and basking in the warmth of each other’s embrace.
“I was just thinking Kookie, I’m really happy, I don’t think I’ve been this happy in a long while.”
Jungkook hummed and placed a kiss on Yoongi’s nape.
“Are you? Are you happy Kookie?”
Jungkook turned Yoongi slightly, a fond look in his eyes, “I’m happy when I’m with you.”
Yoongi could not help the smile that spread across his lips. He leaned in, touching his lips softly to Jungkook’s. Jungkook’s arms curled tighter around Yoongi, bringing him closer as he deepens the kiss.
A sudden flash caused the couple to pull apart.
They turned around to see a sheepish looking Jimin and Namjoon in the doorway. Taehyung was peeking over Jimin’s shoulder, a wide smile displaying all his gleaming sharp teeth. “Rookie mistake,” Hoseok sighed exasperatedly as Jin grinned into his phone. Jin triumphantly turned the phone screen towards the couple, showing them a photo of the them kissing in the moonlight and squealed excitedly, “This is soooo going on my Instagram!”
--
Fin.