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When Namjoon woke up to Jungkook, solid in his arms, head tucked into Namjoon’s shoulder, he assumed it was another dream. He’d been having them a lot lately, for no reason that he could figure out: big romantic things like dancing together, but also smaller but no less meaningful moments, like Jungkook kissing his cheek on his way out the door. So Namjoon just tightened his grasp and murmured, “Jungkook-ah.”
Jungkook made a startled sound and snapped his head up, nailing Namjoon in the chin.
“Ow, fuck,” Namjoon said, and then, “what the fuck,” and then, “Jungkook-ah?”
“Hyung,” Jungkook said hoarsely. He sat up - Namjoon belatedly loosened his grip - and rubbed the top of his head. “What? Where?”
“You’re in my bed,” Namjoon said, still trying to process. His chin was throbbing.
“I’m not, though,” Jungkook said, equally as fuzzy and confused. He looked around the room.
Namjoon sat up too and looked around. He wasn’t in his apartment, and he wasn’t in Jungkook’s. It was a light airy room with art scattered through it - some pieces Namjoon recognized, some he didn’t.
“Hyung,” Jungkook said again, strangled, looking at Namjoon’s chest - oh. Namjoon looked down. They were both shirtless, Namjoon in the Koya pajama pants he’d been wearing to bed and Jungkook in boxers.
“This isn’t another dream,” Jungkook said.
“Another?” Namjoon echoed.
Jungkook shifted his (naked) shoulders. “Never mind.”
Namjoon pulled his gaze away from Jungkook’s collarbones and looked at his stricken face. His leader instincts kicked in. “We’ll figure this out,” he said firmly. “Let’s look around the room.”
“Like, for clues?” Jungkook asked.
“Right.”
“And shirts,” Jungkook said.
Namjoon heroically kept his eyes up. “Good, good plan,” he said.
They got out of the opposite sides of the bed and stood, looking at each other.
“Did you get a new--” Namjoon asked, just as Jungkook asked, “When did you get a new tattoo?”
“What?” Namjoon asked.
Jungkook gestured to Namjoon’s left side. Namjoon looked down. On his left shoulder was a small outline of a - a tiger lily.
He peered across the bed at Jungkook’s left shoulder. In the same spot was a--
“What kind of flower is this?” Jungkook asked, twisting his neck to squint down.
“A clematis,” Namjoon said, numb. “My birth flower.”
Jungkook looked at Namjoon’s tiger lily, then down at the one tattooed on his arm. “Namjoon hyung?” he asked, voice high and tight.
“I don’t know,” Namjoon said helplessly. “I don’t know.”
***
A search of the bedroom revealed familiar T-shirts in a drawer, though mixed together with Jungkook’s. Namjoon gave a silent sigh of relief watching Jungkook pull one on. He made sure to grab one of his own.
There were other recognizable features, too - the art, yes, but also small things scattered throughout the room, Namjoon’s phone and water bottle and socks. They wandered into the living room, where Jungkook spotted a photo of BTS all together, laughing through tears at their 2018 MAMA award ceremony. Something about the bright red of Taehyung’s hair settled something in Namjoon. They still had Bangtan. That was all right, then.
Not far from it, another photo, this one new - Jungkook kissing Namjoon’s cheek. Namjoon flashed back to his dream, startled. Both were in suits and ties, but neither had makeup on.
“What’s this from?” Jungkook asked, picking it up.
Namjoon looked at the happy, stunned look on his own face. “This never happened, right? I mean, you don’t remember it happening?”
Jungkook kept his eyes on the photo. “No. I don’t…no.”
Namjoon tried not to show his building panic. He spotted some mail on a side table and crossed the room to it. It would show the address, at least, so they might know where they were.
He saw that the mail was to an address Namjoon still didn’t recognize in Gangnam, just as Jungkook said, “I can see Dosan Park from here.”
Namjoon looked up to see Jungkook standing at the window. “The mail is addressed to both of us,” he said, voice uneven despite his best efforts.
“Okay,” Jungkook said. He dropped into a chair and covered his face. “Okay.”
“We should call someone,” Namjoon said.
“Like the police?” Jungkook asked. “Or a hospital?”
Namjoon entertained the idea that this was a prank, or a strange ARMY kidnapping, for all of five seconds. “No, I think someone - I think we should call Yoongi hyung.”
“Yes,” Jungkook said instantly. “Yes, Yoongi hyung.”
***
“You smell like sorcery,” Yoongi said as soon as he walked in the door. Namjoon let it swing shut with a bang.
“Sorry, what?” Namjoon asked.
“Were you trying to cook something up?” Yoongi asked. “I told you after the explosion at the concert to knock it off. Leave the high-level magic to me and Jiminie.”
“Sorcery?” Namjoon said. “Magic?”
“Explosions sound cool,” Jungkook said from where he was perched uncomfortably on the couch, and Namjoon crossed his arms at him. “Right, explosions bad, magic not real.”
“What do you mean, not real?” Yoongi asked. He looked at Namjoon’s crossed arms. “And where are your wedding rings?”
“Wedding rings?” Jungkook and Namjoon asked in shocked unison.
“Oh, shit,” Yoongi said.
***
“Where you’re from, magic’s not real,” Yoongi said blankly. He said it as if he’d say “where you’re from, gravity’s not real.”
“It’s just in stories. Fantasies,” Namjoon said.
“‘So show me,’” Jungkook sang, clear and bright. Namjoon smiled involuntarily.
Yoongi ran his hands over his face. “I don’t really know what to do here.”
“Explain it?” Jungkook said.
“Explain magic? Shit, how do I explain--” Yoongi gestured in the air. “Spells? Auras? Soulmates? I don’t even know where to start.”
“Soulmates? Like Jimin hyung and Taehyungie hyung?” Jungkook asked.
“Are the two of you…not soulmates in your world?” Yoongi asked.
“No,” Namjoon said, feeling completely at sea. “Soulmates aren’t really - it’s just a romantic thing people say. Or, I don’t know if it’s romantic for those two, but they say it anyway.”
“Does it have anything to do with this?” Jungkook pushed the sleeve of his T-shirt up to display the clematis on his shoulder.
Yoongi tensed up even further. “I need Jiminie.” He reached for his phone.
***
With Jimin came Taehyung, and Hoseok, and Jin, which was completely unsurprising to Namjoon. Some things apparently transcended universes, and the other members showing up in the face of trouble was one of them.
“Hyung,” Taehyung said, throwing an arm around Namjoon. “Do you have weird amnesia? Jiminie says you don’t remember magic.”
“Not exactly,” Namjoon said. He felt suddenly awkward. “I--we--” He gestured at Jungkook. “We’re from someplace that doesn’t have magic.”
He half expected Taehyung to pull away, to look at them like strangers, but of course Tae wouldn’t, and just held on tighter. “That sounds weird. Are you freaked out?”
“A little,” Namjoon said.
“So, a lot,” Taehyung said.
Namjoon laughed despite himself.
“You know what? We haven’t actually seen magic yet, have we?” Jungkook asked.
“Well, it isn’t a boring everyday thing,” Jimin said.
“Bullshit.” Yoongi shoved Jimin lightly. “I caught you using a spell to clean your toilet last week. Such a ridiculous waste of energy, you could have cleaned your whole house for that--”
Jimin pushed back. “Like you can talk, keeping yourself awake every other night, and what, for work? You could--”
“Hey,” Namjoon said automatically. Everyone stopped and turned to him.
“Still the leader,” Hoseok said.
Namjoon rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “You don’t have to show us. I mean, we’re here, that’s weird enough.”
“No, it’s fine,” Jimin said. He looked thoughtful for a second. “I know! Hey Jungkook-ah, come here.”
Jungkook got to his feet, looking confused. “Okay?”
Jimin waved his hand and muttered something, and Jungkook stopped walking on the floor and started walking on air, climbing a few feet higher as he went.
“No way!” Jungkook said. He bounced on his toes a little; Namjoon clamped down on the urge to reach out to him. “No way!”
Jimin gestured and Jungkook started to turn in a slow circle. Taehyung was giggling next to Namjoon, Hoseok clapped, and Jungkook’s face scrunched up in joy as he spun.
Namjoon didn't know what his face was doing, but he caught Jin looking at him, contemplative. That was the kind of look that either led to a heart-to-heart talk or a massive prank, and Namjoon didn't really need either right now, so he struggled to school his face into neutral lines.
“Is this how I flew during Euphoria?” Jungkook asked, peering down at the air between his feet and the floor.
“How did you do it without magic?” Jimin asked.
“Wires! They had a whole rig. It was so cool.” Jungkook sketched out the concept with his hands, talking rapidly, still in midair. Namjoon caught Jin looking at him again.
Jimin finally got tired of talking shop with Jungkook and returned him to the ground.
Jungkook twirled once more and threw himself back onto the couch. “Was the explosion at the concert because of me flying?”
Yoongi waved a hand. “Oh, no, no, we have experts for the flying.”
Honestly, flying magic experts made sense, given the…magical flying.
“It was Namjoonie,” Yoongi said, and Namjoon grimaced in advance. “He was trying to impress that one over there--” He gestured at Jungkook.
“So a normal day,” Jimin muttered.
Yoongi ignored Jimin. “He was trying to get the ARMY bombs to flash JK’s name.”
“Which I thought was sweet,” Hoseok said.
“Thank you, I think,” Namjoon said. He flinched. “Did I--the ARMY bombs--”
Taehyung leaned his head on Namjoon’s shoulder and said, a laugh in his voice, “No, you didn’t explode the audience.”
“Just a light array backstage. No one was hurt,” Jimin hurried to say as Namjoon collapsed onto the couch next to Jungkook, Taehyung still attached to his arm.
“See? Nobody was hurt, hyung!” Jungkook said, patting Namjoon’s arm. “And that was very thoughtful.”
“Thank you?” Namjoon tried again.
“You have a more…intellectual knowledge of magic,” Yoongi said.
“Leave the practical work to us,” Jimin said.
Namjoon gave Jimin a thumbs up. “Understood.”
“Can he even do magic right now?” Taehyung asked.
“Didn’t you just hear me say--” Jimin started, but Taehyung waved a hand.
“Well, did they come here, like, their bodies, or just their brains?”
“We have their--your Namjoon and Jungkook’s bodies,” Jungkook said. He and Namjoon traded a look. “We have those tattoos. The soulmark things. We didn’t have those before.”
“You don’t have them where you come from?” Taehyung asked. He pulled up his sleeve to show a small gold microphone on his forearm. Across the room, Namjoon could see a matching green one in the same spot on Jimin’s arm.
“They’re sort of magic, right?” Jungkook asked. “It makes sense that we wouldn’t have either of them.”
Jimin and Yoongi both looked considering, and Jin wheezed out a laugh. “I’m going to ask the other Kim Namjoon that question when he comes back. I want the several thousand word verbal dissertation on the exact branch of magic soulbonds belong to.”
“Oh, so he’s exactly the same person, just magic,” Jungkook said, eyes alight.
“Yah,” Namjoon said. “Respect, please.”
Jungkook crossed his eyes at Namjoon.
“You’re exactly the same too,” Taehyung told Jungkook.
“How can we be, though? Shouldn’t having magic, or not having magic, fundamentally change more of you than just making some things fly?” Namjoon asked.
“So,” Yoongi started, and then stopped, because Jin’s hand was covering his mouth.
“No verbal dissertations from anyone, Yoongi-yah,” Jin said. Yoongi made a disappointed face.
“You should try at least one magic thing, though,” Jimin said. “A small thing. A small thing,” he repeated as Jungkook came alert in his seat.
“I know,” Taehyung said. He jumped to his feet. “What do you two have to eat?”
“I don’t know,” Namjoon said, confused. It wasn’t really his kitchen. But Taehyung was rummaging around just as his Taehyung back home would have been. Namjoon’s chest twisted at the reminder that he had a Taehyung back home, and back home was a Namjoon missing this Bangtan.
“You’re thinking really loudly, hyung,” Jungkook said quietly. Namjoon shot him a look, and Jungkook snorted. “Just breathe, that’s all I’m saying.”
“I’ll try,” Namjoon said. He took a deep breath and let his shoulders settle, mostly to make Jungkook happy, but he couldn’t deny that it helped.
“Okay,” Taehyung said, coming back with a bowl. Namjoon could see a tangerine pulled apart in it. Yoongi reached in and grabbed a slice, and Taehyung slapped at his hand. “This is for science,” he said.
“Science,” Jimin said with a laugh, but he settled back in his chair as Taehyung straddled his legs. “This is a kids’ trick.”
“Which is what makes it perfect,” Taehyung said sunnily. He leaned to face Namjoon and Jungkook. “Ready?”
Without waiting for an answer, Taehyung turned back to face Jimin. He handed the bowl to Hoseok and grabbed a slice out of it, then popped it in his mouth. His hands dropped to hold tight onto Jimin’s, and Jimin said something - more clearly this time than before. Namjoon didn’t recognize the words, but he wanted to; something in the back of his mind was clinging to them. He let them slip away, though, because the light around Taehyung and Jimin changed, just for a moment, and then Jimin smiled. “Tastes good,” Jimin said.
“Right?” Taehyung asked.
“It really is a kids’ trick,” Yoongi said. “At parties, you sit back to back and the other person has to guess what you ate.”
“Or you eat the weirdest things you can think of and make the other person taste them,” Jin said.
“Gross,” Jungkook said with delight. Jin laughed.
Jimin nudged Taehyung up. “The lap-sitting is just a bonus,” he said with a grin. “You just need to be touching.”
Namjoon turned to face Jungkook on the couch, feeling awkward, but Jungkook looked so excited that Namjoon couldn’t hold on to his own nerves. Hoseok held the bowl out, and Jungkook reached in for a slice of tangerine. On a nod from Jimin, Jungkook took a bite.
Namjoon looked up at Jimin, who repeated the phrase - the magic words? Namjoon took a deep breath and copied the syllables as well as he could. He was holding Jungkook’s hand, he realized, and he didn’t know when that had happened.
Something in the air shifted again, and then suddenly Namjoon could taste the tangerine, cool and bright on his tongue. “Oh!” he said, putting his free hand up to his mouth.
“It worked? Did it work?” Jungkook demanded, tugging on Namjoon’s hand. “I want to try!”
They dutifully repeated the experiment. Namjoon watched Jungkook light up, laughing, as the magic took effect. The rest of the members were looking on and smiling. For a minute they might have been the people Namjoon had known all along, finding delight in a small but joyous moment.
Then a shadow crossed Jungkook’s face. “If we can do magic, they definitely can’t,” he said. His hand gripped Namjoon’s. “And they don’t have each other. They must feel so lost.”
“Hey, no,” Namjoon said. “They have phones. I bet they’re already back together. They’re going to be okay.”
“And we’ll get them back soon,” Hoseok said. “You’ll get your Bangtan back soon, too.”
“How, though?” Jungkook asked.
“Is there someone to ask?” Namjoon asked, turning to Yoongi. “Magical doctors or experts or someone?”
Everyone in the room besides Namjoon and Jungkook stiffened. “You don’t really want to get anyone official involved if you can help it,” Yoongi said. “The Jakarta Accords are a little heavy on rules and a little light on kindness. Once you switch back, our Namjoon and Jungkook would be in a world of trouble.”
“It would also be a pretty big scandal if an idol got caught doing dangerous magic,” Jimin said.
“Not that, then,” Namjoon said, and Jungkook nodded.
The room quieted as they all considered their options, and then Taehyung sat straight with a nod. “We’re going to have to be detectives about this,” he said.
“Magical detectives?” Namjoon asked.
“Why not?” Taehyung asked. He got up again and dug in a drawer, pulling out a notebook and a pen. Namjoon watched him, bemused. Hoseok moved over to sit next to Namjoon, allowing Taehyung to sit in the vacated chair, notebook on his lap.
“Okay,” Taehyung said. He looked charmingly serious; Namjoon half expected him to whip out a magnifying glass. “Let’s start with waking up here. Do you remember what time it was?”
“It took us a while to think of our phones,” Jungkook said. “By that point it was about nine in the morning.”
Taehyung dutifully wrote that down. “And what’s the last thing you remember before that?”
“Going to bed,” Jungkook said promptly.
Namjoon nodded. “Going to bed in my own place. Uh, by myself.”
“Right,” Jungkook said.
Taehyung asked, “Did you dream about anything?”
Namjoon looked at Taehyung a little blankly.
“Good question,” Jimin said, and Taehyung beamed at him. “There’s some interesting theories about our subconscious influencing magic.”
“I dreamed about Namjoon hyung,” Jungkook said, barely audible.
Namjoon very carefully didn’t meet anyone’s eyes.
“What happened in your dream?” Taehyung asked.
Jungkook shifted next to Namjoon. “We were having dinner,” he said. “Here, I think. I was teasing hyung about…I don’t remember.”
“A surprise,” Namjoon said. “You were working on a surprise for me, for our anniversary, but you wouldn’t tell me what it was.”
“That sounds ominous,” Yoongi said. Jin nudged him. “You know what I mean.”
“I think we've been dreaming about them all along,” Namjoon said. He looked at Jungkook for confirmation; Jungkook nodded. He was still hunched in on himself a little. Namjoon rested a hand on Jungkook's knee and Jungkook gave him a tentative smile.
“So this is Jungkookie in action,” Jimin said. Yoongi groaned. ”I know, I know.“
Taehyung was scribbling away industriously. ”How long have you been having the dreams?“
Namjoon shrugged. ”A couple of weeks?“
“Yeah,” Jungkook said, even more subdued. “They’re not doing anything magical in them, though. Just being…living their lives.”
Being in love, Namjoon mentally completed. He looked down at his hand on Jungkook’s knee.
”Let's take a break,“ Jin said suddenly. Taehyung made a protesting noise, but Jin gave him a speaking look. ”I'm going to make us some lunch. Namjoon-ah, come help me.“
”Ah,“ Namjoon said. ”I don't know about your Namjoon, but I--“
”No, he's helpless too,“ Jin said. ”Come anyway.“
Namjoon gave Jungkook's knee one last squeeze. He started after Jin into the kitchen. He looked back - Jimin and Yoongi were conferring at the dining room table, heads together; Hoseok and Taehyung had converged on Jungkook and were talking quietly to him. Jungkook looked up and met his eyes. Namjoon smiled in what was hopefully a reassuring manner.
”Namjoon-ah,“ Jin said, and Namjoon followed.
He took a moment to look around his - Namjoon and Jungkook's - kitchen. It was big and bright, with dishes on the drying rack and two pairs of chopsticks next to each other on the counter. Namjoon stared at them for a moment.
Jin was pulling food out of the refrigerator as if, like Taehyung, he spent a lot of time here. ”Back--at home, Jin doesn't cook at my place,“ Namjoon said. ”To be fair, there usually isn't a lot to cook at my place.“
Jin pulled his head out of the fridge to smirk at Namjoon. ”I'm not surprised by this at all. He's lucky Jungkookie likes to cook.”
“He is.“
Jin piled the makings for gimbap on the counter. ”Can you start the rice?“ he asked.
”I can do that.“ Namjoon had to hunt through a few places to get what he needed, but he finally managed to get the rice cooker going while Jin worked on eggs.
“So,” Jin said finally, and Namjoon felt his shoulders hunch up towards his ears. “You and Jungkookie.“
”Are good friends,“ Namjoon said. ”You know. The members, we're all special to each other.“
Jin's eyeroll was almost audible. ”That is a true fact, but you weren't out there holding hands with me just now.“
”It was for the spell,“ Namjoon tried.
”Namjoon-ah.“
Namjoon lowered his voice. ”Hyung, don't. He doesn't, this isn't...it's not like that back home.“
Jin expertly flipped the eggs in the pan. ”Mm-hm.“
”A lot of things aren't like they are back home,“ Namjoon said. ”Magic! Soulmates!“
”A lot of things are like they are there, though,“ Jin said. ”You can't tell me the first thing you do when you walk into a room isn't look for Jungkookie, or that he doesn't look for you.“
”I don't want to answer that,“ Namjoon said, aware he sounded grumpy but unable to stop. ”Isn't there something I can chop or something?“
”There is not,“ Jin said. He pointed to a stool at the counter. ”Go sit there and think about your choices.“
Namjoon barely restrained himself from making a face at Jin. Jin just grinned and turned back to the food.
”I suppose, since you don't have magic, you didn't ever try to rap a spell and turn all the furniture in the room upside down?“
”I did not,“ Namjoon said. ”Did magic make me any better at finding my passport when I lost it?“
”Absolutely not,“ Jin said, and they talked about various embarrassing moments for Namjoon and the rest of the members while Jin finished the gimbap.
***
The seven of them were devouring the gimbap, talking idly, when Jimin said, ”I think you're right, Taehyung-ah, I think the secret is the dreams.“
Namjoon felt Jungkook freeze next to him. He bumped Jungkook's ankle with his foot gently and smiled at him. Jungkook bumped his foot back.
“I don't remember a spell or anything, though,” Jungkook said.
”We need more information,“ Namjoon said.
Yoongi fixed him with a serious look. ”How much do you trust us with magic?“
Namjoon looked over at Jungkook. ”What do you think?“
”It's Yoongi hyung and Jimin hyung,“ Jungkook said. And then, with a hint of a smile, “And I don't mind more magic.”
“Hell yeah,” Taehyung said.
***
The other members were banned from the bedroom while Jimin and Yoongi did - whatever they were doing. Namjoon wrapped an arm around Jungkook as they sat on the couch.
“Hey,” Hoseok said. Namjoon and Jungkook looked up at him. “I know you're scared, but these two are the best.”
“I feel like that's the problem,” Jungkook said. “How good was your Jungkook with magic?”
Hoseok crouched down. “Good. Powerful, I guess, from what everyone says - I don't know a lot about magic, I'm sorry. But JK didn't go through formal training. It was probably like what happened to Namjoon at the concert. He tried to do something and it got away from him.”
Namjoon nodded.
“But I don't believe he would have done anything that can't be fixed,” Hoseok said.
“What if he did?“ Jungkook asked.
Hoseok reached out and put a hand on Jungkook's shoulder. ”He didn't. He wouldn't. It's going to be okay.“
”Okay,“ Jungkook said, his voice a little stronger.
Hoseok smiled at both of them. ”I'm glad we got to meet you, though!“ he said. ”I'm glad there's more of us in other places, making music together.“
“Namjoon-ah,” Yoongi called from the other room. Everyone stood.
”Thank you,“ Namjoon said.
“It's going to be okay,” Hoseok said again.
***
Namjoon and Jungkook awkwardly changed back into what they had been wearing - or not wearing - when they woke up that morning.
“No shirts, huh?” Jimin asked, clearly trying not to laugh.
“Hyung,” Jungkook said reprovingly.
“Sorry, sorry.”
Namjoon slid under the covers. They smelled a little like lemons, unlike this morning. He wondered what kind of preparation Jimin and Yoongi had done.
Jungkook got into bed from the opposite side, and he and Namjoon lay next to each other, staring at someone else's ceiling, for a moment. Then Jungkook sighed and rolled over, re-creating this morning's position.
Namjoon brought his arms up around Jungkook without conscious thought. He rested his cheek against Jungkook's hair. He took in a breath and let it out, trying to push all the anxious and confused thoughts away and just focus on this moment in this place. Jungkook must have heard Namjoon’s shaky sigh, because he tightened his arm around Namjoon’s waist and murmured something Namjoon couldn’t make out.
When Namjoon looked up, Jimin had moved to Jungkook's side of the bed. He put a hand on Jungkook's head as Namjoon felt Yoongi's fingers on his forehead. “Sleep,” Jimin said, and then he and Yoongi said something in unison in the magical language. Namjoon needed to ask what that language was called, he thought at random, and then he was asleep.
***
“I'm so sorry!” Jungkook was saying.
Namjoon felt himself reach out, felt his arms close around Jungkook, even as he realized that this wasn't him doing any of it. “It's going to be all right,” the other Namjoon said to the other Jungkook.
”How? We're not magic. We can't fix it.“ Jungkook's arms were tight around Namjoon's waist. “We're not even soulmates anymore!”
“Jeon Jungkook, you listen to me. I don't care if you have a mark on your shoulder or not. You are my soulmate anywhere, in any world. I don't care.”
“Mmf,” Jungkook said into Namjoon's chest.
“Also, maybe now the members will stop teasing me about making the lights explode,” Namjoon said.
Jungkook's laugh was a little watery, but it was there. “I didn't realize this was a competition.”
“You win,” Namjoon said, and both Namjoons felt better at the smile on Jungkook's face.
They sat down on what Namjoon recognized as the couch in his own living room. “What were you trying to do?” Namjoon asked.
“It's going to sound stupid,” Jungkook added. “In addition to having accidentally made us change worlds.”
“You know I love you even if you do a dumb thing, right?” Namjoon asked. He picked up Jungkook's hand and pressed a kiss just above his wedding ring. “At least these came with us.”
“Rings and clothes but not soulmarks,” Jungkook said. ”I wonder why--“
”Jungkook-ah.“
Jungkook sighed. ”I wanted you to be me,” he said.
Namjoon blinked. “Then why didn't I wake up as you?”
“No, no, I didn't - I didn't want to switch bodies. I didn't think people could switch bodies! I just...I wanted you to know what it feels like to--“ Jungkook shifted, turning his hand to hold Namjoon's. ”I wanted you to know what I feel like all the time when I'm with you,“ he said finally.
“Baby,” Namjoon said softly.
“I found this book that talked about transferring memories. I spent the last few weeks thinking about all our best memories together, the big ones and the little ones, and I picked - don’t laugh, hyung - I picked our first kiss.”
“Why would I laugh? I love that idea.” Namjoon tugged Jungkook forward to kiss him.
“Good idea, poor execution,” Jungkook said, but with slightly less gloominess.
“Did the book mention anything about soulmates?” Namjoon asked. “Yoongi thought that maybe me trying to do magic for my soulmate helped with the--” He mimicked the sound of an explosion and gestured with his free hand.
“The part of the book I read didn’t mention it.”
“The part of the book?” Namjoon repeated.
“Uh,” Jungkook said. “Did I mention the poor execution?”
“Maybe next time you could write me a song about it instead,” Namjoon said diplomatically.
“Yeah, maybe,” Jungkook said, and tipped his forehead to rest against Namjoon’s.
They breathed together for a little while, and the Namjoon who was dreaming could feel his counterpart relaxing. “I love you,” Namjoon said. “I hope the Namjoon here loves the Jungkook here half as much as I love you.”
“Same,” Jungkook said.
***
Namjoon woke up more quickly this time, but still wrapped around Jungkook.
A quick glance around the room told him that Jimin and Yoongi had left them alone. Namjoon appreciated their thoughtfulness as Jungkook stirred against him. Namjoon let himself run a hand through Jungkook’s hair and murmur his name.
“This seems familiar,” Jungkook said into Namjoon’s collarbone.
“Just sit up more carefully this time, maybe,” Namjoon said.
They untangled and sat up. They avoided looking at each other again, but this time Namjoon had reasons other than bare skin.
“I guess we know why it happened,” Jungkook said. Namjoon could see him out of the corner of his eye, teeth worrying at his lip ring.
“It’s an incredibly sweet idea.”
“Should have stuck with songwriting, like you - like the other you said.”
“I mean, maybe,” Namjoon said, and Jungkook snorted.
“You’re softhearted, hyung.”
“Maybe,” Namjoon said again. He reached a hand out, then let it fall to the bed awkwardly.
“Hyung--” Jungkook started, just as Namjoon said, “Now--”
They broke off and finally made eye contact. Namjoon felt the back of his neck heat up.
“What?” Namjoon asked.
Jungkook shook his head. “Nothing. What were you saying?”
“Oh, uh. Now we have to go tell the rest of the members all of that.”
Jungkook fell back onto the bed and pulled the covers over his face. “You do that,” he said, muffled. “I’ll just be here.”
“Nope,” Namjoon said. “If I have to do it, you have to do it.”
“Maybe we should both just stay here,” Jungkook said. “They won’t notice, right?”
Namjoon laid down and pulled the covers up, too, turning to find Jungkook’s face close, barely visible in the light coming through the sides.
“We’re safe now,” he said.
“Hyung,” Jungkook said again, his voice hushed. “I want you to know - I do feel safe. I’m sorry we’re here, but I’m so glad you’re here with me. I couldn’t do it without you.”
“I’m glad to be here with you,” Namjoon said. Jungkook’s hand was still over both their heads, holding the covers; Namjoon reached up and covered Jungkook’s hand with his own.
They lay there, heads close together, and Namjoon thought about the way they’d touched their foreheads together in his dream. The way Namjoon had kissed Jungkook with such familiarity but such care.
The thought was shattered as someone knocked on the door, followed by a chorus of protests. Namjoon and Jungkook both jumped and the covers fell onto their faces.
“We can hear you moving around in there!” Taehyung called cheerfully. “Did you get any clues?”
“We’ll be out in a second,” Namjoon called back, and Jungkook smiled ruefully at him.
“Be dressed, maybe,” Jin yelled.
***
Namjoon and Jungkook crowded into each other on the couch, probably more than was necessary, with a comforting Hoseok next to Namjoon and the others across from them. They explained the dream in fits and starts, while Taehyung sat on the floor, scribbling in his notebook, and Yoongi and Jimin interrupted with questions.
Finally, the story wound down. “It seems clear that your dreams were Jungkook concentrating on his memories,” Yoongi said thoughtfully.
“How does that get them back, though?” Jin asked.
“Wait a second.” Taehyung flipped a few pages back, then forward. “Jungkookie said the memory he picked was their first kiss, right?”
Namjoon and Jungkook both nodded. At some point they had started holding hands. Namjoon didn’t know if he was supposed to be comforting Jungkook or being comforted, but he felt a little of both.
“They didn’t dream about the first kiss.” Taehyung looked up. “Right?”
“I didn’t,” Namjoon said.
“No, neither did I,” Jungkook said.
Taehyung looked back down at his notes. “Huh.”
A very awkward silence settled on the room.
“We need more food,” Jin said suddenly.
“Absolutely,” Hoseok said, jumping to his feet. “Come on, we’ll help.”
“Good idea,” Yoongi said. He and Jimin headed to the kitchen.
Taehyung stayed seated.
“Taehyung-ah,” Jin said.
“What? I’m looking for clues--”
“Tae. Hyung. Ah.”
Taehyung looked up. “Right! Right, let me just…” He pushed himself to his feet. With an awkward little wave, he disappeared into the kitchen.
Jin smiled at them both and then he was gone too.
“Subtle,” Namjoon said with an attempt at levity.
Jungkook gave him a small smile. “So we probably have to…”
“I think so too,” Namjoon said. He looked down at their joined hands; Jungkook did too.
“Can I tell you something?” Jungkook asked.
Namjoon nodded.
“Ever since the dreams…I’ve been thinking a lot about, I guess, about the dreams.” Jungkook looked up. “About you.”
Namjoon swallowed around a too-tight throat. He committed Jungkook’s face, nervous and brave, to memory. Something to think about later, magic in its own way. “I have been too,” he said. “I thought it was just me.”
“Not just you.”
Namjoon lifted his free hand and touched Jungkook’s shoulder, brushing his fingers over the fabric hiding the clematis. “Jungkook-ah? Can I--”
Jungkook leaned forward and kissed him.
Namjoon let go of Jungkook’s hand to grab both his shoulders, kissing back with everything that had been building up since he’d woken up that morning. Everything since the dreams had started. Jungkook’s hands went around Namjoon’s waist and pulled him closer. A shiver ran through Jungkook and into Namjoon, and behind his eyelids the world went gold.
Somewhere, faintly, Namjoon heard applause. But when he reluctantly pulled back from Jungkook and looked up, no one was there.
No one was there because they weren’t in that living room anymore. They were on Namjoon’s couch.
“It worked,” Jungkook said.
“Great,” Namjoon said absently, his eyes on Jungkook’s mouth. “Can we--” He gave up on words and kissed Jungkook again.
***
“This is great!” Hoseok said, and the rest of the members chimed in. “I’m, I’m surprised, though!”
“It did sort of sneak up on us,” Namjoon said, and Jungkook laughed next to him.
“Is there a story there?” Yoongi asked. “I thought maybe - you know, a couple of weeks ago, when Namjoonie started talking about soulmates, that something had changed.”
“It was just…like magic,” Jungkook said. He pulled his leg up on the couch and wrapped one hand around it. The other one was tight in Namjoon’s. “And that’s all I have to say about it.”
“I’ll figure it out eventually,” said Taehyung.
Namjoon just grinned at him.
“Any other secrets you want to spill?” Jin asked, raising an eyebrow.
Namjoon looked at Jungkook, who rested his forehead on Namjoon’s shoulder, just over the spot with a tiger lily tattoo. “Eventually,” he said.
Jungkook kissed Namjoon’s shoulder and smiled out at the other members. “I have good hyungs,” he said.
“We have good friends,” Namjoon said. “Any time, anywhere.”
“And don’t you forget it,” Jimin said.
Namjoon leaned into Jungkook. “We won’t.”