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Chapter Text

The first thing Jungkook saw when he stepped out of the portal was a thin boy kissing up the neck of a shorter boy with light blond hair. The second they saw him, they broke apart, but not frantically enough to show any true embarrassment. Jungkook blinked, taking a moment to get over the fact that, yes, they were both Asian like him, and yes, they were both probably the most attractive people he'd ever seen in his life. The portal closed behind him with a pop.

"This Blackthorn?"

"Yes," answered the shorter one. He was slender too, but slightly more built than the other, mainly in his legs. Jungkook knew this thanks to the black pants he was wearing, which clung to his thighs like they'd been painted on. "Name?"

"What, is this the registration?"

The blond boy's mouth curved into a smile, but his eyes remained the same; watchful, quiet, unreadable. Jungkook was close enough now to see that one eye was black and the other was green.

"Yes, actually."

"Of course it is," Jungkook muttered to himself, trying not to roll his eyes. "It's Jeon Jungkook."

"Oh!" the other boy exclaimed. Jungkook jumped. His voice was a lot deeper than Jungkook expected. He got right up behind the blond boy, hooking his chin over his shoulder, and gave Jungkook a shameless up-and-down from under a messy fringe of salmon-pink hair.

"They must've told you I was coming."

"Oh they told us," the blond boy said. "The rich faerie from Seoul. We know. Just this way."

Jungkook needed a drink.

He followed them up the hill. The top levelled off to a stretch of emerald green grass, almost perfectly smooth except for a few dips and swells. Jungkook glanced behind him. Dense forest in all directions.

"The school's this way," the pink-haired boy said. Jungkook had the feeling he was actually trying to be helpful, but he decided to be a dick about it anyway.

"I know," he said. "I can see the obvious castle looming in the distance."

"It's actually a mansion built in a chateauesque style," the blond haired boy said. "And before you decide to play the disinterested asshole about it, it has a lot of really cool magical stuff inside it, so maybe keep your mouth shut before you say anything else about things you don't know anything about."

Jungkook raised his eyebrows. "Whoa, okay. Fuck."  

The greensward led up to an enormous plaza, with more grass, fancy shrubs, and a stone labyrinth. Students were milling around, reading on benches, chatting. A guy with teal blue hair was sitting in the centre of the labyrinth playing a flute.

"The labyrinth is fucking huge, but totally worth it," pink-haired guy said. He was walking along, swinging his arms at his sides, seemingly unaffected by Jungkook's dismissive attitude. His button-down was done up wrong, making the whole shirt look crooked. His jeans were ripped. His boots must've been at least three sizes too big for him, and they had no laces. "It has a charm built into it which dispels stress. During exam season it's so busy, Yoongi would never get away with that."

"Yoongi gets away with whatever he wants, whenever he wants," the blond-haired boy muttered.

"I like Yoongi," Jungkook said.

Both of them ignored him.

To the left was a big ornate brick building with turrets, towers, arched windows, and all the other kinds of things you'd expect on an ivy league university built in a castle, or mansion, or whatever. To the right was another big, brick, castley building. The two were connected by a cloister walk.

"Left is the school, centre are the offices and refectory," the blond boy said. "Right is the dorms, where we're headed."

Jungkook followed them up a set of stairs, hauling his heavy duffel bag and trying not to check out the blond guy's ass, which was kind of a challenge, seeing as his flowy white shirt kept riding up every time he took a step.

They arrived in a hallway. The floor was pattered tile. The walls were white panel. Sunny windows lined one wall, doors the other.

"I'm getting shining vibes," Jungkook said.

"We actually don't have ghosts here," the pink-haired guy said, pouting. "I know, it sucks."

Jungkook let out a single, emotionless laugh.

"First years are usually two to a room, and we make them duel for the best bunk, but you get to skip all that fun." The blond boy pushed open a door and leaned against it. "The deans set aside a solo room for you. Money talks, I guess."

Jungkook waited for him to move over so he could get by. He didn't. Jungkook shrugged, and stalked through, practically scraping him off the door with his duffel bag. He could feel those varicoloured eyes watching him the entire time. The pink-haired guy snickered from the hallway.

The ceiling was intimidatingly high, with a chandelier. There was a mahogany desk with shitloads of drawers, a queen-sized bed already dressed in burgundy sheets, and a big wooden bureau in the corner. He had to admit that the view was nice. He could see the forest peeking up over the hill.

He set his bag on the ground. There was a pause, and then he turned around. "Well," he grunted. "I think I've got things handled at this point, thanks for—"

A man swept into the room before Jungkook could finish his sentence. Jungkook assumed he must've been someone important, because the blond boy actually moved aside for him this time.

The newcomer took a moment to arrange himself next to Jungkook's bed before speaking.

"I am Dean Phantasmagorium, and I am pleased to welcome you to Blackthorn University."

The pink-haired boy was smirking at Jungkook from behind the dean's back. The blond boy was watching Jungkook closely, even as the pink-haired boy was working a slender hand up the front of his shirt. A sliver of tan, tight abs flickered overtop of his pants.

Jungkook cleared his throat. "Thanks."

The dean rearranged his Bolvaints on the rug, like he were trying to scrub dirt off the bottoms of them, and nodded.

"I would also like to express my gratitude for your family's rather excessive donation. Because of them, we were able to launch various projects. The graduate department was thrilled."

Jungkook forced his face into a smile. "Great."

The dean was ludicrously well-dressed. Everything he was wearing looked custom tailored. There was so much brocade. So much silk. His skin was black, his hair nonexistent, and his gold-rimmed glasses hung on a feather-light golden chain around his neck.

"There is, however, the matter of your transcripts."

Jungkook opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a harsh gasp. The dean turned around, narrowly missing the pink-haired boy yanking his hand out from under the blond boy's shirt. The fabric was so thin Jungkook could actually tell his nipples had hardened.

There was a pause.

"Yes, well," the dean said, turning back to Jungkook.

"I wouldn't expect anything too special."  

"That's quite alright. We are here to cultivate talent, not to mine it, after all."

"Wait," the pink-haired boy said. "Did you write the entrance exams?"

Jungkook blinked. "There were entrance exams?"

"What the serious fuck!"

"Mind your tone, Taehyung," the dean said.

The blond boy heaved a sigh. "I mean, it's not like they were even that hard, but the fact that he didn't have to write them at all is kind of..."

"Let's not be discourteous, Jimin." The dean turned to Jungkook. "I assume Jimin and Taehyung showed you around the school?"

"Yeah," Jungkook said at the exact same time that Jimin said "No" and Taehyung said "Do we have to it's dinnertime and I'm hungry."

"Why yes, you have to give him the tour. The university has a unique agreement with Jungkook's parents and I would appreciate it if you two would respect the university's wishes, and fulfil your duties as members of the student union."

Jungkook rubbed his face with both hands. The dean seemed okay, nice even, but he really wished the dean would stop talking.

The dean cleared his throat. Jungkook opened his eyes and realized he'd been leaving the dean hanging for a handshake for god knows how long. He hurriedly grabbed his hand and gave it a shake. The dean smiled smartly.

"Nice to meet you Jungkook. I'm excited to see what gifts you have to offer." The dean tucked his hands into his pockets and strode out the door. "Oh, and make sure to pick up your schedule from the office before it closes. Classes start tomorrow."

The three of them stared at each other in silence as the dean's footsteps faded into the distance.

"Is his name actually Phantasmagorium," Jungkook said quietly.

"Yep," Taehyung said.

"Need help finding the office?" Jimin asked.

"No."

"Want a tour?"

"No."

"Excellent." Jimin's eyes trailed over Jungkook's mouth. "Well, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of each other, given that you scored a room on our floor, with that... unique arrangement of yours."

Jungkook scowled.

"Bye bye, rich boy."

Jimin laced his fingers through Taehyung's and led him out the door. Jungkook mouthed a silent fuck to himself. The moment they were gone, he shoved his bag under the bed, changed into a t-shirt, and went looking for the campus bar.

***

"Another whiskey, please."

"Sorry kid, last call was ten minutes ago."

Jungkook searched the walls for a clock.

"Bar closes at eight on weeknights," the bartender said tiredly. "Sorry, deans' rules."

Jungkook grumbled, searching his pockets for his wallet.

"Don't worry about it, I'll bill your account."

"Need my name?"

The bartender looked a little sheepish. "Oh, I know who you are."

Jungkook stumbled outside. The moon was barely visible through the cloud cover. A mist was creeping out of the forest, hovering over the field. He threw his head back and let the cool air sweep over his skin.

"Sucks, hey?"

Jungkook had had too many whiskeys to find it very surprising that somebody he hadn't even known was there was talking to him. It made sense in the simple way that things tended to when he'd been drinking. Slowly, he peered over his shoulder, and squinted.

The teal-haired boy from the labyrinth was leaning against the wall, next to a bushel of ivy bigger than his entire body, smoking.

"Bar closes early as fuck."

"You're Yoongi," Jungkook pointed out.

"How the fuck do you know that."

"Taehyung and Jimin told me."

"Oh those two." Yoongi ashed his cigarette, laughing harshly. The smoke smelled floral, kind of like lavender, but sharper. "True blue ivy league kids. Best of their grade. Insufferable fucks."

"They seemed..." Jungkook paused.

"To not give one fuck? They get away with it because of their grades."

"Funny, because they said the same thing about you."

"Oh my grades are shit." Yoongi took another long drag, and then talked as smoke trickled out from between his teeth. "Well, most of my grades. See, those two are the types who're good at everything. I'm the type who's bad at most things, but really, really good at one thing."

"What's that?"

"Musomancy." Yoongi looked at Jungkook expectantly. "You know, music magic."

Jungkook shrugged.

"You really don't know what that is? Huh. Well, can't say as I blame you. This whole place must seem like kind of a joke to someone like you."

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't faeries all up their asses about how superior their magic is to witch magic and yadee yada?"

"Jesus Christ," Jungkook hissed. "Does everybody know who I am around here?"

"Pretty much."

"Fuck."

"Why are you here, anyway?" Yoongi let his eyes wander over Jungkook's body. Not the same probing look that Jimin gave him, nothing like Taehyung's unabashed staring. This was something far less intrusive, a reserved kind of curiosity. "I think you're literally the first faerie to ever enrol at Blackthorn."

"Well, I'm only half-faerie."

"That's right. Your mom's a witch. Brilliant, top of her field. Groundbreaking marriage. Made the news." Yoongi laughed. "Must be weird, having everybody know these things about you."

"I'm used to it."

"But your faerie side is nobility."

"I'd rather not get into it."

"Fair enough." Yoongi tossed his cigarette on the ground and stomped on it with one of his big leather boots.

Jungkook crossed his arms. "Do you have any weed?"

Yoongi's gummy grin was uncharacteristically cute. "As a matter-of-fact, I do."

He pushed off the wall, all languid and slouchy in his denim jacket. A massive patch was sewn onto the back with an ink drawing of a raven. His lip was pierced with a hoop. Jungkook followed him across the field, down the hill, to the edge of the forest.

"Gotta get out of smelling range," Yoongi grunted, hopping over a log.

Jungkook could feel goosebumps breaking out on his arms, but he was too drunk to feel properly cold. A patch of glowing insects hovered around a particularly big tree a couple yards away. The ground was covered in dense bracken and moss. It was like walking on foam.

"You sure this is a good idea?"

"Getting second thoughts?" Yoongi chuckled. "Don't worry. Nothing out here that'll bite, too hard."

Jungkook shivered.

They sat down on a couple stumps next to a stream. Yoongi pulled a plastic bag out of his inner pocket and rolled a joint. Jungkook watched the familiar process unfold in silence. Being around Yoongi, with his patches, his gruff way of speaking and cigarettes felt like stepping into a warm, familiar bath.

"Hello. Hello."

Jungkook spun around, cursing loudly. Yoongi almost fell off his stump, he was laughing so hard.

"It's just the talking squirrels," he gasped, wiping his eyes. "Oh fuck, your face—"

"The talking fucking god-damned squirrels." Jungkook squared his shoulders. "Right."

"Never thought a faerie would scare so easily. Don't you folks have all kinds of enchanted forests?"

Jungkook sighed. "Less talking, more drugs."

"Yeah, yeah, here."

Yoongi shoved the joint between Jungkook's lips and lit it with a little flame from the tip of his pinkie. Jungkook sucked in, hard. A moment later he was hacking and spitting all over the moss.

"Yeah, it's a bit harsh." Yoongi blew a smoke ring. His lungs must've been made of steel. "It's all I could get out here. Makes things glow purple sometimes, though, which is pretty dope."

"Yeah, your nose looks pretty purple right now."

"Hey guys," came a voice from behind Yoongi.

Jungkook jolted.

"Yeah, you'll get used to it eventually." Yoongi picked ash off his knee.

They finished the joint and snuck back into the dorms. It turned out Yoongi's room was only a couple doors down from Jungkook's. It also turned out Yoongi had various bottles of liquor stashed in his desk. They drank gin straight from the bottle and played cards.

"Too quiet in here," Yoongi said. He flicked his fingers, and Jungkook heard the familiar beep boop of a speaker turning on somewhere. A moment later a bass line tore through the room, loud enough to make the chandelier rattle.

"Won't they hear?"

"Nope. Cast a silencing ward. Every inch of this place is padded."

"Can I do that on my room too?"

"Well I dunno faerie boy, can you?" Yoongi smirked. "I doubt it. It's pretty advanced magic, even for someone like Taehyung or Jimin."

Jungkook grunted.

"Wanna see some more cool music shit?"

"Why not."

Yoongi flicked at the air and the song changed.

A piano line appeared, feathery, light. The notes hovered around Jungkook's head. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd never heard anything so earnest, so pure.

"W-what is this?"

"What do you think it is?"

Jungkook sniffled, wiping his eyes. "Well, fuck, I'm crying, but I'm not sad."

"It's joy, in musical form." Yoongi snapped his fingers. "Here."

The piano drifted away, replaced by synth. The papers on Yoongi's desk riffled in some invisible wind. Jungkook's hair was stirring around his face.

He was standing on a hill, looking at a house. A big house. He was back in Seoul. And then he wasn't.

The notes were shifting. Jungkook could feel the bass inside him, moving things around. He gulped another mouthful of gin and set the bottle down with shaking hands. Yoongi was leaning against the wall, his mouth open, breathing a little harshly.

"W-what is that?"

"A song."

Jungkook swallowed, arching his back, spreading his legs to give the music more room to move.

"Yoongi, I..."

Yoongi groaned, sliding onto his back.

Jungkook laughed faintly. The front of his pants was incredibly tight. He fell back on his forearms and gazed deliriously at the chandelier. It was purple now, just like the candelabra in the corner. He heard Yoongi moan somewhere to his right.

"Jesus Christ," Jungkook hissed.

After a drunkenly indeterminate amount of time, Yoongi waved a hand and the music settled back into something more comprehensible. Jungkook's eyes were closed. Yoongi reached for the pack of cards, presumably giving Jungkook a moment to compose himself.

"Songs can make you cry," Yoongi said. "They can make you remember stuff from the past. They can—"

"Make you jizz your pants even though you're piss drunk," Jungkook panted, his face sliding into a crooked grin.

Yoongi smirked. He seemed pretty pleased with himself. Jungkook glanced at the candelabra. The flames had regained their typical orangey glow. He looked back at Yoongi, who was shuffling the cards.

"Songs are different from people." Yoongi threw down a card. It was the jack of hearts. "They can permeate places inside you that you can't reach with fingers, tongues. Places that aren't even physical. Doesn't matter if you're drunk and numb. I found that one in an old grimoire in the library and recorded it myself. It took forever to get the harmonics right. There're some very specific intervals, I obsessed over the ratios for days."

"Wow."

"Musomancy's fucked," Yoongi said. "It has so many applications."

"No shit."

Jungkook threw his head back and laughed. He laughed until he was breathless and his shoulder blades hurt from rolling around on Yoongi's tile. Yoongi smirked at him, sipping gin like it was water. They finished the bottle, and played another round, and the last thing Jungkook remembered was stumbling back to his room and crashing onto his mattress, smearing sweat and forest moss all over his fresh sheets. He plummeted into a heavy sleep, too drunk to worry about where he was, too drunk to worry about taking a shower, too drunk to worry about whether or not Taehyung had been telling the truth about Blackthorn having no ghosts.

***

He was doing push-ups next to the labyrinth the next afternoon, when he heard someone sit down nearby.

He glanced up. Taehyung was sitting on the grass a couple meters away, cross-legged, watching him.

"The deans want to talk to you..."

Jungkook started to stand up.

"...in a minute."

Jungkook paused.

"Go ahead and finish your routine first."

Jungkook got back down and started a set of pike push-ups. He heard Taehyung exhale heavily. Jungkook worked his way through a set of crunches, burpees, more push-ups, and a stretching routine, all with Taehyung sitting there, watching.

"Alright," he said, pushing sweaty hair out of his eyes. "I'm done."

Taehyung blinked. "Cool. Follow me."

Taehyung's sweater hung off his shoulders like a shawl. The collar was wide around his neck. He was wearing leggings and the same oversized boots as the day before. He definitely had less muscle on his legs than Jimin, but as for his ass, that remained to be determined, seeing as the sweater was long enough to hide most of it from view. His pink hair looked like cotton candy in the sunlight. He led them through an arched doorway into a courtyard on the other side of the cloister.

"In there," he said, gesturing to a door marked dean's office.

Jungkook turned to him, his mouth quirking up into a little smile. "You aren't going to come in with me?"

"I mean." Taehyung stared at him blankly. "Do you want me to?"

"Are you blushing?"

"No."

"Wow." Jungkook raised his eyebrows. "You're different when Jimin isn't around."

"Fuck off," Taehyung muttered.

Jungkook chuckled, and pushed through the door.

Not one, but two deans were waiting for him, both sitting in identical leather armchairs around a fireplace. Purple flames stirred behind the grate, even though it must've been at least 68 degrees outside. Jungkook gave the fire a weird look, tilting his head to the side.

"Oh," Phantasmagorium said. "They aren't for warmth; merely decorative. You can change the colour, like so—"

He swirled his ring finger in the direction of the fireplace. The flames morphed slowly from purple to green. Jungkook let go of the breath he'd been holding.

"I'm Dean Sukie."

The second dean leaned back in her armchair, not lazy so much as attentively relaxed. Her skin was only slightly lighter than Phantasmagorium's, and her hair only slightly more present, cropped short to her scalp. She, too, was dressed quite nicely, in a sharp black suit and golden pumps. She made no move to shake Jungkook's hand.

"Go ahead, sit down Jungkook," Phantasmagorium said, gesturing to a third armchair.

Jungkook was suddenly much more aware of what he was wearing. His muscle-shirt and sweatpants came close to being anachronistic in the dim, antique light of the deans' office, surrounded by grandfather clocks, fine rugs, and rosewood desks. The ceiling pressed down low and close. He was sure it was supposed to feel confidential and cozy, but the amount of gin he'd consumed last night made the entire experience a little suffocating. Sweat dripped down his back.

"Let's hop right into it, shall we?" Dean Sukie said, clapping her hands together. "You never picked up your schedule from the office yesterday. You slept through your morning classes."

"You've been conducting a comprehensive fitness routine in the plaza for the greater part of the afternoon, and frankly, you reek of alcohol," Phantasmagorium said.

"Sorry about that," Jungkook said.

There was a pause.

"You know my parents sent me here to punish me, right?"

"Well, I suppose there was a basic understanding—"

"Because it's a witching university, which is actually kind of embarrassing for a faerie to even be attending in the first place—"

"Your transcripts arrived," Sukie interjected cheerfully. "Seems to me you'd be lucky if any institution admitted you at this point."

"I'm not going to be going to any classes."

"Jeon Jungkook!" Phantasmagorium exclaimed. "That is utterly unacceptable."

"To your community, our institution may be a joke," Sukie said, "but in the witching world this is as fine a school as any young witch can hope to get into."  

"Yeah. I doubt my parents would've let me come here otherwise."

"Everyone around you fought tooth and nail to study here."

"Good for them."

"If you walk around acting like you're better than all this, you're going to gain a lot of enemies."

"Doubt it. I'm a faerie."

"Oh, they won't touch you." Sukie's smile was a little mean. "But I'm not really talking about you specifically. You know there's already a rift, right?"

"Yeah, I haven't been living under a rock my entire life, thanks."

"Well then you must know that your actions have the potential to drive our communities even further apart."

Jungkook bristled.

"That being said, when we accepted your parents' donation, we did indeed sign a contract agreeing to enrol you, no matter what." Sukie sighed, pouring herself scotch from a decanter. "I'm beginning to see why they included that clause. If you really want to turn Blackthorn into a joke to settle some feud with your parents, there is nothing we can do to stop you."

"Listen," Jungkook grated out. "I don't actually think witch magic is inferior, I just—"

"Your actions have consequences nonetheless," Sukie said.

There was a beat. Sukie sipped her scotch. Phantasmagorium looked like he was on the brink of tears.

"Can't you pour him one too?" Jungkook asked, annoyed.

"I've never been much of a scotch man," Phantasmagorium said delicately. "I much prefer my wine."

Another beat.

"I'm leaving," Jungkook said.

The two deans nodded. Jungkook got up, crossed the room, and opened the door. It almost got Taehyung in the face.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Eavesdropping. Cast a spell on the door to make it conduct sound."

Jungkook grimaced.

"I can't believe you talked to Dean Sukie like that," Taehyung whispered, following Jungkook along the path. "You do know she's a warrior right? Fought down a bunch of mountain imps that were trying to invade her hometown in the Himalayas, and she knows so much shit about curses, mainly how to banish them, but—"

"All I want," Jungkook muttered, "is for everybody to fuck off."

"So you really aren't going to go to any of your classes?"

Jungkook paused, staring out into the forest.

"What on earth are you going to do with all your time?"

"For starters, I could really use some smokes." Jungkook started hiking into the trees.

Taehyung stared at him, gripping nervously the hem of his own sweater with both hands. "Where are you going?"

"Next town can't be too far off."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jungkook smiled at Taehyung over his shoulder. Taehyung's pretty mouth was tipped down at the sides.

"It means witches suck, so I'm going to find some humans instead."

***

If Jeon Jungkook was good at anything, it was finding a way to pass time.

He wandered around the forest until he found a pathway. It was narrow and overgrown, but it was leading somewhere, so he decided to follow it. Twenty minutes later it spat him out into a parking lot. A chipped sign loomed overhead, with the words Maven Gas & Convenience, glowing in blue and white.

He bought smokes from the gas station and wandered down the road to a strip mall. A bar was jammed in beside a laundromat and a seasonal fruit stand, which was closed for the day.

The sun trickled through battered Venetian blinds. Billiards clunked and thumped alongside a classic rock playlist. The first whiskey took a while to get down, but after that it was smooth sailing. The bartender didn't even ID him.

He bought a breakfast wrap from the gas station on his way back. The sun had set. He walked back and forth along the edge of the parking lot, searching for the opening, and either he was too drunk, or it was too dark out, but it all looked the same. He was about to go back and ask the girls he'd been partying with all afternoon if he could crash with them, when he heard a voice calling from the woods.

"Hi, there!"

He flinched. He could see it now, the place where two red alder trees parted around the pathway. The last thing he wanted was to walk the twenty minutes back to Blackthorn in the pitch dark, surrounded by talking squirrels and god knew what else, but when he turned around, his heart sank. The girls' truck was gone.

"Fuck," he snarled.

He stuffed the wrap into his pocket and got his phone out. The flashlight was weak, and his battery was at twenty percent. He put it back in his pocket and waited for his eyes to adjust. At that very moment all the lights in the gas station went out. Shit thing about small towns was that everything closed early, except for the bars.

With no further ado, he stepped over the curb into the forest.

The air was fresh. The mist was dense, but somehow, his feet seemed to know where to go.

"Whatcha doing?"

He clenched his jaw, and tried to think about Yoongi, laughing so hard he almost fell off the log. They were just talking squirrels, but how did Jungkook know that? How was he supposed to know that Yoongi was telling the truth? Maybe Yoongi was fucking with him, maybe Yoongi genuinely didn't know all the secrets of the forest. All he really cared about was music after all. Besides, Yoongi was a fourth year with all kinds of wicked musomancy powers. He could probably stun a monster just by humming at it.

Jungkook tried closing his eyes. He tried counting to ten forwards and back. At the end of the day, the only thing that remotely helped was thinking about how smug Jimin would be if he knew how terrified Jungkook was just then.

"I'm not scared," he muttered.

"Peek-a-boo, peek-a-boo!" a voice chattered overhead.

Jungkook laughed a little hysterically.

When he got back to the dorms his body was dripping in cold sweat. He tossed the wrap on his desk and grabbed a towel.

The washroom was at the end of the hallway. A line of fancy brass taps all poured into the same sink. There was an enormous basin in the middle of the room. Jungkook couldn't decide if it was a fountain or a bathtub. Either way it was dusty and unused. The washrooms were gender neutral, but he assumed communal baths were pushing it, even for Blackthorn.

Various alcoves dipped into the tile walls, serving as shower stalls. Jungkook undressed quickly and ducked into one that was partially obscured by a tuft of vines. There were plants everywhere in the dorms, and he could never quite figure out where they were growing from.

A shower was running near the end of the chamber.

Jungkook rolled his shoulders back. Hot water streamed over his body. He closed his eyes and tried to enjoy what was left of his whiskey buzz.

"Oh fuck—"

His eyes sprang open.

That was definitely no talking squirrel.

He cocked his head to the side and tried to listen over the steady pitter-patter of water against the tile.

Someone was moaning.

Breathlessly.

He immediately turned to face the back of the stall. There were no curtains on the showers. Most students, he'd learned, knew how to cast concealment charms, because most students; meaning, every single student except him—was a full-blooded witch.

"Oh god please."

The voice was high, but full, like whoever it was had a naturally high speaking voice to begin with. Jungkook reached for his soap. Another moan, chestier this time. Jungkook lathered up his armpits and tried to think about small animals dying and nasty old men and anything else to avoid getting caught rock hard in the communal bathroom listening to someone jerking off with no excuse for his lack of concealment other than his own incompetence.

"Fuck, I'm g-gonna, fuck—"

Jungkook was supposed to be rinsing his hair. Why on earth was shampoo so slippery. Why on earth was his hand around his dick. Why on earth—

"TAE, I'M CUMMING!"

Jungkook froze.

There was another low, harsh grunt. A slapping sound.

And then giggles.

Jungkook's blood ran cold.

"C'mon," someone said breathlessly. "Let's get out of here."

They turned off their water. There was a pause.

"Wait. Is there another shower going?"

"Oh fuck," someone hissed. "Someone else is in here."

Jungkook groped madly for his shampoo bottle and dropped it. It hit the floor with a resonant bang.

Hissed whispering.

Wet feet smacked over the tile. Jungkook's towel was too far away to risk it. He stood up, abandoning his shampoo bottle next to the drain, and turned towards the back of the stall just as the two of them passed by.

He almost thought he was in the clear. Nobody said anything for a good ten seconds. But then—

"Jungkook?"

He closed his eyes.

"Oh my god, it's only Jungkook," Jimin said. "And here I was worried we were going to offend someone."

Jungkook frowned at him over his shoulder. "Mind looking away so I can get my towel?"

"Why?" Jimin's eyes trailed downwards. His blond hair fell around his face, wet and dripping. His cheeks were flushed, and his lips were puffier than usual. Jungkook grit his teeth and tried not to think about how they'd gotten that way.

"You're the one who didn't cast any concealment charms."

"Yeah, well, I didn't expect anyone else to be showering this late."

"Fair enough. I mean, neither did we," Jimin giggled.

Jungkook accepted the fact that he wasn't going to be getting any less hard anytime soon. Not with both of them standing there, staring at his ass, with nothing on but some haphazardly draped towels. He also accepted the fact that neither of them were going to let this one go easily, so he turned around and grabbed his towel from the hook.

Jimin whistled.

"You made it back through the woods," Taehyung said, as if his collar bones weren't littered with hickeys, as if he weren't currently watching Jungkook wrap a towel around his waist to conceal his rock hard dick.

"Yep."

"Find anything cool?"

"Visited a little town called Maven. Got drunk with some of the locals."

"Wait, what?" Jimin asked. "How long did it take you to walk there?"

"I dunno, twenty, thirty minutes?" Jungkook fished his shampoo bottle out of the drain. "There was a pathway that led straight there."

"Maven must be at least an hour's drive from Blackthorn. It's university policy to maintain a minimum radius from human towns."

"Well then, what—"

"Someone must've cast a spell on the forest," Taehyung said excitedly. "They're called proximity pathways. They're similar to portals, but different in that they're usually permanent. Both compress distances, though, so that people can move between two locations much faster than if—"

"You went drinking with humans?" Jimin asked. "Why?"

"Why not?"

"They're..." Jimin made a face. "Do I even need to explain this?"

"It's because they can't do magic, right?"

Jimin made weak affirmative noises.

"There's a lot more to people than just magic." Jungkook turned off the water. "Clearly I'm not the only one who's ever thought so."

He walked past them, stopping at the sinks to chug some water out of the tap. He wiped his mouth, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His faerie blood let him get away with murder. Two days into a bender and his skin still glowed, warm and smooth and tan. His sparkling black eyes revealed nothing of how exhausted he felt. His hair grew in fast and thick, much like how he built muscle. The bowl cut he'd given himself two weeks ago so he could blend in with the humans in Seoul had already grown out past his ears.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?" Jungkook strode towards the door. "Someone had to have created that pathway."

***

Jungkook jogged around the edge of the forest the next afternoon, out of sight from the classroom windows. Taehyung and Jimin managed to find him anyway.

"Is this like, a faerie thing?" Jimin asked, walking around in a circle, observing as he did crunches. "Being so physically active?"

"I don't know why you decided to jog down here today," Taehyung said. "I was really enjoying the view before."

"Aren't you enjoying the view now?" Jungkook grunted.

"Fair point."

"Didn't want to push things with the deans, did you?" Jimin crossed his arms. His bracelets glinted in the sunlight. "Taehyung told me what happened yesterday."

Jungkook leaned over, stretching his hamstrings.

"Do you ever speak, or are you literally just for show?"

"I'm not afraid of the deans. I just don't see a point in involving them in something they have nothing to do with."

"Like the feud with your parents."

Jungkook stood up, cracked his neck, and started back up the hill.

"Fascinating." Jimin hurried to catch up. Taehyung followed on the other side.

"So your parents sent you to Blackthorn to punish you for something you did, don't worry, I know you're now going to tell us what that was, or open your mouth for any other reason, other than to put alcohol in it—"

"But we can always speculate," Taehyung said. "Perhaps it has to do with the fact that your mom is a witch—"

"—or your shit-ass grades, or the fact that you hang out with humans all the time—"

Jungkook walked faster.

"Hey, hey—" Taehyung jumped in front of him. "Wait."

Jungkook glowered at him. "What?"

"Do you mind, if I... just..."

"Really?"

Taehyung bit his lip, staring up at Jungkook through thick lashes. Jungkook rolled his eyes.

"Fuck. I don't really care."

Taehyung reached out and ran his hands down Jungkook's chest. "Fuck," he breathed, stepping to the side to squeeze his bicep.

A second later two tiny hands squeezed his forearm on the other side.  

"I can't believe this," Jungkook said. "I can't believe you two."

There was a flicker of blue in the distance. Jungkook squinted. Someone's hand was sliding down his back, getting close to his ass.

"Is that Yoongi?"

Jimin shrugged.

"Oye!" Jungkook waved, and then yipped as someone squeezed his thigh. He looked down to find Taehyung on his knees beside him.

"You can see the moon," Taehyung said, gazing up at the sky. Both his hands were still clasped around Jungkook's leg. "Even though it's daytime."

"Better let go. I'm about to start running."

Taehyung pouted, dropping his hands to his lap. Jimin took a step back. Jungkook broke into a jog, and ran Yoongi down by the dorms.

"Hey man." Yoongi greeted him with a fist-bump. "My classes are over for the day. Wanna get high?"

"Hell yeah."

Jungkook followed Yoongi around the building, in the opposite direction of the deans' office, back down the hill and into the forest. When he glanced out over the greensward, Jimin and Taehyung were gone.

"Hanging out with Taehyung and Jimin again?"

"Yeah, they keep following me around."

"Weird." Yoongi hopped over a patch of lilies. "Don't know what those two would want with someone like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The campus delinquent. Used to be me, but you do it better."

Jungkook snorted, trying to squash down the weird feeling in his stomach.

Yoongi's eyes went wide. "Nice, Hobi's here."

Jungkook followed Yoongi into the same clearing as before.

A boy was sitting on one of the stumps. He was dressed similarly to Yoongi, lots of black, but his vibe came off as slightly less punk and more goth. His nails were painted plum. He was wearing knee-high, pointy boots and a drapey black sweater with a druid hood. He was even skinnier than Taehyung.

"Sup dude," Yoongi said.

"Yo." The boy looked up from the book he was reading—a tiny, leather-bound journal propped on his knee. A cigarette was poised between two fingers of his other hand. "Oh. You brought the faerie boy."

Jungkook forced out a smile.

"I'm Hoseok." Hoseok smiled, his cheeks bunching up, plump and round. "Did Yoongi show you his porn song yet?"

"Jesus Christ," Yoongi said.

"As a matter of fact, he did."

"Musomancy is great. Unfortunately, I'm a demonologist. Nothing quite as sexy in my field."

"Demonology, huh." Jungkook jerked his head towards Yoongi. "Is that why you hang out with him?"

"Hey, fuck off."

The three of them smoked a joint, and then trudged up the hill to the field. Jungkook and Hoseok played a very clumsy, very distracted game of tag, while Yoongi lay on his back and whistled at the sky. They barely made it back to the refectory in time for dinner. Jungkook ploughed through three plates of cold pasta while Yoongi and Hoseok bickered about whether or not servants of fallen gods counted as demons.

The rest of the week was gloriously unremarkable. Jungkook jogged in peace, ate in peace, hiked the proximity path and got drunk with the bartender in Maven in peace. There were no more late night bathroom encounters, no more spur-of-the-moment inspections of Jungkook's muscles, and Jungkook was starting to think Yoongi was right. Maybe the novelty had worn off. Maybe Taehyung and Jimin had lost interest in him, and he could finally resume his life as normal.

It was better this way. He wasn't here to make friends. Yoongi and Hoseok didn't count in the same way; they were the quintessential smoke pit buddies he managed to find wherever he went. Comfortable. Familiar, like cracking his first beer on a hot night.

He had people to get stoned with. There was a bar nearby.

He was going to be fine.

In addition to these perks, by week two, he'd figured out a pretty decent life hack concerning the way meals went around Blackthorn. Most students hit the refectory at five o'clock sharp, wolfed down a quick dinner, and then retreated back to their dorms, or the library, or wherever it was people went who actually had papers to write and exams to pass. Jungkook started sliding in later and later, waiting for that perfect interval when the seating area cleared out, and the cafeteria staff started turning the lights out, and the servers gave him all the leftover food so it wouldn't go to waste.

It was Friday night. He sat in the dark, behind a pillar, making his way through the largest plate of scalloped potatoes he'd ever seen in his entire life. Things were looking up.

"Yoo hoo."

Jungkook's fork paused.

The two chairs in front of him pulled away from the table. He looked up to find Jimin sinking down in front of him like a cat. Taehyung threw himself down a couple moments later as if they were playing a game of musical chairs and almost toppled onto the floor.

"Happy Friday," Jimin said.

It took Jungkook almost an entire minute to get through his mouthful. The cheese was starting to congeal and it stuck to his teeth. He stared at them, chewing. They stared back. When it was done, he washed it down with a gulp of water, and coughed.

"Want to come see the wishing fountain with us?" Taehyung asked.

"Not really."

"Did you know that if you walk around the dorms long enough, you'll run into a scrying cloud?" Taehyung grinned. "Little pockets of memories. If you get one to the face, you'll see things from the past. They cluster around areas where lots of people live. It's especially intense in the dorms because there's a turnover every year."

"So that's what that was." Jungkook blinked. "I just thought I was really stoned."

"We could try to find one if you like? There are some pretty raunchy ones around the laundry room."

"I think I'd rather finish my potatoes."

"For the love of god I have never met anyone so—" Jimin sucked in a breath and held it. After a moment he opened his eyes and smiled. "Fine. Have it your way." His voice became downright silky. "Taehyung and I want to try drugs. Can you get us some?"

Jungkook tossed his fork down and crossed his arms. Both of them shuffled nervously in their chairs. He was almost tempted to yell, ah hah!

"What makes you think I have access to that kind of stuff?"

"Give me a fucking break," Jimin hissed under his breath, glancing over his shoulder. "You and Yoongi and Hoseok are out in the forest getting stoned almost every day."

So they had noticed. Jungkook was going to have to warn Yoongi that 'out of smelling range' apparently wasn't good enough, not when Taehyung and Jimin were involved.

"So you want to try weed?"

"I dunno." Jimin shrugged one shoulder. "Weed, mushrooms, whatever you have on hand."

"I don't have anything on hand. Yoongi is generous with his stash, but I don't know if he's ready to become a dealer."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if you want to try drugs, you'll have to come do them with us."

He picked up his fork, fully expecting both of them to protest, but Jimin simply nodded.

"Seems reasonable," Taehyung said.

"When can we get this plan in action?" Jimin whispered, leaning in close.

"The cafeteria's empty, you don't have to act so sketchy," Jungkook laughed.

"Nuh uh," Taehyung said, pointing. "There's a bushel of listening vines right there. Gotta be careful, the deans might ask them about it later."

"Ask who?" Jungkook demanded incredulously. "The vines?"

Taehyung nodded.

"Okay, this one has gotta be a fucking lark. It isn't like the deans are going to ask a bunch of plants about whether or not they heard three students talking about drugs in the—"

"SHHHHHHHHHH!"

Taehyung and Jimin both stared at the vines with wide eyes.

Jungkook inhaled slowly.

"Okay, fuck," he whispered, leaning closer. "We were planning on doing mushrooms tomorrow night. If you think you can handle something like that, meet us in the forest at seven o'clock."

Both of them nodded, looking mildly terrified.

"Now if you don't mind, I want to finish my potatoes before they turn into complete mush."

Taehyung and Jimin got up, pushed their chairs in, and filed out of the refectory in silence. Jungkook watched them go, chewing his potatoes, feeling only a little hollow over the fact that Yoongi had been right. Jungkook may have been of faerie descent, but to two people like that—stunning, brilliant, top of their class—hanging out with Jungkook would only ever mean one thing: a walk on the wild side.

***

"Who's this?" Jungkook demanded.

"Namjoon," Taehyung said.

Namjoon looked friendly. Jungkook highly suspected it had something to do with the dimples. His hair was long in the back, almost the same colour as Jimin's, and although Blackthorn had no uniform policy, he looked like he was wearing one.

"He caught us trying to sneak out," Jimin explained. "He said he'd promise not to tell the deans if we let him come along."

Jungkook crossed his arms. "Well, why's he here then?"

"I'm here because this is Namjoon's first time doing psychedelic substances and I want to supervise him to make sure nothing bad happens," the second witch said. He was tall, black hair chopped into a perfect bowl-cut, broad shoulders filling out a black pea coat. Like Jimin, his lips were inordinately luscious and full, and like everyone Jungkook had met at Blackthorn so far, he was unlawfully attractive.

"And you are?"

"Kim Seokjin. Potions major."

"Okay." Jungkook pinched the bridge of his nose. "We might all have to do a smaller dose. I didn't know so many people were going to show up."

"Oh, no." Jin laughed lightly. "No thanks. I'm just here to watch."

"What I wanna know," Yoongi said, "is why the hell my mushroom night is getting crashed by four goody-goodies from the students union."

Namjoon was the only one who looked remotely insulted. Jimin and Taehyung straightened up proudly, and Jin was too busy fussing over Namjoon's collar to notice.

"It isn't like I've never thought about doing drugs before," Namjoon said, as Jin buttoned up the topmost button of his blazer, and then stood back to admire his work. "I've read a lot about psychedelics. They can be used to expand your magical field. Some great mages from the past have even used them to weaken the boundaries between realms. One mage in particular, Uskglass, used powdered cactus to enter the mirror realm—"

Yoongi heaved a gutteral, wretched sigh.

"It is what it is," Hoseok said, closing the book he was reading. "Roll with it Yoons. I'm getting high either way."

"Sorry," Jungkook muttered.

"Fuck," Yoongi said. "At least I bought extra. You owe me, faerie boy."

They were all huddled around the smoking pit. Jungkook felt even worse, having outed Yoongi's special spot to so many people.

"Well, c'mon, I guess," Yoongi said, gesturing for them to follow. He led them deeper into the forest. They passed the tree with all the glowing bugs flitting around it, and Taehyung stopped to poke the soil.

"Whoa, there's definitely something weird going on here."

"I've been wondering about that for a while," Yoongi said. "Wasn't there in my first year."

"Doesn't feel malign," Hoseok said, licking his forefinger and holding it up, as if he were testing the direction of the wind.

"C'mon, nerd," Jimin said, grabbing Taehyung's arm and pulling him up. "Save it for when we're actually high."

They eventually reached a clearing by the stream. The ground was covered in a thin layer of red moss. Yoongi plopped down and pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket.

"I bought these from a witch down south. I haven't had a chance to test them yet, so I guess we're all going in cold tonight." He looked up and grinned menacingly at the newcomers.

Namjoon sat down beside him. Jungkook had to give it to him, he might've been the straight-laced type, but he didn't look the least bit scared.

"May I see?" Jin asked, holding out a hand.

Yoongi dropped a mushroom in his palm. It was forest green all over, with golden speckles on the cap, and a long stem.

"Psilocybe coelem," Jin said, picking it up by the stem and examining it. "Extremely basic as far as magic toadstools go, but be careful, they're strong."

"Well now that we've had an expert's stamp of approval, what say we get down to business?" Hoseok said, drumming impatiently on his knees.

Yoongi handed each of them a mushroom. Yoongi and Hoseok both agreed that if they felt nothing after an hour, they were going to do a second one. Jin assured them that wouldn't be necessary.

Hoseok popped his into his mouth and chewed like it was a stick of gum.

"Fuck, you made it look easy," Yoongi said, grimacing. He resurrected a flask from his leather jacket and chased the mushroom down with what Jungkook assumed was gin.

Jungkook was sitting cross-legged on a little mound, contemplating whether or not he wanted to try to chew the mushroom, or if he could maybe swallow it whole. Jimin and Taehyung were still loitering back by the trees. He caught them staring and raised an eyebrow.

"Come on," Taehyung muttered, dragging Jimin over. They plopped down beside him.

"You don't have to do this, you know."

"We already risked sneaking out of the dorms," Jimin said. "It would be a waste if we bowed out now."

"We even picked out special outfits," Taehyung said.

"So that's why you're dressed like that."

Jimin was wearing black shirt with a lace up collar and billowing, frilly sleeves. His neck was littered with at least five necklaces, a tangle of chains, leathers, pendants and stones, and his legs were encased in his usual skin-tight black pants. Overtop the whole thing was a velvet lilac vest. He looked like a vampire.

Taehyung was rocking more of a wood-elf look, with a grey tunic over leggings. His salmon-pink hair was brushed down underneath an actual tiara, which looked plastic and cheap enough to have come from a dollar store.

"You two look like you're heading to a music festival," Jungkook remarked.

"A music wha—?"

"It's a thing humans do. Thousands of people, DJs, it's really exciting."

"Sounds okay, I guess."

Jungkook took a decisive bite from his mushroom and immediately swore.

"Is it that bad?" Taehyung asked.

Jungkook stuffed the rest in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. "Fuck," he muttered. "Glad that's over with."

Taehyung and Jimin both examined their mushrooms with renewed trepidation.

"Like I said, you really don't have to—"

Taehyung stuffed his entire mushroom in his mouth, chewed twice, and then swallowed. Jungkook's eyes went wide. Taehyung sat there, staring into the distance for a firm count of ten.

"Fucking hell," he choked, scrambling towards the stream.

"That water might be bewitched," Hoseok warned.

"Fuck if I care right now," Taehyung gasped, gulping a handful.

"So, what's the verdict?" Jungkook asked Jimin.

"Now that he's done it, I don't really have a choice." Jimin frowned. "We lived together all of first year. We still sleep in each other's beds all the time. We've been around each other so long, our magic is kind of synced. I don't think the night will end well if he's stoned out of his mind and I'm not."

"So you two are... dating?"

"I mean, I don't know if I'd say that. We do help each other out in various ways."

"I know. All too well."

Jimin smiled at Jungkook from the side. "I seem to recall you didn't really mind playing the voyeur to our bathroom activities." His eyes flitted down to Jungkook's lap. "I don't think you really minded at all."

"Just eat your mushroom," Jungkook muttered.

"Fine." Jimin lifted the mushroom by the stem. "You should know that when I get high I turn into a bit of a whore, so be warned."

Jungkook couldn't imagine what that would look like, seeing as Jimin already radiated enough sexual energy to get Jungkook a little hard just by walking by him in the hall, not that Jungkook was speaking from personal experience.

"Wait." Jungkook blinked. "I thought you said you'd never done drugs before."

Jimin paused. He inhaled, as if to speak, and then took a bite of mushroom instead.

"Fucking, don't bite it," Taehyung exclaimed, crawling back over from the stream. "That'll only draw it out."

Jimin swallowed, looking a little pale.

"Hey Yoongi," Jungkook said. "Gimme your flask."

"Fuck off, Jeon."

Jungkook handed the flask to Jimin. "Chase the rest with this, it makes it a little easier."

Jimin forced down what was left and took a gulp from the flask. He almost gagged.

"Pure gin?" he asked, looking at Yoongi in dismay.

"What did you expect, a margarita?" Yoongi ashed his cigarette. "A flask can only hold so much, gotta make each drop count. Had I known you were all going to suck off my supply, I would've brought a bottle."

Jungkook shrugged. "I mean, if I had my way, it would be whiskey, but beggars can't be choosers."

"Animals," Jimin muttered, wiping his mouth.

"The moon," Taehyung said, drawing out each syllable twice as long as necessary, "is right overhead."

Jungkook looked up. The trees parted around the clearing. The moon hovered in the break in the canopy, bathing the moss in wan light.

"Almost a week until it's full."

"That's right, baby." Jimin rubbed the back of Taehyung's head, ruffling his hair.

Jungkook leaned against a trunk, watching them. Jimin's green eye was glowing in the moonlight. The other half of his face, with the black eye, was cast in shadow. His profile stood out like a black and white woodcut. His nose was tiny and pointed, his jawline sharp as a blade.

He turned and met Jungkook's eye.

Namjoon was lying on his back. Jin was sitting beside him, picking at the moss, talking quietly. Hoseok and Yoongi were passing the flask back and forth, hunched over on a log by the stream.

"I don't know anything about you," Jungkook said.

"You know our names," Taehyung said.

"You know we're witches," Jimin said.

Jungkook thought about getting a cigarette out and smoking it, but his hands were so heavy, he didn't know if he could lift them. He studied Taehyung's hands instead, which were tangled up in Jimin's coat. They were elegant, slender hands. Elegant knuckles. Elegant palms. Even his nails were elegant.

"Why did you two even want to come do this?" Jungkook pondered, more to himself than to them.

"Did you know that the forest is so potent, the school had to cast an enchantment on the mouth of the river?" Taehyung said. "It was spilling all kinds of magic out into the human world, turning frogs pink and shit."

"I'm starting to think the deans put you two up to this," Jungkook said. "Following me around, trying to get me interested in magic so I'll go to classes."

"Good guess, but no," Jimin said. "Taehyung is just a nerd."

"Well okay, the deans did ask us to twist your arm a little," Taehyung said. "When you first arrived."

"Fucking narks."

"Uh, what?" Jimin said.

"Nothing, never mind."

"But we gave up on that a week ago."

"So then, what..."

There was a stretch of silence. Jungkook couldn't decide if it was awkward or not. Part of the problem was not knowing how much time had passed. The silence kept changing shape, same as the night air, or the trees surrounding the clearing.

Eventually, Jimin leaned over and rested his head on Jungkook's thigh, petting over his jeans with a tiny, ring-clad hand.

"I've never seen a faerie before."

"You've said."

"I've seen many things. But not a faerie."

"I can tell you, it isn't as exciting as you seem to think."

Jimin hummed ambivalently.

Slowly, hesitantly, Jungkook lifted a hand and ran his fingers through Jimin's hair. It was just as soft as he imagined. Soft, but thick. Jimin purred, a raspy sound at the back of his throat.

"Hey, don't leave me out," Taehyung mumbled, plopping his head down on Jungkook's other thigh.

"My needy baby," Jimin said, lacing his fingers through Taehyung's.

Jungkook lifted his other hand. It was still as heavy as a sandbag, and landed on Taehyung's face instead of his hair.

"Whoops," Jungkook said.

Taehyung giggled, turning his head and nipping lightly at Jungkook's thigh through his jeans. Jungkook tugged at his hair. Taehyung twisted his body around. His face ended up squished right up in Jungkook's crotch.

"As far as enchanted forests go, this one is actually pretty mild," Jimin said.

"You've seen better?"

"My family liked to travel."

"And Taehyung?"

"Bit more provincial," Jimin said.

"But you're both top students."

"Our grades are perfect."

"You like it here?"

"It's a decent forest. The talking squirrels are annoying, but I really like the stream, and the trees are really wise."

"I was actually talking about the school, but okay."

"Oh." Jimin played with Taehyung's fingers. "Right."

"You and Taehyung are kind of strange."

"We're gifted."

"Sure."

"My lips feel weird," Taehyung said.

"Is that why you keep biting me?"

"Here," Jimin said.

He reached up and pushed two fingers inside Taehyung's mouth. Taehyung's eyes tumbled closed. He hummed. Jimin stroked his cheek with the other hand. Taehyung reached up, holding Jimin's wrist firmly, and slurped. The sound rang out into the clearing.

"Fuck," Jungkook breathed.

Yoongi turned around and looked at them. The moonlight shone down on his hair like powdered silver. The forest morphed and swirled behind him like a vortex. Both Jungkook and Yoongi watched as Taehyung took Jimin's fingers deeper, sucking until his cheeks hollowed. Neither of them said anything. If Jungkook's current state was anything to go on, Yoongi was probably too stoned to be able to form much of an opinion on anything just at that moment.

Jin was the only sober one, but he was too wrapped up playing anchor for Namjoon to notice. Hoseok had moved down onto the moss beside them, and the three of them were discussing morality, or something related to demons and good and evil. Jungkook only caught snippets of the conversation over his own pulse, which was pounding in his ears, louder and louder as he watched Taehyung take Jimin's fingers deeper and deeper into his mouth.

Taehyung's heart-shaped mouth parted so perfectly around Jimin's fingers. Jungkook figured it would look even more perfect around something else.

"I've never been this high," Jimin said.

"I've never been this hard," Jungkook said.

"I can feel that."

"Wish I hadn't worn jeans."

"Maybe we can do something about it."

"I dunno." Jungkook tried to lift his arm, and failed. "I really want to. But I don't know if I can move."

"Who said anything about moving?"

Jimin reached up and undid Jungkook's pants, still pumping two fingers in and out of Taehyung's mouth. Jungkook's zipper opened audibly. Jimin pushed up on his elbow with a little groan, and yanked Jungkook's jeans down, fumbling with his briefs.

"What are you—"

A moment later Jungkook's bare dick met the chilly night air. Jimin stroked it a couple times. Jungkook hissed through his teeth.

"They're right there," he whispered.

"I know. I'm not blind."

Jungkook watched, transfixed, as Jimin led Taehyung's head closer. He pulled his fingers out of Taehyung's mouth, with some difficulty. Taehyung groaned in protest, tugging on Jimin's wrist to get them back, and Jimin yanked his hand away.

"Here, Taehyungie," he said softly.

The moon had shifted behind the tree above them, casting the three of them in shadow. Jungkook couldn't see Taehyung's expression, but Taehyung could clearly see him, because he let out a low, hungry groan.

"Just wait a minu—"

Taehyung pushed forward, gripping at the base of Jungkook's dick with both hands to steady it. Jungkook had about half a second to prepare himself. He sucked in a deep, shaky breath, and then Taehyung leaned down, and Jungkook was engulfed in the warm, wet rapture that was Taehyung's mouth. The back of Jungkook's head hit the trunk with a thud.

"Mmm," Jimin said, petting Taehyung's hair. "Much better."

Jungkook's jaw was so tense it felt like his teeth might shatter. He couldn't tell if Yoongi was still watching. Every brain cell he had left was focusing its strength on not making noises, which was not only impossible, but also futile, given the fact that Taehyung was slurping and sucking at him just as loudly as he'd gone at Jimin's fingers a couple seconds ago.

"Poor Taehyungie," Jimin said. "He's got such a bad oral fixation sometimes."

Taehyung was sucking Jungkook's dick with little or no regard for anyone else but himself. It was the most one-sided blowjob Jungkook had ever received, catering chiefly to Taehyung's mouth and which texture he wanted to feel at any given moment. He pushed Jungkook's crown into his cheek, licking up the side, pulled back and suckled at the head, repetitively, unrelentingly, until a whimper actually did escape through Jungkook's teeth. Jimin laughed at him.

"Shhh," he whispered, pushing up close and staring Jungkook in the face.

Taehyung lapped hard at the underside of Jungkook's head, and then pushed down until he gagged himself.

Jungkook groaned, deep in his chest this time. "Gukkie," Jimin said, sounding scandalized. "Shhh. They're going to hear."

As if they hadn't already heard. Yoongi was a fucking musical witch. His specialty was sounds. Either way, Jimin pressed in closer, close enough that his chest was crunched right up against Jungkook's arm. Jungkook couldn't stop whimpering.

"Hmm." Jimin sounded thoughtful.

He reached over and ran his thumb along Jungkook's jaw. Jungkook knew what was coming, but he wasn't ready. Jimin tipped Jungkook's face towards his, leaned in even closer, and kissed him.

If only Taehyung would settle into some kind of defined rhythm. This was the exact opposite of Yoongi's 'porn song', as Hoseok had put it, which had taken him apart in a matter of minutes. Jungkook drifted in a feverish haze, on the edge for what felt like hours, kissing into Jimin's mouth to blow off his frustration, but only frustrating himself more. For all his highfalutin airs, Jimin was a filthy kisser. He sucked Jungkook's lips, biting hard, and then lapped deep into his mouth. Their tongues thrashed, almost competitively, as Taehyung continued to pacify himself with Jungkook's increasingly sore cock.

"Just wanna cum," he whined, when Jimin pulled away to catch his breath.

"I know," Jimin said, smoothing his hair sympathetically, and then dove back in for more, without further comment.

Through his stoned haze, Jungkook heard someone laughing. Yoongi was singing something and Hoseok was clumsily following along. Voices burbled, like when a conversation made its way into a dream, muffled and distant. Jungkook eventually came, gasping harshly into Jimin's mouth, arching against the tree trunk. Taehyung swallowed, and lapped, and started to suck him again, and Jungkook shoved him off with a frantic little shriek.

Jimin grabbed Taehyung by the front of his tunic and pulled him into a kiss. Taehyung moaned gratefully, and crawled into Jungkook's lap to get closer. Jungkook caught his breath, and his consciousness slowly returned, and he realized someone had lit a fire.

Taehyung was grinding up against his leg. Jungkook rearranged himself against the trunk. His back was really starting to ache, and the leg underneath Taehyung was starting to fall asleep. Yoongi caught his eye at the exact moment that Jimin shoved his hand down the front of Taehyung's pants.

Well, if a walk on the wild side was what they were looking for, they were certainly getting it. There was literally no point in trying to hide what was going on anymore. The flames flickered brightly, lighting up the entire clearing. Jungkook exchanged a polite smile with Yoongi, over Taehyung's shoulder, as Taehyung bit hard into Jungkook's bicep, and slick sounds emanated up from where Jimin's wrist was working down below.

Taehyung shuddered, and then went slack. Jungkook glanced down.

"Did you literally just cum all over my shirt?"

"Sorry," Taehyung gasped, hardly sounding repentant at all.

"Just wipe it off," Jimin said impatiently. "Someone needs to get me off now."

As much as Jungkook was itching to get his hands all over Jimin, the fire really was killing his buzz. He'd never been much of an exhibitionist at the best of times, let alone stoned out of his tree on mushrooms.

"I'll do it," Taehyung said, licking his lips.

"Okay, baby, but make it quicker than you did for Jungkook, okay?"

"Just fuck my throat then, I don't care."

"Jesus Christ," Yoongi muttered. Hoseok, who had been artfully studying the trees behind Yoongi, shook his head.

"Don't act like you aren't finding this at least a little entertaining," Namjoon said.

"I know I am," Jin said.

"I'm glad y-you're enjoying the show, but at this point I r-really do just wanna get off so we can move on w-with the night," Jimin said, in his usual calm, silky tone, except ten times shakier than usual, probably because he was thrusting hard and fast into Taehyung's mouth as he spoke. Taehyung's hands rested on Jimin's thighs. He breathed evenly through his nostrils, taking it like a pro.

Hoseok and Yoongi were passing the flask back and forth again. Namjoon's head was resting on Jin's shoulder. Both of them were watching lazily from across the fire. Little frantic moans rose at the back of Jimin's throat. Jungkook locked eyes with him. Jimin's eyes looked smokier than usual, heavy-lidded and red. His mouth hung open, tongue pressing hard against the back of his front teeth.

"Kiss me," Jimin whispered.

Jungkook hesitated. He could feel the others watching.

"Please, G-Guk, I'm g-gonna..."

"Fuck it," Jungkook grunted.

He leaned in. Only when their mouths melted together did he realize how much he'd been wanting it. They'd been kissing a few minutes ago, but it still felt like too long. He held Jimin by the sides of his head, drinking in his sweet little moans as he bucked his hips and came hard down Taehyung's throat.

They broke apart slowly. Jimin was all trembly, shivering in Jungkook's hands.

"You okay?" Jungkook asked.

"Uh huh," Jimin said softly.

"I'm also fine, thanks for asking," Taehyung croaked, wiping his mouth. He sat up slowly, and winced.

"C'mere, Tae-Tae," Jimin said, pulling Taehyung closer. Taehyung's knees thundered over Jungkook's leg, which was properly asleep now, and pins and needles shot up into his groin. He yelped.  

"Well now that that's over with," Jin said, and then hard-stopped. "Uh. Yeah. I actually don't have any suggestions."

"Hard to know where to go from there," Namjoon said.

Taehyung giggled. He sounded like he'd just smoked an entire pack of cigarettes to himself. Jungkook was turning redder and redder by the second.

"Obviously the answer is more alcohol," Yoongi said. "It's always more alcohol."

They hauled themselves up. Jungkook's back cracked in three separate places, and his legs felt like blocks of cement. Hoseok doused the flames with a wave of his hand and they were swallowed by darkness. Something creaked to Jungkook's left.

"Here," Namjoon said. A ball of blue flame appeared in his hand.

"Gotta make our way back in the dark," Yoongi said. "If we light anything closer to the school, someone will see."

"Right," Namjoon said. The darkness returned.

Jungkook shivered.

They hiked through the forest single-file, sneaking along the hill up to the dorms. By the time they got back to Yoongi's room, everything that had happened in the clearing was starting to feel more and more like a dream. Yoongi closed the door and put on some trip hop.

"So you cast a charm to keep the sound from leaving the room?" Jimin asked, running his fingers over the brick.

Yoongi nodded.

"How often do you do this kind of thing?"

"Oh, you have no idea," Yoongi said, passing him a glass of gin.

Jungkook sat on the bed, watching. He kept telling himself that what had happened was some kind of vivid, magical hallucination, but Jimin's hair was too mussed up for that too be true, Taehyung's lips too red and puffy. He could feel how raw his own dick was whenever he moved, dragging against the front of his jeans through his briefs.

Yes, they really had gotten each other off in a clearing in front of his two stoner friends and two dean's list kids he hardly knew.

There was an uncomfortable, woozy realism creeping into Jungkook's mind as his mushroom high began to fade. Yeah, he felt a little weird, wondering about what the others thought about all of it, but Namjoon and Jin had admitted to kind of liking it, and he and Yoongi had basically gotten off in each other's presences last week to that magical sex song, and he highly suspected Yoongi and Hoseok had done the same with each other at some point.

No, when he really got down to brass tacks, he realized that what was really making him clammy was what he could no longer deny.

He wanted it.

Again.

Soon.

He tanked a glass of gin, and the feeling started to subside. He swallowed back another, and then went in for the bottle instead, and before he knew it, he was slow dancing with himself, next to the wardrobe, and everything was blank and safe, and he could've walked through a dozen scrying clouds just then and not batted an eye.

He collapsed on Yoongi's bed not long after. The trip back to his room, even though it was only a couple doors down, seemed insurmountable. Namjoon clearly felt the same way. He was passed out on the floor next to Jin, his indigo blazer draped over his eyes to block out the lamplight. Hoseok and Yoongi chatted in the corner, smoking their pungent, floral cigarettes out Yoongi's open window. Jungkook drifted in and out of sleep, wishing he had a glass of water, wishing he knew where his shirt was, wishing, only distantly, that he knew where Jimin and Taehyung had gone.

Eventually Yoongi and Hoseok turned off the light and curled up beside him, and at least he wasn't cold anymore.

***

Faerie blood or not, Jungkook was actually too tired to jog the next day. He crawled back to his room the next morning, collapsed in his bed, and slept the rest of the weekend away. Despite how much sleep he'd missed out on the night before, it was fitful. He never seemed to drop below the surface. Images and snippets of conversation kept gliding through his mind, the fire glinting off Yoongi's flask, Taehyung's face, gilded in moonlight.

It wasn't until Tuesday that he was able to properly fall asleep.

"What was in those things?" he groaned.

"I know. I keep getting flashbacks and Hoseok and I didn't even eat a second one."

He and Yoongi were tiredly smoking amongst the topiary. Yoongi looked like hell. It was an overcast, pale day, and the bags under his eyes stood out starkly against his porcelain skin. His hair was greasier than usual.

"Been taking advantage, pulling some late nights at the studio."

"Jealous."

Jungkook, on the other hand, looked fresh as a daisy—as usual. Anyone looking at him, with his glowing skin, his thick hair falling around his face, his rosy cheeks and rosebud mouth, would've wondered why he was dressed in the same sweatshirt and jeans as the day before, hunched over like it was twenty degrees colder than it actually was.

"Having trouble finding a way to pass your sleepless nights?"

Jungkook glanced up and saw Yoongi's expression.

"Ahh, fuck off."

"Just saying," Yoongi cackled, lifting both hands into the air in mock innocence.

"Nah," Jungkook grunted, sucking hard at the end of his cigarette. "That was a one time thing, I think."

"Have you talked to them since?"

"Haven't seen them since Saturday."

"Weird." Yoongi pushed his cigarette into the tip of his finger, snuffing it out with some kind of spell. "I haven't seen them either. Well, it is exam season."

"I wouldn't know anything about that."

"Shut up, don't look so smug," Yoongi said, reaching out to smack Jungkook's head. Jungkook dodged, the height difference leaving him at an unfair advantage. "Well, excuse me while I haul my ass inside and study. I've gotta not fail at least a few things, otherwise they might actually kick me out."

"Have fun," Jungkook called.

The truth was, Jungkook, master of passing time in solitary, idle bliss, was actually starting to find the glacial pace at which the week was proceeding a little aggravating. He knew Yoongi's class schedule by heart now, inconspicuously (he hoped) wandering through the quad and making himself available during Yoongi's smoke breaks, hoping to catch at least a couple moments with him. Yoongi had been holed up since the weekend in his studio, trying to rerecord another lost song, and their drunken, stoned evenings had been put on hold until further notice.

Even Hoseok had gone full scholar for midterms season. He was in the library combing over books every night. Jungkook spotted him one time, crouched over a desk, the last one to leave, a tiny orb of light in a room lined with shelves, glasses balanced on the tip of his swooping nose. Jungkook had taken to wandering the school in his spare time. He may not have known anything about botany, minor protective spells, or summoning, but at this point he knew Blackthorn's floorplan better than the architect who'd designed it.

In all his days of aimless wandering, he didn't run into Jimin or Taehyung once. Once the high finally wore off, the cycling images stopped, but Jungkook still caught himself thinking about the feeling of Taehyung's mouth, the taste of Jimin's breath, and he hated himself for it. He hated how aware he was of what day of the week it was, of how long it had been since they'd last spoken. It was like a bug bite, getting itchier and itchier the more he scratched it. Like Yoongi in the studio, Jungkook needed to practise some discipline and get back to what he did best: coasting, through a sea of days and weeks that swam by, formless and undefined as a cloudless summer sky.

More importantly, he needed to remember his place.

Next Saturday, he hiked to Maven to buy more smokes, seeing as he was almost out and he had nothing better to do. He stopped at the bar for a beer and bought a couple bottles of liquor while he was at it. Yoongi was endlessly giving, but his lavender cigarettes left a weird taste in Jungkook's mouth, and besides, Jungkook could only sponge off him so much without feeling bad. Yoongi came from a big city, headhunted by schools from young for his unusual gifts. His family was poor. He lived off scholarship money, unlike Jungkook, whose parents had enough money to fund the programs giving out the scholarships. He figured he'd stock up on booze for when Yoongi's song was finished.

He got back around eight. He sat in his room, sipping whiskey from a glass he'd filched from the refectory. The moon hung over the field like a massive, phosphorescent sea creature from another world.

He started to wonder about his friends back in Korea. They were never busy on weeknights. They always had time for late night karaoke. His heart ached for his last summer in Seoul; nightclubs and flashing lights, dancing, loitering in parks and drinking soju straight from the bottle. Baristas, delivery people, freeters with big hearts and endless appetites for fun.

His friends back in Korea were just as free as he yearned to be.

They were also the reason his parents had sent him here. Not because of anything they had done, specifically, but because they were human, and wild, and Jungkook preferred to spend time with them than to act like a faerie.

Jungkook shot back the rest of his glass and stood up. Maven was no Seoul, but it had alcohol, chipped barstools, and more importantly, people who didn't give one fuck if he was on the honour roll or not. He grabbed his hoodie and headed into the hallway, with renewed conviction to not give one fuck about Blackthorn and to remain a truant for the rest of time.

He made it two steps before everything went black.

"Fuck," he muttered, groping blindly for something, anything to get his bearings, but the floor was tilting. There was a flash of scorching light.

He was in a hallway.

The same hallway as before, but the direction was wrong.

He turned around, blinking. Sunlight shone through the windows. The pier glass mirror at the end of the hall reflected sunbeams across the ceiling. The patterned plasterwork looked like icing on an enormous, upside-down cake.

Someone was crying.

Jungkook followed the sound down the corridor. His chest was heavy. His foot brushed against a listening vine, pushing up through the floorboards, and he recoiled, huddling into himself.

The crying was getting louder. It was coming from behind one of the doors. It felt like the sobs were coming from inside Jungkook, even though his lips were sealed tight. He understood. Everything about this world was so incomprehensible. So terrifying.

The door handle gleamed in the sun, perfectly buffed and immaculate as most things were in a school that knew how to clean itself. He reached out and his hand slipped, brushing against something smooth and wooden.

Well, that made no sense. He blinked, focusing his eyes, and reached out, aiming directly at the handle this time. His hand slammed against some invisible surface, but his fingers found purchase on cool metal, and he smiled in satisfaction, pushing through the door.

"Dude, what the fuck!"

The vision melted away slowly. It was like he was seeing double. The world from the vision and the world as it was were layered over each other messily. He tripped, disoriented, and barked his shin on the edge of a desk.

"Shit, did I forget to lock the door?"

His head spun as he fought to get his bearings. There was a series of frantic, scrambling noises. He gripped onto the edge of the desk for dear life, blinking, as pain coursed through his shin.

"Jungkook, what are you doing in here?"

"Scrying cloud," Jungkook muttered, giving his head a shake. "Sorry. It was a bad one."

Jimin peered up into his face. "Is that why you're crying?"

"Huh?"

Jungkook reached up and touched his face. His cheeks were wet. "Oh."

"Nghhh."

Jungkook's head jerked in the direction of the sound. Jimin moved to block his line of sight, and smiled brightly.

"Now really isn't the best time," he said quickly.

Jungkook stared over Jimin's shoulder. Like how it was with Yoongi, any attempt to physically impede him was greatly hampered by the height difference.

"Oh shit." Jungkook started to blush. "Sorry, I—"

Taehyung was lying in bed. His hair was so sweaty it stuck to his scalp. A sheet had been draped over him haphazardly, presumably when Jungkook had come unexpectedly barging into their room. Other than that he seemed pretty naked.

"I'm gonna go," Jungkook said quickly.

"I think you should," Jimin said.

Jungkook made his way to the door, finding it only a teeny bit strange that Jimin was entirely clothed, and frowning, rather than smirking like he usually did when horny and lascivious things were afoot.

"No," Taehyung moaned.

"Shhh," Jimin said, pushing on Jungkook's back to hurry him up. "I'll be right there, hun, just give me one second—"

"Gukkie..."

Jungkook paused. Jimin kept pushing.

"Can you just..." Taehyung swallowed heavily. "Can you just come here for a second...?"

"Taehyung, that is a terrible idea," Jimin said.

"No it isn't." Taehyung shook his head. "I just want him to, oh, oh fuck." He hissed, arching off the bed. "'S a bad one, Chim, 's bad—"

"Oh Tae."

Jimin hurried to the side of the bed and dropped down, smoothing Taehyung's hair back from his face. Taehyung hissed through his teeth, and then collapsed in a panting, sweaty heap. The sheet was starting to slip off.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing," Jimin snapped.

"Doesn't look like nothing."

"Either way, I won't be able to help him until you leave."

Jungkook turned to go.

"Noooo," Taehyung bawled.

"Tae, think about this," Jimin said, grabbing the sides of his face. "Think about how you'll feel later. Think about what's on the line."

"I don't care." Taehyung's speech was almost a little slurred. His lips glistened with spit. "He smells... so... good."

"Not worth it, baby."

"You need to study," Taehyung said, in a moment of bizarre lucidity, before erupting into another keen.

"Oh fuck," Jimin muttered, grabbing Taehyung's hands.

"What can I do to help?" Jungkook asked, walking towards the bed.

"You can leave."

Taehyung reached out a trembling foot and hooked it around Jungkook's leg.

"Oh my god Tae," Jimin moaned.

"I won't tell anyone. Whatever it is, I promise I'll keep it to myself."

Jimin looked up at Jungkook, and then back to Taehyung. An intense, silent negotiation seemed to be taking place. Jimin's blond hair was tied back in a little topknot. His sleeves were rolled up. There were shadows underneath his eyes.

"How long have you been taking care of him?"

"Almost a week."

That explained why nobody had seen them around campus.

"Does he need medicine? I could go get one of the deans—"

Jimin reached out and grabbed his forearm, digging in with his pointy nails. "You can't do that," he hissed. "Nobody can find out about this."

"Okay, okay. Ouch."

Jimin let go. Taehyung struggled into a sitting position and the sheet slipped off his shoulders. Without all his baggy clothes, Jungkook was able to see just how skinny he truly was. There weren't really any biceps or pecks to be found. He was lithe, boyish. His collar bones could've cut someone open.

"God damn it Chim," Taehyung grated out. "Someone needs to help me, and you said it yourself, you need to study for the botany final."  

Jungkook resisted the urge to snort. "I really don't think now is the time to be worrying about exams. Clearly you're sick, and you need—"

"He's going to be fine! This happens every month!"

There was a beat.

"Okay." Jungkook paused. "I maybe don't know what the fuck I'm talking about."

"No shit," Jimin said.

Taehyung reached out and grabbed a handful of Jungkook's shirt, pulling him sideways onto the bed.

"Tae, you're going to hate yourself for this."

"Please," Taehyung whimpered, pressing his forehead into Jungkook's shoulder. "Please, I know he'll make it better, so much better..."

"Fine." Jimin heaved a sigh. "But I'm not going to leave you alone with him."

"What do you need?" Jungkook asked quietly.

"Hand," Taehyung breathed.

Jungkook offered up the requested object. Taehyung promptly guided it underneath the sheet, between his legs, and against something hot and extremely wet.

Jungkook swallowed, his throat clicking audibly. "What..."

Taehyung grabbed Jungkook's shoulders and ground up sloppily against his palm. Jungkook tried to angle his hand in the right direction. Taehyung had a dick. That was quite clear. It was hard, and actually a lot bigger than Jungkook's, rubbing insistently against Jungkook's wrist. But there was also something else.

Taehyung nuzzled into his neck, breathing deeply. Jungkook's entire hand was dripping. There were so many textures, so many folds. He fumbled around, trying to figure it out. A smell was coming off Taehyung's body, sweet, almost, but sharp at the same time.

"He's shit at asking for what he needs," Jimin said. "Stick your fingers inside him. It'll help relieve the pressure."

Jungkook nodded. He curved his wrist, and let his fingertips glide over soft, slick skin until he found an opening.

"This one?"

Taehyung gulped, scrambling in closer until he was jammed in Jungkook's lap, clumsily straddling him. His thighs trembled against Jungkook's thighs. The sheet was still bunched around his waist, tangled between them. Jungkook wrapped an arm around Taehyung's back and pushed two fingers inside whatever it was he had found.

Taehyung gasped harshly, grinding his face into Jungkook's neck.

"Better?" Jungkook asked uncertainly.

Taehyung whined in a way that sounded generally affirmative.

"I can usually handle it, but it came early this month," Jimin said. "Straight in the middle of midterms. I think it might've had something to do with the mushrooms. I mean, they were pretty basic, as Seokjin said, but still, they were laced with magic, and magic has been known thrown him off before."

"Um." Taehyung was sucking at Jungkook's neck, hard. Jungkook was doing his best to finger him, with his arm pinned awkwardly under the sheet. "Throw h-him off from what?"

Jimin sighed. "Tae, do you want to tell him, or should I?"

"I'm a werewolf," Taehyung mumbled. "I'll explain more later."

Jimin giggled fondly, still looking extremely worried. "Oh, he's reeeally going to hate himself."

"Should I stop?" Jungkook asked.

"No, he won't hate himself for that. Here, let me get that out of the way." Jimin leaned over, yanking the sheet out from between them. "It's just, like... actually a shitshow that you're here right now."

"So werewolves..."

"Aren't sick, or infected, or any of that nonsense. They're a magical race that has been oppressed for centuries with rumours and lies."

"S'not sexy," Taehyung complained.

"I know baby, but I'm just giving Jungkook some of the facts."

"What's happening to him right now?"

"He's in heat. Well, sort of." Jimin looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "There isn't really a word for it, because most werewolves live in secrecy, and hardly any research has been done about them. We call it his heat, but it happens every month, so in some ways it's more like a menstrual cycle..."

"On the full moon," Jungkook said, slowly putting together the pieces.

"In and around it, yes."

Taehyung reached down and started undoing the front of Jungkook's pants.

"You don't have to let him do that if you don't want."

"Uh. I don't mind."

Jimin watched as Taehyung tugged helplessly at Jungkook's pants. "Here," Jungkook said, standing up. Taehyung let out a sad little cry as he pulled away. "I'll be right back," Jungkook said. "I'm just taking these off."

"So are all faeries just like... ready to bust a nut 24/7?" Jimin asked.

"Take off your boxers too," Taehyung said.

"Maybe?" Jungkook said. "I'm not sure, I don't have any faerie friends to compare myself to."

"You're such a weirdo."

"Coming from you? Okay then."

"Yeah okay, this isn't our finest hour." Jimin leaned against the bedframe. "Just know that if you tell anybody about this, I'm going to curse you so hard."

"I'm not going to tell anybody, for fuck's sakes."

"How am I supposed to know that? We barely know each other."

"Stop arguing," Taehyung said. "I wanna ride Jungkookie in peace."

Jungkook sat back down on the mattress. Taehyung was back in his lap in seconds. He reached down, lined them up, and sat down on Jungkook's cock so fast Jungkook swore.

"Uh, p-protection?"

"He's clean. We've only fucked each other for the past year. Too busy with studies for anything else. And werewolves can only get pregnant from other werewolves, so you're good."

There was the sound of shuffling paper.

Jungkook looked over. Jimin was actually going through a stack of study notes. Jungkook caught a glimpse of a diagram with some kind of bulb-looking thing, before Taehyung rolled his hips and his vision went spotty.

"God-damn," he choked.

Taehyung moaned wantonly, scratching hard at Jungkook's back. His face was twisted up in pain. Jungkook could feel him clenching up tight around his dick.

"Am I helping?" Jungkook wheezed.

"That position isn't the greatest," Jimin commented, turning a page. "His legs are really weak, seeing as he's been like this all week. What he really wants is for you to fuck him on his back, but he likes to come off as sexually domineering, so he's trying to impress you."

"Chim!!" Taehyung yelled.

"Silly. You should've said something." Jungkook tilted Taehyung's face so he could look at him. Taehyung avoided his eyes.

"Hey," Jungkook breathed. "Look at me."

Taehyung locked eyes with him. His expression was blank, almost stricken. Jungkook's heart clenched up as he got it.

Taehyung was ravening, needy and desperate, but underneath it all, he was ultimately terrified of what Jungkook thought about this. Jungkook thought back to that night in the forest. Did Taehyung really have an oral fixation? Or was sucking people off the only way he could get close to them, without outing himself?

"Pretty boy," Jungkook grunted, petting the sides of his head.

"Fuck me Gukkie. Please."

Taehyung's begging was so deadpan. His voice was low, emotionless, but his nails were digging so hard into Jungkook's shoulders, Jungkook was amazed they hadn't broken the skin at this point.

"Okay, hold on."

Jungkook pushed Taehyung onto his back, and anchored his knees against the mattress. Taehyung inhaled sharply in anticipation. Jungkook knew when to draw things out, and now was not one of those times.

He snapped his hips, once, twice, again. Taehyung threw his head back and moaned. He was so wet, Jungkook's pubes were actually soaked. Jungkook clenched his jaw. He wasn't going to even think about cumming, avoiding the mere concept with a ten foot pole, out of the question. It wasn't easy, given the fact that his dick was basically being drowned to death in the most beautiful and euphoric way imaginable.

Once he got his shit together, he settled into a nice rhythm, not lightning fast but not slow either, steady enough that he could feel himself starting to sweat. Taehyung's moans were getting less strangled, more like vocalized, drawn-out sighs. He pushed up on his forearms, and watched Taehyung's pretty mouth drop open. His eyes were closed, thick lashes brushing over perfect cheekbones.

He suddenly realized that the two of them had never kissed.

It seemed almost laughable, given all the other things Taehyung's mouth had done to him. He ducked his head and brushed their lips together. Taehyung grabbed his hair and yanked him closer.

They kissed for minutes on end. While Jimin was a frantic, passionate kisser, Taehyung was more methodical, deep. They kissed until Jungkook was too breathless to kiss anymore, and he panted into Taehyung's mouth while Taehyung bit and sucked on his tongue. Okay, maybe Taehyung really did have an oral fixation, but Jungkook still wanted to give him everything he deserved, everything he had ever wanted.

"Touch m-me," Taehyung whispered.

Jungkook got up higher, spreading his thighs wide, and wrapped a hand around Taehyung's dick. Taehyung covered his face with both hands. Jungkook gripped the headboard over Taehyung's head.

Taehyung came with a choked little sigh, hidden behind his fingers, the force of Jungkook's thrusts fucking his cock up into Jungkook's hand. White fluid spurted out of him, and while he didn't explicitly tell Jungkook to stop, his hands flew up and gripped Jungkook's forearms with vicelike strength.

"You g-good?"

Taehyung nodded, gulping.

Jungkook pulled out, slowly, with a wet squelching noise.

"J-just gonna... take care of this real quick."

"Can I?"

Jungkook looked up in surprise. Jimin still had his notes in one hand, but the other had snuck down between his legs, squeezing at a suggestive shape in his pyjama bottoms.   He was staring at Jungkook's cock.

"Chim," Taehyung giggled.

"What?" Jimin snapped, tossing the notes on the nightstand.

He shuffled across the mattress on his knees, pulling Jungkook's sweat-drenched t-shirt over his head and tossing it on the floor. He ran a hand down Jungkook's chest, biting his lip.

"He's so pretty," Taehyung said.

"He really is."

"You gonna jerk me off, or do you want me to fuck you too?"

"Hold your horses, I know you wanna cum, just gimme a second."

Jimin stripped out of his own shirt, and his pyjama bottoms.

"So you want me to fuck you."

"No," Jimin said sweetly. "I just wanted to give you something nice to look at while I jerk you off."

"Oh."

"Don't look so hard done by." Jimin reached out and wrapped a hand around Jungkook's dick. "Look at yourself. You probably wouldn't last a minute."

"A lot can happen in a minute."

Jimin hummed contemplatively.

He jerked Jungkook off nice and steady, fast little snaps of his wrist. Jungkook bit his lip harshly, letting his eyes wander over Jimin's body. His stature was inherently smaller than Taehyung's, but a little more built. He had the cutest little nipples, pointing out perkily from his pecks.

"How do you get abs, reading books all day?"

Jimin raised an eyebrow. "How do you think?"

Jungkook let out a choked laugh, blushing a little.

Taehyung's slick was starting to dry. Jimin let go for a moment, and reached down between Taehyung's legs, scooping mercilessly underneath his dick, and then resumed his hold on Jungkook. Taehyung yelped.

"Thanks, babe," Jimin said.

"Yeah, fuckin, anytime," Taehyung muttered, trying to sound bitter, but he was watching too intently to really pull it off.

Jimin's hand was small, but tight, and he really knew how to use his fingers. Jungkook's chest rose and fell.

"L-last chance to r-ride my dick," he stammered.

"Yeah, right," Jimin laughed.

Jungkook came seconds later. He bucked frantically into Jimin's fingers, and then jerked back, releasing the most awkward, chesty, ugly sound he had ever heard himself make in his entire life.

"Fuck," Taehyung muttered lowly.

Jungkook shuddered, fighting to catch his breath. He had the explicit feeling he was being watched.

"Tradesies," Jimin said.

Jungkook looked up and found Jimin stroking himself, his eyes trailing hungrily over Jungkook's body. Jungkook might've said he'd gone from being the watcher to the watched, the subject to the object, but something about the look in Jimin's eye told him he'd been the object all along.

"Could you not just fuck me instead?" Taehyung said. "I'm still crampy."

"Fucking hell Tae," Jimin swore.

He rolled on top of Taehyung and pushed straight in. Taehyung moaned contentedly. Jungkook leaned against the wall, still catching his breath, and tried not to get hard again, watching Jimin's ass jiggle as he thundered into Taehyung with feverish impatience.

"I swear to god," Jimin hissed, between thrusts, "my back is going to be broken by the end of this week—"

"Not my fault," Taehyung argued, between whines.

"Oh fuck," Jimin moaned, his voice jumping up an octave.

"What—"

Jungkook repositioned his fingers, and pinched again, both of Jimin's nipples, at the same time.

"Oh, fucking hell—"

Jungkook snuggled up behind him, kissing the side of his neck. His thrusts became erratic. Jungkook rolled his fingers, giving one of Jimin's nipples a flick.

"I'm c-cumming," Jimin mumbled.

His hips shuddered a couple more times, and then he moaned, even higher than before, his voice trembling on the edge of breaking, but never quite getting there, crystalline, fragile.

He pulled out and rolled onto his back, hissing through his teeth. Taehyung grabbed Jungkook's arm and yanked him down beside them.

"My dick is so fucking raw," Jimin said.

"Thanks Chim." Taehyung snuggled into Jimin's shoulder. "I think I'll be able to sleep now."

"Witches have a problem with stamina or something?" Jungkook asked.

"We've probably fucked like, twenty times this week. Your dick would've fallen off by now."

"Wow." Jungkook was actually impressed.

Taehyung pulled Jungkook closer. Jungkook reached down, groping for some kind of cover to pull over them. Everything he touched was wet. He eventually gave up, letting his arm flop uselessly over Taehyung's waist.

"So werewolves..."

Jungkook could feel Taehyung tense up against him.

"...have a dick," Jungkook carried on, tracing his fingers over Taehyung's hip. Taehyung's breath was a little shallow, but he lay still, letting Jungkook explore him. Jungkook's fingertips trailed along the underside of Taehyung's cock, and then lower. "And one of these." He traced Taehyung's opening with his forefinger. "And also..." He brushed a thumb over Taehyung's asshole, and Taehyung jolted.

"Just making sure," Jungkook chuckled.

"I have balls too, but they're inside me most of the time."

"It's cool. You have options."

"Say that after you've been through a heat."

Jungkook pulled his hand up and rested it on Taehyung's hip. "What does it feel like?"

"Achy. Messy. All you want is to have sex and cry."

"Sounds intense."

"Griping aside, I actually don't mind taking care of you," Jimin said, flipping a page.

"Are you seriously, fucking, studying, right now, after—"

"The midterm is in two days."

Jungkook rubbed a hand over his face, the same one that was covered in Taehyung's slick, and then went slack in defeat.

"Go ahead and sleep," Jimin said. "I'll pop off right after I'm done this."

"Too cold," Jungkook said.

"There are spare blankets in the bureau."

Jungkook waited. When it became clear that neither Jimin nor Taehyung intended to do anything about the fact that the blankets were over there, not here, he dragged himself up with a wretched groan and stumbled towards the bureau on useless rubber legs.

"You guys owe me," he said, slipping under the covers a moment later.

"Hmm." Jimin's eyes flickered over to him over his notes. "That remains to be seen."

Jimin's green eye glittered in the lamplight, and Jungkook was abruptly reminded that the people he had just slept with two of the most talented and powerful students at Blackthorn, a werewolf and a witch, nothing like his usual human hookups. Jimin's threat to curse Jungkook if he told anybody about Taehyung rose up from a different angle, sporting sharper fangs now that Jungkook was on the other side of his orgasm.

He huddled into Taehyung's back and closed his eyes, warding off a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold. Taehyung was already asleep, breathing evenly against the pillow. It must've been late, because Jungkook passed out almost immediately, despite his reservations.

He woke up in the middle of the night dripping in sweat. Taehyung was generating so much heat Jungkook just as well could've been hugging a gigantic hot water bottle. He squirmed, throwing off some of the covers, and then glanced over to make sure he hadn't pulled them off Jimin.

The bed next to Taehyung was empty. So was the chair. The light was off, but Jimin was nowhere to be seen.

***

When Jungkook woke up the next morning, the first thing that hit him was how he wasn't hungover for a change. His head felt light. The sunlight pouring through the window wasn't excruciating. There was also a naked werewolf wrapped around his body, and all of the blankets were on the floor.

Taehyung was shivering. Jungkook wrapped his arms around him. His skin was still burning up.

"Cold?"

"Cramps," Taehyung said. His morning voice was even cracklier and deeper than Jungkook's.

"D'you have to go to class?"

"No, Jimin's getting the notes for me."

Jungkook hummed. Taehyung sighed, snuggling in closer. Jungkook drifted off. A couple minutes later he was jolted awake by Taehyung whimpering in his ear.

"Here."

Jungkook grabbed Taehyung and dragged him on top of him, pulling his legs apart. Taehyung was slack—a big, lanky doll, all legs and arms. Jungkook grabbed his tiny hips and pushed him down onto his morning wood.

Taehyung's fingers dug into Jungkook's sore, bruised shoulders as Jungkook slid inside him. When he bottomed out, Taehyung let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Fuck," Jungkook breathed.

The two of them lay there like that, Jungkook inside Taehyung, hard as a rock but too lazy to move. Taehyung mouth breathed against Jungkook's collar bones. Jungkook wondered if he'd fallen asleep again.

He closed his eyes.

Sleep floated around the periphery of his mind. It was still heavy, but less easy to tempt in than before. Jungkook shuffled, and Taehyung made a little raspy sound. Jungkook could feel Taehyung's slick dripping onto his pubic bone.

Sleep was so tempting, but the slide was better. Jungkook rolled his hips, scowling, and reached down, gripping harder at Taehyung's hips. Taehyung licked a line up his neck.

Jungkook groaned weakly. He moved Taehyung over him like that, with his hands, dragging his pelvis up and down on his cock. It wasn't really deep enough for either one of them, more of a tease than anything else. Taehyung lapped his way up to Jungkook's ear and sucked hard at his earlobe.

Jungkook buried his nose in Taehyung's hair. To an outsider, the room probably would've reeked of sweat and sex, but Jungkook had been sleeping in it all night, and Taehyung's sweet, sharp scent was only making him more aroused. They squirmed like that, lazy and exasperated, until Jungkook had had enough. He gripped Taehyung's ass, repositioned his hips, and thrusted up hard.

"Blldhasaarghh," Taehyung exclaimed, Jungkook's earlobe slipping free from between his teeth.

Jungkook's stomach was slippery with slick. He pressed his palm down on Taehyung's lower back, trapping Taehyung's dick between them, and fucked him harder. The friction had Taehyung mewling and gasping, cumming all over himself in seconds.

Jungkook started to pull out, and Taehyung chased his dick, sitting down hard.

"Don't."

"Huh?"

"Finish inside me. I can take it."

Jungkook didn't need to be told twice. His teeth were almost chattering, he was so close. He gripped a handful of Taehyung's hair, and pulled him into a kiss. Taehyung groaned lowly into his mouth. Both of them had been panting so hard, their morning breath was almost gone.

Jungkook bucked up into him. It was barely a minute before he was coming apart, choking, cursing, gripping Taehyung's ass for dear life. Taehyung wriggled around, trying to get his hips into a more comfortable position. Jungkook's cock gave up one last spasm, and then he went slack, his hand relaxing its grip on Taehyung's hair.

"So good," Taehyung moaned, a wisp of a sound.

Jungkook jolted awake to the sound of the door closing. He must've fallen asleep again.

"Good sweet baby Jesus," Jimin said, crossing the room and waving his hand in front of his face. He opened the windows one by one.

"Mornin'," Jungkook grunted.

"Afternoon," Jimin corrected him, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I brought lunch. Tae, you should eat something."

Taehyung positioned his hands on either side of Jungkook's torso and pushed up. Jungkook yipped as his skin was almost peeled off his body. There was enough dried slick and cum gluing them together to make a papier-mâché. Jimin threw a sandwich at him.

"After lunch, we're taking a shower," Jimin said.

"Can you clean the sheets?" Taehyung asked, through a mouthful of egg and lettuce.

Jimin sighed. "You know I'm not very good at scouring yet."

"Scouring?" Jungkook asked.

"That's right, I keep forgetting you don't know any witch magic." Jimin picked up the sheet off the floor and held it out in front of him. "Scouring refers to any spell that separates properties, destroying some and leaving others behind. It's incredibly complex, fourth year stuff, but I've been getting a head start on it in my spare time. Some witches still use it for cleaning, but it's a lot easier to enchant things to clean themselves."

"I take it our sheets haven't been enchanted."

"I think the deans did that on purpose. Motivation to read ahead, maybe, or a way to discourage students from hooking up instead of studying."

"Doesn't seem to stop you two."

Jimin spread his fingers wide, muttered something, and gave the sheet a slap. A fine mist burst from the other side, like flour. He did it again and Taehyung sneezed.

"Yeah, not so good at the destroying part." Jimin frowned as the mist settled on the floor and melted into a puddle.

There were at least five other people in the bathroom when they got there. Jungkook tried to shower on his own, but the other two kept following from stall to stall until he gave up.

"This sucks," he said, shivering. He was standing to the side, watching Taehyung shampoo Jimin's hair. "There isn't enough water for the three of us."

"Here." Taehyung reached up and poked the showerhead.

Water exploded out of the pipe, blasted off the ceiling, and blew the face of the showerhead off. Jimin was knocked to his knees, and Taehyung fell on top of him. Jungkook got a jet to the face.

Jimin and Taehyung were still laughing about it by the time they were dry and clothed, standing in front of the mirrors doing their hair, while Jungkook blew his nose and sneezed repeatedly. A couple girls walked past them in towels, blatantly checking out Jimin's ass.

"Should I make my eyes blue or yellow today?" Taehyung asked.

"Feeling a little better?" Jimin said, rubbing a pasty ointment onto his cheeks.

"Yeah." Taehyung closed one eye, rubbing the lid. When he opened it his iris was bright gold. "I think I'll be able to make it to the rest of my afternoon classes."

"Is your green eye fake too?" Jungkook asked.

"Nope," Jimin said, brushing bronze sparkles onto his eyelids.

They walked back down the hallway to their rooms. Jimin and Taehyung held hands, chatting about the things Taehyung needed to catch up on. Jungkook's stomach kept lurching. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and gazed out the window. It was only two o'clock.

"We're off to the library." Jimin gave Jungkook a little wave. "Ta-ta."

Jungkook went back to his room because it felt oddly awkward to stand there and watch them go. His nose still ached from having a litre of water blown up each nostril, but somehow, that seemed like the least of his troubles.

He waited five minutes and then wandered down to the field. It was a sunny day, and students were milling about, lying on the greensward, reading, napping. It occurred to him that these people lived in his building, ate the same food, but he didn't know even one of their names.

He did a few laps. He thought about going to Maven for a couple drinks, but Yoongi and Hoseok intercepted him in the quad, and he decided to smoke with them instead.

"How's the song going?"

"So-so." Yoongi was looking more rundown than before. The shadows underneath his eyes had developed into bags. His skin looked pasty. His roots were starting to grow in, black on teal, accentuating the grease. Jungkook figured there was some kind of spell for changing hair colours, but Yoongi was probably too busy to do it, unlike Jimin, who would've taken the time to do his makeup before going into battle. "When I listen to it I can still tell what's going to happen next. I've been getting an elevated heartbeat sixteen counts in though, so that's something."

"What's it supposed to be?"

Yoongi turned and levied his big gummy smile on Jungkook. "The auditory embodiment of surprise."

"Whoa."

"I wanted another porn song," Hoseok said. All his hair was hidden underneath a toque, his nose was oily, and his nail polish was chipped, but standing beside Yoongi he looked like he'd just walked off a runway.

"I wish you wouldn't call it that."

"Okay, your orgasm-inducing hymn of eternal splendour."

Yoongi shook his head in disgust.

"What about you?" Yoongi's eyes trailed over Jungkook's neck. "Seems like you've been busy."

"The sex is good, leave me alone."

"My idea of what faeries are like is going to be so skewed after hanging out with you."

"Good."

"Is there a hickey on your earlobe?" Yoongi squinted.

"I dunno, probably."

"Are you wearing eyeshadow?" Hoseok asked.

"I didn't come here to be scrutinized—"

"Jungkook, your eyelids are literally baby blue."

"I told him to go with silver," Jungkook muttered bitterly, "but he wouldn't listen."

"Whipped for two ivy kids." Yoongi raised an eyebrow, spitting distractedly on the cobblestones. "Wow. Who would've thought."

Jungkook made various strangled sounds, and tossed his cigarette on the ground, but found himself horrifyingly incapable of denying that statement. Maybe they could tell he was a little out of sorts, because they took pity on him and ate dinner with him instead of heading straight back to their studies.

But then dinner was over, and Yoongi and Hoseok were gone, and he was alone in his room, with nothing to do but stare out the window and think about the smell of Taehyung's sweat, and the feeling of their slippery, soapy bodies pressing in around him as they tried to get the showerhead stuck back on with a spell, and the look on Jimin's face as Jungkook had exploded in his evil little hand.

He reached under the bed and pulled a bottle of whiskey up onto the mattress. He took a little, lacklustre sip, and then dropped it back on the floor. He curled on his side and closed his eyes.

When he'd walked into the scrying cloud, he'd followed the sound of weeping into that person's room, the person who the memory belonged to, wanting to help them feel better somehow. But what could he have possibly said? Tell them he got it, he understood how they were feeling? Even if that was true, what good was understanding something if you couldn't change it?  

He woke up, parched and sweaty. The sky was pitch black. He trudged down the hall to the washroom. Calm, contained flames twinkled inside lamps that were mounted on the wall. He gulped water from the sink and splashed some on his face.

He was halfway down the corridor when a door creaked opened to his right.

Taehyung paused, eyes open wide. He was dressed in a sweater and slacks. The lamps were on in his room. Jungkook caught a glimpse of Jimin behind him, leaning over a stack of notes.  

"Gukkie," Taehyung said. "You aren't in Maven?"

"Was sleeping," Jungkook said, rubbing one of his eyes.

"You look tired."

"Faeries can't look tired."

Taehyung leaned closer, and then laughed. "Oh, it's the eyeshadow. It's all smudged."

"Oh."

"Come here, Jimin can take it off for you."

Taehyung wrapped his hands around Jungkook's arm and pulled him into the room. Jungkook sat down right on the floor, swaying with sleepiness.

"You should really take better care of yourself," Jimin said, rubbing at Jungkook's eyes with a washcloth.

"Isn't there a spell for that?"

"Yes, but I'm not confident enough to try it on someone's face yet."

"He uses the same spell to clean his cauldron."

"Like I said, scouring is a bitch." Jimin straightened up. "There. You're back to looking insultingly perfect."

Jungkook yawned. "Thanks."

"So sleepy." Jimin ruffled his hair. "You're usually out drinking at this hour."

"Didn't think you'd noticed."

Jungkook kept his eyes closed, because he was afraid of what would happen if he opened them.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Jimin leaned over. "Did someone cast a spell on you?"

"No." Jungkook curled in on himself.

Jimin sighed. Taehyung came back from the washroom. The door closed behind him.

"What's wrong?"

"He's acting weird."

"Maybe he walked through another scrying cloud." Taehyung sounded thoughtful. "Maybe they affect faeries differently."

"I don't know what to do," Jimin sighed. "We still need to study."

"I'll go," Jungkook croaked.

There was a clunk as Taehyung set something down on the desk. A moment later he dropped down in front of Jungkook, peering into his face.

"Did you find something weird in the forest?"

"There's nothing weird in that forest," Jimin said.

Jungkook inhaled shakily.

"You're crying," Taehyung observed.

"Sad," Jungkook whispered.

"Oh."

There was a pause.

Taehyung wrapped his arms around him. Jungkook hid his face in Taehyung's shoulder, sobbing quietly into his sweater.

"Taehyung. Uh." Jimin stared down expressionlessly. "I don't know what to do."

"Give him a hug."

"Oh, okay."

Jimin slid off the chair behind Jungkook and sandwiched him in from behind, tucking his chin over Jungkook's shoulder.

"Jungkook," Jimin giggled. "What on earth is wrong?"

Jungkook made a wretched sniffling noise. "It's f-fine, you t-two need to study—"

"It's okay, this is more interesting."

"Chim."

"More... important."

Taehyung nodded. "That's right."

"You could sleep in the bed while we finish up these notes?" Jimin suggested.

Jungkook shook his head, gripping at Taehyung's sweater.

"Wow, he's so needy!" Taehyung laughed. "You'd think he was on his heat."

Jungkook immediately pushed Taehyung away and tried to wriggle out from between them.

"Oh no you don't," Taehyung said, pushing him back down. He tumbled into Jimin, squishing him against the desk. The air whooshed out of Jimin's lungs.

Jungkook finally looked up and met Taehyung's eye, scowling.

"Get in front of me," Taehyung ordered.

"Why?"

"Stop asking so many questions."

"Can't breathe," Jimin gasped, pushing Jungkook forward. Jungkook's face landed in Taehyung's lap.

Jungkook half-expected to have a dick in his mouth in a couple seconds, but instead, Taehyung grabbed him, turned him around, and dug his thumbs into Jungkook's shoulders. Jungkook keened, trying and failing to turn it into a cough.

"Read the notes to me."

Jungkook frowned.

"As much as it seems like I'm trying to lure you into the wild and wacky world of academia, I need to study and my hands are busy."

Jimin had already slithered back into his chair, and was leaning over an enormous, yellowing tome.

"Can you prop them up so I can see them better?" Jungkook murmured sulkily.

That was how they spent the next hour and a half. Taehyung rubbing Jungkook's back, Jungkook, in his paper-thin, post-sobbing voice, reciting what was written on the parchment in front of him, and Jimin staring intently at the tome, turning pages at an unrealistic pace.

Then Jimin was turning the lights out, and Taehyung was getting naked. Jungkook lay on his back, crammed between them.

"I kind of want to jerk off," Jimin said.  

Jungkook moved his arm out of the way as Taehyung reached over and yanked Jimin's pyjama bottoms down.

"Sleeping naked has its perks," Taehyung said. "Might wanna consider it sometime."

"I get too cold."

Jungkook closed his eyes. Jimin moaned.

"You guys suck," Jungkook said wearily, reaching down and pulling his own dick out of his boxers.

"Heat's almost over, gotta take advantage of that shit," Taehyung said.

"He's honestly not even that different when he's not on his heat," Jimin panted into Jungkook's neck.

"Oh yeah? And what about you?"

"I'm..." Jimin's voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm a bit of a slut."

"That's right," Taehyung said. "My pretty little whore."

Jungkook jerked hopelessly at his sore dick.

"Kinda wanna take it from Jungkook sometime," Jimin said, as Taehyung continued to jerk him off. "Also wanna give it to Jungkook sometime."

"Fuck, that's hot," Taehyung said.

"I haven't even sucked his dick yet," Jimin said.

"It's really nice. Not as big as mine, though."

"Fuck off," Jungkook grunted.

"I bet he'd look so nice spread out for m-me." Jimin's voice was low, raspy almost. "Those thick thighs o-over my shoulders, maybe stuff my fingers in his mouth to keep him quiet—"

Taehyung and Jungkook both moaned at the same time.

"Yeah, I'm a little wet," Taehyung said.

Jungkook stroked himself faster.

"If we didn't have a lab tomorrow morning I'd sit on both of you."

"Can we n-not have sex once, without talking a-about homework?" Jungkook asked.

"Yeah, like that, Tae, please—"

Jimin gasped, arching off the bed. Jungkook was next. Taehyung came, thrusting into Jungkook's hand, and for the second night in a row, Jungkook fell asleep in Taehyung's bed, covered in way more cum and way more boys than he'd expected.

****

"We notice you've been spending some time with Mr. Park and Mr. Kim."

"Of course you have."

"I am not sure, Jungkook," Dean Phantasmagorium said, "what that is supposed to mean."

Jungkook snorted. "Listening vines? They're everywhere. Not to mention the fact that you basically asked those two to spy on me when I first arrived."

"I believe I asked them to help you integrate, there is a vast difference—"

"So you know about the listening vines," Dean Sukie said. "I'm glad to see you've taken some interest in the magical phenomena around the school."

"It's less about interest and more about self-preservation."

"More port, Jungkook?"

Jungkook held out his glass. Dean Phantasmagorium topped him up. The fireplace seemed somewhat less out of place now that autumn had started to creep in. It wasn't quite cold enough to justify wearing a cashmere Burberry coat indoors, though.

Jungkook took a sip. "Good stuff, although I'd prefer some of that scotch."

"Nice try, kid," Dean Sukie said, swirling her scotch in a tumbler.

"So this truly is your plan." Dean Phantasmagorium leaned back reflectively in his armchair. "A faerie comes to Blackthorn. Treats the campus as his vacation home, passing his days in continuous leisure, drinking with the faculty, propositioning various members of the student body—"

"They propositioned me."

"We've had several complaints," Dean Sukie said.

Jungkook made a face. "About Jimin and Taehyung?"

"About your jogging. The students find it demoralizing, watching you tramping around the lawn all day."

"Fair point. I'll keep my jogging to the forest paths."

"I'm surprised. When you first arrived, I thought you would be wreaking all kinds of havoc around here. But you eat your meals at the same time every day, and apart from your fitness regime, you're generally keeping to yourself." Dean Sukie sighed, adjusting her sleeves. She was dressed in an indigo suit with French cuffs. Her hair had grown out a little, and she'd slicked it back. "You aren't a bad kid, Jungkook. I wish you wouldn't allow this feud with your parents to stand between you and your future."

"I don't care about my future."

"Ahh, the privilege of youth," Dean Phantasmagorium said.

"How old are you now?" Dean Sukie asked.

"Nineteen."

"And faeries, they live longer than witches, don't they?" She tapped the side of her glass with her fingertip. More ice jangled into her scotch, out of thin air. "Seems kind of lonely to me. All those years, no learning, no goals, nothing but your own mind to keep you company."

Jungkook set his glass down and stood up. "Did my parents write spontaneous counselling sessions into the contract too?"

"Think it over Jungkook."

He threw on his jacket and walked out the door.

The grass was still thick and green, the topiaries plump and sculpted. The only hint that autumn was on its way was the rain. He sprinted to the cloister, ducking inside the school through an arched doorway.

The hallways were definitely dated, but not medieval. Instead of bare stone and sconces, there was wood panelling and chandeliers. The floors were a mixture of hardwood, patterned tile, and ornate rugs. Jungkook made his way past the library to a line of classrooms, and pushed through the door marked praxi 18.

"Fucking, hold still—"

"Jimin, it hurts—"

Jungkook almost dropped his bag.

"One... second..." Jimin pressed his forefinger to Taehyung's neck, and dragged it along the gouge, which was spilling blood all over the floor in a massive puddle.

"What the fuck happened?"

"Spell got away on us," Jimin said, and then muttered a little incantation. Taehyung made a little whining noise, and when Jimin pulled his finger away, the cut was sealed, although it was hard to tell with how much blood was everywhere.

"I thought you two said you were going to wait."

Jungkook knelt beside Taehyung. Taehyung reached out, grabbed Jungkook's shoulders, and hauled himself to his feet. He slipped on the puddle of blood and fell into a line of desks.

"Jesus Christ," Jungkook said, grabbing his arm.

"I'm fine," Taehyung said. "Jimin, clean up the blood so we can get started."

"I'm not down," Jungkook said emphatically, eying Taehyung's blood-soaked sweater.

"We're going to do it anyway," Taehyung said. "And if you don't help us, we'll probably hurt ourselves again by accident."

Jungkook frowned.

"Did you bring the books?" Jimin asked.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on." Jungkook set his bag on a desk and pulled the books out, one by one.

"Wow," Jimin said, standing up. The floor was clean. His scouring spells were already getting a lot better. "You got everything we asked for. Nice job Gukkie."

"My pleasure," Jungkook said sullenly.

In addition to helping out with their spells, Jungkook had been checking books out of the library for them, making copies of notes, and other simple tasks that partially helped to justify how much time the three of them had been spending together. Some days the payoff was more apparent than others.

"It's so nice having a pageboy around to run our errands."

"I'm leaving."

Jimin caught his wrist as he walked by, almost ripping his arm out of his its socket. Jungkook swore.

"Whoops, sorry, forgot I still had my strength spell activated."

Taehyung powered up a scouring spell and smacked hard at the front of his shirt. It caught on fire.

Five minutes later, Jungkook sat in a chair, massaging his temples, while Jimin and Taehyung leaned over the books, murmuring to each other.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"It looks like this is where we fucked up," Taehyung said, pointing at something on the page. "Jungkook, go stand by the blackboard."

Jungkook got up and positioned himself at the front of the classroom.

"This spell proceeds as a duet. It's advanced transfiguration, meant to flip certain properties on living objects. Taehyung and I were both performing the spell, but the problem was, Taehyung was also acting as the object, and that's where things got twisted."

"I told you to wait for me."

"Yeah, well, you were taking forever."

"I had to meet with the deans. And your writing is terrible."

Jimin always made detailed lists of the books he wanted Jungkook to get, with their section number and author name. His writing was tiny, crabbed—probably one of the only things about him that wasn't perfect. Jungkook secretly found it cute, but damned if he was going to admit that after he'd been called a pageboy.

Jimin wrote a long, complicated word on the blackboard in chalk. "I don't know what you're talking about. You can read that just fine, can't you, Taehyung?"

Taehyung examined the word. "It's alright," he said delicately.

"Memorize this," Jimin said, tapping the board. "You're going to have to say it the second the spell goes off."

"Wasn't part of the agreement," Jungkook said. "I told you I'm not learning any spells."

"It isn't anything fancy, just a basic stabilizer."

Jungkook reached for his jacket.

Jimin shoved him back towards the blackboard. Jungkook glowered at him.

"You're absolutely no fun, you know that?" Jimin said, reaching into his backpack. He retrieved an eyeliner pencil and pulled the lid off with a sigh, drawing the word on Jungkook's forehead instead.

"Just as long as I don't have to do any spells."

"I don't understand you. How can you be so snobby about witch magic, but not snobby about witches?"

"You can't have sex with witch magic."

"Says who?" Taehyung said.

Jungkook's eyes widened before he could stop himself.

"Maybe we'll show you afterwards, if this works out," Jimin said. He poked Jungkook's nose and then stepped back, getting in position.

"So what exactly are you flipping?"

"The spell is usually used for bodily alterations, surgeries, that kind of thing. But seeing as we've never done this before, we're just going to change the colour of your pants with the colour of your shirt."

"And change it back, right?"

"That's the plan," Jimin said.

The two of them stood side-by-side and counted five steps away from each other. Jimin straightened up, sweeping his blond hair out of his face. He looked poised; almost princely, in his lace chiffon button down, transparent enough to see his ribs. Taehyung was slightly hunched, rough-and-ready, like he was about to catch a ball. His sweater hung off his shoulders in singed, bloody tatters, like some post-apocalyptic halter top.

"Alright, Gukkie, don't move."

The two of them started reciting the spell.

Over the past month, Jungkook had garnered that some spells required saying something out loud, while others didn't. Mixing potions, or simple things, like casting a concealment on the shower, could be done in silence. Really complicated spells seemed to involve more talking.

He clenched up the muscles in his legs and tried not to move, not even an inch. His breathing was shallow. Both of them looked incredibly focused. Jimin's brow was furrowed, his face devoid of its usual sly smile. Taehyung was biting his lip. It might've been sexy if Jungkook hadn't been preparing to have his skin sliced open at any moment.

The reciting stopped. The room glowed for a moment, like the sun was peeking momentarily out of the clouds, and then the dim, rainy, overcast light returned. Jungkook's head jerked forward, heavier than before.

"Oh, shit," Taehyung said.

Everything was black. At first Jungkook thought he'd gone blind. He scrambled to touch his face, and his hands collided with a thick curtain of hair.

"Oh dear," Jimin said.

Jungkook shook his head back and brushed and tucked, but there was just so much hair. Eventually his face peeked out. He looked down. His hair was had grown past his knees, and his pants were gone.

"To be fair, it could've been worse," Jimin said.

The three of them were back in the washrooms. Jungkook was standing in front of the mirror in his boxers, watching as Jimin cut and chopped at the dense mop protruding out of his scalp. The floor was littered with chunks of hair longer than his arm.

"So we transmuted the mass from his pants into hair," Taehyung said. He was perched on the counter, picking at his chin in thought. "Why?"

"I think I might've slurred the fifth syllable from the third verse."

Taehyung nodded. "That would've done it."

"Eat up, Tae. You lost a lot of blood."

"Oh," Taehyung said. "Right."

Jimin had given him a bag of oblong-shaped berries. They were supposed to be rich in iron. Jungkook had tried one and spat it out, it was so metallic. Taehyung popped one into his mouth and chewed miserably.

"I take it I'm not getting my pants back?" Jungkook asked.

"Unfortunately not. We're nowhere near being able to reverse something that complex." Jimin sighed. "Are you sure you don't want me to leave it? It looks kind of hot at shoulder length."

"Can you go shorter? I've been meaning to get my bowl cut back anyway."

Jimin hummed unhappily, and moved back in with the shears.

"I'm honestly surprised you aren't more upset with us," Taehyung said.

"The looks on your faces were kind of worth it."

There was a loud snip. A chunk of hair fell away, revealing the smudged sigil on Jungkook's forehead.

"Woops," Jimin said. "That's a little short."

"It's fine. It'll grow back in a couple days."

"So faeries never look tired, their hair grows really fast, and they like to fuck," Jimin said. "These are the three whole facts I know about your race."

"And they cry," Taehyung said.

"That never happened, stop bringing it up," Jungkook groaned.

"I really wouldn't mind seeing some faerie magic one of these days," Jimin said.

"So, WEREWOLVES," Jungkook said.

Both of them shushed him hysterically.

"Asshole," Taehyung said.

"Stop bugging me, I'll stop bugging you."

"I don't mind if you bug me," Taehyung said. "Just not in public."

Taehyung looked genuinely shaken up. Jungkook felt a little bad. When they were back in Taehyung's room, Jungkook came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his skinny body from behind. Taehyung leaned back into him, dropping the shirt he was about to put on.

"I'm sorry I was a dick."

"It's okay. It would just be really, really bad if anybody found out."

"How bad?" Jungkook asked softly.

"Like, my parents disowning me kind of bad."

"But aren't they werewolves too? Don't they get it?"

Taehyung pulled away, reaching for the shirt. "My mom works at a witch bank. My dad's a teacher. None of their colleagues know. None of our neighbours."

"Is it hard to hide?"

"You saw how bad my heats can get. Every month around the full moon, I have to find an excuse to hide away in my room. And it isn't just that." Taehyung slipped into his shirt and started hunting around in a drawer for a pair of socks. "My mom gave birth to me at home. The only person there was my dad, who doesn't know a thing about medicine. She was too afraid to go to a hospital. Thank god the birth went fine."

Taehyung put his socks on and stood up. He started organizing the desk, putting pens back in the penholder, straightening papers. His voice was calm, but Jungkook saw the way he repositioned a textbook three times. He wasn't typically the kind of person who gave one shit about things being neat and tidy.

"Werewolf genitalia is different from witches, as you know, and we're born with fangs, so she didn't want the nurses to see either one of us. They filed mine down twice. I don't remember the first time, but the second time, when my adult teeth came in, it really hurt."

"Do you get it now?" Jimin snapped. "It isn't just Taehyung's secret he's keeping. If he gets outed, so does his entire family."

Jungkook felt like crawling into a hole.

"Why?" he asked. "Why do werewolves have to hide?"

"I don't know," Taehyung said. "Over the ages, we've been accused of being uncivilized, mainly because of our heats. I think the sexual aspect makes witches uncomfortable. And with our genitals, we don't fit neatly inside the gender binary and that weirds people out too. I read in a book once that old werewolf societies used to have multiple genders, or sometimes none at all, but I'm not entirely sure if that's true. Either way my parents hate talking about it, and they raised me as a boy, and it feels generally right so I went with it?" He organized a stack of erasers from biggest to smallest. "I don't know, maybe it's because there aren't that many of us left, I don't know, is it ever entirely logical why one race gets subjugated by another?"

"Tae," Jimin said, reaching out and taking his hand. "The desk is fine. Do you want to sit down?"

Taehyung shook his head.

Jungkook sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face with his hands. "I'm sorry for being stupid," he said. "I'm sorry to make you talk about it."

"Stop feeling bad about yourself," Jimin said. "It won't do anybody any good."

"I'm such an idiot."

"Just keep it a secret and we're good," Taehyung said.

"I think, to make it even, he should tell us something about himself," Jimin said.

"I'm half-faerie, my grades are shit, I like to party, what else do you need to know?"

"Just one spell." Jimin sat down beside Jungkook on the bed, leaning in close. "Something simple. Can't faeries make plants grow? You could make a flower bloom, or—"

"No."

"For the love of fuck, Jungkook."

"Can we please just talk about something else?"

Jimin opened his mouth to argue.

"Lay off, Chim," Taehyung said, sitting down in Jimin's lap. "I've had enough of the anxious vibes. Anyone want a blow job?"

"I'm not horny right now," Jungkook said.

Jimin started undoing his belt.

Jungkook moved over to give them more room. He heard Taehyung grunt as he slurped Jimin's cock into his mouth. He rubbed his hands up the back of his head. It was probably the best haircut he'd had in months, much better than the ones he gave himself. His back was still itchy with the little hairs that had tumbled down the back of his shirt. Jimin let out a shameless, pornographic moan.

"I know what you two are trying to do."

"Is it working?" Jimin asked breathlessly.

Jungkook took his shirt off with no comment.

Jimin pulled him into a kiss. Jungkook reached into his boxers and touched himself, listening as Jimin's moans got more and more desperate.

"H-hold on," Jimin said, grabbing Taehyung's hair.

Taehyung made a disgruntled noise.

"I know baby, I know," Jimin said, pulling hard at Taehyung's hair. Taehyung's mouth separated from Jimin's dick with a wet suction noise, and he scowled. "Don't worry, I have a really fun idea."

Jungkook was starting to get an ominous feeling about this.

"I was just thinking about the fact that the three of us have been fucking for a whole month now, and neither one of us has had our dicks in Jungkook's ass."

Jungkook immediately stopped jerking himself off.

"That's right!" Taehyung said.

"It should probably be me, seeing as my dick is the smallest," Jimin said.

"Not a bad idea."

"Excuse me," Jungkook said.

"Hey Gukkie." Jimin turned to Jungkook. "Have you ever bottomed before?"

"No."

"I think I just thought of a way for you to repay us for today."

Jungkook frowned at both of them, his brow crunching up. Jimin laughed, trying to smooth it out with his thumb. Taehyung leaned back on the floor, spreading his legs, stroking himself nonchalantly as he watched.

"Well, get on with it then," Jungkook muttered.

"Yay," Taehyung said. "Sandwiching Jungkook, best Wednesday ever."

"Tae, can you prep him?"

"You betcha."

Jungkook lay on his back with his head in Jimin's lap. Jimin stroked his hair, gazing down at him with his varicoloured eyes. Taehyung arranged himself at the other end of the bed, between Jungkook's legs.

"You're so pretty, Guk," Taehyung said.

"Don't," Jungkook said.

"Seriously. Your asshole is a straight-up ten out of ten."

"God damn it, Taehyung, can you just fucking do it?"

"Chill out. You can't really rush this process." Taehyung reached down between his own legs.

Jungkook waited. Taehyung moaned.

"Okay Tae, I'm gonna have to take Jungkook's side on this, you need to hurry the fuck up," Jimin said.

"Sorry, got distracted." Taehyung pulled his fingers out of himself, which were now glistening with slick. "Nice and lubed up," he muttered, examining them for a moment, and then pressed them directly to Jungkook's hole.

Jungkook jolted.

"It's okay," Jimin purred, running his hands over Jungkook's chest. "I'm right here."

"That's supposed to make me feel better how?" Jungkook grunted.

Jimin giggled.

Taehyung pushed a finger inside him.

"Oh god," Jungkook moaned.

"You have given anal, right?" Jimin asked.

Jungkook nodded mutely.

"Okay, well at least there's that."

Taehyung pushed his finger all the way in. Jungkook swore.

"Even your hands are fucking huge."

"It's true, Tae has magic fingers," Jimin said.

"So when do I get to top you?" Jungkook asked.

"Let's get your ass stretched out and then have that conversation, okay?"

Taehyung pulled out, lined up, and pushed two fingers in. Jungkook arched off the bed.

"Got some length going on, now it's just about stretching you out," Taehyung said, twisting his wrist around. "You're hard, so you can't be hating this."

"Feels weird," Jungkook rasped.

"Do you like it?" Jimin asked.

Jungkook closed his eyes. And then he nodded.

"So much pride. Being a faerie seems like no fun at all."

"It isn't," Jungkook whispered.

Taehyung added a third finger and Jungkook hardly noticed.  

"Whoa you're a natural at this. I think he's ready, Chim."

"Fucking finally," Jimin growled.

Jungkook felt like he was about to get eaten alive.

Taehyung pulled his fingers out. "Roll over, baby."

"So it's baby now?" Jungkook asked, but did as he was told, flipping onto his stomach.

Jimin and Taehyung switched places. Small, wicked hands clawed their way down Jungkook's back, and he hissed through his teeth. Jimin massaged his ass, digging his thumbs in, and then pushed his cheeks apart.

"Taehyung was right," Jimin said softly. "You do have a pretty asshole."

Jungkook was blushing too hard to respond.

Jimin pulled Jungkook's hips up, cocking his ass higher, and leaned over him. "I'm gonna fuck him for a while to get him used to the feeling, and then you can get underneath him, okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Taehyung said.

Jimin pushed inside. Jungkook moaned, gripping hard at Taehyung's thighs.

"Still kind of big, huh?" Taehyung asked.

Jungkook whimpered.

He could feel Jimin inside him, but he could also feel him over him. He could imagine the way those varicoloured eyes were trailing over his ass, his trembling shoulders, knowing he was the one who'd done this to him. Jungkook furrowed his brow, determined to regain some of his pride.

"You actually gonna fuck me, or—"

Jimin pulled back and thrusted back in, a steady, merciless slide. Jungkook broke off into a strangled moan. Jimin did it again.

Jungkook could feel himself drooling. He licked his lips, panting loudly, trying not to make too much noise. Taehyung's room didn't have a muffling spell on it like Yoongi's. He couldn't even remember if any of them had remembered to lock the door.

"God damn, he is a natural," Jimin said.

"Can I get underneath him yet?" Taehyung was leaning against the headboard, impatiently jerking off as he watched them.

"Fine. Here."

Jimin pulled Jungkook up by his shoulders. Jungkook scrambled, working out the new angle, as Taehyung turned around and shuffled in underneath him.

"Got my ass ready for you, Gukkie," Taehyung said. "It just seemed like the right thing to do."

"Gee, thanks," Jungkook grunted, more consonant than vowel.

Taehyung reached around and grabbed Jungkook's dick, lining it up with his own asshole. Jimin pushed into him from behind, pushing Jungkook inside Taehyung, and Jungkook wheezed.

Jimin pumped his hips a few times, moaning carelessly, and then pulled back, giving Jungkook some space to work with.

"Rhythm's on you, baby," he panted. "Time to use those muscles."

Taehyung moaned, trembling on all fours, Jungkook balls deep in his ass.

"Make sure to fuck Tae nice and good to let him know how much you care about him."

Jungkook sucked in a breath and tried to focus. He pulled his hips back to get some leverage for Taehyung, and got an ass full of Jimin.

"Fuck," he moaned.

"That's right, fuck yourself on my cock."

"Are you g-gonna trash talk your way through bottoming for me too?"

"He will," Taehyung said.

Jungkook whipped his hips forward, and Taehyung moaned. The stimulation was overwhelming.

"I kind of can't feel my dick."

"It's hard, don't worry about it," Taehyung said.

Jungkook gripped Taehyung's hips to steady himself.

Jokes aside, Jimin could just as easily check his own books out of the library. It would actually probably take him less time than scrawling out all those detailed booklists for Jungkook. Taehyung didn't seem to mind getting his neck sliced open. When their spell experiments went awry, Jimin was there to patch him up. Realistically, the reason they kept him around was probably actually for stuff like this, and if that was the case, there was no way in hell Jungkook was going to fuck it up.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and went for it.

Faerie fitness really did pay off sometimes. His legs were shaking, but he held himself steady, rocking his hips between them at a nice, quick pace, which seemed adequate for everyone involved. Jungkook couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut, no matter how hard he tried.

"Wreck me Guk, fucking wreck m-me please—"

"So pretty," Jimin stammered, tugging and twisting at Jungkook's nipples from behind. "Such a p-pretty boy, good fuck—"

"Youu tooo," Jungkook slurred. "Soo fucking hot, oh my god—"

It was a miracle they weren't drunk, or high, or both. He didn't feel remotely sober. He could feel his face burning, the flush creeping down his neck to his chest. Jimin had figured out the rhythm at this point, and with his thrusts added to the mix, Jungkook felt like the lower half of his body was going to detonate.

"Y'have one minute," Jungkook predicted. "Maybe l-less—"

"Dun need it," Taehyung said.

Unlike Jimin, Taehyung never announced when he was going to cum, but Jungkook had learned to read the clues. Jungkook felt Taehyung beginning to clench up, harder and tighter than when Jungkook was inside his other hole.

"Oh fuck," Jungkook gasped.

Taehyung started to spasm. Jimin must've noticed, because he grabbed Jungkook's hips and took over.

Jungkook, through the wall of pleasure pounding in his mind, was vaguely reminded of the time he'd watched Jimin taking Taehyung apart during his heat, thighs flexing, ass quivering, thundering into him like there was no time to waste. Now Jungkook was the recipient of that fury, and he could safely say that he had gained new respect for Taehyung this evening.

"I'm cumming," he yelled, grabbing hard at the sheets.

This fact was clearly irrelevant to Jimin.

He snapped his hips mercilessly, clapping hard into Jungkook's ass. Jungkook twisted and moaned, moaned until his throat was hoarse, until Jimin's hot liquid was shooting inside him and every drop of cum that Jungkook possessed had been fucked out of him from the inside out. He tumbled forward and landed directly on top of Taehyung. Jimin crushed in on top of them and Taehyung hissed.

"Oh fuck," Jungkook said weakly. His mouth was so dry.

Jimin's scouring charm cleaned the sheets no problem, and left only a slight redness on Jungkook's thigh, kind of like a rug burn, which was the least of his worries at the moment.

"My ass," he said.

"Let me get the decoction," Jimin said.

Decoction. Well that sounded magical as fuck, but Jungkook honestly wouldn't have minded if Jimin shoved an entire mandrake root up his ass just then if it made the burning subside. Jimin returned from his room a couple minutes later in a silk robe.

"Did you walk to your room naked?" Jungkook asked.

"Mhm."

"Nice," Taehyung said sleepily.

"Drink," Jimin said, shoving a glass of water into Jungkook's hand. Jungkook took a sip and let out a pleased sigh. His relief was short-lived, because seconds later a cold, wet finger landed directly on his asshole.

"Hold still, it's going to help." Jimin smoothed the cream around his ring, pushing a little up inside him with his pinkie. Jungkook moaned softly. Half the water had spilled down his chest.

"Get me too," Taehyung said, wriggling out from under Jungkook and spreading his legs. Jimin loaded up another finger.

"Been a while since you've had something in your ass, huh," Jimin said.

Jungkook huddled under the covers. Taehyung usually hogged the middle, but tonight, he let Jungkook take it.

"The perks of giving up your ass virginity to a witch," he muttered.

"Did you like it?" Jimin whispered.

"It was intense. Haven't cum that hard in a long time. Still think I prefer topping, though."

"Good, because I prefer bottoming."

"Why didn't you just let me top you then?"

"He's got a thing about power dynamics," Taehyung said.

"I like variety," Jimin said.

The decoction was working. Jungkook's ass still felt different than usual, but the throbbing was gone. He drifted off, one arm slung over Jimin's shoulder, Taehyung spooning him from behind. When he woke up, he glanced on the clock above the desk. It was three in the morning and Jimin was gone.

"Where'd Jimin go?"

Taehyung groaned.

"Tae?"

"He's prob'ly studyin'."

"At three in the morning?"

"Yeah," Taehyung muttered grumpily, and rolled over.

Jungkook lay in the dark, waiting.

It was always like this. Evening study sessions ended up back in Taehyung's room. Late night chats mutated into late night sex. The three of them curled up and cuddled until Taehyung and Jungkook fell asleep, and then, when Jungkook woke up, Jimin had disappeared.

"Gotta piss," he said, hauling himself to his feet.

He wandered down the corridor. He'd been inside Jimin's room a few times, but they tended to hang out in Taehyung's most of the time, because he had a bigger bed, and more chairs, or at least those were the reasons Jungkook had been told.

Nothing was simple with Jimin and Taehyung, Jungkook was coming to realize. When he reached out to open Jimin's door he found that the knob was locked.

He crept back to Taehyung's room and snuggled in beside him.

"How was your piss?" Taehyung asked. His voice still sounded anguished and sleepy.

"Great."

Taehyung wove their fingers together and fell back to sleep. Jungkook lay awake, staring at the wall over Taehyung's shoulder.

Jimin's door was locked. There was no light leaking out from under his door. He'd either left Jungkook and Taehyung to go sleep in his own room, or he was somewhere else.

Either option failed to make perfect sense.

***

Jungkook thought about asking Jimin about where he went at night, but seeing as that might come off as pretty hypocritical, seeing as Jungkook had refused to show him even one faerie spell, he decided to take the most logical and just course of action and secretly stalk him instead.

It was only fair. Those two had followed him around everywhere at the beginning of the term. Lucky for Jungkook, his secrets weren't something you could figure out by watching him—he kept them all locked away in his head, in a special box marked do not touch.

Midterm season blew over. Yoongi finished his song, Hoseok's thesis proposal was approved, and the two of them celebrated by pitching on a giant bag of ensorcelled hash from their dealer down south.

"That stuff was seriously OH HOLY SHIT FUCK—"

Jungkook fell off the couch. Hoseok was clutching the front of his chest, panting, as if he was having a heart attack. Yoongi nodded, gripping the armrests of his rolly chair.

"Does it ever let up?" Jungkook demanded.

"Not really, it's surprise, it isn't supposed to settle," Yoongi said.

Without warning the horn section nose-dived downwards, taking Jungkook's stomach with it.

"We should've smoked up after this, not before—"

"JESUS Christ," Hoseok yelped, as a drum solo erupted out of nowhere.

Jungkook was starting to realize why Yoongi had looked so done-in while he was working on this.

"I'm amazed you didn't have a heart attack while you were recording this."

"I think I lost years off my life."

"Such a noble sacrifiHOLY FUCK—!"

It felt like the room lurched, sending them hurtling down an invisible rollercoaster. A moment later Jungkook was smelling daffodils, and then the bottoms of his feet were so hot he yanked his shoes off and threw them across the room.

"Okay, well."

The song had finally come to an end.

Hoseok looked as frazzled as Jungkook felt. "Nicely done," he said. "Now, can we never listen to that ever again?"

"I made copies and sent it to both the deans," Yoongi snickered.

Jungkook caught a flash of blond and pink hair passing by the studio window. He slunk over and peered out, squinting.

"Don't you guys fuck like, on the daily?" Yoongi asked. "What's with the sketchiness?"

"I'm trying to figure something out," Jungkook muttered.

On the nights that Jungkook slept over, Jimin always disappeared around one or two in the morning. On the nights when Jungkook didn't sleep over, he sometimes crept past Taehyung's room, and heard voices inside, late into the night. Jimin's habits were consistent: when Jungkook was there, he left, and when Jungkook wasn't there, he stayed; somehow, Jungkook was involved, and that was as far as he'd gotten.

Later that week, Taehyung and Jimin tracked Jungkook down in the showers and dragged him back to Taehyung's room, still covered in soap suds, and tried to talk him into letting them sandwich him again. Somehow Taehyung ended up in the middle instead, and Jungkook still didn't know what it was like to top Jimin, and when the time came for cuddling, Jimin didn't even pretend he was going to end up falling asleep with them.

"I'll be back later," he said nonchalantly, slipping into one of Taehyung's sweaters.

"Gotta study?" Taehyung asked.

"Yeah, I'm behind on a lithomancy assignment."

Jungkook curled up around Taehyung and listened to Jimin's footsteps making their way down the corridor.

"He's a hard working guy, that Jimin."

"He really is," Taehyung said.

"Not as smart as you, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you hardly ever need to study late at night, but you still get perfect grades. He, on the other hand, barely sleeps."

Taehyung was silent for a moment.

"It isn't that I'm smarter," he said eventually. "He's more ambitious than me. He's taking on a lot more extracurricular stuff."

Now that was a blatant lie.

Jungkook knew for a fact that Taehyung was reading ahead in divination, astromancy, and several forms of plant magic that Jimin hadn't even heard of. Whenever Taehyung talked about those things for too long, Jimin made faces and called him a nerd. Being their pageboy had its advantages.

"Mm," Jungkook said. "That must be it."

"Go to sleep," Taehyung grumbled.

Jungkook chuckled. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Taehyung had chosen to cover for Jimin instead of salvaging his own pride. It was sweet, but not sweet enough to make Jungkook give up on his quest.

He waited until Taehyung's breathing got deep and even, and then slipped out from under the covers. He was halfway out the door when he heard a door open further down the hall.

He darted back inside and hid in the darkness. Gentle footfalls made their way down the corridor. Jungkook peeked out through the crack and saw a flash of blond hair.

The second the footsteps faded around the corner, Jungkook slipped into the hallway. He crept down the corridor, past the washroom, in the same direction the person had gone.

The school was quiet. The flickering chandeliers made everything too bright. Jungkook moved slowly, still in a t-shirt, boxers, and bare feet. There had been no time to grab shoes or a jacket from his room. He trailed the footsteps down the staircase, past the offices, and out a side door near the refectory.

Jungkook peered out into the night. A short, blond figure, who was definitely wearing Jimin's burgundy jacket and boots, was making his way swiftly down the hill towards the forest.

"Great," Jungkook whispered.

The grass was cold and dewy. It wasn't raining, but a half moon glowed dully through a layer of mist. Jungkook hurried, not wanting to lose sight of Jimin in the gloom. It was a lot harder to predict his movements outside the school. The forest didn't have any official paths, at least not any that Jungkook knew about, other than the proximity path leading to Maven.

Jungkook's entire body was cloaked in damp, cold air. He followed Jimin past the smoke pit, the tree surrounded by glowing insects, and the glade covered in red moss, where they'd dropped mushrooms together last month. Jungkook had less than a second to reminisce the first time Taehyung had gotten his lips around Jungkook's dick, before Jimin hopped over the stream and hiked deeper into the forest.

Jungkook was really starting to regret not bringing a jacket.

The moss gave over to chilly, densely packed mud. Jungkook's feet were achy, not quite cold enough to go numb, but cold enough to sting. He moved as quietly as he could, trying to stop his teeth from chattering.

"Where are you going?" he whispered.

A talking squirrel erupted into a laughing fit behind him, and he swallowed down a scream, his heart pounding so loudly in his ears he almost lost track of Jimin's footsteps.

It must've been another twenty minutes before Jimin stopped. He took a compass out of his pocket and sketched something into the ground with a stick. Jungkook watched from behind a tree, looking for something special about this patch of forest that made it different, but all he saw was the same cedar and hemlock, the same undulating roots, the same fern-covered undergrowth.

A flash of light drew Jungkook's eyes back to Jimin. Or rather, where Jimin had been two seconds ago.

"What the hell," Jungkook breathed.

A gleaming, wavering shape had appeared over the marking Jimin had scratched into the forest floor. It moved like water spurting out of a fountain—fluid, unpredictable. There seemed to be a light source inside it. Cascading light flickered off the boughs. Every now and then something shone bright enough that Jungkook had to look away.

"Jimin?" he asked, stepping closer.

Nobody answered.

Jungkook's stomach sank. It would be just like Jimin to creep into the woods and try some rare, forbidden piece of magic, and get himself blown up, or transfigured, or... Jungkook pushed the thought away, feeling a little sick.

The closer he got, the less shape-like the shape became. It's outline sharpened, and Jungkook saw that it was some kind of opening.

What if Jimin was stuck in some alternate dimension and needed Jungkook's help? What if the second Jungkook stepped through the opening, he got compressed into a speck of light and died? What if Jimin was really an evil monster who had lured Jungkook out into the woods on purpose and planned to steal his soul?

He realized how little he'd thought this through.

Unfortunately, thinking ahead had never been his strong suit; besides, he doubted he'd be able to find his way back to the school without Jimin's help. He rubbed his hands together, gave his feet a little stamp, and hopped through the opening.

His knees hit the ground with a thud. His nostrils were assaulted with a deep, loamy tang. A foreign sky pressed in over a canopy of leaves. He squinted up at the sliver of dancing, watery light bobbing behind him.

He was in another forest, but different from the last. The trees had darker bark. Their limbs curved and crooked outwards like veins. The ground was marshy, and the air was incredibly humid. Everything felt a lot more tropical.

He rose slowly and crept through the trees away from the light, squinting as his eyes readjusted, trying not to make sloshing noises in the damp ground. He was grateful for the heat. His feet weren't cold anymore, but little bugs kept biting at his skin and buzzing in his ears. He heard someone whistling in the distance.

A torch was jammed into the ground, lighting up a clearing up ahead. He slunk behind a fallen log and peeked over.

The golden-haired figure was making his way through what looked to be a cabbage patch, watering the plants with a big metal watering can. Jungkook was close enough to see that it was definitely Jimin—same smoky eyes, same focused, pouty expression—except Jimin also had bird feet, long spindly nails, and branches growing out of his shoulders.

Jungkook pinched his face. He walked backwards, forwards, ducked up and down, but this was no scrying cloud, this was reality, and Jimin really was whistling to a hut, which responded by tromping over to him like a friendly dog. The hut was the size of a small cottage, with a thatched roof, chipped white walls, and several windows with brown shutters. It too was sporting a pair of bird legs, albeit much bigger ones than Jimin, and every step it took made its shutters bang open and closed.

Jungkook took a step forward and his foot landed directly in a massive puddle.

Jimin paused. The hut loitered nearby, shuffling its feet eagerly. Jimin peered into the forest suspiciously.

Jungkook tried to lift his foot, but it was jammed in the mud. Jimin set the watering can down and took a few steps towards him, wielding a glowing blue orb in his hand. Jungkook ducked down, hoping the oak tree was dense enough to hide his boxers—bright red chili peppers making various ridiculous faces on a purple background, gifted to him by a human back in Seoul.

"Hello?" Jimin called uneasily.

Jungkook tried to dislodge his foot. It worked this time, but the ensuing SHLORP erupted into the clearing clear as day.

Jimin's footsteps quickened. Jungkook flailed. Jimin burst around the tree, hand raised above his head, and Jungkook lurched backwards, tumbling into a gigantic fern.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." Jimin dropped his hand to his side.

Jungkook was busy trying to untangle himself from the fern. Jimin made no attempt to help him. He eventually hauled himself to his feet, covered in mud and leaves and mosquito bites.

"What are you doing here?" Jimin demanded. "You can't just creep up on me like that, I could've hexed your face off."

"Why do you have chicken legs?"

Jimin looked down and swore.

"Are those leafy, weird-ass wings coming out of your back?"

"Fucking hell Jungkook," Jimin shouted.

"By the way," Jungkook said. "I think you're house is wandering away."

Jimin looked up over the log, stuck his fingers in his mouth, and whistled so loud it left Jungkook's ears ringing.

"I told you to stay put," he scolded, making his way back around to the clearing. "Sit down and stop wandering off, I need to clean out your eaves."

The hut sank down, like a goose tucking its feet underneath it, and slumped over.

"Stop sulking, I've got enough shit to deal with right now."

Jungkook wandered out into the clearing. The cabbages varied between gold, green, and an unsettling red colour. They were enormous. Glowing butterflies fluttered through the air, slipping in and out of sight like glitching holograms. There were little purple flowers everywhere.

"Is this where you live?"

"Only over the summer." Jimin climbed his way up a trellis to the roof and started digging mulch out of the eaves. "Can you finish watering the garden? I only got to the third row. Stay out of the forest. It isn't safe."

Jungkook picked up the watering can and got to work.

When Jungkook was finished, he helped Jimin pile the mulch from the eaves into a burlap sack and haul it around back. There was a little greenhouse attached to the back of the hut. It kind of looked like the hut was wearing a see-through backpack. Inside were various planters and pots. Jimin set the mulch next to a pile of bricks and dusted off his hands.

"Pick some of those lemons, I need a drink."

The entirety of the first floor was the kitchen. The counter was covered in potted plants and little piles of dirt. Bags of roots, beans, and little stones were crammed into random crevices in the walls. It was lit with a random assortment of colourful lamps. It was nothing like Jimin's room back in the dorms, with its neatly folded clothes and perfectly made bed.

Jungkook sat down at a little table in the corner and watched Jimin squeeze the lemons into two glasses, add water from a pitcher, and stir in sugar with a thin wooden spoon. The surface of the table was comprised of chipped tiles, each with a different drawing. The images reminded him of the tarot cards his stoner friends used to tell each other's fortunes with.

Jimin shoved the lemonade into his hand and threw himself down in the opposite chair.

"That's quite good," Jungkook said. "Fresh."

"How in the hell did you think to follow me?"

"You kept disappearing after we hooked up. Taehyung wouldn't tell me why."

"So you stayed up and stalked me out into the forest in the middle of the night."

"Pretty much."

Jimin set his glass down on the table and rubbed his face with both hands.

"So are you a..."

"I'm a hag," Jimin fumed, "and before you ask, no, nobody at the school knows, and yes, you absolutely have to keep your mouth shut or I will actually curse you, I swear to god I will this time—"

"So this is where you've been coming every night? To water your cabbages?"

"Not exactly." Jimin let his hands drop to his lap. "It's rainy season. I'm not harvesting anything serious at the moment, but I still need to come out once every couple weeks to make sure my wards are in place. The hut likes to wander past the shields I put up, that's why its eaves are always getting clogged."

"Where... are we?"

"As if I'd tell you." Jimin glared at him. "No hag ever reveals the location of their hut."

"Sorry for not knowing the details of hag etiquette."

"Stop looking so smug." Jimin sighed in disgust. "Yes, you figured it out. In some ways it's a relief. Trying to hide it from you was getting annoying."

"What do you mean?"

"It used to be a lot harder to keep this shit hidden, but now I've gotten to the point where it barely ever slips out... except for when I'm sleeping."

"So we'd hook up, and then I'd crash in Tae's bed..."

"And I'd go back to my room to sleep so you didn't wake up and see twigs sprouting out of my back, or accidentally scratch yourself on one of my claws, or try and kiss me and cut your tongue open on my fangs..."

"You could've told me to leave."

"Didn't really want to. Besides, Tae really likes sleeping with you. He says your smell makes him feel calm."

"So he knows about all this?" Jungkook asked, refusing to acknowledge the fact that he was blushing.

"Of course he does. We lived together in first year. There was no way we could hide this shit from each other. Thankfully he outed himself first—got his heat in the first week of classes, poor bastard. It made it easier for me, though, seeing as I don't like giving secrets away without getting one first."

He glowered at Jungkook, running a pointed claw along his lower lip. Jungkook decided it was a good time to change the topic.

"Doesn't it get exhausting, hiding it all the time?"

"Not really. It's like good posture. At first your back aches all the time, but after a while the muscles adjust and it becomes second nature. When I'm here I let it out mainly because the hut gets moody if I don't."

"Is the hut alive?"

"It's an extension of me, so in a sense, yes; although, I think it's started to suck up power from these woods, so it's developed a bit more of its own character over the years."

"What would happen if you abandoned it?"

The floor bucked, sending their lemonades sailing across the room. Jungkook somersaulted into a shelf, and Jimin leapt up, rubbing the wall with a hand.

"Shh," he cooed, shooting Jungkook a dirty look over his shoulder.

"Sorry," Jungkook mouthed.

"Abandoning the hut is out of the question," Jimin whispered, once the lemonades were cleaned up and they were back outside, checking on the wards. "Every hag stores the majority of their magic in their hut. If I lose my hut, I'm powerless."

"Could you not store you magic inside yourself?"

"That isn't how it works. Hag magic is too unruly to fit inside one person. It's hard to explain."

"Is that why one of your eyes is green?"

"Oh," Jimin laughed, brightening up for the first time since he'd found Jungkook lurking behind the log. "This is a demon eye. I stole it from a devil who lives in the swamp down the way."

"Brutal."

"He was pilfering my cabbage patch, he deserved it. It's really cool." He straightened up, staring at Jungkook. "It lets me see all kinds of things."

Jungkook shuffled uncomfortably.

They walked the perimeter of the clearing. Jimin adjusted invisible boundaries in the air, buried little jewels in the ground, scratched fresh runes into the bark on stumps and trees. The forest stretched beyond, dark and ominous. Jungkook's feet were beginning to itch. Mud had splashed all the way up to his knees.

"Well," Jimin said at last. "We should head back. I want to get back to the school before the sun rises."

"Do you have any spare shoes?" Jungkook asked miserably.

"Oh. Here." Jimin pointed at Jungkook's feet one at a time. The itching disappeared. "I cast a deflection on them. It should keep them dry, at least, until we get back."

The second they stepped through the portal Jungkook started to shiver. Jimin threw his arm around him and drew him close. His chicken feet were gone, his branches vanished. His hand was just an ordinary, clawless hand.

They took a few steps back. Jimin snapped his fingers and the portal exploded into thousands of tiny, crystalline droplets. They trickled onto the ground, splattered against the trees. Glowing bugs swooped in, circling around the clearing.

"It's just like the tree further back."

"Yeah. Those fireflies are drawn to magic. Whenever a portal is cast, it leaves a distinct signature. I used to cast next to that tree all throughout first and second year, but then I realized the bugs were causing suspicions, so I was forced to hike further in to check on my hut."

"Yoongi's convinced an elf was buried there."

"Let him think that," Jimin laughed. "I could've killed Tae the other day, poking around the tree in front of all them."

"Doesn't he know better?"

"Tae knows I'm a hag, but he's never been to my hut. He doesn't know how or when I go to check on it." Jimin sighed murderously. "Unlike some people."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Not even him, if you don't want me to."

"I'm not sure if I trust you. You two are pretty close."

"Not as close as you two." Jungkook kept his gaze fixed head of him. "I like Tae. But I like you just as much, even if you're scarier."

Jimin was silent.

"This is when Tae would take your hand or kiss you, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Probably."

Jimin reached out and took Jungkook's hand, and turned towards him. Jungkook's heart was thumping almost as hard as when the talking squirrel had scared him.

"Why is this so strange?" Jimin asked, staring at Jungkook expressionlessly.

"Because you're being so serious all of a sudden?"

"Am I?"

There was a pause.

"Do you want to kiss me?"

Jimin nodded.

"Then do it," Jungkook whispered.

Jimin leaned in, slowly, and pressed his lips to Jungkook's. Jungkook closed his eyes. Jimin parted his lips, working his mouth open slowly, gently, and Jungkook let him do it, let himself be kissed. His heart was racing the entire time.

"You're shivering," Jimin said.

"S'really cold."

"Let's go."

Jungkook nodded.

When they got back to the dorms the sky had lightened to a faint cobalt. Jimin was too tired to do a scouring charm, so they took a shower. He scrubbed Jungkook's body carefully, kneeling in front of him, washing pine needles and dead bugs off his feet. Jungkook couldn't stop blushing, and for once in his life, Jimin didn't tease him about it.

They crawled in with Taehyung a couple hours before their first class. Taehyung rolled over, wrapping his arms around Jungkook on reflex.

"You're wet."

"Sorry," Jungkook said.

"My fault," Jimin said.

"Chim," Tae yawned. "What are you doing here?"

"Jungkook found out I'm a hag."

"Oh." Taehyung blinked at the ceiling, still half-asleep. "Does that mean we can sleep together now?"

"Yeah."

"Nice."

He pulled the covers over them and snuggled into Jungkook's neck in a way that clearly indicated that nobody was to say another word and sleep was to ensue as soon as possible.

Jungkook had almost drifted off, when Jimin whispered in his ear.

"An eye for an eye, Jungkook. Just remember. An eye for an eye."

Jimin fell asleep a couple minutes later. Jungkook watched as little twigs pushed out of his shoulder blades, forking into branches, pushing the sheets off his back. The fingers that draped over Jungkook's chest were growing sharper.

Jungkook lay there, sandwiched between two of the most elite students at a witching university, contemplating the fact that of the three of them, he was the only one who actually had any witch blood flowing through his veins.

He stared at the ceiling until the alarm went off and the two of them left for classes.

***

"Do I have to wear the tail?"

Taehyung blinked. "You're joking right."

"It's just a little..."

"Without the tail, the entire outfit makes no sense. Without the tail, you're just a sad excuse for a furry, like every other person who puts zero effort into their Halloween costume. Without the—"

"Okay, okay." Jungkook held up his hands. "I'll wear the god-damned tail. Jimin, what is tha—"

Jungkook closed his eyes to avoid getting jabbed in the retina with an oncoming stabby-looking object. Something wet and cold glided over his eyelid.

"Liquid eyeliner, dear," Jimin said. His breath brushed over Jungkook's chin, boozy and sweet. The three of them had been doing shots of amaretto for the past hour, while Jimin and Taehyung got Jungkook into his costume.

It was October 31. Jungkook had arrived at Taehyung's room at noon, as requested, with several bottles of liquor, a sheet wrapped around his shoulders and a dollar store mask elasticked around his head. Jimin and Taehyung had cracked open the Disaronno, yanked off the sheet, tossed his mask in the garbage, and stripped him naked.

"Nice try," Jimin had purred, "but we have other plans for you."

The theme was slutty animals. Pretty basic, but Jimin and Taehyung were going so hard with it, it was starting to ascend into art-cult vibes. Taehyung was dressed as a sheep (I'm a... in sheep's clothing, get it? Get it guys?), shirtless, with glittering white bootie shorts, thigh-high vinyl boots, and an enormous fluffy pimp coat made out of literal sheepskins. Jimin was a cat, which made sense with his eyes—but Jungkook didn't know of any cats who went around in corsets, black lace stockings, garters, or chokers. He supposed the ears and tail kind of brought it together, as Taehyung said. Both of them had full faces of makeup, and Jungkook was super down with all of it until they announced that they expected him to do the same.  

"There," Jimin said, pulling back. "Go check in the mirror."

"Like, the mirror as in the mirror down the hall and in the washrooms?"

"What other mirror is there?"

Jungkook sighed, took a shot of amaretto, grimaced at how sweet it was, and trudged out into the hallway.

Most of the doors were open. Students wandered in and out of their rooms in varying states of drunkenness. The floor sparkled with glitter, feathers, little pieces of lace. Most people were wearing some kind of costume, but even so, he got a few looks.

Yoongi stumbled out of his room in a dragon onesie. The second his eyes landed on Jungkook he wolf whistled. Jungkook gave him the finger and pushed through the washroom door preparing himself for the worst.

The thing about Jimin and Taehyung, was that they were relatively petite in stature. Jimin was toned, and Taehyung was on the taller side, but neither of them worked out regularly. Jungkook understood why he'd gotten some looks.

His thighs strained against the garters. The shorts were barely zipped up, and the topmost button was undone. His abs rolled out from underneath the matching pink halter top, pulled tight over his pecks. His hair was up in two little pigtails. Jimin had magicked the tip of each one pink. His eyelids were dusted pink. His lips were pink. There was just so much pink.

"You forgot your ears," Taehyung exclaimed, bursting in the door.

"Ears and pigtails?" Jungkook said. "Does that even make sense?"

Taehyung crammed the bunny ears onto Jungkook's head and stepped back, giving him a lengthy up and down. "You look so fucking hot."

"I look like a travesty."

Jimin cupped a hand over Jungkook's mouth from behind. "You mustn't utter such falsehoods aloud," he whispered in Jungkook's ear. "Not on the holy day."

"Taehyung's a sheep. Couldn't I have been a horse or something?" Jungkook complained.

"A horse!" Jimin looked scandalized. "Jungkook. That's naughty."

Taehyung shoved a bottle of something into his hand. He took a sip. It was whiskey. "Thank Christ," he muttered. "You're sure everyone is going to go this hard?"

Jimin and Taehyung both nodded vehemently.

Jungkook shrugged. "Alright. Let's go."

The shorts were starting to ride up his ass, but he was too tipsy to care. Never one to refuse a good party, he let them hook their arms through his on either side and drag him downstairs to the grounds.

"Why's it so warm out?"

"The deans enchanted the courtyard, a localized form of climate control," Taehyung said.

"The deans endorse this?"

"Last year, Dean Phantasmagorium dressed up as the mad hatter. I think he was actually on acid the whole time. Dean Sukie got so trashed she blew up one of the shrubberies."

"How is that a thing?"

"It's Hallow's Eve," Jimin said, as if that explained everything.

The courtyard was filled with lines of stands. One was selling caramel apples and cups of mulled wine, which struck Jungkook as oddly wholesome after what he'd just been told. Another was offering prizes to whoever could shatter a bottle with a spell. There was a game of hop scotch with chalk lines that kept moving around, and an old sage telling fortunes in a tent draped with colourful scarves. The whole compound smelled like incense and weed. As it turned out, people generally did not go as hard as Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook with their costumes.

Taehyung and Jimin decided to get temporary tattoos. Jungkook hung back and watched them whispering in each other's ears, giggling, as a witch with long purple hair scribed black patterns on their wrists with a bewitched stylus.

Taehyung was definitely the more boyish of the two of them, but somehow more manly at the same time, with his deep voice and handsome face. Jimin's contradictions were more blended together—a blurred androgyny. Jungkook had been raised in Seoul, the fashion capital of Korea, with beauty standards that made most people, even faeries, question their own self worth on a daily basis, and he still hadn't met anybody quite like the two people in front of him.

They had known each other for two months now. Jungkook still wasn't entirely convinced the two of them weren't keeping him around as a glorified sex doll, but he slept so soundly pressed up close to Taehyung, with Jimin's claws scratching gently at his skin, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually jerked himself off, and besides, he had enough dirt on both of them he was pretty sure they weren't going to toss him anytime soon.

Namjoon sauntered up, interrupting his line of thought.

"Nice costume."

"Thanks. You too."

Namjoon was dressed in a full tuxedo. He'd bewitched his irises into a pale green colour, and he had a cane with a creepy bird head on the top.

"I hear you're coming with us into the corn maze."

It was the first Jungkook had heard of that. "Uh, yeah. Totally."

"It's more of a corn obstacle course," Seokjin said, appearing on Namjoon's left with a cup of wine. His outfit was almost identical to Namjoon's, except his eyes were purple and his cane was solid gold with a hook on the end. "I hope you're ready."

A distant, sober part of Jungkook's brain told him that wandering into an ensorcelled corn maze with two witches, a hag, and a werewolf was probably a really bad idea. He could always go back to the dorms. Buy himself a caramel apple, sober up a bit and wake up the next day a little hungover but otherwise a-ok.

But then Yoongi appeared and shoved a cup of wine into his hand, and a different part of his brain took over, the one which followed the foolproof logic of everything-will-be-fine-as-long-as-I-keep-getting-drunker.

Jimin and Taehyung wandered back over. Jimin had a heart, spade, club, and diamond tattooed around his wrist like a bracelet. Taehyung's whole hand was covered in black feathers.

Jungkook smiled at both of them. "So a corn maze?"

"Oh hi Namjoon," Jimin said.

"We should probably get in line," Seokjin said. "I want to get out in time to check out the cooking stalls."

The sun was only just beginning to set. It hung over the trees, nestled in a fluffy patch of gold-pink clouds. They retrieved Hoseok from an anti-gravity ballpit and made their way past the stone labyrinth to the field.

"Holy shit," Jungkook said.

In the middle of the smooth sea of grass loomed a sprawling, scruffy patch of five-meter high cornstalks. They waited in a line, crammed in with other drunk, bedazzled students, sipping wine and smoking Yoongi's lavender cigarettes. Jungkook was having such a good time, it was actually a bit of a rude awakening when they reached the front of the line and the attendant unhooked the stantion, accepted their tokens, and ushered them into the mouth of the maze.

The ground was mulchy and wet. It reminded Jungkook of the swamps around Jimin's hut. Taehyung's boots were almost instantly coated in mud. They'd barely gone three steps before Yoongi and Hoseok broke out a joint. Seokjin was babbling on about magical fertilizers, dissecting the ethics of introducing them to the human world. Namjoon nodded and grunted sternly, swinging his cane as he listened. Taehyung and Jimin stumbled along, clutching each other, whispering and giggling and shooting little smirks in Jungkook's direction. It could've been any other drunken night out on the town, wandering from one club to another, if Jungkook hadn't been hedged in on both sides by mutant corn at a magical fair on the campus of a witching university.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Jungkook asked.

"I think, for now, we need to follow the white cat," Taehyung said.

A slender Siamese bobbed out from between the stalks, peering disinterestedly over her shoulder.

The cat led them to the left, the left again, and then right. There was a loud banging noise in the distance, followed by shrieks of laughter. Sparkling blue smoke drifted over their heads. Jungkook positioned himself in between Taehyung and Jimin and prayed that nothing jumped out at him from between the whispering, swaying stalks.

They arrived at a fork breaking off into three paths. The cat sprouted batwings and fluttered away.

"Okay," Hoseok said. "Anybody know any divining charms?"

Namjoon stepped forward and tapped his cane on the ground. Three pink circles floated out of the bird head's beak, hovering in front of each the paths. He tapped his cane again, and two of them exploded into puffs of smoke.

"This way," he said.

They followed the path demarcated by the remaining orb. Jimin poked it as they walked by and it began to dissolve, like a sandcastle washing away in the tide.

Next was a waterfall cascading out of thin air that kept reversing the path. Yoongi shattered it with a carefully pitched whistle and they pushed on to another fork. The cat returned at some point, fluttering down and perching on Jungkook’s shoulder. He reached up and scratched behind its ears, and it purred in his ear.

"This one is really beyond me," Hoseok said, scratching his head.

They'd come to a long stretch of path spanning the entire length of one side of the maze. At the end, the lights of the fair twinkled.

"That looks like the exit," Jungkook said. "Maybe that's it? We made it?"

"It's never that simple," Seokjin said.

"There's always a catch," Taehyung said.

"Who designed this maze anyway?" Jungkook said.

"Funny you should ask," Jimin said. "It was me."

Jungkook had about two seconds to process what Jimin had said before Taehyung, Jimin, and Namjoon grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him forward. He went stumbling, dropping his cup of wine, and almost face-planted into the mud.

He grabbed a handful of stalks to stop himself from falling. It worked, he managed to remain upright, but the only problem was that the stalks grabbed back, and they didn't seem that interested in letting go.

"What the fuck," he gasped.

The stalks twined up his arm, snaking around his chest, more vine than corn plant at this point. He threw himself backwards and it only made it worse. The vines were around his whole body now, twisting around his legs, his neck.

"Uh, guys?" he heard Hoseok say.

Jungkook clenched his eyes shut, waiting patiently for Jimin to blast the vines away, for Taehyung to stumble over and grab his arm and laugh in his face about how scared he'd looked.

"Leave it," Jimin said.

"What the hell?" Yoongi said.

"He's a faerie," Namjoon said. "He should know how to handle this."

Oh.

So that was this was about.

Once again, there was a catch.

Hallow's Eve wasn't really about getting drunk in silly costumes and wandering through a trippy obstacle course for shits and giggles. It was about secretly designing a maze and plotting behind Jungkook's back with the explicit intention of getting him to reveal his faerie powers.

Once again, Jungkook, as he was, wasn't enough.

Jungkook's eyes rolled in his head. Since he'd arrived at the school, he'd had a few scares—the talking squirrels, the scrying clouds—but nothing like this. This was roiling, throat-parching fear. This was the knowledge that he was being strangled to death by cursed vines, in front of six people, and nobody was going to save him because they expected him to save himself.

He didn't want to ask for help. He knew what that would mean. He also didn't want to die, but at this point, the vines were squeezing so tight around his throat he couldn't have asked if he wanted to. He thrashed, kicking blindly at the wall, and another vine grabbed his ankle.

"Fuck this," he heard Yoongi grunt. "Let go of me."

"He's going to be fine," Taehyung said, his voice straining as he held Yoongi back.

"Shouldn't he be doing something by now?" Jin asked.

"I don't know what he's waiting for," Namjoon said. "Faeries are supposed to be gifted with plant magic, right? This should be child's play for him."

Blast the vines, Jimin, burn them away, turn this into a joke we can all laugh about later—

"Guys, this is kind of fucked up," Hoseok said.

"Stop being so stubborn," Jimin called out. "You know why I've done this. It's only fair. It's only one spell, Jungkook!"

Jungkook pulled desperately at the vines around his throat. His head was starting to feel light. He was suspended a meter above the ground, like a fly caught in a churning spiderweb.

"Um. Jimin?" Taehyung asked. His voice sounded really far away.

Jungkook was starting to lose consciousness. His eyes drifted shut. His grip on the vines weakened. The vines jerked suddenly, twisting in two directions, and there was a loud pop in Jungkook's right ear. His eyes burst open and a scream erupted in his chest. The sound was snuffed out in his throat, coming out as a ragged squeak.

"Oh fuck," Jimin said.

There was a sound like a massive piece of cardboard getting ripped in half. Jungkook hit the ground a moment later. Chunks of straw fluttered down like confetti. The vines were gone.

Jimin crouched down beside him.

"I think your shoulder is dislocated," he said quietly. "Jungkook, why didn't you do anything?"

Jungkook writhed. Pain radiated through his neck, down his back, but he was too distracted by the fact that he couldn't breathe to pay it much notice. On top of almost being strangled to death, the wind had been knocked out of him when he hit the ground. He gasped pathetically, unable to speak, to yell, to even cry properly.

"Fuck!" Taehyung yelled.

Yoongi dropped down beside him a second later. "What the hell did you do to him? Is he dying?"

Jungkook tried to respond. All that came out was a wheeze.

"The wind was knocked out of his lungs when he fell, he isn't dying," Jimin said.

"His shoulder looks fucked up," Hoseok said.

Seokjin was hunched over, vomiting against the side of the maze, while Namjoon held his hair back, rubbing his back. Through the torrent of pain and terror, Jungkook felt a relic of bitter anger, thinking about how those were the same hands that shoved him into the vines a couple minutes ago.

Taehyung stumbled over, pinching his nose. Blood trickled down his chin.

"Tae, what the hell?" Jimin asked.

"Yoongi punched me in the face. All good. What's wrong with Jungkook?"

"He's winded, and I think his shoulder is dislocated."

"Oh fuck. Here."

Taehyung reached forward and pressed two fingers to Jungkook's sternum. He gasped harshly as his lungs burst open with breath.

"Jungkook, why didn't you just do something?" Taehyung asked.

"I understand being stubborn," Jimin said, "but it isn't like we were asking you to—"

"I can't do magic!" Jungkook shouted, tears streaming angrily down his face, "Witch magic, faerie magic, none of it. I've never been able to and I probably never will! There, are you fucking happy now?"

He rolled over onto his good side, shaking with silent, angry sobs, cradling his useless arm close to his body. He almost wished someone would laugh at him, but all there was was silence.

A familiar silence. A familiar feeling.

Failure.

"He needs to get to the infirmary," Yoongi eventually said. "I know how to set bones, but I don't have any painkillers, and he isn't drunk enough for that shit."

"Even if we lift him, it's going to hurt," Hoseok said.

Still nothing from Taehyung. Nothing from Jimin. Maybe they weren't even there anymore. Maybe they'd left, now that they knew just how useless their pageboy really was.

"Gin," Jungkook whispered.

Yoongi held the bottle to Jungkook's lips. He took a sip.

"Ready?" Yoongi grunted.

Jungkook nodded, grinding his cheek into the mud.

Someone wrapped their arms around him and lifted. His arm shifted, loose in its socket, pain detonated in his shoulder, and the world went black.

***

He woke up eighteen hours later in what he assumed was a bed in the infirmary, although it felt a lot more like a high-end hotel room. There were several lamps placed around the room emitting warm light. The sheets were forest green. The walls were decorated with a rustic, floral wallpaper that he guessed was supposed to be soothing, but it kind of reminded him of the vines. He closed his eyes.

The pain in his shoulder was dull now. He reached up and felt around. Everything seemed to be back in place. He was grateful he hadn't been conscious when whoever it was had popped it back in. Sometimes, in the big, shitty scheme that was his life, a few things worked out.

There was a knock at the door. A witch walked in, with short red hair, pale white skin, and brown eyes. She was wearing a black turtleneck and jeans.

"Who're you?"

"The one who put your shoulder back in its socket. How's everything feeling?"

It turned out her name was Gabrielle Green and she was the head doctor at Blackthorn.

"Sorry, the absence of a uniform threw me," he said.

"It's alright. Healing can get messy, even in the witching world, but most of the time it's nothing a good scouring charm can't take care of. I've scoured blood out of my best denim more times than I can count. University kids are a wild bunch."

"Scouring charms," Jungkook muttered bitterly.

She gave him a funny look. "Well, Mr. Jeon, it turns out you also fractured your spine when you fell on your back. I want one more night to monitor you and make sure my tinctures are doing their job. I'll discharge you tomorrow."

Tinctures. That explained the funny taste in his mouth.

"Oh, and you have a couple visitors. Would you like me to send them in?"

Jungkook shrugged. "Go ahead."

Dr. Green strolled out of the room. He rolled onto his back, fully expecting Yoongi and Hoseok to walk through the door. When Taehyung and Jimin appeared instead, he was too shocked to feel much anger—at least at first.

"How are you feeling?" Taehyung sat on the edge of the bed. There was a piece of blue tape over the bridge of his nose where Yoongi had punched him. Jungkook tried not to feel too happy about how swollen it looked.

"My shoulder is back in its socket. My spine is going to heal." Jungkook shrugged, ignoring the dull ache in his arm everytime he moved. "How's Jin?"

"He's okay. He freaked out when your shoulder popped. His mom died in a duel a couple years ago and he hasn't done well with violence since."

"That's too bad. Was he in on the plan too?"

Taehyung shot Jimin a wary look. Jimin was still hovering to the side. Jungkook didn't really feel like looking at him to see what his face was doing.

"Yeah, he was. Everyone knew about it except Yoongi and Hoseok." Taehyung frowned. "We honestly didn't expect it to get so bad, Gukkie. We thought you were going to do something to stop it."

"I never made a big deal out of your heats. I didn't say a thing about Jimin's claws and fangs," Jungkook whispered. "Why couldn't you have just respected the fact that I didn't want to do magic?"

"We were curious," Taehyung said. "Namjoon has been talking about faerie magic for years, even before you got here. We all kind of assumed you weren't showing it to us because you thought you were better than us. You may not feel that way, but lots of faeries do."

"So you all got together and planned this." Jungkook looked at Jimin. "For how long?"

"Only a couple weeks," Jimin said. He looked tired. "I'm no faerie, but forests and plants are kind of my thing. I grow all kinds of rare plants around my hut. A cornmaze was nothing."

"That's nice," Jungkook said expressionlessly. "How many times did you meet?"

"You stalked me to my hut," Jimin blurted under his breath. "You deliberately sought to uncover my secret, and in return, I sought to uncover yours. It's only fair! An eye for an eye, as I said. I knew you were hiding something. I just never dreamt that it was that you..."

"Don't know how to do magic, yeah."

Both of them fell silent.

Jungkook stared at them, trying to resurrect the feelings he'd felt for them while he watched them getting tattoos at the fair, before the maze. Nothing made it through the wall of shame.

"I don't think I'm better than you. I flunked out of every faerie school in Seoul. I knew from the second I got here that you were all better than me. My parents didn't send me here to learn magic. They gave up on that years ago. They sent me here because they couldn't stand to watch me partying with humans, bringing even more shame to the family than I already had."

"Why do you like humans so much, anyway?" Taehyung asked.

"Why do you think?" Jungkook's voice was flat, tired. "I like them because they're like me."

More silence. Jungkook wanted to crawl out of his skin.  

"You shouldn't feel that bad about yourself," Jimin said. "It's a witch school, everybody's hiding something."

"Not me, anymore, thanks to you two."

Taehyung glanced at Jimin again. Jungkook wanted to tell him to grow a spine, to learn how to think on his own, to scream all the things his parents had screamed at him when another tutor quit, when Jungkook flunked out of another class because he couldn't get through the first assignment.

"Dr. Green doesn't know the details of what brought you here, and with any luck, Namjoon and Seokjin will keep their mouths shut," Jimin said. "Yoongi and Hoseok won't say anything, right?"

Jungkook rolled onto his side. "I don't really give a shit."

"We brought you some potions." Taehyung set a glass vial on the nightstand. "It'll help you sleep, and give you some really cool dreams at the same time."

"No thanks."

"Jungkook," Jimin said. There was a lengthy pause. "I'm sorry. There's no way we could've forseen this."  

"The game is over," Jungkook whispered. "You won. I'm sorry my secret was so boring. You two are free to go now."

"I'm sorry, but we can't. We all know way too much about each other at this point. I would rather we stay in contact."

Jungkook's heart had felt numb up to this point, but that was the clincher.

A walk on the wild side. An anomaly. He was never a real person; just an idea, that never failed to fall short of people's expectations. Now that they knew he had no magic, he was collateral. They just as well would let him go, but they couldn't, not because they cared about him, but because he knew who they really were.

Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his face, welling on the side of his nose, soaking into the pillow.

"I'm not going to tell anybody your stupid secrets."

"I'd still prefer—"

"Please," Jungkook laboured. "Go."

"Jungkook," Taehyung said softly.

Jungkook remained silent. The two of them eventually made their way to the door and left. It was only when the door closed behind them that Jungkook stopped fighting and allowed the hollow sobs to rip through his tender body.

***

He was discharged the next morning. His shoulder still ached, but Dr. Green assured him it was a common symptom with magical healing, something to do with tissues repairing themselves faster than the nerves could catch up, no indication of real damage. He took that as license to do a full fitness routine that afternoon, on the lawn, in full view of the school, because honestly, fuck them.

He turned a corner and spotted Yoongi making his way down to the smoke pit. He turned around and jogged the other way.

"Hey, hey, Guk—"

Jungkook grit his teeth and turned back around. Yoongi waved.

"How's the shoulder?"

"Just did sixty pushups. It's fine."

"Yeah, Dr. Green is great, she reattached my whole foot back in first-year. Rager during frosh week, you're lucky you sidestepped all that."

Jungkook let out a single, humourless laugh.

"Hey man." Yoongi stepped in close, lowering his voice. "What those guys did back there. Seriously fucked up. Even with my magic, I don't know if I would've been able to fend those things off."

Jungkook knew Yoongi was lying, but he appreciated the excuse to vent his anger on something. There was just so much of it, it was hard to know what to do with it. It was like a scared, tired dog barking itself hoarse. He was mad at everything. He was honestly having a hard time not being mad at Yoongi, even though that made no sense at all.

Maybe Jungkook was just mad at him for having been there that night. For seeing Jungkook in such a pathetic state. For knowing he couldn't do any magic.

Yoongi led him down to the smoke pit and lit him a cigarette, rambling about how he never trusted the members of the student council, how Jimin and Taehyung always struck him as mildly sociopathic. The minutes passed, Jungkook sucked back his cigarette, and the elephant loomed larger and larger.

"And Seokjin's just an enabler, I'm pretty sure he and Namjoon—"

"So," Jungkook grunted, cutting Yoongi off.

Yoongi stopped talking so fast, Jungkook suspected he knew this was coming.

There was a pause.

"You get it now, right? Why I'm here?" Jungkook gestured to himself. "Why I act like this?"

Yoongi's eyes flickered to him, and then away. After a moment, he nodded.

"It isn't a choice for me. This isn't some statement I'm making, to be edgy and rebellious. I literally have no other option."

"It isn't a statement for me either, but I'm going to let that slide because I know you're on edge." Yoongi ashed his cigarette and met Jungkook's eye. "Listen man. I don't give a fuck if you can't do magic. We've been hanging out two months now and what can I say?" He shrugged, tiny shoulders bobbing in his oversized jacket. "I like you. You're a good friend."

Yoongi gave Jungkook a minute to get his shit together.

"Okay," Jungkook eventually rasped, wiping away the tears he hadn't been able to blink away. "Thanks."

"Don't go soft on me, Jeon. You know I got your back." Yoongi punched his shoulder. "Oh fuck, sorry—"

Jungkook grimaced, waiting for the pain to die back down. "S'all good."

Yoongi assured him that Hoseok felt the same—as in he also didn't care and mainly wished he'd been the one to punch Taehyung in the face instead. Jungkook knew he wouldn't feel truly at ease until he heard those words come out of Hoseok's mouth himself, and his guts still felt twisted up about a lot of things, but his heart was slightly lighter, and he had Yoongi to thank for that.

Dinner in the refectory that night was equally uncomfortable. Jungkook had to remind himself that the grand majority of the student body still thought of him as a snobby, reclusive faerie with fully functional magic. He ate his soup and salad in the corner, glaring at the listening vines, glaring at the door, daring Namjoon or Seokjin to walk in and ruin his meal. Thankfully the refectory remained as quiet as ever around closing time.

As for the other two, he hadn't put much thought into it. The problem was that everytime he got near it his mind went blank and his hands started to shake.

Which was exactly what happened when, returning to his room from a shower that night, he found Jimin and Taehyung sitting on the edge of his bed. Jimin was dressed in a sweater and slacks. Taehyung was in a bathrobe. Jungkook stood there, staring at them in disbelief as the door creaked shut behind him.

"No," he eventually said. "Get out."

"Listen, Gukkie, we had an idea," Taehyung said quickly.

Jungkook blinked.

Taehyung must've mistaken his mute rage for permission to continue, because he carried on, "We were thinking we could help you learn magic."

"I can't do magic."

"We know, but with the right kind of instruction—"

"Because I don't have any magic."

Silence fell.

Jungkook walked towards the wardrobe, turning his back to them. "My parents took a chance when they had me. A witch and a faerie—very taboo. Yeah, my mom is basically a genius—"

"We know," Jimin said. "She wrote a lot of the textbooks in our program."

"—but it was still unthinkable that my dad would consider procreating with her. Especially given that he's a noble. But my mom is just so fucking brilliant that he couldn't resist, because that's what love is, right, finding someone with the right set of qualifications—"

Jungkook took a moment to catch his breath. Taehyung's eyes were the size of planets. Even Jimin looked a little shaken up. He kept inhaling as if to speak, but nothing came out.

"Either eway, they went against the community's wishes and got themselves knocked up. I think they thought they were going to create some kind of ultra-being, someone with both faerie and witch magic. A perfect little prodigy who would prove everyone wrong. They always did love a good experiment, but with all that intelligence and foresight they didn't once consider the possibility that wedding faerie blood with witch blood might have the opposite effect."

"What do you mean?" Taehyung asked forlornly.

"That they would cancel each other out."

"But..." Taehyung played with his hands nervously, picking at the nails. "You don't know that for sure right? It might still be worth a shot... I could show you some super basic stuff, maybe—"

"I've flunked out of every single class I've ever taken. Elite faerie academies in Seoul. Private tutors."

"Still, I could—"

"CAN YOU STOP BEING SO ARROGANT FOR ONCE IN YOUR FUCKING LIVES?" Jungkook exploded.

Taehyung looked like he'd been slapped across the face.

"You're just a couple of third year witches in an undergraduate program at a fancy-schmanzy school, you aren't god, and you aren't going to be the ones who save me."

"Gukkie—"

"I have no magic. I know you hate that idea, but it's the way it is. It's my fucking life. The last thing I need is you two hanging around trying to coax something out me that isn't there, making me feel like shit about myself!"

"And you call us arrogant," Jimin said softly.

"You know what?" Jungkook laughed humourlessly. "Even if someone could save me, I wouldn't want it to be you. I hate you."

Taehyung burst into tears.

"Why the fuck are you crying."

"Because I miss you," Taehyung sobbed.

Jungkook shook his head. "You can't say something like that, not after what happened in the corn maze."

"Yes, we shoved you into some strangling vines," Jimin snapped. "Get over it."

Jungkook spun towards him.

"What?" Jimin asked. "Are you going to hit me? Break my nose like Yoongi broke Taehyung's?"

"I want you to leave."

"No," Jimin said. "Not until you hear what I have to say."

Jungkook dropped into a chair and cradled his head in his hands.

"Why can't everyone just leave me alone?"

"Isn't how the world works, babe."

Jungkook breathed raggedly. The fight was draining out of him. His shoulder was throbbing. Taehyung kept choking on sad little sobs.

"I just want to sleep," Jungkook said.

"It isn't like we shoved you into those vines without thinking it through."

"Nah. Designed the whole god-damned maze, apparently—"

"Yes, I designed the maze, but that isn't what I'm talking about," Jimin snapped. "If I thought there was any chance you didn't have magic, I would never have let you step foot in that maze, let alone left you at the mercy of my meanest booby trap."

"Think what you like, but I'm the one who—"

"I don't think you have magic," Jimin said. "I know it."

Jungkook looked up. His expression was guarded, still resentful, but a glimmer of curiosity flickered in his eyes before he crushed it down beneath the usual layer of shame.

"I see that got your attention."

Taehyung hiccupped.

"What kind of bullshit are you spinning now?" Jungkook whispered.

"It's what drew me to you in the first place. That bizarre signature." Jimin tilted his head, staring at Jungkook intently. "As I told you, this demon eye lets me see all kinds of interesting things, like spirits, lingering curses, and people's magic, like yours. It's kind of like a witch's, outward oriented, but it's also generating its own energy. That must be the faerie component." He tilted his head to the other side, narrowing his gaze. "I've never seen anything like it."

"How do I know..." Jungkook swallowed. His voice was hollow. "How do I know you aren't fucking with me?"

"You can't step through portals without magic. Dr. Green's tinctures wouldn't have worked on you if you didn't have magic. There are tons of clues, Jungkook; frankly, I'm amazed you haven't figured this out for yourself. Your parents really must've done a number on you."

"Then what's wrong with me? Why can't I do anything?"

"I'm not sure." Jimin squinted even more. "Your faerie magic is this smooth, egg-shaped thing inside you. It seems like you might not be able to access it without using your witch magic as an intermediary. Have you ever tried learning witch magic before?"

"Nope."

Jungkook burst into tears.

"Oh-kay," Jimin said. "I'm a little out of my element here. What just happened that was sad?"

Taehyung slipped off the bed and wrapped his arms around Jungkook. Jungkook hunched over, spitting and choking into his hands.

"They probably didn't let him," Taehyung said.

"Oh, but that's just stupid," Jimin said. "To have a child who's half witch and forbid him to learn witch magic? What did they expect?"

Jungkook hunched further over. Taehyung went down with him, draping his torso over the armrest.

"Please let me teach you magic, Gukkie," Taehyung said.

"Tae," Jungkook gasped, trying to turn around. "You're gonna bruise your ribs."

"I wanna probe your smooth faerie egg thing with my witch methods."

"Tae, oh my god—"

Jungkook managed to pull Taehyung in front of him. Taehyung immediately crawled into his lap, pressing his face to Jungkook's neck. Jungkook's ass crushed down hard against the wood seat.

"You're heavier than you look," Jungkook groaned.

"I'm so so sorry about the vines," Taehyung mumbled in between deep, hungry breaths.

"Do I really smell that good?"

"You have no idea."

Jimin came over and knelt between Jungkook's knees, gazing up into his face. "What we did wasn't nice. The world of magic isn't nice. It's unpredictable, dangerous, and fucked up. But you have a place in it if you like."

Jungkook glowered at the floor.

Jimin sighed. "What are you mad about now?"

"Be patient with him. He really doesn't get it sometimes," Taehyung said. "His hag emotions are still developing."

"My hag emotions are fully formed, thank you very much. It's witch emotions I have a harder time with. And werewolf emotions. And faerie emotions, apparently."

"I dunno, I just feel like I wanna keep being mad," Jungkook muttered.

"Valid." Taehyung yanked on Jungkook's belt. "How about being mad in bed?"

"Are you not in the least bit excited that you have magic?" Jimin asked.

"God damn it Jimin, I don't wanna talk about it!"

Taehyung pulled him out of the chair and pushed him on the bed. Jungkook looked up at both of them, standing in front of him. His eyes were still glistening with tears.

"Yoongi thinks I don't have magic. And you know what he said? He didn't care. He still wanted to be my friend."

"Good for him," Taehyung said. "But you do have magic."

"He didn't throw me into a wall of strangling vines to get some trick out of me. Because in his eyes I was already good enough."

"Would you rather we never did it?" Jimin asked. "Let you live out your years never knowing?"

"I don't know. I just..." Jungkook dropped his eyes to the floor.

"You want me to tell you the same thing that Yoongi did? Because I can't. I don't understand what that kind of effortless connection feels like. Not even with Taehyung."

Jungkook's cheeks burned with renewed shame. "I don't want anything from you."

"Is that true?"

Jungkook looked up.

Jimin was staring at the ground, biting his lip. His hands were balled up at his sides. He looked genuinely confused. Judging from Taehyung's expression, this wasn't an ordinary occurrence.

"Most of the time you don't seem to mind hanging out with us, even if you act grumpy sometimes," Jimin said softly. "That being said, it's possible I've misinterpreted things. I know we pushed ourselves on you from the start, so if you truly want us to leave... we will."

Jungkook stared straight ahead, frowning harder than ever.

"Come here."

"What?"

"I said come here," Jungkook muttered.

Jimin's eyes went wide.

"You too, Taehyung."

The two of them approached him slowly. Jimin still looked confused. Taehyung was beginning to wear a bit of a smirk. When they were close enough, he grabbed them and dragged them against him, a messy jumble of arms and abs and ribs.

Jimin made a yipping noise. Taehyung reached down and started thumbing at Jungkook's shirt, trying to get it off over his head, but Jungkook stayed put, strong arms holding them in place, his face mashed in between Jimin's firm abs and Taehyung's somewhat softer abs.

"Gukkie," Taehyung laughed.

Jungkook pressed his ear to Jimin's chest, listening to his heartbeat, and then Taehyung's. Jimin stayed still, not saying a word, while Taehyung fidgeted, scratching at Jungkook's scalp, playing with his earlobes.

"You two really are terrible," he murmured.

"You wanna top me?" Jimin whispered.

"Was kind of thinking we could sleep? My shoulder is killing me."

"You should've said something," Taehyung exclaimed. He wriggled away and disappeared out the door.

Jungkook let his arms drop to his sides. Jimin stayed close, gazing down at him, playing with his hair.

"What if I do all the work?"

"Is this your way of apologizing?"

"I'm horny, you have a nice dick, and I feel like it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to spoil you a little right now. Is that so wrong?"

Jungkook chewed the inside of his cheek. "Honestly I was hoping when it happened I could wreck you a little."

"You can wreck me some other time."

The door opened. Taehyung placed a big brown pill in Jungkook's palm and offered him a glass of water.

Jungkook stared at the pill. "Does it make you sleepy?"

"Nope," Taehyung said.

Jungkook popped it in his mouth and washed it down with a slug of water. It left a grassy taste in his mouth. "Whoa," he said, as the pain almost instantly faded away.

"So what's the plan, fam?" Taehyung asked.

Jimin looked at Jungkook.

"I'm wrecking Jimin," Jungkook said.

"Cool," Taehyung said. "How can I help?"

Jungkook thought for a moment. "Undress him."

Jungkook leaned back on the mattress. Taehyung walked over to Jimin, kissed his cheek, and then pulled his sweater over his head. Jimin stared at Jungkook, his cheeks getting a little pinker, as Jungkook let his eyes roam over his bare torso, running a lazy thumb along his lower lip.

"You're pretty when you blush, Chim," Jungkook said, helping himself to Taehyung's petname.

Jimin blinked, dropping his gaze to the floor.

"He's right," Taehyung said, unbuttoning the front of Jimin's pants. "You are."

"You like being pretty, don't you?"

"Maybe," Jimin breathed.

"You like distracting me. Both of you. You like it when I stare."

"Shh," Taehyung said. "Don't bring me into this, I'm trying to focus."

Jungkook chuckled. He watched as Taehyung dropped to his knees, pulling Jimin's pants off his ankles, and then yanked his underwear off just as matter-of-factly. Jimin's dick bounced free, already hard.

Jungkook's eyes zeroed in on it mercilessly.

"How's it feel to be the only naked one for a change?" he asked.

Jimin inhaled to speak, but once again, nothing came out.

"Come here. I want to taste you."

Jimin made a little whimper of protest.

"C'mere kitten, I don't bite."

Jimin frowned, but made his way forward. He kept going to cross his arms, and then dropping them to his sides instead.

"Feeling shy?"

"N-no."

"Mmm. Okay then."

Jungkook leaned forward and parted his lips, sucking on Jimin's tip. Jimin gasped, reaching out and gripping Jungkook's shoulders.

"Tae, hold his hands."

Taehyung, who was sitting on the ground, stood up and made his way behind Jimin. He grabbed Jimin's wrists and pinned them behind him. Jimin huffed.

"So pretty." Jungkook held Jimin's whole cock in his hand, admiring it.

"S-supposed to spoil you."

"I dunno. I kinda think this is more fun."

Jungkook opened his mouth, resting Jimin's cock on his lower lip, and swirled his tongue around the head in slow circles. Jimin shuddered. Jungkook took him deeper, lapping noisily at the underside of his cock, and Jimin made an embarrassed keen.

"Fuck," Taehyung murmured, watching over Jimin's shoulder.

"Gukkie."

"What?" Jungkook asked, pulling off slowly, gazing up at Jimin with heavy-lidded eyes.

"N-nothing."

"Thought so."

Jungkook swallowed him back up, taking him all the way to the back of his throat this time. Jimin wasn't very big. Jungkook's nose pressed against his pelvic bone with only a few protests from his gag reflex. Jimin moaned frantically, his head dropping back onto Taehyung's shoulder, as Jungkook bobbed his head, stroking up the base with his hand.

"You taste so good," he gasped, pulling off with the most obscene slurp he could manage. "Look Chim. You fit so well in my hand, so tiny and cute—"

"Fucking hell, Gukkie," Jimin hissed through his teeth.

"Still down to bottom for me?"

Jimin closed his eyes. His face was flushed, his lips trembling. He nodded silently.

"Lay him down, Tae."

Taehyung pushed Jimin onto the bed. He sprawled on his back, head propped on the pillows, chest rising and falling with shallow breath. His skin glowed agains the sheets. He honestly looked like he could've been the subject of a painting concerning Greek gods, or fallen angels, or other beautiful and wicked things.

"Can I get some lube?"

"Here," Taehyung said, spreading his legs.

Jungkook reached underneath Taehyung's cock and dipped his fingers into his hot, wet heat. Taehyung swallowed hard, gasping a little.

"Don't worry, I have plans for you too," Jungkook said, pulling his fingers out. They were covered in slick. Taehyung nodded keenly.

"Really handy having a werewolf around, when you're about to get your brains fucked out by a—"

Jungkook pushed a finger inside Jimin and he went mute.

"Pretty loose," Jungkook said. "Did you two fuck last night?"

"I'm sorry," Taehyung said, wringing his hands. "It wasn't that we didn't care, we just got back to the dorms and we were so stressed—"

"I'm not even surprised."

Jungkook pulled back, lined up two fingers, and pushed them directly into Jimin's prostate. Jimin's head shot off the pillow with a loud moan. He stared at Jungkook accusatorily.

"You probably let Taehyung fuck you all the time, don't you?" Jungkook twisted his wrist, adding a third finger, and Jimin's eyes rolled up into his head.

"I really like bottoming," he whispered.

"Yeah. I know. I'm actually impressed you held out on me this long."

"Wasn't easy."

"All those times you watched me take Taehyung to pieces. Spread him open, leaned him over the edge of the bed, fucking one orgasm out of him after the next, until he could barely breathe."

Taehyung moaned tragically.

"I bet you wished it was you instead."

Before Jimin could respond, Jungkook pulled all three fingers out of him. Jimin cried out in protest.

"Stop talking so much," Jimin whined.

"You want it that bad, huh?"

"Yes, your cock is amazing and beautiful and I'm begging so please just give it to me."

"His cock really is good," Taehyung said. He lay down next to Jimin, grinding his cock casually against Jimin's hip. "I really think you'll like it."

In ideal circumstances Jungkook would've drawn it out a little longer, maybe gotten Taehyung involved, fucked him first and made Jimin watch, but the truth was, Jimin's desperate little moans were starting to get to him, and it was starting to show. He pushed Jimin's legs over his head, lined up, and eased him back onto his cock, watching closely as he was swallowed up by Jimin's asshole. Both of them moaned in tandem.

"Fuck," Jimin gasped.

Jungkook started to move.

This wasn't messy, sloppy, passionate fucking. This was Jungkook propping both of Jimin's ankles over the same shoulder, holding Jimin just so, and driving his cock in and out of him in quick, precise thrusts.

This was Jungkook fucking to get himself off.

There was no chance of escape for Jimin. Jungkook may not have known how to cast spells, but he certainly knew how to fuck, and every single thrust pounded straight into Jimin's most sensitive spot.

Jimin moaned harshly. Every time he reached out to grip Jungkook's shoulders, Jungkook shoved him off, until he reached up and gripped at his own hair instead. Jungkook stared at him, gritting his teeth, spellbound by how vulnerable and pretty Jimin could be, arching off the mattress, tearing at his own hair, lost in his own desires.

Taehyung must've been getting off on some kind of referred sex high, because he looked pretty wrecked too. He rutted against Jimin's hip, alternating between sucking Jimin's nipples and neck. Jungkook let his mind go blank, watching his two beautiful boys moaning and squirming against each other, and shot off hard into Jimin's ass.

"Fuck," he gasped, slamming his hips against Jimin's ass and holding there. He thrusted a few more times, and then stopped, choking at the over-sensitivity.

Jimin was fighting to catch his breath. Taehyung looked up at Jungkook with a drunken sort of curiosity.

Jungkook wanted to pull Taehyung closer and devour those sensuous, kissable lips, wanted to say something sweet to Jimin, but instead, he pulled out and collapsed back against the wall.

Jimin mewled.

"I thought you were going to..." Taehyung said.

"I wanna watch," Jungkook said. "I want you to show me what you were doing together while I was getting my shoulder popped back in last night."

Taehyung gulped. Jungkook would've felt bad, but Taehyung was still so hard, he couldn't have been that stressed.

"I mean... are you sure?" Taehyung asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Well..." Taehyung seemed a little embarrassed.

"Just get inside me," Jimin said.

Taehyung pulled himself up and positioned himself between Jimin's legs.

"Well wait. Like... exactly what we were doing last night? Then..." He grabbed Jimin's hips and flipped him onto his stomach. Jimin moaned as his dick pressed into the sheets. Taehyung gave Jungkook a final, sidelong glance, and then pushed inside Jimin in one long slide.

"Fucking hell I always forget how big you are," Jimin said, his voice high and strained.

"You had me just last night," Taehyung laughed breathlessly. "Oh god, Guk, you left him so hot and wet..."

Jungkook's hand had made its way to the base of his own dick. He gave it a non-committal stroke.

"Please," Jimin breathed.

Taehyung started to move. Jimin jolted forward, gripping the sheets. Unlike Jungkook, Taehyung took his time, rolling his hips at a leisurely pace. The room was filled with the sound of Taehyung's shaky breaths and Jimin's muffled moans into the pillow.

Jungkook discovered he was starting to get hard again.

"Gukkie was going at me like a fucking jackhammer and then you give me this," Jimin moaned, surfacing with a gasp. "Please Tae, for the love of all that is sacred, fuck me."

"Okay, okay, fine," Taehyung laughed.

The smile melted off his face.

A moment later, Jimin wailed.

Now this, this was messy. Taehyung thrusted frantically, skin clapping hard against skin. Jungkook could tell he was working himself up a little, getting into it, growling in his deep, rumbly voice, slapping Jimin's ass and digging his nails in.

"You like that huh? Such a fucking whore—"

"Please Tae, yes, please just fuck me—"

Taehyung was such a sexual chameleon. But, Jungkook supposed, they all were in their own right.

Jungkook was definitely hard again, jerking himself off with a combination of his own cum and Taehyung's slick.

He imagined them like this, last night... maybe Jimin had still been wearing his lace stockings. Had Taehyung even bothered to take his shorts off? Or were they still on, cock sticking out the front, unzipped? Had the two of them even thought of Jungkook once? Or had they just wanted to get off together, wanted to cum?

The thought made Jungkook's cheeks burn with jealous, painful arousal. He jerked himself harder, his breathless moans joining the cacophany filling his room.

Taehyung pulled Jimin up into his arms, reaching around to stroke him. Jimin squirmed, moaning deliriously, as Taehyung bit his neck.

"I'm cumming," Jimin gasped.

White strands erupted all over Jungkook's sheets. Taehyung sped up, crashing into him hard and fast. Jimin reached up and gripped Taehyung's forearms for dear life as the rest of his cum was fucked out of him from inside.

Taehyung cried out as he came—a loud, formless noise, vaguely resembling yeah or fuck, it was actually so unintelligible Jungkook couldn't tell. Either way, the sound, ridiculous as it was, sent him over the edge, and he came in his hand, a harsh little orgasm that had him straining against the wall.

Jimin tumbled forward and landed on all fours, narrowly avoiding faceplanting in his own cum. Taehyung sat back on his ass, wiping hair out of his eyes. Both of them were sweaty and destroyed looking.

"How was that?" Taehyung asked, giving Jungkook an up and down. "Happy now?"

"It was pretty good," Jungkook said absent-mindedly.

"You should know we were worried sick about you the whole time."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Taehyung made an exasperated noise. "Why do you think?"

"Guilt?" Jungkook mused. "Fear of reprimand? Disappointment?"

"For fuck's sakes, you're so insecure sometimes." Taehyung grabbed Jungkook's arm and pulled. Jungkook pouted. Taehyung pulled harder, and Jungkook fell against his chest. Jimin cuddled in from the other side.

"We like you, Guk. Can you not tell?"

"Like me how?" Jungkook muttered.

"You really want me to spell it out for you?"

"Kind of, yeah."

"Fine." Taehyung sighed. "I guess we owe it to you after last night. For one, you're really sexy—"

"Ah hah! I knew it."

"Back off, I wasn't finished. You're sexy, and you smell like heaven, yeah, but not just anyone would've been so chill about what I am. And not just chill, but nice. You could've walked away, but instead, you helped me, and you didn't make me feel gross about how needy I was." Taehyung made a frustrated noise. "I'm trying to say you're a good person, with a big heart, and fuck I sound so cheesy—"

"I wanted you since the moment you appeared," Jimin said.

"Well, go on and tell it like it really is, won't you?" Taehyung said.  

"I won't lie. Your unique energetic signature drew me to you at first. Hags like to collect fine things, like those special bags of beans you saw in my hut, or my demon eye, or Taehyung. Not many werewolves live out in civilization, and I was quite lucky to come across one myself. Half-faerie, half-witch is quite a compelling combination."

"So what you're telling me is that you wanted to add another interesting thing to your collection?"

"In a sense, yes..." Jimin blinked. "Although, I'm starting to realize that I may need to rethink my plan before adding any more boys. Two has been a lot to deal with so far."

"It is a decent amount," Taehyung said, clearly trying not to laugh.

"But it isn't just your signature," Jimin said.

Jungkook was starting to realize that the way Jimin expressed himself was inconsistent. When he was in his element, something well-rehearsed, like flirting loudly with Jungkook in the showers and embarrassing him, he sounded way more natural, but whenever he was forced to talk about things he didn't understand, his diction became plain, awkward, and almost formal.

"The sex is good, as Taehyung said, but I find you amusing in other ways too. Your actions are hard to predict. You're sneaky, which any hag could relate to, but still, for some reason which I cannot place, I'm inclined to trust you."

Jungkook lay there, wrapped in their arms, thinking it over. It wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. They were both pretty selfish, and a lot of why they liked Jungkook boiled down to what he could give them.

Still...

It felt good to be appreciated. And besides, he didn't know if he could've done much better. Taehyung and Jimin were, in some ways, just as much a sexy, interesting anomaly to him as he was to them. They were nothing like the kinds of people he usually sought out. They were flippant, careless, and harsh, and more than a little full of themselves. But the truth was, when those vines had almost strangled him to death, coupled with his fear of death and humiliation was the fear of loss.

If he hadn't been able to forgive them, that meant letting them go, and for whatever fucked up reason, he had become pretty attached to them over the course of the past two months.

"Is that okay?" Jimin asked. The confused, raw tone was back in his voice.

"Yeah."

"So you don't want us to leave?"

"Nah."

"Yay," Taehyung said softly.

Jungkook sighed. "Yoongi is going to kill me."

Chapter Text

"Thank you, Taehyung. You may take a seat."

Taehyung lowered his hands and walked back to his desk. As he passed Jungkook, he gave him a little wink. Jungkook huddled down further and tried to look invisible.

The professor scanned the room. He was a short, squat man with white skin, long wiry hair and a beard that grew down to his navel. His thick brows were furrowed, until his eyes landed on Jungkook, whereupon an enlightened expression spread across his rosy face and his features relaxed.

"Who next... ah, yes. Jungkook, why don't you come up and show us how the spell is done?"

Jungkook swore under his breath.

Several students murmured. Someone to his left snickered. Jungkook made his way to the front of the classroom, long hair dangling in his face. He'd been so busy he hadn't had a chance to cut it and the tips were still pink from Halloween.

The professor gestured towards a glass bottle on the desk in front of the blackboard. "Go ahead."

Jungkook's eyes flickered to the blackboard.

"Eyes on the bottle. The formulas are only a guide."

Jungkook looked back at the bottle. The water inside shimmered in the sunlight coming through the window. It was a rare sunny day in the endless stretch of rain and fog that December had brought to the grounds.

Jungkook took a deep breath and held out his hands.

Nothing happened.

Someone laughed.

"Go Gukkie!" Taehyung yelled so loudly and unexpectedly that several people dropped their pencils on the floor. "You got this! WOooooOoOooOo!"

"Taehyung, please keep your voice down," the professor said.

"Sorry professor," Taehyung said.

Jungkook grimaced.

"One more try, Jungkook."

Jungkook stared at the water. He tried to feel it, to get inside the bottle like Taehyung had said. He exhaled all at once, and twitched his fingers upwards.

At first he thought he'd done it.

The water was definitely moving. Because the glass bottle was moving. Downwards, as it burned through the desk, tumbled through the air, and thumped onto the floor. Boiling water splashed all over Jungkook's shoes. The bottle started to melt through the tile. Acrid smoke plumed out from underneath the desk.

Jungkook yelped, kicking his shoes off. The professor rushed forward and pointed three fingers at the misshapen puddle of glass. It stopped melting. Students were coughing, stumbling out of their desks as the smoke encroached upon the front row. The professor waved a hand through the air and sucked the smoke into his fist. He walked to the window, opened it, and tossed the smoke out into the cold December afternoon.

"I don't know why he keeps calling on me," Jungkook fumed. He stormed down the corridor, clutching his books to his chest. "He knows what's going to happen."

"At least you made something happen this time," Taehyung said, striding quickly beside him. "That's a definite improvement."

"Nice one, Jeon," someone called from down the hall.

Taehyung flipped them the bird.

"Stop Taehyung, you don't have to..."

"They're assholes."

"It was pretty ridiculous. It's a miracle I didn't burn my feet. I'm amazed you aren't laughing at me too."

"It isn't funny to me." Taehyung frowned. "I don't want them to discourage you. I don't want you to give up."

"I'm not going to give up. Maybe we're just rushing things."

"You almost had it, with just a little more practice—"

Jungkook slowed to a standstill, swinging his textbook at his side.

"What are you doing?" Taehyung stared at him accusatorily. "You're not coming to potions?"

"Listen Tae. I don't care about making a fool of myself in front of a bunch of people. It just feels kind of pointless attending classes when I don't understand half of what's being said."

"I can do better." Taehyung stepped closer, lowering his voice. "We can study more. Longer."

"We're already studying together five days a week." Jungkook reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Taehyung's ear. He'd recently magicked it blue. His big dark eyes gawked uncertainly at Jungkook from under his messy fringe. "You're doing great. It isn't you. I just need more time to catch up."

"It's almost the holidays. We can grind stuff over the break."

"Okay."

Taehyung leaned in and kissed Jungkook on the mouth. Jungkook's hands were around his waist in a matter of seconds.

"I still think you should come to potions," Taehyung murmured against his lips.

"Why?" Jungkook groaned.

"I think I know how to make it more fun."

Jungkook gave him a suspicious look.

"Come on," Taehyung said, grabbing his wrist.

Jungkook let himself get dragged down the corridor, out into the courtyard. Clouds of vapour floated through the air, threatening to smother the sun. A horde of students crowded around the entrance to the greenhouses, waiting for the previous class to get out. Jimin was standing next to a shrub that was carved into a three tiered blob, dressed in a wool coat, scarf, legwarmers, and boots, and still visibly shivering.

"Oh thank god," he muttered the second he saw them, slithering inside Jungkook's jacket and clinging to him. "It's fucking freezing out here."

"It isn't that bad," Jungkook said.

"I was raised in the tropics."

"We talking Florida, or more so a Cuba vibe? Maybe somewhere around Indonesia?"

"Shhh." Jimin pushed a tiny, cold finger to Jungkook's lips.

Jungkook had been trying to figure out the location of Jimin's hut since he'd followed him through the portal. Jimin wasn't budging.

"Your lips are purple," Taehyung said. "Do you have hypothermia?"

"No, that's my new lip gloss."

"Oh, nice."

"It tastes like plums."

"Can I see?"

Jimin tipped his chin up. Taehyung leaned in.

"I'm amazed they let you three attend classes together," Seokjin said.

Seokjin and Namjoon appeared from around the shrubbery.

"Yeah that's really nice." Taehyung pulled away with a sigh.

"You wanna taste too, Gukkie?" Jimin asked.

Jungkook leaned down and planted a neat little kiss on Jimin's mouth, and then pulled away.

"That wasn't very exciting," Jimin said.

"Jimin, I'm not going to make out with you while Namjoon and Seokjin are standing right there."

"Didn't seem to stop you in the past," Namjoon muttered.

"And that wasn't just a kiss, either," Seokjin said.

"That was one time," Jungkook protested.

"It isn't like you two never make out in front of us," Taehyung said. "I saw you sucking face behind the refectory just yesterday."

"Wait, what?" Jimin asked.

"Yeah, what?" Jungkook asked.

Both Namjoon and Seokjin looked like they'd been punched in the stomach.

"Oh wait," Taehyung said. "Was I the only one who saw that?"

"Alright everybody, make your way inside!" the professor called. "Hasty now, don't want to expose the plants to too much cold air."

There were wooden cutting boards on each station with a variety of knives, mortars, and pestles. Several pots of yarrow had been dragged over from the back of the greenhouse. Jungkook looked around for the professor. All he could see were students.

"Where did he go?"

"He's right there, silly," Taehyung said.

"That's the professor?"

A short man with jet black hair was standing next to the yarrow. He easily could've been twenty-five. Maybe younger. He had a swooping nose, tan skin, and olive-shaped, pale blue eyes.

"He looks like he's our age," Jungkook exclaimed.

"Uh yeah, that's because..." Taehyung looked at Jimin.

"He's a faerie," Jimin said.

"What?"

"Professor Chittaphon. He's from Thailand."

"A Thai faerie..." Jungkook stared at Chittaphon. Now that they’d pointed it out, he could see it. The way he held his wrists. The knit of his shirt. Degrees of faerie etiquette and fashion that would've passed under the radar to someone who hadn't had that shit drilled into them since the day they were born. "At least my family wouldn't have known him."

"Oh, he definitely knows who you are," Jimin said. He noticed the look on Jungkook's face. "But he won't single you out, I promise, he's very professional."

"Why is he here?" Jungkook demanded. "I thought you said Blackthorn had no faeries?"

"Yeah, no faerie students. Word has it he took up a teaching position in exchange for growing rights. The forest is benign, but potent, and the soil is perfect for growing rare plants."

"He agreed to teach potions to witches in exchange to experiment on a few plants?"

"Plants are exceedingly important to faeries. Potions and tinctures are central to their culture, and I can't believe I'm lecturing you about this you're a faerie you should know these things," Jimin said exasperatedly.

"And half witch." Jungkook frowned at his cutting board.

"Word has it he's pretty progressive. His family were extreme isolationists, but he chose to remain in the witching world rather than retreat with them to the secret colonies. I wouldn't worry too much."

"Welcome, everyone," Professor Chittaphon said. He had a high, sweet voice. Something about the twinkle in his eye hinted at youth, but it was impossible to know for sure. He could've been twenty five. He could've been sixty. Such was the way with faeries. "Today we will be reviewing the ways to prepare yarrow. We will work through chopping techniques for stovetop brews, mulching for tinctures, and grinding and juicing for raw preparations."

"Grinding and juicing," Taehyung said under his breath. "Sounds like my jam."  

Jimin snickered softly.

"So we're basically chopping a plant for the next hour and a half?" Jungkook asked. "Tae, you said this was going to be fun."

"Oh yeah, right."

Taehyung reached out and took Jungkook and Jimin's hands. He pressed his thumb into their palms, and Jungkook almost fell over.

"What the serious hell?"

"Cool, right?"

The three of them were standing in front of their stations. Jungkook could feel the wood handle of the knife in his hand. He could smell the damp soil, the bitter tang of resins and exotic flowers. Seokjin and Namjoon were at the stations directly in front of them, doing their best to avoid Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook's eyes.

But they were also somewhere else.

Jungkook couldn't exactly see it, but he knew it was there. A warm, formless void. Taehyung snapped his fingers and it turned violet. Jungkook was looking at his hand, clutching the knife, at the same time as Taehyung drifted by with pegasus wings, playing the panpipes, in another dimension.

"Where are we?"

"Okay, took me a minute, but I get it," came Jimin's voice. Jungkook turned—not with his head, but with something else, his consciousness? and saw Jimin hovering beside him, examining his nails. His naked skin glowed like a computer screen in a dark room. "So you finally figured it out, did you."

"Yep," Taehyung said.

"What the hell is going on?" Jungkook asked.

"I see we have a new recruit." Professor Chittaphon sauntered up, holding out his hand.

Jungkook, with some difficult, let go of the knife and shook the professor's hand. Somewhere else, Taehyung blew bubbles into his face through a tiny wand.

"Never figured we'd get a Jeon at Blackthorn." Chittaphon leaned on the counter with both hands, smiling impishly at Jungkook. "Although I can't say I'm surprised. Your family are true pioneers."

"You've... heard of my family... then?" Jungkook said. He was thrilled that he had managed to get the words to come out of the him that was in the greenhouse and not the him that was floating beside Jimin in a purple abyss, watching Taehyung do cartwheels with rainbows coming out of his ears.

"Who hasn't? During the Receding, the Jeons were notable for taking a strong stance for integration. I admired them even then, but to marry a witch and sire a half-child? Groundbreaking."

"Definitely different," Jungkook managed to get out.

"Oh I would say so. Steeped in bohemia your entire childhood... I bet you've got a surprise or two in store for us."

Chittaphon's manner was naturally flirty and chatty. Jungkook wasn't sure if he liked him. Part of the problem was that Jimin had figured out what was going on much quicker than Jungkook, and his glowing, hovering form was taking the opportunity to pinch Jungkook's glowing, hovering nipples, hard.

"Where are we?" he mouthed into the purple void.

"The astral plane," Taehyung replied, slithering up behind Jungkook. Jungkook could sense his nakedness even before he made contact. "Or rather, one of the astral planes."

"So where are we? The greenhouse or here?"

"Both."

"It's like listening to a song while you study," Jimin said.

"Except harder," Taehyung said.

Jungkook, who had never been good at multitasking, reached out clumsily and seized a handful of yarrow from Chittaphon's basket.

"Oh!" Chittaphon exclaimed. "Diving right in, are we?"

"Thank you," Jungkook grunted.

"Well boys, help yourselves."

Jungkook would've been pleased to see that Taehyung and Jimin weren't exactly having an easy time of it either, if he hadn't been so busy trying to get his hand back on his knife without cutting himself. Taehyung almost knocked his cutting board onto the floor. Jimin was just standing there, clutching the bundle of yarrow in front of him like a talisman and staring into the distance.

"I don't see how this is making things more fun," Jungkook said. "I feel like it's making everything harder."

"Speaking of harder," Taehyung said, slipping a hand down Jungkook's—wait, Jungkook wasn't wearing any pants, or underwear, or anything at all.

Chittaphon flitted away to deliver yarrow to the rest of the students. Namjoon and Seokjin had a textbook open and were referring to a diagram denoting knife angles and chopping speeds.

"Is the chopping magic?" Jungkook blurted.

Namjoon looked up in surprise. "Um, yes?" he said uncertainly. "Like, if you don't prepare it correctly, it doesn't activate. Was that what you meant?"

It took Jungkook a moment to realize why Namjoon was acting so weird, and then he remembered the thing about Seokjin and Namjoon making out and he giggled.

"Don't know why you're...so embarrassed..." he said laboriously. "You've both seen... Taehyung suck my... oh fuck."

Taehyung, in the astral plane, shoved his entire dick up Jungkook's ass.

"Don't need prep in the astral plane."

"Jesus Christ," Jungkook muttered, spilling half-chopped yarrow all over his shoes.

"You can also have two dicks in the astral plane."

Jungkook sensed it, the second Taehyung sprouted a second dick. He also sensed it when Jimin hovered backwards, taking the second dick in one go.

"Gonna m-move onto the tinctures," Jimin squeaked.

"Everything okay?" Namjoon asked.

"Just peachy," Taehyung stammered, aiming for his mortar and slamming his pestle straight into the tabletop.

"You can also have a dragon dick in the astral plane."

Jimin's astral form erupted into a moan beside him.

"You can have two dragon dicks in the astral plane."

Jungkook knew what was coming. He dropped his knife and gripped the tabletop in preparation. A moment later Taehyung's massive, ribbed dragon dick swelled up inside him and his knees went weak.

"Get a grip on it, Gukkie," Taehyung whispered in his ear. "You need to make the separation. Otherwise you're gonna cum in your pants. Do you wanna cum in your pants in front of Professor Chittaphon?"

"As if you're doing much better!"

"Look," Taehyung said, lifting up his mortar with a trembling hand. "I'm almost done my tincture preparation. You need to finish your chopping."

Jungkook inhaled so hard his nostrils flared, and valiantly returned to his misshapen, half-crushed pile of yarrow. Jimin had set his mulch aside and was loading up a second round in his mortar, bucking and gasping the whole time, as if he had the worst stomach ache of his life.

"Are you three on drugs?" Seokjin asked.

"No," Jimin said.

"Never," Taehyung said.

"Not exactly," Jungkook said, scraping his sad shavings into a bowl. Half of them went down his sleeve.

Taehyung, meanwhile, had sprouted tentacles, and was winding them around Jungkook's body, slipping them into sensitive crevices and slits he didn't know he had. He felt himself getting wet. Taehyung seemed to sense it the moment it happened, because a tentacle slipped up his thigh, pushing into his aching, dripping—

"Holy mother of god," Jungkook said, in loud falsetto.

"Everything okay over here?" Professor Chittaphon asked, drifting back over.

"Yeah, just... grinding," Jimin said through clenched teeth.

"Your mulch is looking good, Mr. Kim. When you grind the next round, make sure to drain the juice out in increments."

"Yes, s-sir," Taehyung said.

"No need to be so nervous around little 'ol me," Chittaphon chuckled. "I know I'm a faerie, but I've grown quite patient over my years at Blackthorn."

Taehyung twined a tentacle up further, wrapping it around Jungkook's cock. Another was sliding over his nipples. There were so many textures, so many things inside him. It must've felt good to Taehyung too, because he was moaning, throaty and desperate. Jungkook could feel pleasure radiating off him—off Jimin too.

His eyes started rolling up into his head, and Seokjin must've had a mercy in him that Jungkook didn't know about, because he cleared his throat and chimed in, "Would you mind taking a look at my juice, Professor?"

Chittaphon turned just in time. Jungkook gripped the counter, spreading his legs as far apart as he could get them in the tight jeans Taehyung had put on him that morning. His muscles strained. He arched his back, holding himself up with two hands on the counter.

"Gonna cum," Jimin moaned frantically. "Gonna cum—"

Taehyung drove his tentacles deeper, and Jungkook's mouth stretched open in a silent scream. His entire being was clenching up, tipping over a delirious, shapeless edge. Taehyung let out a helpless cry—one of his classic, wanton sex sounds—and black ink exploded everywhere like an underwater firework.

Jimin dropped his pestle. It landed with a loud clunk on the paving stones.

"Oh fuck," Jungkook grunted.

The mental link broke. The world in the greenhouse zoomed back in, swallowing up the part of Jungkook's brain that had been elsewhere. He sagged over his workstation. He could hear Taehyung panting to his right.

"Five more minutes," Chittaphon called from across the room.

"Jungkook jizzed his pants," Taehyung gasped.

"Jungkook totally jizzed his pants," Jimin said, also breathless.

"Fuck you," Jungkook said, straightening up with a grimace.

"What the fuck just happened?" Seokjin asked.

"Taehyung took us to an astral plane," Jimin said, neatly organizing his chop, mulch, and juices in a row. Taehyung was hurrying to finish straining his final round. Jungkook had given up.

"So this whole time you were somewhere else?"

"Were we ever," Jimin sighed.

"What on earth were you doi—" Namjoon closed his eyes. "Never mind. Never mind, I already know the answer."

"You three are insane," Seokjin said. "Still, it's been good having you here Jungkook."

"Yes, I appreciate your presence," Namjoon said.

It was Jungkook's turn to get weird. He made a noncommittal grunting noise and started cleaning up his station. Namjoon and Seokjin had been extra nice to him since the episode in the corn maze, and he suspected they both still felt guilty about it. An outright apology would've been easier to deal with, because then he could've said 'it's okay' and they could've moved on with their lives.

He scraped his yarrow shavings into the compost bin and followed Taehyung and Jimin back up to the school for dinner.

"Hey Jimin," he muttered. "How're those scouring charms coming along?"

"Really good. Why?" He glanced over and saw Jungkook's expression. "Oh! Here."

Jimin stuffed his hand down the front of Jungkook's pants. Jungkook grunted in protest, but a moment later, his briefs were dry and he could walk normally again. He kissed the side of Jimin's head. Jimin giggled.

"So what did you think about Professor Chittaphon?" Taehyung asked.

"I think it would've been a lot easier forming an honest first impression without your dragon dick up my ass, but I dunno... he seems alright."

"God, that dragon dick," Jimin wheezed.

"If what you said is true about him choosing the witching world over isolation, that's pretty epic. You know what that means right?"

Taehyung nodded, frowning slightly. "Faeries who go into isolation never return."

"The whereabouts of the secret colonies are unknown. He'll never get to see his family again." Jungkook frowned. "It's a huge sacrifice on his part, but I'm still not sold. What was that thing he said about developing patience for witches? Sounds pretty elitist to me."

"Not everyone can be a perfect renegade like you, Guk. Or, I believe bohemian was the word he used."

"And that too," Jungkook exclaimed. "Why does everyone seem to think my parents are a pair of utopian visionaries? Growing up with them fucking sucked."

"Nobody knows the inner workings of most families," Jimin said.

"Like the fact that mine are werewolves," Taehyung said quietly.

"Or the fact that I don't have one," Jimin said.

"You don't?" Jungkook asked, flabbergasted.

"No hag does. Hags wander the forest alone. When they feel like it, they set down a spell to create another hag, but they often leave before it's done. My creator was long gone when I materialized."

"So did you just... spring out of thin air?"

"For me, I think my creator probably cast the spell on a tree—you know, with all my branches and twigs and stuff. Other hags are made out of other things. It just depends. I've actually never met another hag. We're kind of like catfish. One hag to a forest, if we can manage it."

"Sounds lonely."

Jimin shrugged. "It's all I've ever known."

"Are all hags as hot as you?"

"I highly doubt it. Don't go check, other hags are meaner, they might eat you or some shit like that."

"Okay, I won't," Jungkook chuckled.

"Good," Jimin said. His cheeks were more than a little pink.

Dean Sukie appeared from around one of the cloister's pillars. "A word, Jungkook?"

He broke off from the other two, exceedingly grateful that he'd asked Jimin to scour him when he did, and followed Sukie past the courtyard into her office. Taehyung and Jimin watched him go uncertainly.

He tossed himself into the same armchair as always.

"I assume you want to talk about my performance in classes."

"Actually, we wanted to congratulate you," Dean Sukie said, handing him a glass of scotch, "for attending classes at all."

"Wait, what?"

"Naturally, as Jimin and Taehyung are in third year, attending classes with them won't be practical in the longterm. For now, we will allow it, as it appears to be motivating you, but next semester we will evaluate your capabilities and place you accordingly."

Jungkook sipped his scotch. The thought of a classroom full of students he didn't know, Taehyung and Jimin nowhere to be seen, was definitely less than appealing. The thought of Taehyung and Jimin graduating two years ahead of him was even less great.

"Hold on." He straightened up. "You haven't told my parents yet, have you?"

"We hadn't thought it necessary; would you like us to?"

"No!" Jungkook took a deep breath. "What I mean to say is, please don't tell them I've been attending to classes. Or trying to learn magic at all. Uh, yeah. Trust me on this one. It's a faerie thing."

"Very well," Dean Phantasmagorium said. "Although, I'm sure they'd be very proud of you."

Jungkook downed the rest of his scotch in one gulp.

"I think that's the problem," Dean Sukie observed. "He doesn't want them to know he's been trying."

"Is every meeting bound to end up with you two psychoanalyzing me?"

Jungkook left their office. He'd been planning on meeting Jimin and Taehyung for dinner, but he headed towards the forest instead. He walked the path to Maven. He walked back. He walked around the perimeter and passed the smoke pit, where Yoongi was smoking a blunt and playing notes on a tiny xylophone with one hand.  

Jungkook plopped down on a stump.

Yoongi exhaled an enormous cloud of smoke. Piercing dings pervaded the haze as he worked out a melody.

"Here," he coughed, handing Jungkook the blunt. "Oh shit, I think I got it. I just needed two hands."

Jungkook took a hit and let out a series of messy coughs through his nose. Yoongi played the successful melody a few more times, and then set the xylophone on the ground.

"Skipping out on tutorial tonight?"

Jungkook shrugged.

"I don't blame you. Honestly, I'm still not over what they did to you."

"They knew I had magic. It's different."

"Yeah, yeah." Yoongi sucked in a massive toke. His eyes started to water. "I know there's no arguing with you. I've seen the way you look at them." He cleared his throat and spat on the ground.

"Taehyung's teaching me magic," Jungkook said stubbornly.

"Anyone on this campus could teach you magic."

"I don't think they could," Jungkook laughed darkly. "I'm pretty bad."

In fact, Taehyung had decided that it was probably a better idea if even Jimin didn't teach Jungkook magic. What Jimin lacked in patience he made up for in talent, which rarely resulted in the best learning environment for someone as inexperienced as Jungkook.

"Is that why you're moody?"

"You're graduating next semester. So are Hoseok, Namjoon, and Seokjin. Taehyung and Jimin the year after that." Jungkook picked at his nails. They still had yarrow mulch underneath them. "I've already missed so much. I'd be surprised if I pass first year. I might get set back, and in that case..."

"You can only do what you can do."

"I could try harder."

Yoongi frowned in a down-to-earth, friendly way. "You're just beginning your journey with magic. We've been at it for years. You're at a different stage, and that's alright. Studying hard is important, until it kills the buzz. Then you're just back at square one."

"I don't know if I even have a buzz right now. It's hard to feel passionate about something I'm so terrible at."

"Give it some time." Yoongi put the joint out on the side of the stump and tossed the roach into a little velvet bag. "Try spells you like. Don't hedge yourself in."

Jungkook exhaled tensely.

"I know what you're afraid of." Yoongi bumped his boot into the side of Jungkook's sneaker. "They won't leave you behind. Not if they're worth it."

By the time they got back to the school the refectory was closed. Yoongi wasn't too disappointed, seeing as he was a being who existed primarily on coffee and cigarettes, but what with Yoongi's weed and all the walking he'd done, Jungkook was starting to get stomach pains and it was only eight o'clock. He made his way back to his dormitory to scrounge up a sad dinner of leftover chips and stale cookies.

"There you are!" Taehyung burst out of Jungkook's room.

"I thought I locked that."

"Jimin and I learned to pick your lock months ago."

"Figures."

"Where did you go?" Taehyung handed him a sandwich. "Sorry, this was all they had left."

Jungkook ripped the plastic off and devoured half the sandwich in one bite.

"Do you still want to study tonight?"

"I don't know." Jungkook swallowed, examining layers of feta cheese, grilled vegetables, and balsamic reduction in grave detail.

"What happened?" Taehyung got closer, looking him right in the face. "Did someone say something? Who do I need to punch?"

"Nobody said anything." Jungkook frowned out the window. "I just suck."

"Oh my god, Gukkie, stop being so dramatic." Taehyung brought the sandwich back to Jungkook's mouth. "Eat. Then we'll go drill some fundamentals."

Jungkook frowned harder. Taehyung squished the sandwich into his face, getting balsamic all over his nose, and Jungkook took a begrudging bite.

"You're making so much progress."

"I melted a bottle. I almost set the classroom on fire."

Taehyung waved his hand dismissively. "It's normal for magic to act haywire when you're first awakening it. The point is, you were able to affect the bottle. Stuff is happening. Your magic is coming out. The hardest part is out of the way."

"Think you've probed my faerie egg thing yet?"

"Maybe." Taehyung smiled hesitantly, feeding Jungkook another bite. "Your mistakes have been... a little more epic than usual. I think that's because your faerie magic is super strong."

Over the course of the week, Jungkook had caused a chair to explode, he'd turned a dousing rod into a flame thrower, and he'd flipped an entire classroom upside down.

"I hope my magic doesn't keep awakening."

"Why not? You could have sorcerer level powers if you learned how to harness it."

"If I don't blow myself up first."

"We'll keep practising. You'll be fine."

Two hours later they trudged back to Taehyung's room. Jimin was already there, studying at Taehyung's desk with a cup of tea and glasses on the tip of his nose. The glasses were fake. Jimin's eyes were perfect, especially his demon eye, but he claimed the glasses made him look more witchy and less haggy, which was always his goal while he was on campus.

"You're rocking your sexy professor aesthetic," Taehyung said, massaging Jimin's shoulders. "Oooh la-la."

"It helps me focus," Jimin said, closing his textbook. "What smells like burnt plastic?"

"Oh, Jungkook melted his shoes."

"I keep melting things. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"It's definitely a theme," Taehyung said.

"Disintegration usually occurs when you're overpowering a spell. Have you tried easing off the intensity of your casting?"

Jungkook stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed. "I can't think about it right now."

"We'll try that tomorrow," Taehyung said.

"Not tomorrow." Jungkook rolled onto his side, staring at both of them blearily. "Tomorrow's Friday. Gotta go into Maven."

"That's right," Jimin said. "Did it pass the inspection?"

Taehyung's face went blank.

It had started as a joke.

Taehyung kept getting moody every time someone brought up the winter holidays. To cheer him up, Jimin had joked that he and Jungkook would go back to Varlet with him to protect him from his parents' mulish ways. Taehyung jumped on the idea. Jungkook jumped on it harder, eager for any reason to avoid going back to Seoul.

An offhand suggestion quickly spiralled into detailed, meticulous strategizing.

The biggest issue was getting there. Jimin could've easily cast a portal, but all portals teleporting into a witching municipality needed to be registered, which was a hard no from Jimin, seeing as he didn't want anybody knowing he could cast portals to begin with. He usually loved flexing his magic skills in front of anybody who would watch, but he already had enough trouble portal-casting around campus without anybody noticing, and he didn't want to draw more attention to himself.

Portal-casting was a cheap method of travel, as long as you knew someone who could cast a portal for you. There were companies who offered the service at an expensive cost. Taehyung's parents usually just bought him a plane ticket instead. The problem with flying was that high altitudes threw Jimin's magic off, bringing out his hag traits, and their return trip was ominously close to the full-moon, so it was probably a better idea for Taehyung to avoid cramped spaces with lots of people anyway.

The only solution, as it would seem, was for Jungkook to find a cheap car online and drive them out.

He'd put in a deposit on a 1990 Camry from an elderly couple in Maven, who'd splurged some of their retirement savings on a Fiat and needed to clear out space in their garage. He'd spent last weekend in their dusty garage, watching Youtube videos and tinkering with various valves and fluid levels to get it to a place where it might, might just pass an inspection. The car was ancient, and more than a little rusty, but it was also only five-hundred dollars, which fell within the range of his ordinary allowance. Anything more and he would've needed to ask his parents for an advance, and that was as hard of a no for him as casting a portal was for Jimin.

"The garage called me today. We're good."

"Yay," Taehyung said emotionlessly.

"I don't know why this was even a thing," Jimin said. "I could've hypnotized the mechanic into passing the car. Better yet, I could've forged documents for the inspection and skipped the garage altogether."

"There is some merit to knowing the car we're going to be driving on a major highway for five hours won't fall apart at any second," Jungkook said.

"You guys don't have to come with me," Taehyung said suddenly.

"Taehyung, that's absurd," Jimin said. "The car has been purchased. Plane tickets are probably through the roof at this point."

"Please don't make me go back to Seoul for the holidays," Jungkook added.

"And your parents are expec—wait," Jimin said. "You did tell them we're coming, right?"

"Yes. I'm not stupid." Taehyung threw himself into bed beside Jungkook. His long limbs flopped all over the place like a ragdoll.

"It's gonna be alright." Jimin stripped out of his jeans. "It's just two weeks."

"You don't know my parents."

Jimin climbed in beside Taehyung, squishing him against Jungkook. Jungkook tossed an arm over Taehyung's waist. He heard them kiss. It was a single smack, nothing too messy. Taehyung, for once in his life, wasn't initiating sex.

"We've got your back," Jungkook said softly, reaching up to play with Taehyung's hair.

"I just hope you two behave."

"If it means getting a break from campus for two weeks, sure thing," Jungkook said. "The stress of this place is killing me."

"I may not behave, but I promise I won't get caught," Jimin said.

"The same way you said nobody would ever see your hut?" Taehyung grumbled.

"Your parents are werewolves, not faeries." Jimin pouted at Jungkook over Taehyung's bare chest. Taehyung had recently pierced his nipples. The fluorite jewellery glinted in the lamplight. "No offence, but werewolves are a lot more like witches in their magic. Easier to understand, easier to fool. Faeries, on the other hand, have weird sensibilities. I'm glad Jungkook is the only one on campus, besides Professor Chittaphon, and I can tell you I never cast portals anywhere near the greenhouses."

"It isn't fair that Gukkie got to see your hut and I don't."

"It was pretty lit," Jungkook said. "Magical plants, funky cabbages, and the hut actually walks around."

Jimin shuffled uncomfortably. Jungkook couldn't decide if he looked flattered or annoyed. Maybe a bit of both.

"Maybe one day," he said noncommittally.

The next evening Jungkook hiked into Maven, handed a wad of cash to the elderly couple, and drove his newly acquired beater to the mouth of the proximity path. The owner of the gas station had agreed to let him leave the Camry in his parking lot for the next few days. Jungkook had been cutting down on smoking ever since Taehyung had started feeding him acrid-tasting potions to offset the damage to his lungs, but he bought a couple packs to keep the customer loyalty fresh.

They spent the rest of the weekend packing.

Well, Jungkook and Taehyung packed while Jimin crouched over a laptop, figuring out a way to hack the state registry.

"Can I see your Seoul licence again?"

"You aren't going to do anything to it, right?"

His Seoul driver's license was a point of bitter pride. He'd gotten it in secret, telling his parents he was taking a botany seminar instead. His buddy Lucas had a car, but no license. Jungkook had a license, but no car. It worked out, and countless rowdy ocean-side joyrides had ensued.

"I just need to cross check the information."

Jungkook handed it over and went back to folding shirts. Jungkook had condensed his possessions into one small backpack. Jimin and Taehyung already had three suitcases going, and he suspected there would be more. To be fair, not all of it was clothes—there were bags of vials and pastes, stacks of textbooks and notes, a condensed chemistry set, several gauges and measuring instruments Jungkook didn't understand yet, and a massive turnip which Jimin kept wrapped in a black silk scarf.

"That should do it." Jimin closed the laptop and handed Jungkook not one, but two licenses back.

Jungkook inspected them side-by-side. "Whoa."

"You're in the registry now, so if anybody pulls us over, we'll be good. I forged some shit to insure the car too."

"Any way you could've forged some money to pay for it?"

"Money is harder. There are checks and balances written into a lot of counterfeiting spells. Besides, aren't your parents loaded?"

"Yeah, yeah." Jungkook slipped the licenses into his wallet. "If we need alcohol one of you is going to have to buy it, though. I'm still not legal."

"Give it back, I'll change your age too," Jimin said.

"We don't need alcohol," Taehyung said. He was crouched over a suitcase, trying to cram a tripod in between two stacks of textbooks.

"Not even a little wine?" Jimin complained. "I was really looking forward to unwinding."

"I know how you both get when you've been drinking." Taehyung's expression was mildly terrifying. "The answer is no."

Jungkook was starting to get a better picture of what Taehyung's parents were like. Taehyung hadn't said anything specific, but if his increasingly neurotic behaviour was anything to go off, Jungkook wagered he and Taehyung shared a few common experiences.

"What is on the table?" Jimin asked, leaning back in his chair. "Can I at least fuck you?"

"No!" Taehyung gave up on the tripod and leaned back against the wardrobe, rubbing his face with his hands. "Put it together, Chim. It isn't rocket science."

Jimin's face was clouded for a moment, and then his eyes lit up like they did when he'd cracked a spell. "Ahhh, I see. So we'll have to fuck you quietly."

"I don't know if it's worth risking it," Taehyung said sulkily.

"Wait," Jungkook said. "I still don't get it."

"His parents keep the fact that they're werewolves secret. Taehyung, by association, is obligated to do the same. If his parents know that we're fucking, they'll know that we know he's a werewolf, and by association, they'll know that we know that they're werewolves."

"And I'll get disowned," Taehyung said bluntly, staring at the floor.

"So wait." Jungkook tossed a pair of socks into the least full suitcase he could see. "Does this mean that we have to keep it a secret that we're..." He trailed off, realizing he didn't know how to complete that sentence.

"No boyfriend shit," Taehyung said. "Just friends."

Jungkook's cheeks were a little red.

"This is gonna suck," Jimin moaned.

"Think about how I feel!" Taehyung exclaimed. "Today in the greenhouse I thought about fucking myself with a tuber, and it isn't anywhere near my heat. It's a constant struggle."

"Speaking of which, if you get your heat while we're there, what's the plan?" Jungkook asked.

"My mom has a million excuses. She'll probably pull some shit about my tendency to come down with colds over the holidays." Taehyung looked downright soulless. "She won't let you two into my room if that happens."

"We could... do something. What about that astral projection thing you did in the greenhouse the other day?"

"I thought about that. Don't you need to touch us to initiate the bond?" Jimin asked.

"Yeah, it wouldn't work. I'm not sure how much relief having sex in the astral plane would give me during my heats anyway. A lot of the pressure is physical."

The thought of spending the holidays sipping tea and making small talk with Mrs. and Mr. Kim, while Taehyung was locked up in his room, writhing and moaning, with nothing but his fingers to relieve his pain, was...

"Just thinking about this is making me lowkey insane," Jungkook said.

"What do you think I did before I met you guys?" Taehyung fussed with the turnip's black silk swathing. "I'll survive. I have an emergency dildo supply in my closet." He paused. "If my mom didn't move it."

"Oh my god," Jungkook breathed, high and shrill.

"I'm pretty sure I know a few transfiguration spells that could create temporary doors between our rooms," Jimin said. "Dissolves at the snap of my fingers. A little dangerous, but your parents don't have any pets right?"

"We have a bird but she's smart enough to avoid that kind of thing. We don't even know if I'm going to get my heat while we're there yet. Can we chill?"

"Yeah." Jungkook leaned against the bed, staring into the abyss. "Yeah, no, it's going to be fine."

"One thing's for sure," Jimin said. "You two are going to have to fuck my brains out before we leave. Twice."

***

Later that night, when they were all lying on the bed sticky and wrecked, Jimin got up and slipped back into his clothes.

"Where are you going?" Jungkook asked.

"You know exactly where I'm going and if you try to follow me this time I'm going to tie you up and leave you at the mercy of the ghouls."

"The ghouls?"

Jimin smiled sweetly. "I told you. My forest is a lot less friendly than the one around Blackthorn."

Jungkook couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through his body.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him." Taehyung wrapped both legs and arms around Jungkook and pinned him in place. The sex seemed to have temporarily lifted his mood.

"I just need to check on a few things before we go," Jimin said. "I'll be back before morning."

Jungkook and Taehyung murmured to each other about the possibility of taking a shower, but they were fast asleep before their plan came to fruition. Jimin crawled in with them a couple hours later. Jungkook shivered against his cold skin. Taehyung grunted, and climbed on top of both of them, turning himself into a heated blanket.

The next morning Jimin dragged them to the showers. They went back to Jungkook's room to get dressed.

"What do witches wear?" he asked, staring into his wardrobe.

"Less Puma, for one," Taehyung said.

"Just be yourself," Jimin said. "Unlike me, you actually have nothing to hide."

Jungkook frowned. His blood checked out on paper, but he wasn't too keen on Taehyung's parents knowing he could hardly cast first-year cantrips without setting fire to something—not when they cared enough about academics to pay Taehyung's way through Blackthorn. He put a black dress shirt on over beige slacks and Jungkook and Taehyung insisted on making him wear a pair of Jimin's fake glasses to complete the look.

Jimin and Taehyung, as usual, took a more extravagant route. Jimin wore a lavender silk top over white rayon pants, with matching eyeshadow. Taehyung snagged a pair of Jimin's tight black jeans and wore a v-neck sweater low enough that Jungkook kept catching glimpses of his nipple piercings.

Jungkook zipped up his puffer jacket. "I don't see the point in dressing up so fancy when we're all going to be in coats anyway."

Jimin pulled a long velvet cloak out of his wardrobe. It was a colour Jungkook had never seen before, a pale pink, almost like lilacs but not quite, with gold buttons and an embroidered collar. Taehyung was slipping into his sheepskin pimp coat from Halloween.

"You know what, never mind," Jungkook said.

They ate breakfast in the refectory. The school already felt a lot emptier than usual. Portals flashed and sizzled outside on the lawn as students made their way home to various cities and towns across the world. It was a cold day. Everything looked wet and faded, but it wasn't raining yet. Taehyung and Jimin checked on their flowerboxes in the greenhouse one last time, and then they hauled their luggage downstairs.

"Where did you park?" Jimin asked.

"On the other side of the path."

"Oh. No problem." Jimin pointed at two of the suitcases and they lifted off the ground. "Tae, you got the other two?"

Jungkook strapped his one small backpack to his back and set off into the woods.

"Thank god for levitation spells," he said.

"It isn't exactly effortless to keep this stuff off the ground, you know," Taehyung said. He sounded a little breathless.

The suitcases kept bumping into trees. It got worse the further they went. Jungkook turned around and saw that both of them were sweating.

"Do you want me to carry something?" he laughed.

"It's fine," Jimin panted. His fingers extended rigidly out from his hands. "We're almost there right?"

"Here." Jungkook reached up and hefted two of the trunks out of the air. Jimin and Taehyung let out loud gasps of relief.

They reached the parking lot ten minutes later. Taehyung dropped his suitcase, ran over, and climbed up onto the roof of the car.

"It's so cute and boxy!" He stood up, knees stained with rust.

"Glad you think so," Jungkook grunted, hauling Taehyung's suitcase over along with the other two. He began loading them into the trunk.

"Oooh, a store," Jimin said. "I want snacks."

Jungkook closed the trunk and turned around. "Be nice. I really like that guy."

"Come in with me," Jimin said, grabbing his hand. "You can introduce us."

Jungkook let himself get dragged inside the gas station convenience store, hand-in-hand with Jimin. Taehyung ran up at the last minute and slapped Jungkook's ass on the way to the coffee station.

"Oh it's you," the owner said. "Forest boy."

"Is that what they call you here?" Jimin levied one of his most flirtatious, glittering smiles at Jungkook. "I like it."

"This is Jimin. That one's Taehyung."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Brian."

Jimin shook Brian's hand. The motion must've alerted Brian to the fact that Jimin's other hand was busy holding Jungkook's hand, because his eyes flickered between them, doubled in size, and then bolted up to the ceiling.

"Hey Chim, you want dark roast or medium?" Taehyung called over.

"Whichever one you're having, baby. Just make sure to add lots of cream."

Brian's eyes got wider.

"Thanks for keeping a watch out for my car," Jungkook said.

"No problem, kid." Brian took a careful glance at Taehyung, who was balancing three coffees under his chin and loading chips into his arms with the other hand. "You three going on a road trip or something?"

"Yeah. Winter holidays. Going back to visit Taehyung's parents."

Brian started ringing in bag after bag of candy, which Jimin was piling on the counter from the side display.

"What about you? Doing anything for the holidays?"

"Same as usual. There's a dinner with my mom's side. Got a stuffing recipe I've been meaning to try. Gluten-free, because my niece—"

Taehyung arrived a moment later. Bags of chips crashed over the counter, tumbling onto the floor.

"Sounds nice," Jungkook commented hopelessly.

Brian got more plastic bags ready. Jungkook prepared his credit card. Jimin thanked Brian for his service, and thanked Jungkook for his money with a big wet kiss right on his cheek. Taehyung loaded all the bags onto one arm and stuffed his other hand in Jungkook's back pocket.

"That was fun," Jimin said, once they were outside. "He seems nice."

"A little skittish, though," Taehyung said.

Jungkook piled snacks into the backseat and mulled over whether or not he should tell them. It kind of felt like ruining Santa Claus.

"Yeah, uh... do you two know anything about human dating customs?"

"Not really," Taehyung said, opening a bag of fuzzy peaches.

"Well, in the human world, for men to date other men... it's still pretty..."

"Pretty what?" Jimin asked.

"Condemned?" Jungkook squeaked.

"Are you serious? Why?"

"I'm honestly not sure. It's the same for women. Most humans pair off into woman-man couples and that's that."

"Whoa, humans are boring," Taehyung said.

"So that's why he was looking at us like that." Jimin sucked on a raspberry lollipop. "Now I wish I'd kissed you more."

"I doubt Brian is homophobic," Jungkook sighed. "This is a decently progressive state. He probably just hasn't seen much gayness in real life."

The engine burbled to life. Jungkook pulled out of the parking lot onto the highway. A light rain had started to fall, and Jungkook was glad he'd let the garage talk him into a new pair of wipers.

Jimin sat in the front seat, scrolling through radio stations whenever they passed a town. Other than that, it was the hypnotic hum of rubber on asphalt and the distant roar of passing semis. Taehyung noisily chewed his way through an entire bag of salt and vinegar chips before becoming deadly quiet, leaning his cheek against the window, and watching the scenery zoom by through leaden eyes.

They pulled over near a small town called Astoria because Jungkook had to take a piss. He parked the Camry on the side of the highway and all three of them trudged into the bushes.

"What about this forest?" Jungkook asked. Light rain was falling. It looked like Jimin and Taehyung's hair was frosted with little glittering orbs. "Is it magical?"

"All forests are magical to some extent." Jimin retied his rayon pants. "This one's pretty gentle. Further north in the Rockies things get a little more exciting."

Jungkook gazed out into the forest. Endless boughs overlapped no matter which way he looked. The bracken glowed bright green in the dilute, misty air.

"On some level that makes sense," he muttered.

"You can feel it?" Jimin asked.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Taehyung, you really have been awakening his magic. Good job."

Taehyung zipped up his pants and trudged back to the highway without saying a word. When they got back to the car, he resumed his moody stance in the backseat, even after Jimin offered him shotgun.

"Is something wrong, baby?" Jimin asked.

"We're getting closer."

"Tae, it's going to be fine."

"You don't know that. You don't know what they're like."

Jungkook was driving again, seeing as, forged licenses or not, he was the only one with any experience on the road. The coffee had left his stomach feeling hollow and the chips and candy were making it worse. He reached down and pulled a bag of seasoned nuts out of the snack pile. He tried to open it with one hand and ripped the entire bag in half. Cashews, pecans, and powdered seasoning rained down over his slacks.

"Fuck."

"Oh here, move your arm." Jimin waved his hand over Jungkook's lap and Jungkook's snack was vaporized into nothingness.

"I told you you didn't have to come with me," Taehyung said. Those words had been his mantra for the past two days.

"Of course we're coming with you," Jimin said patiently.

"You didn't go last winter, Chim?" Jungkook asked.

"No," Jimin said. "Before we met you, I don't think it occurred to us to spend the holidays together."

"It occurred to me," Taehyung murmured. "But your hut was off limits, so."

"Don't make this about me, Tae."

"What about the summers? What happened then?" Jungkook asked, trying to keep the conversation rolling.

Jimin sighed. "Well, Taehyung didn't want to stay at his parents' for that long, so the first year he worked as a tree planter, and the next year he took an internship in Canada. Something to do with a library—"

"Basically a glorified secretarial position," Taehyung said. "Barely did one spell."

"And I spent the summers at my hut."

"As you always do."

Jimin spun around in his chair. "Listen, Tae. I know you're nervous but you need to stop with the bitchy vibes."

Taehyung sank into his fuzzy coat and sulked. Jungkook tried to focus on the road, but Taehyung's nerves were setting him on edge.

"I'm already killing the vibe," Taehyung mumbled. "I knew this was a mistake."

"Jesus Christ," Jungkook exclaimed. "Do you want me to turn around?"

"Can't. They're expecting us."

"We could tell them change of plans? Get a cheap motel and drive back to Blackthorn in the morning?"

"I know you wouldn't exactly get it, but I can't just walk away from them. They're paying my tuition. They still love me in a fucked up way. They want me to come home for the holidays, so that's what I have to do."

"Wouldn't exactly—fuck you! You have no idea what my family is like. I get exactly what you're going through, if not—"

"Shut up!" Jimin yelled.

Jungkook and Taehyung spiralled into stormy silence.

"Both of you have fucked up families. We get it. It isn't a god-damned pissing contest. God, it's shit like this that makes me grateful I never had one." Jimin turned around and glared at Taehyung. "You need to stop taking your shit out on us. We're here to help you whether you like it or not, so get over it. And you," he pointed at Jungkook, "need to stop getting set off by everything Taehyung says. This isn't your family, it's his, and if you're going to properly support him you need to make that mental separation right now."

"I'm trying," Jungkook said through grit teeth.

Taehyung leaned over and pressed his head against the back of Jimin's seat. "I'm sorry," he sniffled.

"I know it isn't easy, but we have a job to do. Keep your eyes on the target." Jimin leaned back in his chair and shoved a chip in his mouth. "It's only two weeks."

That final statement hung in the rainy silence, refusing to dissipate. To Jungkook, whose hackles were more than raised at this point, it was starting to sound more and more like a prison sentence.

"This sucks. I hate fighting," Jimin said.

"And we can't even fuck it out of our systems," Jungkook said.

Taehyung made a wounded sound.

"Oh no, Tae, I didn't mean—I don't actually mind—"

Taehyung slumped further down.

"Fuck," Jungkook said.

"Hand me the fuzzy peaches," Jimin whispered weakly. "Right now."

Varlet was a witching suburb outside Seattle. As Taehyung explained it, most major human metropolises overlapped with witching districts, due to the sheer density of people in those places. Further out, human and witching suburbs were more separated. The density of magic in big cities helped fuel the kinds of wards needed to coexist in such close proximity with so many humans. There were whole streets folded in between human neighbourhoods, districts that existed in the exact same place as a human district but shifted slightly to the side, like two overlapping images. That kind of magic would have been impossible in the witching suburbs, not to mention unnecessary, where things were more spread out, and all that was required were a few concealment charms to keep humans away.

Taehyung told him to turn left into an empty field. The Camry bumped past the fence and the landscape shifted. Right at the old church. Straight through the frostfence that hadn't been there two seconds ago. Eventually the landscape stopped shifting and Taehyung was delivering regular directions down a regular seeming street, in an increasingly detached tone of voice.

Jungkook had honestly been expecting something a little more spectacular.

The streets were lined with duplexes and bungalows. Every now and then there was a strip mall. Sure, little packs of flying cats kept flapping by, and he saw a couple shrubs trimming themselves, but it was nothing like the faerie neighbourhood he'd grown up in.

Part of it was the general gloom.

It was hard to tell where the sun was. Jungkook suspected it was starting to set. The swollen grey sky blended in with the damp streets and sidewalks. Warm light glowed behind curtains and windows, hinting at hot meals and cozy private gatherings, and Jungkook wanted nothing more than to plant his ass in a chair and steadily work his way through a full course meal.

"Just here," Taehyung said neurotically. "Right there, okay, stop."

Jungkook pulled the Camry over so quickly he scuffed the tire on the curb.

Taehyung's house made Jungkook realize he needed to give more credit to the ones they'd passed so far. A stone fence restrained the neighbours' overgrown shrubbery on both sides. Within the precincts of the fence was the most well-kept lawn Jungkook had ever seen. Square paving stones led the way up to a small set of stairs. In contrast to the overflowing flowerboxes and gardens Jungkook had seen in the other yards, the Kims had a couple trees and one pot of flowers.

"It's so... normal," Jimin said.

"Tell them that. They'll be thrilled."

Jimin rang the doorbell. Taehyung suspended all four trunks with a bored expression on his face. Jungkook's hands were shaking.

"Well, hello." A smiling woman appeared. Jungkook could instantly tell she was Taehyung's mom. She was stunning, with high cheekbones and the same massive eyes. "Come in, come in, let's get you out of the rain. You must be Taehyungie's friends."

She shook Jungkook and Jimin's hands with an uncertain smile on her face.

"Hi, Ma."

Taehyung moped by the door. She immediately pulled him into a big hug. All four suitcases crashed down onto the doormat. Jungkook tried not to stare.

"Your father is just finishing up dinner. Taehyung, why don't you go say hi to him while I show your friends where they'll be sleeping?"

Jungkook watched Taehyung slink into the kitchen with a sinking feeling in his stomach, and then followed Mrs. Kim down a carpeted set of stairs to the basement. A raven flapped over their heads and landed on Jimin's shoulder.

"Oh, she likes you," Mrs. Kim said. "She doesn't usually take to newcomers."

"I'm good with birds," Jimin said, scratching under the raven's chin.

Jungkook was reminded of Jimin tromping through his cabbage patch in the torchlight, bird feet on full display.

"Jungkook, that's your name, is it darling? You're going to be in here. And Jimin, we've got you on a cot in the library over there. Feel free to settle in. Dinner should be ready in a couple minutes." She started climbing back up the stairs, and then paused. "I wanted to sincerely thank you for being Taehyung's friends." She smiled the same uncertain, searching smile as before.

Jungkook was speechless.

"Of course," Jimin said.

She disappeared up the stairs.

Jimin turned to Jungkook. "Is it just my hag emotions, or was that a little strange?"

"That was strange."

"Well would you look at this." Jimin sauntered over to Jungkook's room. "Your room is directly across from mine."

"Jimin, no," Jungkook breathed.

"I'm telling you right now that I'm not sleeping on a cot."

"I'll sleep on the cot if that's your problem."

"The cot wasn't really my problem, no."

"Jimin."

"I'm just saying, worst case scenario, at least some of us won't have to sleep alone."

"And leave poor Taehyung upstairs to suffer?"

"He's going to suffer anyway. If our plan fails to sneak into his room, I'm not going to suffer on principle."

Something clattered upstairs, cutting off their frantic fit of whispering. The sound of Mrs. Kim's nervous laughter emanated through the floor.

"C'mon, let's get this over with," Jimin said, grabbing Jungkook's hand. "Oh shit, right." He let go.

Jungkook shoved his hands into his pockets and followed Jimin up the stairs with a grim expression on his face.

They found Taehyung on his hands and knees, cleaning up spilled peas from under the table. Taehyung's mother was setting the table. A man stood to the side, holding a casserole in two hands, waiting for Taehyung to finish.

The resemblance was masked behind more obvious signs of age, but it was definitely there. Mr. Kim had a thinning hairline, a plump face, and a bit of a gut, but he also had Taehyung's mouth and jawline, and his long, slender hands.

"Really, Son?" he asked, looking down at Taehyung's pants, which were pulled tight around his ass.

"They're just pants, Dad."

"What happened?" Jimin asked.

"I tried to levitate a bowl of peas onto the table. The bowl is boutique, gifted to us by a couple jewellers mom knows through her work, and it turns out it has fluorite in it and it interacted with my nipple p..."

"With your what?" Taehyung's mom asked.

"My nipple piercings." Taehyung closed his eyes.

Mr. Kim made a disgusted noise. "It hasn't been twenty minutes. Twenty minutes Taehyung, and you're already making a spectacle of yourself. What kind of household do you want your friends to think this is?"

"Actually I really don't mi—"

Taehyung shot Jungkook a warning look from under the table and he fell silent.

"This really is a nice bowl," Jimin said, examining the fluorite piece closely. "Jewellers you say? Witches?"

"Yes," Mrs. Kim said. "Apparently their guild dates back to the middle ages in Europe. We manage several of their North American accounts. They gifted us with those bowls after one of their investments took off last spring."

"It's quite nice." Jimin pet over the raven's back, his eyes still fixed on the bowl. She gave his fingers a playful nip.

"Midgy!" Taehyung exclaimed, scrambling off the floor. He ran up and kissed the tip of the raven's beak. She let out a burbling noise. "Wow, she really likes you."

"She's a fine bird," Jimin said.

"Let go of the bowl," Jungkook muttered in Jimin's ear. "It's starting to look weird."

Jimin set the bowl down on the counter with some difficulty and joined them at the dinner table.

They ate at a high table with stool chairs. The walls were decorated with landscapes, a Korean folk painting, and several clocks. One clock displayed the phases of the moon; an innocuous witchy bauble with loaded connotations. The needle lingered somewhere after the new moon.

Every time Jimin asked about one of the objects in the room, Mr. or Mrs. Kim explained who had given it to them and how much it was worth, stripping it of any personal mystique it might have otherwise had. Taehyung leaned over his plate, blue hair in his eyes, sweater falling off his skinny shoulder, a living, breathing work of art in a museum of fakes.

"Taehyung tells me the students union just moved to enact a tutoring system for first years," Mrs. Kim said.

Taehyung's eyes flickered to Jungkook.

"We figured it would help newcomers integrate," Jimin said, also glancing at Jungkook. "It isn't always the easiest time."

"That's really sweet of you, honey, but I just hope it won't cut time out of your own schedule. Besides, shouldn't those people know what they're doing at this point? They got admitted to Blackthorn, after all."

Jungkook's grim expression hardened. Jimin brushed his foot under the table.

"Tutoring doesn't just help the pupil, it helps the tutor too," Mr. Kim said. "It's amazing preparation for anybody considering a career in teaching."

"Well that's true, honey, but not everyone wants to be a teacher," Mrs Kim said. Her smile never seemed to leave her face. "Admissions to other programs are much stricter. I just hope Taehyungie is putting his success first."

Taehyung transpierced a piece of broccoli with his fork. "Relax, Mom. My grades are still perfect."

"What about you Jungkook? Have you had any pupils yet?"

Jungkook realized, with a clap, that Taehyung's parents thought he was on the students union too.

"Uh..."

"None of us do," Jimin said smoothly. "We enacted the program just last week."

"I'm certainly glad that Taehyung has made some friends," Mr. Kim said. His eyes lingered on Jimin's lavender silk. "Although these styles are beyond me. I'm glad it's an actual trend, though, and not Taehyung being his usual weird self."

"I can assure you, clothing like this is all the rage," Jimin said. "Especially in academic circles. Jungkook is actually the misfit in our little group of friends."

Jungkook knew Jimin intended it as a joke, but his words stung regardless.

Midgy jumped off of Jimin's shoulder and landed on Taehyung's head. Taehyung giggled, ducking lower so she could eat casserole off his plate.

"Taehyung," his father scolded. "You know not to let her sit on your head. All you're teaching her right now is that you're in a lower pecking order."

"I don't mind if Midgy doms me, she's bae," Tae said softly.

Jungkook snorted.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Kim said.

Mr. Kim shook his head, and smiled apologetically at Jimin and Jungkook. "I assure you, despite all this," he gestured to Taehyung's general being, "he really is a man." He leaned back in his chair, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Speaking of men, that's a really nice shirt, Jungkook."

"Thanks," Jungkook said, making a mental note to raid Jimin's suitcases for something more flamboyant tomorrow.

Taehyung had brought Midgy down to perch on his arm. He was feeding her pieces of baby corn with a scowl on his face. Jimin was looking at Taehyung's father with a bemused expression on his face, like he was trying to figure something out.

"How's the honours project coming along, Taehyungie?" Mrs. Kim asked.

"Doing fine. I added the dragon's blood sap last week. It's fermenting over the holidays."

"What about you Jimin?"

"I haven't proposed anything yet, but I'm thinking I might do something on scouring magic."

"You haven't proposed anything yet!" Mrs. Kim looked alarmed. "But it's midway through the year. Isn't that cutting it a little close?"

"Jimin's a rockstar," Taehyung said. "He could probably finish the whole project in a week if he wanted to."

"Speaking of rockstars, why don't you tell us about your project, Jungkook?" Mr. Kim said.

"Uh." Jungkook froze, fork midway to his mouth.

Taehyung and Jimin stared at him.

"Portals," he said, stating the first thing that came to mind.

"Portals?" Mr. Kim asked. "Huh. A man of few words. I like it. That's some advanced stuff there, kiddo."

"Would you like another helping, Jungkook?" Mrs. Kim asked.

Jungkook had been stress eating his way through plate after plate of casserole. His stomach was beginning to ache, and he still felt stressed.

"Yes please," he said.

"And a nice big appetite, too. Taehyung, where did you find this guy?"

Jungkook took a moment to contemplate the fact that he was being given preferential treatment to two of the highest scoring students at Blackthorn.

Mr. Kim leaned closer. "The pink in your hair. Let me guess, Taehyung made you do it?"

Jimin dropped his fork.

"No, actually," Jungkook said carefully. "I did it myself."

"Ah, well." Mr. Kim motioned to a bottle of port, which floated over, along with a flock of crystal tumblers. "Gotta dip your toe into these trends now and again. Would anybody like some port?"

"I'm going to clean up," Taehyung said.

Jungkook accepted the port the same way he'd accepted extra helpings of casserole, and by the time dinner was over, he was feeling buzzed in a sickly, bloated kind of way.

"Your father and I are going to make some greeting cards. Why don't you boys watch a movie in the living room?"

"I was going to show them my room."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Mrs. Kim asked nervously. "It's still so messy from the last time you were here."

"They've seen my dorm, they'll live," Taehyung grumbled.

Taehyung's room was on the first floor next to his parents' room. A fuzzy rug slipped around on top of polished hardwood. There were several cacti in the window. The closet was overflowing with clothes, but apart from these subtle accents, it could've belonged to anyone.

"The room's nothing special, just wanted to get away from them for a while." Taehyung went over to the closet and stood up on his tippy-toes, feeling around on the upper shelf. "Oh good." He pulled a box down. "It's still here."

"Do you feel like it's going to hit early?" Jimin asked.

"Not really. If anything the stress will hold it off, but I want to be prepared regardless." Taehyung tucked the box of dildos underneath his desk.

"What's with your dad?" Jungkook asked, plopping down on Taehyung's bed. "He's kind of acting like a human."

"Really? How?"

"Like... all those comments about your clothes and 'being a man.' Didn't think that was part of witching culture."

"It typically isn't, but a lot of werewolf men are obsessed with appearing more masculine." Taehyung crawled onto the bed and started examining his cacti, blowing dust off their quills. Jungkook sneezed. "It's because of our anatomy. I think my dad grew up feeling emasculated by his own body. A lot of internalized bullshit going on there."

"So he wants you to feel the same?"

"Yeah, basically. He hates that I wear tight clothes that show off my figure."

"I'm glad you haven't listened to him," Jimin said, eying Taehyung's ass from across the room.

Taehyung blew him a kiss, and then his eyes darted to the door. Jungkook moved a couple inches away from him on the mattress, glancing skittishly in the same direction.

"Relax, I'll tell you if anybody's coming." Jimin leaned against the open door and gazed casually down the hall.

"You probably noticed, but both of them are obsessed with appearing normal, to the point that most witches find them boring."

"Do they realize?"

"I don't think they care. They have their business connections and that's good enough for them. They've always preferred to keep people at an arm's length. I can tell mom's on edge about the fact that you two are here. It's almost unheard of for werewolf families to have houseguests, especially given the fact that we're past the new moon."

"Why the hell did she agree to it?" Jungkook asked.

"Sometimes the concept of normal gets bungled in their minds. They want me to have a typical college life, which probably includes making a few friends. But they also get nervous when I get too close to people."

"You don't have to keep doing this," Jimin said softly. "There are grants you could apply for. I'm sure you'd get them with your grades."

Taehyung frowned. "It isn't that simple."

"Boys?" Mrs. Kim called from down the hall. "We made popcorn."

Taehyung dragged Jungkook into a hard, messy kiss, and then pulled away just as violently, trudging out the door. Jungkook squeezed Jimin's hand as he passed him, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," he murmured.

"We're definitely sneaking into his room later," Jimin said.

They spent the rest of the evening sitting at a friendly distance from one another on a big leather couch, watching Star Trek. Pop culture was one of the only ways witches interacted with human society, leaving them with rather skewed ideas about how humans lived their lives.

"If science can make things hover, what's the point in cars then?"

"It must fall within certain limitations, like magic," Taehyung theorized. "Maybe they can only make things hover in denser areas, like those boxes in big buildings that carry you up and down the different floors."

"Elevators," Jungkook said, trying not to laugh.

"Their teleportation is so clunky," Jimin said, as Scotty beamed a party up to the Enterprise. "Imagine taking that long to move people from one place to another."

"Look at his ears," Mrs. Kim exclaimed from the dining table, slapping Mr. Kim's arm. The two of them were surrounded by stacks of cards and envelopes. "They must've hired an elf to play this part."

"He could be a pixie," Jimin said. "He's certainly hot enough to be one."

Taehyung's mom raised her eyebrows at that.

Eventually the movie ended and Jungkook set the empty popcorn bowl in the sink, wondering if his stomach might actually rupture. He poured himself a glass of water. His eyes darted to Jimin and Taehyung for some intimation of what came next.

"Well," Taehyung said. "I think it's about time I went to sleep."

"Me too," Jimin said. "I'm tired."

"I am also tired," Jungkook said.

"Before you tuck in, can we have a word, Taehyung?" Mr. Kim asked.

The mischievous glint in Taehyung's eyes fell away as quickly as it had appeared.

Jimin and Jungkook tromped downstairs. Jungkook threw himself on the guest bed and Jimin sat down beside him, rubbing his thigh.

"Argh," Jungkook groaned. "This is so awkward."

"Don't worry. Once their conversation is done we can figure something out."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Their rooms are right next to each other."

"I may or may not have taken a few extra study hours to learn Yoongi's muffling charm."

"You're insane." Jungkook burped sadly. Jimin rubbed his stomach. "What's with the tutoring system you and Tae enacted?"

"It was my idea," Jimin said quickly, as if he expected Jungkook to be angry. "I just thought that, seeing as Taehyung is clocking so many hours helping you out, he might as well steal some extra credits for it."

"Mm." Jungkook reached over and took Jimin's hand. "Smart."

"You think so?" Jimin seemed surprised.

"Of course I think so. You two are brilliant. It's honestly cracking me up how Mr. Kim seems to think I'm the goldenboy."

Jimin shook his head. "You've got lots of potential."

"Nah, I'm just here for sex and heavy lifting."

"My irreverent fuckboy," Jimin giggled, leaning over and kissing Jungkook on the lips. "You should've seen your face when he asked you about your thesis."

"Thank god they aren't the types to pry. Honestly, if they'd asked any more questions I would've let something slip."

"These people are strange." Jimin ran his fingers through Jungkook's hair, letting his claws come out a bit, scratching gently at his scalp. "I appreciate a prize or a gem as much as any other collector, but they don't seem very enamoured with their treasures."

"All they care about are appearances." Jungkook sighed, nuzzling his face into Jimin's stomach. "No wonder Tae hates it here."

A folded note dropped out of thin air and landed on Jungkook's head. Jimin snatched it off his ear and unfolded it.

"Damn. He doesn't want us to sneak in tonight. He says his parents are on guard."

"Fuck, I feel so bad for him."

"We'll try tomorrow."

Jimin pulled his legs out from under Jungkook's head and snuggled in beside him. Jungkook knew better than to try to convince him to go back to his own room.

"Did you shut the door to the library?"

"Gukkie, even if they find out that you and I are together, it won't matter."

Jungkook paused. "I guess that's true."

"You're so anxious. I can feel it." Jimin rubbed a hand over Jungkook's chest. "This whole situation really reminds you of your own family, doesn't it?"

Jungkook was silent.

"It must be awful, feeling like you need to answer to people who hurt you."

Jimin slipped a hand up under his shirt and started playing with his nipples. Jungkook squirmed sleepily.

"What was it like, between you and Tae, before I got here?"

"Not that different. A little more casual?" Jimin rolled on top of Jungkook and pulled his pants down, and then his own. "We still had sex all the time, but maybe it felt a little more like friends."

"What does it feel like now?"

"Different." Jimin reached down and started slowly jerking them off in one hand. His fingers could barely reach around their combined widths. "Something less casual."

Jungkook rolled them onto their sides, and reached down to help.

"Do you like it?"

Jimin nodded. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed in concentration. He swallowed shakily. "I l-like it a lot."

"Shush, kitten. They'll hear."

Jimin came with a little whimper, trembling in Jungkook's arms. Jungkook pulled back and jerked off, and Jimin cleaned it up with a scouring charm.

"You're getting so good at that," Jungkook said.

Jimin examined Jungkook's dick. "Yeah, no more rug burn."

They shut off the light and crawled under the covers, face-to-face. Jungkook realized that he'd never been alone with Jimin like this. It was always Jimin sneaking away to his hut, Jimin who needed a study break during Taehyung's heats. It was cozy. So cozy Jungkook began to feel guilty.

"Tomorrow we'll sneak in," Jimin said, reading Jungkook's mind.

Jungkook leaned in and kissed Jimin on the lips. Jimin hummed, snuggling in closer. They lay there for a while, kissing lazily, playing with each other's hands. Jungkook tried to relax. Jimin was right, there was no point in suffering for no reason, and besides, he was sure there was more than enough stress in store for them tomorrow.

"Why aren't you soft like this more often?" he asked sleepily.

"Because you and Tae are idiots," Jimin mumbled against Jungkook's lips. "I need to make sure you don't blow yourselves up."

Jungkook laughed softly.

"At least he has Midgy," Jimin said.

Jungkook pushed down another wave of worry.

He woke up the next morning to the clatter of pots and pans. He looked over. Jimin was curled up next to him, covered in branches.

"Chim," he croaked, shaking Jimin's shoulder. "Wake up, get your hag shit together."

They got dressed and hauled themselves up the stairs. Mr. Kim was whipping eggs. Mrs. Kim was reading at the dinner table, sipping tea. Taehyung was setting the table. He was still in his pyjamas. His hair was a mess and his eyes were red and puffy. Jungkook fought down the urge to go over and hug him.

"Good morning boys," Mr. Kim said cheerfully. "How did you sleep?"

"Fantastically," Jimin said.

Taehyung shot them a dark look, and dropped a handful of spare cutlery back into the drawer. Midgy, who was perched on his shoulder, took off with a squawk, flapping past Jungkook's head down the hall.

"Mind the silverware, Taehyung," Mrs. Kim said.

"Anything we can do to help?" Jimin asked.

"Please, sit down," Mr. Kim said. "You're our guests."

Jungkook and Jimin took a seat at the table. Taehyung slammed a plate down in front of Jimin so hard eggs spilled onto the bamboo place mat.

"Taehyungie," Mrs. Kim chided.

"Don't mind him," Mr. Kim said, chuckling. "He gets like this in the colder months. A bad case of those winter blues, isn't that right, son?"

"Sure, why not," Taehyung muttered, throwing himself into a chair and tucking his knees up to his chest.

Jungkook immediately started shovelling down forkfuls of eggs and hashbrowns. Jimin ignored his food and stared at Taehyung.

"Eat something," Mrs. Kim whispered to Taehyung. "You're making your guests nervous."

"I'm not hungry," Taehyung said.

"So," Mr. Kim said, sitting down with a cup of coffee. "We noticed you didn't sleep in the library, Jimin. Was the cot uncomfortable?"

"No, Mr. Kim," Jimin said. "The cot was fine."

"So, what is it then?" Mr. Kim laughed amicably. "Are you boys a couple or something?"

Jungkook almost choked on his toast.

Jimin continued to smile at Mr. Kim, his fork poised mid-bite. Jungkook's eyes darted to Taehyung, who was staring murderously at his untouched plate.  

"Oh, don't worry," Mrs. Kim said. "We don't mind."

"So that's it, right?" Mr. Kim asked eagerly. "You two would prefer to sleep together?"

"Mmmmaybe?" Jimin said.

"Why didn't you just say something?" Mr. Kim laughed. "We'll pack the cot up after breakfast and get you some spare blankets."

"Really Taehyung," Mrs. Kim said. "You could've told us."

Taehyung threw his fork down and stormed out of the room.

"Oh no," Mr. Kim said.

"I don't know why he has to be like this," Mrs. Kim sighed.

Jungkook was already out of his chair.

"Sit down dear," Mrs. Kim said. "It really is best to let him blow off steam alone."

"No," Jungkook said.

Jimin reached out and took his wrist. "Gukkie—"

"I don't know why you have to blame him for everything." Jungkook yanked his hand out of Jimin's grip. "Do you even know who he is? He's sensitive. He can't handle this kind of bullshit."

Mr. and Mrs. Kim blinked at him in shock.

"Come on," Jimin said, grabbing Jungkook by the arm.

Jimin dragged him downstairs. Jungkook paced the guestroom. His hands were shaking.

"Why did you bring me down here?"

"To get our coats." Jimin tossed Jungkook his puffer jacket. "I heard him leave out the front door. It's raining and he's in his pyjamas."

Mr. Kim caught them near the front door.

"You boys aren't leaving are you?" He hunched over, twisting his hands in front of him. Every ounce of arrogant humour had vanished from his face.

"We're going to find him," Jimin said.

"Okay." Mr. Kim nodded. "Good. I'm really sorry. Our family is complicated. I really wanted to make this holiday fun for everyone."

The way he was looking at them was so imploring, it struck Jungkook as oddly pathetic.

"Then stop bullying him," Jungkook said.

"Bullying? We're not—"

"Come on Gukkie." Jimin dragged Jungkook out the front door.

A wall of frigid wet air smacked him in the face.

"I can't believe them," Jungkook fumed, as they hurried down the front walk.

"I'm glad I got you out of there before you punched him in the face," Jimin muttered, making a circle between his forefinger and thumb and squinting through it.

"You're saying you like them?" Jungkook demanded incredulously.

"No. They're awful. But they belong to Taehyung, not us. Getting involved could make things worse for him."

"Glad I said something," Jungkook grunted, throwing his shoulders back aggressively. He began to pace up and down the sidewalk. "Something needed to be said."

"He went this way." Jimin took off down the street. He looked tinier than ever, dwarfed by his wool jacket and the spare coat he was clutching to his chest. Jungkook stuffed his hands into his pockets and followed.

The cloud cover was so dense it was hard to believe it was almost eleven in the morning. Sheets of moisture drifted down, too thin to be rain but just as pervasive. Jungkook pulled his hood up. Every block they went, his puffer jacket got soggier and soggier. The cold went right through him, wiping away his anger. He could hardly imagine how cold Taehyung must be right now.

They passed lawns full of chipped porcelain gnomes, sparkling fountains, and overgrown archways. A strip mall gave off the smell of cinnamon and espresso. A scarecrow with a lopsided hat paced back and forth, weeding a flowerbed outside a bookstore.

"His signature is getting stronger." Jimin's teeth were rattling. "Just one more block, I think."

They came to a schoolyard. An old brick building loomed in the distance. The playground was wood and rusted metal. Down a hill, several boulder-sized rocks were arranged around a stream.

"There he is," Jimin said.

Taehyung was sitting on one of the boulders. His patterned cotton pyjamas were plastered to his skin. His blue hair was flat against his scalp, and his lips were dark against pale skin.

"Baby," Jimin said. "Here, take off your shirt, I brought your coat."

Taehyung didn't move. "You didn't tell them, did you?"

"No, we didn't."

Taehyung raised his arms and let Jimin peel his shirt off. Jimin handed it to Jungkook and wrapped Taehyung in his fluffy pimp coat, and then wrapped his arms around him for good measure.

"This is where I went to highschool," Taehyung mumbled. "I ate lunch alone on these boulders everyday."

"Are you okay, Tae?" Jimin asked.

Taehyung inhaled shakily. "Not really."

"Do you want me to look up scholarships with you when we get back?" Jimin looked at Jungkook. "We could leave sooner, get a motel like Jungkook said."

"That won't fix it." Taehyung wiped away a tear. "One day, a couple weeks, it's all the same in the end."

"A couple days mean everything if they save your sanity. Jungkook, are you seriously smoking?"

"I'm cold." Jungkook exhaled a mouthful of smoke. "And stressed. Leave me alone."

"Give me one," Taehyung said.

"What?" Jungkook asked.

"Can I please have a cigarette?"

"But you hate smoking," Jungkook said incredulously.

"I just need something." Taehyung's voice cracked. "Please. A distraction."

Jungkook handed him the pack. Taehyung took one out, lit the end with his pinkie, inhaled, and immediately started to cough.

"Jungkook gave them a piece of his mind."

"What? Really?"

"I'm sorry." Jungkook ashed his cigarette fretfully. "I couldn't keep it in."

"What did you say?"

"I told them to stop bullying you."

"It's okay." Taehyung sighed. "Thanks. It's just..." He stared at his cigarette, watching it burn down. "Do you know how most werewolves end up finding a partner?"

"Networking?" Jimin guessed.

"Arranged marriage."

Both Jimin and Jungkook made horrified choking noises.

"Tell me they didn't—"

"Taehyung, you can't—"

"I'm not going to. Don't worry." Taehyung wiped his noise. "Here, do you want this? I don't think I'm going to be able to smoke it."

Jungkook took the cigarette.

"That's how my parents met. Their parents knew each other through secret connections back in Daegu. The moment they married, my parents moved to America. Werewolf families intentionally fragment themselves, to make it harder to trace the bloodline back if someone gets outed. I've never met my grandparents."

Jimin was listening closely. Jungkook imagined he was doing his best to imagine what it would feel like to have parents, let alone grandparents.

"Is that what your parents want for you?" Jimin asked.

"Well, there is another option."

"Oh, good."

"Taking an oath of lifelong celibacy."

"Oh, no."

"That's what they wanted to talk about last night. They know I have certain... tendencies. There are these hookup sites for witches with fetishes. I was horny and stupid when I was younger, so I met up with a few people looking to bang a werewolf. When my parents found out they lost their shit."

"What about getting outed?" Jimin asked, aghast.

"Oh, you always wear a mask. It's expected. Most of those people aren't really interested in seeing your face, anyway."

"I always wondered if Jimin was the one who took your virginity," Jungkook said.

"Oooh no. Not by any stretch of the imagination," Taehyung laughed sadly.

"It's okay baby." Jimin rubbed Taehyung's shoulder. "Everyone has needs."

"They've been paranoid ever since. Somehow they weren't really worried until Jimin started fanboying over Spock, and then I think it occurred to them that you might like boys, and I'm a boy, so..." Taehyung shrugged.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry," Jimin said.

"No, Chim. Zachary Quinto is a babe. Hottest elf I've ever seen."

Jungkook snorted.

"What?" Taehyung asked, offended. "He is."

"So they suspect us," Jimin said.

"I don't think they do anymore." Taehyung frowned. "You saw how relieved they were when they found out you two were a couple."

The words made Jungkook's stomach feel heavy.

"Not without you," he said softly.

Taehyung's eyebrows arched up like he was going to start crying. He covered his mouth with a hand.

"Tae, what does this mean?" Jimin asked. "Are you going to have to get married one day?"

"I told you, I'm not getting an arranged marriage," Taehyung blurted. "I'm not staying celibate my whole life, and I'm sure as hell not leaving you two."

Jungkook let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"So then..."

"It's a ticking time bomb until they find out I've been dating non-werewolves. Then they're going to disown me."

"Do you really think they would?" Jungkook asked.

"Oh, yes. You see how hard they try to blend in. The moment they find out I've outed myself, even to a few people, they're going to cut ties to keep their secret safe. I'll never get to see them again."

"Like Professor Chittaphon," Jimin said slowly.

"While I'm still in university, I figured I'd keep it under wraps. Make the most of the last few years I have with them, even if they suck."

"So it isn't about money," Jimin said.

Taehyung shook his head. "It's about time."

Jungkook put his second cigarette out on the side of Taehyung's rock and looked around for a garbage.

"Here," Jimin said. He pointed to the cigarette butts and they vanished.

"Where do things go that get scoured?" Jungkook asked, staring at the spot where they'd been two seconds ago.

"Their components are separated and dispersed into the world in pure, organic form."

"Sounds complicated."

"Hella complicated. That's why it took me so long to learn."

"Fuck." Jungkook groaned, running his hands over his face. "This means we actually have to be nice to them, doesn't it?"

"We should at least try," Jimin said.

"I don't want to put you guys out," Taehyung said.

"It's okay..." Jungkook sighed. "Now that I understand where it's coming from, I don't think it'll be quite as hard." He sighed again, and then walked over to the boulder and wrapped his soggy arms around both of them. "Come here, I want to make out with you for a while before we go back."

The three of them huddled on the boulder, hugging each other and taking turns kissing until their coats were so saturated with water, Jimin and Jungkook looked like they had hypothermia too.

They trudged back through the rain and found Mr. and Mrs. Kim baking cookies. Mr. Kim took Jungkook's coat off with the same imploring look as before, and Mrs. Kim apologized repeatedly for causing them trouble. A distant part of Jungkook's heart acknowledged that they were two broken people in a broken system, with shitloads of internalized prejudice, who just wanted an ordinary life.

He still mostly hated them though.

In an act of solidarity, he wore some of Jimin's clothes and makeup for the next couple days. Mr. Kim joked endlessly about Jimin playing the bossy lover, so Jungkook tiredly donned his sportswear, hoping to slip under the radar instead, but every dinner Mr. Kim waxed on about Jungkook's tasteful mannerisms, his humble fashion sense, his effortless physique.

"It's because I'm half faerie," Jungkook said tiredly on day six. "I build muscle a lot faster than other people. Nothing to be proud of."

Taehyung's parents erupted into a cacophony of excitement.

The more he treated them like shit, and the more they took it, the more he realized how little they valued themselves. He tried to reign it in, but it was hard. Whether it was the likeness the situation bore to his own, or the mere act of being around parents in general, his most sullen, stubborn ways were being brought out in full force.

"Come here," Taehyung exclaimed.

Jimin looked up from his notes. Jungkook was lying on the deck, reading a first-year textbook on incantations that Taehyung had found in his room. It was the first day it had stopped raining, and the three of them were hanging out in the backyard.

"Hurry!"

Taehyung had thrown a plank of wood over two crates and set up several miniature cauldrons and hot plates on its surface. Jungkook peeked over his shoulder. A red leaf was suspended in a boiling solution. A moment later, it changed dark blue.

"This is a coleus leaf. I never imagined it would have magical properties, but it's interacting with the yarrow base."

Jimin appeared on the other side. Gold speckles flickered across the leaf's surface like a chameleon changing its colour.

"Pretty," he said softly.

"I think this might just be what I need for my honours project. Oh—"

The leaf folded into a tiny ball and drifted to the bottom of the flask.

"Short half life," Jimin commented.

"Yeah, I'm gonna need to concentrate it."

"Can we please go make out in the shed?" Jungkook said.

"You two go ahead," Taehyung said.

"It won't be the same without you," Jimin said.

"I miss your taste," Jungkook said.

"I miss your cock," Jimin said.

"I miss your cock too," Jungkook said.

"Guk, you haven't even had my cock in your ass yet," Taehyung said softly. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Can we please sneak into your room tonight?" Jimin said. "I know a way we can pull it off."

"No! We're only here three more days. It isn't worth risking it."

"How's the heat situation coming along?" Jungkook asked.

"Still no signs. I think it's definitely going to come late. If I get it on the way back, maybe we can make sex stops along the way."

"Can we do that anyway?" Jungkook asked.

They spent the rest of the afternoon studying. Jungkook hid his first year textbook every time Mr. or Mrs. Kim walked by, snatching desperately for one of Jimin's more advanced readings to hold onto instead. The third time it happened, Jimin bewitched the front of Jungkook's textbook into something so advanced Jungkook couldn't even pronounce it.

Dinner was stuffed bell peppers and quinoa salad. Jungkook was quietly wondering how many more meals he could endure with Taehyung's parents grilling him about faerie culture, when Mr. Kim solved the issue himself.

"Oh," he gasped suddenly.

The entire table turned to look at him, with varying degrees of surprise. Mrs. Kim's banked on panic.

Mr. Kim forced his face into a smile. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

"Everything alright, Dad?" Taehyung asked.

Jungkook kicked Jimin's leg under the table to get him to stop staring.

"Yes. I'm just feeling a little unwell." He set his fork down with a shaking hand. "I think it would be best if I retire for the evening."

"He's always had stomach problems," Mrs. Kim said. "Here, honey, let me help you."

Mr. Kim rose from his chair with a wince. Mrs. Kim took his arm and led him down the hall to their bedroom.

Jungkook's eyes lingered on the moon clock. It was hard to believe they'd been in Varlet for almost two weeks.

"Dad tends to get his heats early," Taehyung whispered.

"Is she going to come back?" Jimin glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh yeah, dad can wait a couple minutes. Heats lessen in intensity as you get older. Still a bitch to deal with, though."

Mrs. Kim appeared a second later.

"Well. It looks like he's really taken a downward turn. I'm afraid you boys might have to leave a couple days early."

"No problem, Mrs. Kim," Jungkook said, the politest he'd been since he arrived. "I hope he feels better soon."

"Oh yes, he will." She daubed at her own forehead. "Oh dear. I think I might be coming down with something too. Taehyungie, do you mind doing the dishes?"

"No problem, Ma."

Taehyung watched her go with a fond expression.

"They're the only two werewolves I've ever known," he said quietly, as they were packing their bags downstairs. "They always set each other off like that. Living together for so many years caused their heats to align."

"Maybe we could try to keep our shit secret indefinitely?" Jungkook asked.

"No, I definitely can't do this forever." Taehyung smiled sadly. "I'm glad we made it through the two weeks, though."

They left early the next morning. Taehyung slipped a note under his parents' door saying goodbye, while Jungkook and Jimin waited in the car. None of them were too keen on spending too much time around that end of the hallway. Midgy flew around from the backyard and landed on the car, pecking hollow clangs into the roof until Jimin opened the window and let her inside.

"How did you deal with it when you were a kid?" Jungkook asked.

"Honestly, my heats were so violent when I was young, I was too caught up in my own misery to notice what they were doing. It was strange though, mom is usually overbearing, but during the most difficult times of my life she was nowhere to be seen. Now and then my heat would come earlier than theirs, so she would spend a few days bringing me food, but even then I think she found it awkward."

"What do most werewolves do?"

"We don't know. There isn't exactly a guidebook, and like I said, we're all so spread out it's hard to ask other people what they do. Okay, Midgy, I'm sorry but you've gotta go."

Taehyung tried to shove the raven out the window, but she cawed in protest, crawling up his arm all the way to his head. He giggled as she started to preen him.

"Can we keep her?" Jimin asked.

"I want to, but she's the only thing that keeps my parents remotely sane. Go, Midgy, go—c'mon, you don't want us to get a late start on the drive, do you?"

The raven let out a low honk, and then climbed onto the windowsill dejectedly.

"Bye bye," Taehyung said, kissing her beak. "I'll come visit again, I promise."

Jimin waved as she flew back to the house.

The return trip was two hours longer than the drive there. Jungkook planned on parking the Camry on campus, so they had to drive the extra two hours of highway between Maven and Blackthorn that were compressed by the proximity path. They watched Taehyung's quiet, rainy neighbourhood slip away, sipping convenience store coffee and blasting pop music through the Camry's tired speakers. The way out was way more simple, just a single road leading through an oak bluff onto the highway.

Taehyung seemed oddly jubilant, but the second they reached the highway and the music faded to static, his moodiness returned. He sat in the front this time, reclining his seat so Jimin could play with his hair. They were blasting the heat so the windows didn't fog up from their coffee and Jungkook was sweating in his puffer coat.

"Are you happy we got to leave early?" Jimin asked.

"Happy and sad. It's so much effort to get out here, I kind of wished we could've stayed the full two weeks."

"I didn't like them. They were boring and nervous. But if they are important to you, we should try to find a way you can keep them."

"Can't, Chim. I already explained why."

"What if you told them we were werewolves too?"

"That would terrify them. We can't even stay in contact with our own families. Making werewolf friends is out of the question."

"Why?" Jungkook asked.

"It just leads to more questions. In their minds, if one of you two ever got outed, and people knew I was friends with you, they would automatically suspect I was a werewolf too. Not many witches associate with werewolves."

Jimin brushed Taehyung's bangs to the side, parted them, brushed them back, lost in thought. "What if you told them our families were also stealth, and really careful—"

"Best case scenario, they'd still want us to move to a different city. I'd have to change my name." Taehyung's voice was getting increasingly hollow.

"Maybe we should... talk about something else?" Jungkook asked.

"So you're saying the only way that you can stay in contact with your family is if you remain celibate?" Jimin asked.

"Basically."

Jimin's face split into a smile. "Then it's simple! Lie to them. We can visit them whenever you want, and—"

"You really think I could do this forever?" Taehyung said softly. "You and Guk playing the happy couple while I'm the eternal loner in their eyes?"

There was a pause.

"If it weren't for them would you live openly?" Jimin asked.

Jungkook was amazed the two of them hadn't had this conversation yet, in the two and a half years they'd known each other.

"I don't know. It's complicated. Part of it is not wanting to let them down, but coming out also sounds lowkey terrifying."

"That's why the best idea is to lie. Lying is easy."

"Maybe for you, but they're my family." Taehyung crossed his arms, staring out the window. "You wouldn't understand. You never had a family."

"Could you two please have this conversation one on one? Later?" Jungkook asked. "When I'm not trying to drive?"

"You're part of this too," Taehyung snapped.

"If that's the case, I think we all need to shut up so we don't say something we're going to regret."

They drove in silence for a couple minutes. Jimin had stopped playing with Taehyung's hair. He leaned back in his seat, staring at his lap.

"I'm sorry, Chim," Taehyung mumbled. "I know you were trying to help. Maybe I just don't feel like talking about it right now."

"This whole thing frustrates me. I hate problems that have no solutions."

"I really don't think there is one. I've spent years trying to figure it out."

"It's still worth trying. There could be something we're failing to see. And just so you know, I did have a family once, so you can stop saying I don't understand, it's inaccurate." He grated out the last word like it was a swearword.

"Wait, what?" Jungkook asked. "I thought your creator left before you... sprouted?"

"I'm not talking about another hag. I'm talking about a forest. The forest where I was born."

There was a long pause.

"That's right," Jimin said quietly. "A mystical, sprawling forest. Birch and willow. Cold, ancient, and incredibly commanding."

"You said you grew up in the tropics," Jungkook said.

"Yes, well, I lied. It's easy enough to do, like I said." He may have been losing the battle with the part of himself that wanted to talk about this, but there was still a visible struggle going on. He licked his lips and took a deep breath. "There was a pool, where an elf princess drowned herself. The magic was so thick around it, spells went wonky. Fresh mushrooms in spring, blueberries in the summer. We had a unicorn. I saw her twice; once, drinking from that pool, the other time strolling through a patch of ivy."

"It sounds really nice," Taehyung whispered.

"It was."

"What happened to it?" Taehyung asked, even quieter.

"They cut it down." Jimin swallowed heavily. "Humans, witches, I'm not sure, but they wanted to build a settlement. I knew for years that staying there was a bad idea. Most of the land around it was developed. There was hardly any forest left. But I couldn't bring myself to leave, not until I heard the saws coming." He let out a strangled little laugh. "I didn't know any battle magic at the time. Even if I did, one hag against that many people would never stand a chance. We're tricksters, not soldiers. I barely got my hut out in time."

"Chim..." Jungkook said.

"Most hags never leave their birth forest," he pushed on, despite how badly his voice was shaking. "It takes years to establish relationships with the local monsters, the trees. If I hadn't been forced out, I might've stayed there my whole life." He paused. "My new forest is safer. The ghouls are hardier, and scarier. There are natural wards around the edges, I think the trees put them up long ago. It's a good forest, but I've never felt the same way about it. Maybe because I don't let myself."

He bit back a little sob. Taehyung rolled onto his side, reaching for his hand.

"This world is lawless. I doubt I'm the only hag who's been displaced." He laughed bitterly through his tears. "I tried to make the new forest feel like home. When I couldn't, I ventured into the world to see what else there was, besides forests. That's when I discovered the witching world."

"I always wondered what a hag was doing at a witching university," Taehyung said.

"How the fuck have you two not talked about this stuff before?" Jungkook asked.

"Oh my god, Gukkie," Taehyung said. "Are you okay?"

Silent tears were streaming down Jungkook's face. He sniffed loudly. "I'm fine."

"Why are you crying?" Jimin asked.

"It's just so fucking sad."

"Ah, yes." Jimin sighed. "It is. I wish the hag that created me had thought things through a little more, before seeding me in a forest that was doomed."

Taehyung undid his seatbelt so he could hug both of them at the same time. Jungkook pushed him back into his seat and did his seatbelt back up, holding the wheel with one hand, Taehyung giggling the whole time.

"I'm so sorry you're going to have to say goodbye to your parents forever, Tae. And I'm so sorry you lost your forest, Chim." Jungkook took a shaky breath. "Now can we play a game or something? I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Let's go over some basic incantations." Taehyung clapped his hands together. "Okay, cantrip fifty-eight—"

Jungkook groaned. "Forget I said anything."

"Classes start Monday," Jimin reminded him.

They spent the rest of the trip taking turns quizzing him. He answered questions about the properties of herbs, the proper hand postures for transfiguring charms. He rattled off incantations in Latin, Mandarin, Arabic, and Ancient Greek. By the time they pulled off the highway, his brain felt like the radio signal—empty and buzzing.

At least they weren't crying or fighting anymore. He hadn't said anything, but in many ways he could relate to what they were going through. Holding onto the idea of something, even when it was destined to end in loss.

The same types of wards protected Blackthorn as Varlet. They drove down a gravel road until they reached an acreage. Jungkook brought the Camry around back. An old woman waved at them from the porch as they went, then they were in a parking lot. Jimin, who was reading the instructions out of the student handbook, told him to drive headlong into a cart rack. The landscape shifted again, and they were on a freeway. Jungkook drove through a line of pylons, ignoring the barricade, and the landscape shifted again, and again, until they arrived on a narrow road leading through a familiar forest.

Jungkook parked in a small lot surrounded by a rickety knee-high fence. His car was the only one there. The gravel was ridden with weeds. He'd jogged past it many times and assumed it was an abandoned garden.

"Feels good to be back," Taehyung yawned.

He got out, stretched, and immediately got his heat.

Jungkook carried Taehyung on his back, while Jimin levitated their luggage. By the time they got back to the dorms all three of them were sweating.

"Want me to make some turnip tea for your cramps?" Jimin asked, pulling the black silk bundle out of one of the suitcases.

"No, please," Taehyung moaned, twisting on the bed. "I want you in me, now. Both of you."

They spent the last three days of the winter holidays in Taehyung's room.

"Is cantrip twenty-four an internal or external spell?" Jimin asked.

"Uhhhhhh. Internal?"

"Yes, except for when you're casting in tandem with a magnifier."

"Oh fuck," Taehyung gasped, curling in on himself.

Jimin rolled on top of him, pushed his legs apart and slid inside. Jungkook got up and poured Taehyung another cup of turnip tea.

"Can magnifiers be applied to all cantrips?" Jungkook asked.

"Only up to cantrip forty-eight," Taehyung panted. "After that they're powerful enough on their o—oh fuck, on their own."

Jimin rolled his hips, kissing Taehyung's neck. Jungkook set the tea on the nightstand.

"Thanks Guk," Jimin said. "Now can you get naked again?"

It was a bad heat overall. Taehyung woke up multiple times in the night, whimpering in pain. Jungkook rolled over, half-asleep. "Gimme a minute," he mumbled. "Gotta get hard."

"Just... just your fingers is okay," Taehyung choked.

Jungkook pushed two fingers inside him and fingered him to orgasm. Two hours later he woke up and did the same.

By the time Monday rolled around, all three of them were underslept, fucked out, and sore. Jimin and Jungkook dragged themselves to class to take notes for Taehyung, who needed a couple more days in his room.

The second Yoongi saw them, he let out a loud bark of a laugh. "Holy shit, you guys look like hell!"

Neither of them could argue with that.

"What did you do over the holidays?" Jungkook asked, leaning against the wall while they waited for the previous class to get out. Even with his faerie blood he was feeling a little worn out.

"Nothing too wild. Hoseok got some peyote and we tripped in the dorms for a couple days. I spent the rest of the break mixing a new track. What about you? Did you go on a bender or something?"

"You could say that," Jimin said, stretching his back with a grimace.

"Stayed with Taehyung's parents," Jungkook said. "It was a time."

"Where is he, anyway?" Yoongi asked, looking around awkwardly.

"Still hungover," Jungkook said quickly.

Yoongi hooted.

Yoongi was too delighted with their decrepit state to treat Jimin with his usual wariness. When he left, he fist-bumped Jungkook and punched Jimin in the shoulder.

"Is that all it took for him to like me?" Jimin asked, squinting as they entered the sunlit classroom. "The thought of me doing drugs and getting hammered?"

"I think time is wearing him down. He isn't really the type to hold a grudge."

Jimin rested his head on Jungkook's shoulder and closed his eyes. "Good."

"Naptime?"

"Take notes for me too," Jimin whispered. "I'm sleepy."

Jungkook was meeting with the deans later that week for an evaluation. Depending on how they assessed him, this could be one of the last times he had class with Jimin. The semester stretched on, and after that, the summer loomed, equally troubling and open-ended.

But for now, his cantrips were starting to come along. Earlier that morning, he'd managed to displace water from one glass into another without lighting something on fire. They'd survived the holidays, Jimin's soft cheek was warming his shoulder, and he had a sleepy werewolf waiting for him back in the dorms.

For a fleeting moment in time, things couldn't have been much better.

Chapter Text

"See?" Jimin whispered. "Right there."

"Which one?"

"The one with the big trunk."

"The oak or the cypress?"

Jimin gave him a suspicious look.

"Jimin, for the love of god, I'm not trying to figure out where your forest is, I'm just trying to figure out which tree it is so we can get out of here."

"...the oak."

Jungkook squinted.

The two of them were crouching in watery mud. Jungkook's sweatpants were soaked, he had bug bites all over his neck, and his knee still hurt from when he'd stepped out of the portal and tripped over a log.

"I still don't know why we couldn't have brought Tae."

"You already know the answer to that."

"Still, he wants to see your hut so bad, and I..." Jungkook grimaced. "I don't like lying to him."

"Taehyung is obsessed with botany. He'll know exactly where this place is, just by looking at the trees." Jimin reached out and gripped Jungkook's arm. "Jungkook, we aren't here to have fun. We're here to fix a specific problem. I still don't understand this aversion you and Taehyung have towards lying, but if it helps to ease your mind, your lie will end up doing a lot of good this time."

"I know, I know." Jungkook wiped mud off his knees. "Okay, so this oak. You said it's... sick?"

"Possessed." Jimin let go of Jungkook's arm and pointed. "See the base?"

"The roots do look kind of fucky."

"Yes," Jimin whispered. "It's growing outwards, far past the point where the roots would ordinarily recede underground. Do you know why?"

Jungkook was so used to Jimin and Taehyung quizzing him at this point, he found himself falling into pupil mode.

"Probably to... fuck some other stuff up?"

"It's infecting the other trees. Like this one right in front of us."

Jungkook sprang backwards. One of his knees landed on top of Jimin's bird foot and Jimin gasped.

"Shit, sorry."

"It's alright." Jimin grimaced. "Don't worry, this tree right in front of us is a mild case, but I really don't want it spreading."

Jimin sounded calm, but Jungkook could tell he was stressed. For one, he wasn't flirting with Jungkook at all. He kept fussing with his hair, pushing it back from his face and then shaking it out again, messing with his sleeves. Knowing what he did about Jimin's history with forests, Jungkook couldn't blame him.

"So you want me to stop it."

"With your faerie magic, yes."

"There isn't anything you could do?"

"I could easily kill it, but I'd rather not."

Jungkook stared blankly. "So you want me to save it."

"Yes, that was what I was hoping."

"Okay. How?"

"I don't know," Jimin said. "I'm not a faerie, I don't know how these things work. Obviously I can't ask Professor Chittaphon about it."

"Okay." Jungkook stood up. Little bits of mud and mulch tumbled off his pants. "I'll give it my best shot."

Jimin gave him a little smile. "Thanks Gukkie."

"You're waiting here?"

"Yeah. I um... tried a purifying spell on it last week, don't think it liked that very much. I think you'll have a better shot if it doesn't know you're with me."

Jungkook climbed over a pile of fallen trees into the glade. The tree's branches loomed overhead; heavy, gnarled boughs tangling with those around it. Most of the oaks he'd seen so far had mossy brown bark, but there were white speckles on this one. He was reminded of one of his friend's aquariums back in Seoul, and how her catfish got covered in little white bumps before it died.

"Uh, hi," he said, stepping a little closer.

The ground was harder right next to the tree, with the bundles of raised roots more closely packed together. He noticed they were covered in white speckles too.

"I see you aren't feeling well." He took a deep breath. "My name's Jungkook. I'm here to help."

The tree didn't respond.

Jungkook might've ruminated longer on the fact that he was talking to a tree, but after another month of tutorials with Taehyung, getting thrown into nonsensical situations was beginning to feel like his everyday life.

"Okay, I'm going to touch you. Just, my hand, here—"

He reached out and pressed his hand to the bark.    

Sparrows warbled overhead, swooping and diving through the muggy air. Something splashed in the distance. A hint of a breeze slipped up Jungkook's shirt.

Nothing happened.

He rearranged his hand, sliding it further up. The breeze pulled at his hair this time. Without warning, his throat constricted. He turned away from the tree and vomited all over the ground.

"Gukkie, are you okay?" Jimin hissed, peeking around the trunk.

"I'm fine," Jungkook said. "That was weird, I don't feel sick at all."

A low roar, like a hundred double basses playing their lowest note all at the same time rumbled through the air. Jungkook staggered backwards.

"Oh fuck," Jimin said. "It saw me. Come back!"

Jungkook was almost back over the fallen trees when something grabbed his foot. He looked down. White speckled roots were climbing out of the mud, twisting around his ankle.

"Oh fuck—"

Jimin grabbed Jungkook's arm and pulled. The roots pulled harder. His hands broke free and he bounced over the undergrowth, landing on his side. More roots coiled out of the ground, snaking around his waist.

Jungkook closed his eyes. He imagined the life force of the tree, good and true, beating inside the trunk like a heart. He called out to it, begged it to let him go so he could help, projecting himself into the roots the same way he did when Taehyung wanted him to separate sand from molasses.

Nothing happened.

"Fucking hell," he swore, as a root twisted around his throat.

A blinding beam of light detonated within the clearing. There was a thunderous cracking noise and the smell of something burning. The roots around his throat crumbled into charcoal. He wriggled free, struggling to get his footing.

Something collided with him a second later, knocking him back onto his ass.

"Oh my god Guk," Jimin gasped, pulling him into a tight hug. "Are you okay? Did you break anything?"

"No, I'm good," Jungkook grunted, squinting over Jimin's shoulder. The clearing was still so full of light. "What did you do?"

"I blew it up from the inside out."

"You killed it?"

"Of course I killed it! It was strangling you."

"Stop shaking, it's alright." Jungkook pulled back. "See? I'm still in one piece."

Jimin stared at Jungkook with wide eyes. The branches growing out of his shoulder blades were sticking in all directions.

"You aren't mad?" Jimin's voice was high and tight.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Jungkook sighed, looking over at the tree. The light was beginning to diminish and he could see just how much damage Jimin's hex had done. The upper half of the tree was gone. What used to be the trunk stuck out of the ground, a singed chunk of charcoal, split in half and smoking. The ground was covered in cracked veins of ash. "I'm the one who fucked up."

"The last time something like this happened you almost left Taehyung and me forever."

"That's what you're worried about?" Jungkook pried Jimin's hands off his shoulders, which were fully clawed and starting to poke holes in his shirt. "No, Chim. I'm not mad."

Jimin clung to his hands so hard he could feel claws scraping against his knuckles.

"I don't like thinking about you leaving."

Jungkook tucked Jimin's hands against his chest and pulled him into a tight, prickly hug. Jimin was stock still in his arms, like a spooked bird.

"Oh my god," Jungkook murmured. "You're so cute."

"I'm not. I'm scared shitless."

Jungkook looked at the wreckage around them. It was hard to imagine Jimin being afraid of anything. Some of the trees in the circle showed patches of white marks too.

"Are you going to have to destroy the other trees too?"

"I'm going to wait a little longer. It'll take at least a couple weeks for them to get as bad as that one. Maybe I'll figure something out before then."

"I guess this means I can't use my faerie powers yet."

"Did you feel anything? Before it started strangling you?"

"Not really. I mean, it made me puke, but I think that was the thing possessing it, not the tree itself. When it was strangling me, I tried to talk to the part of it the tree that wasn't possessed."

"And?"

Jungkook frowned. "Nothing."

"Well." Jimin's demon eye zeroed in on Jungkook's chest. "Your powers are definitely in there. You just need to find a way to get in contact with them. Maybe you should ask Professor Chittaphon about it."

"I'd rather not."

"Why not? I thought we agreed he was okay." Jimin pulled away and started wandering around the glade, kicking at singed pieces of rubble, pulling fallen branches off ferns and saplings.

"He's way more likely to report my progress back to my parents than the deans."

"Remind me why that's a bad thing?"

"I don't want my parents to know I'm trying," Jungkook said, with the air of someone who had repeated the same thing dozens of times. "Witch magic is bad enough. If they catch wind that I'm trying to learn faerie magic, they'll think I've finally come around."

"What are you saying?" Jimin whipped around. "You're not saying they'd take you away?"

"No, Chim." Jungkook covered his mouth, chuckling. "You're so possessive today."

"Shut up." Jimin turned back around.

"It's just that..." Jungkook exhaled slowly. "I don't want them to think that their decision to send me here worked."

"Didn't it, though?"

Jungkook scowled. "I'm learning magic because I want to. Not because of them."

"Taehyung would be so happy to hear that."

Jungkook stooped down and helped Jimin lift a heavy bough. They tossed it to the side, revealing a patch of flowering cacti. Half of them were crushed.

"I'm so sorry." Jungkook's voice was leaden.

"It wasn't your fault. I'm the one who brought you here without any real instructions." Jimin glanced around fretfully. "If this rot spreads, a lot worse will happen than this."

"Where did it come from anyway?"

"It was probably a demon. There's a bunch of them over in the cypress swamps. I think they're still pissed at me for stealing the eye." He hefted a branch onto the pile of dead underbrush. "They can go fuck themselves."

Jimin made Jungkook promise five times that he wouldn't tell Taehyung about where they'd been before he let him back through the portal. The first hints of spring were breaking through the gloom, but it was still much colder in Blackthorn's forest and Jimin's teeth were chattering by the time they made it back to the field. It took him five minutes to scour the mud from Jungkook's sneakers.

"Can you wear boots next time?" Jimin asked. "This mesh lining is a bitch."

"Didn't think there was going to be a next time."

"There's not."

Jimin tossed the shoes into Jungkook's lap. Jungkook put them on and they tromped back to the dorms, just in time for Taehyung's afternoon class to get out.

Later that week, Jungkook lay on his back, watching clouds go by. The first wave of exams were over and he'd purchased several bottles of wine from the bar in Maven to celebrate. Jimin and Taehyung had agreed to drink with him, on the condition that they put the wine in coffee cups and drink it on the front lawn.

"Strawberry?" Taehyung asked, holding one over Jungkook's face. Jungkook pushed his head up and snapped his teeth, biting the strawberry in half.

"Feisty," Jimin said.

Taehyung rolled on top of Jungkook and kissed his chin, his nose, getting strawberry juice all over his face. The entire school could see them through the windows but Jungkook was too pleasantly day drunk to care.

"Now, now," Jimin said, smoothing the chequered blanket.

"Wine," Jungkook said.

"Yes, master," Taehyung snickered, reaching for a coffee cup. Jungkook opened his mouth as wide as he could. A stream of warm merlot splashed against the back of his throat. Taehyung kept pouring until Jungkook shoved him off.

"I like watching you swallow," Jimin said huskily.

Jimin was dressed in a black beret, a white and blue striped shirt, beige knickers, and white tights. Massive black clogs clunked around his slender ankles. Taehyung was wearing an actual dress—a polka-dotted blouson with a thick wool cardigan overtop. His legs were bare, except for a single black ankle sock. The other one had gotten lost wrestling in the grass earlier. They'd been drinking for almost two hours. They'd eaten cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, they'd played never have I ever, but all in all, there'd been a lot of wrestling.

Taehyung grabbed the front of Jimin's shirt and pulled him into an open-mouthed kiss. Jimin moaned, sliding his hand up Taehyung's thigh.

"You two are such fucking exhibitionists."

"And you're not?" Taehyung asked.

"I came out here to drink."

"You're no fun." Jimin pouted at him evilly. "Now that you're in your own classes, there are fewer opportunities to flaunt our sexiness. Put in some fucking effort. Jesus Christ, Tae, are you wearing any underwear?"

"Nope."

Jungkook rolled onto his stomach.

Jimin laughed, high and bright like a chime.

"Hide your boner all you like, but everyone still knows you're just as much a part of this as we are," Taehyung whispered loudly.

Jungkook distracted himself by picking through the strawberries for the biggest one he could find. He placed it in front of him on the blanket, held a piece of dark chocolate over it, and concentrated on making his pinkie as hot as he could. A moment later a stream of melted chocolate engulfed the strawberry, seeping into the blanket.

"That's really coming along," Taehyung said.

"Still can't do faerie magic, though."

"You won't know until you try."

"Oh, I tried alright." Jungkook swore. "What a gong show."

"What happened?" Taehyung straightened up. "You never told me about this."

Jungkook took a bite of the strawberry and burnt his tongue on the chocolate. Wincing, he looked up and noticed Jimin's death glare. He swallowed his mouthful with a gulp.

"I tried, uh, talking to a tree." Jungkook pointed down the hill. "One of those. No big deal."

"Did anything happen?"

"Nothing."

Jungkook pulled Jimin into his lap to get him to stop glaring. Jimin made an offended sound as his stockings got dragged through the chocolate. He scoured it with a lazy flick of his wrist.

"That's not really grounds to conclude your can't do faerie magic," Taehyung said. "I don't know a lot about it, but I'd guess it involves a little more than just going up and saying hello."

That was literally what Jungkook had done with the oak in Jimin's forest.

"I'm an idiot."

"Shush," Jimin murmured.

"It's just a fact." Jungkook reached for the wine. "My instincts are trash."

"What about Professor Chittap—"

"Not gonna happen," Jimin said. "I tried."

A cloud drifted over the sun. They watched the shadow coming from across the field until it engulfed them. A breeze pulled at Jungkook's hair. His neck felt a little chilly. Jimin had cut his hair last week, trimming away the pink tips from Halloween. He'd suggested a mullet, but Jungkook had insisted on his regular bowl cut.

Taehyung leaned back on his hands, smiling smugly at the two of them. His dress was riding up and Jungkook tried not to think about it.

"We really are a smart set."

"This picnic is a gift to the student body."

"Charity for their lonely souls."

"We need to flaunt more often," Jimin whined.

"Especially now that I'm an official student," Jungkook said.

He'd undergone his evaluation with the deans last month. He'd shattered one of Dean Sukie's teapots trying to do a displacement spell, and somehow managed to turn Dean Phantasmagorium's suit bright green, but all in all it had gone better than he'd expected. They'd allowed him to proceed with standard second semester freshman classes, as long as Taehyung agreed to keep tutoring him.

"I dunno if I like it," Jimin said. "I miss attending classes with you."

Taehyung raised one of the coffee cups. "A moment of silence for astral orgies in the greenhouse."

"Still though," Jungkook muttered.

"I know what you're on about," Jimin said, "and you need to stop. We liked you just as much when you were the campus delinquent."

"It was kind of hot," Taehyung said. His lips were redder than usual from the wine.

"I'm still a delinquent," Jungkook said defensively. "Yoongi and I got trashed just last Friday. We got lost in the forest and Hoseok had to help us out with a locator spell."

"So, Yoongi." Jimin pulled away far enough that he could look Jungkook in the face.

"Yeah, Yoongi," Taehyung said.

"Ever thought about fucking him?"

"What? No!"

"Not even once?" Taehyung fluttered his thick lashes.

"It isn't like that with Yoongi," Jungkook said laboriously. "I mean, okay, there was this one time he showed me this song that makes you basically cum in your pants, but—"

"A song that does what?" Jimin asked.

"Hoseok calls it his porn song, he hates that name. I think he showed it to him too. Don't tell him I told you, it was ages ago, fuck, I'm too tipsy for this."

"I wonder what he's going to do for his honours project," Taehyung said provocatively.

"How's your potion coming along anyway?" Jimin asked.

Taehyung switched seamlessly to nerd mode. "The coleus really helped to even it out. I still think it needs a few things, but I'm going to try some trials on a few basic medical compounds next week."

"Good job, Tae," Jungkook said. "Now can we get back to one of our rooms? I'm really in the mood to get you guys off."

He'd never seen two people pack up a picnic so fast.

Back in Taehyung's room, Jungkook dropped to his knees in front of Taehyung. Taehyung was tenting his dress, panting in anticipation. He always got worked up so fast, heavy-lidded and flushed before anyone even touched him. Jungkook ducked his head underneath the dress.

"You're shameless," he said.

"It's spring," Taehyung mumbled. "I wanted to air things out."

Jungkook reached up to stroke Taehyung with loose, careless fingers. Taehyung made a deep, needy sound at the back of his throat. He could hear Jimin undressing behind him, clothing falling on the floor, zippers unzipping. Jungkook's head felt light. The wine was making it hard to orchestrate the perfect threesome, to play the perfect dom. All he knew was he wanted them both, badly.

Jungkook took Taehyung into his mouth. He was definitely bigger than Jimin, especially when he was hard. Jungkook had gotten a lot better at deepthroating since he'd met them, but he still didn't trust himself to take Taehyung all the way, especially not with all the wine sloshing around in his stomach.

Jimin squatted behind him, unbuttoning Jungkook's shirt from behind. Once he got it off, Jungkook felt smooth, naked skin gliding over his back. He sucked on Taehyung's crown, bobbing his head a little, and Jimin moved on to Jungkook's pants. Taehyung moaned again. He was so loud it was hard to believe he didn't want someone to hear, but somehow that didn't make it feel any less genuine.

Jungkook pushed Taehyung onto the bed and pushed his legs apart. The dress was riding up his stomach. Jungkook kissed down Taehyung's cock until he got to the base.

"Wanna eat you out," Jungkook whined drunkenly.

Taehyung whimpered.

Jimin was panting in Jungkook's ear. Not the harsh, open-mouthed panting characteristic of Taehyung, but small, tight gasps, like he'd almost caught up with his own breath, but not quite. Jimin pulled Jungkook's pants off, helping him lift his knees, one and then the other, and then pressed in close, grinding his cock in between Jungkook's ass cheeks. Jungkook spread his legs to give him a little more to work with, and then plunged tongue first into Taehyung.

Taehyung made a shocked, almost offended-sounding noise.

Jungkook knew Taehyung needed a lot more than a tongue to get off like this, but he liked to lay him bare now and then, spread him out and make him aware of how much of him Jungkook could see. He thumbed over Taehyung's asshole while he licked into his other opening, swallowing as his saliva mingled with slick.

"You're drenched down here," he said softly, pulling back to look.

He let his eyes slide up to Taehyung's face. Taehyung was biting his palm, blushing all the way down to his neck.

"Look at me, Tae."

Taehyung peeked shyly at him over his wrist.

Jungkook pushed two fingers deep inside him, watching his reaction. Taehyung whimpered loudly. Tears pooled at the corners of his eyes, slipping down the sides of his face.

"Good boy," Jungkook whispered, giving him a few pumps, and then pulling his fingers out. Still maintaining eye contact, he gave them a lick.

"Gukkie," Taehyung muttered quietly. "You're gonna kill me."

Jimin had lubed Jungkook up with something, maybe spit, maybe one of the concoctions from Taehyung's nightstand, and had two fingers in him already. Either he was still loose from the episode in the showers the night before, or the wine was numbing some of the burn, but Jungkook wanted more. He turned around for a kiss and gave Jimin a mouthful of Taehyung's pheromones.

"Chim," he moaned. "Please."

"So needy," Jimin murmured, smirking against Jungkook's lips. "Things are a little different when you're out of the public eye, hmm?"

Jungkook nodded, closing his eyes. He could feel himself blushing.

Jimin pulled Jungkook's ass back onto his lap. Jungkook took it all in one slide. The angle had him lurching forward, face-planting between Taehyung's legs.

"Oh fuck, Chim..."

He could tell Jimin was in an impatient mood. He rolled his hips, spreading Jungkook wider with his thumbs. Jungkook panted harshly against Taehyung's stomach.

Taehyung pushed himself up on his forearms to watch. Jungkook gripped Taehyung's thighs as Jimin started to thrust. The pleasure came at him through the drunken haze like music floating into a dream. He could hear them kissing above him. Taehyung was stroking himself slowly beside Jungkook's head.

Jungkook lifted his head and wrapped his trembling lips back around Taehyung's cock. Taehyung let his hand drop away with a groan.

Jimin went faster. Jungkook licked clumsily at Taehyung's head, doing more panting than sucking. He knew he was doing a pretty bad job, but he didn't care, he loved this, getting pounded from behind by Jimin, his mouth full of Taehyung, squished between them like an animal caught in a delicious trap.

Taehyung reached out and pinched both of Jimin's nipples, and Jimin growled, snatching Jungkook's hips and pushing him against the bed. Jungkook knew what was coming. He pulled off of Taehyung just in time.

"Oh fuck, fuck, fuck," Jungkook whispered.

Jimin let loose.

Jungkook's moans rang in his own ears. He could distantly hear Taehyung chuckling. Jimin grabbed a handful of Jungkook's hair, thundering into him with precise, merciless thrusts.

"Gonna cum, oh fuck, gonna—"

Jungkook meant to say something like cum inside me Chim but all that came out was an incoherent chain of whimpers. Jimin bucked his hips unevenly and exploded inside Jungkook with a deep, throaty, "OH."

Jungkook reached back and stroked the sides of Jimin's legs with trembling hands, and discovered that he was still wearing his white stockings. Jimin pulled out and leaned against him, catching his breath.

"You take it so well, baby," Jimin said.

"Do I?"

Jungkook knew how things usually went from this point on. He pulled Taehyung to the edge of the bed, slid inside him, and fucked them both to orgasm while Jimin played with his nipples from behind. Or maybe he let Taehyung fuck his face while Jimin jerked him off, yaddee yadda, all perfectly satisfying options.

Jungkook could feel his cock twitching.

He climbed onto the bed and pushed Taehyung onto his back. Taehyung spread his legs in anticipation, but Jungkook climbed higher, until he was dripping Jimin's cum on Taehyung's stomach.

"Baby, what are you—"

Jungkook sat down and immediately swore.

"Oh fuck," Taehyung stammered. "Holy shit, okay. W-wasn't expecting that."

"Oh my god Gukkie," Jimin giggled.

"Can't... can't fit it in," Jungkook said hoarsely, wriggling his hips.

"Yeah, this angle isn't great." Taehyung pushed Jungkook off. "Lie down on your back."

Jungkook flopped down beside him. Taehyung rolled on top of him, still in his polka-dotted dress.

"You sure you want this?" Taehyung asked.

Jungkook nodded.

"You're gonna be sore tomorrow," Jimin said, in a sing-songy voice. "Not even my decoction will take those aches away. Believe me, I'm speaking from personal experience."

"I don't care. There are no classes tomorrow. Besides." Jungkook scowled. "I want to know what it's like so you two will stop holding it over my head."

"The forbidden fruit. Otherwise known as..." Taehyung paused dramatically. "My cock."

"Oh my god," Jimin snorted, smacking Taehyung's arm.

Jungkook reached out and tugged on Taehyung's skirt. "Come on. Fuck me."

Taehyung became deadly serious. "Okay, but tell me if it's too much, okay?"

"It's gonna be too much, but I'm still game."

"Alllriiiiight," Taehyung said doubtfully.

Taehyung crawled on top of him and lined up. Jimin cuddled up beside them, running a hand over Jungkook's chest.

"Is it all the way in yet?" Jungkook gasped.

"Almost." Taehyung moaned a little. "Okay, yeah, it's all the way in."

"Oh my god."

"There. You've seen, you've discovered. I'm pulling out now."

"No," Jungkook blurted, grabbing Taehyung's shoulders.

"Baby," Jimin purred.

"I want more," Jungkook whispered.

"Gukkie."

"I want everything."

Jimin kissed him.

Things were going in slow motion.

Taehyung was on top of him. Jungkook's tongue twisted against Jimin's. Taehyung was sucking Jimin's neck. Jimin had a hand down the front of Taehyung's dress.

"I want you both."

"A little early in your career for double penetration, baby," Taehyung said.

That wasn't what Jungkook had meant, but he couldn't help but let out a breathless laugh.

"Tae's lucky that way," Jimin said. "He can take both of us at once with fewer issues."

"So lucky," Jungkook groaned.

Taehyung pet softly over Jungkook's hair.

"You feel so good, Gukkie," he whispered.

Jungkook eventually came inside Jimin's mouth, sobbing in Taehyung's arms. Taehyung had burst inside him a couple minutes before. Jungkook could feel tears trickling out of his eyes, could feel their cum leaking out of him as his ass pulsed around a foreign nothingness.

"Thank you," Jungkook said, hardly a whisper.

Jimin trailed kisses up his shivering body.

"Anything for you," Jimin said softly. He wove his fingers through Taehyung's. "My beautiful boys."

Taehyung pulled Jimin into a lazy kiss. Jungkook snuggled deeper into Taehyung's neck, wrapping his arms around Jimin's waist. They couldn't seem to get enough of each other.

"My next investment is going to be a claw-foot bath," Taehyung eventually sighed. "The showers are way too far away for this shit."

***

Jungkook was waiting outside a classroom. Most of his classmates were going over flashcards, notes, rehearsing incantations under their breath. Jungkook stared out the window. The frantic, quiet focus before an exam was oddly peaceful. Nobody was making loud jokes, trying to get people he didn't know to laugh for reasons he didn't understand. Nobody was whispering in groups, glancing at him. Nobody had time for anything other than themselves.

The exam was on runes. There was a written component and an oral component. It was worth forty percent of his final mark, and failing it most likely meant failing the class. He'd stayed up until two the night before, practising his calligraphy and rehearsing incantations alone in his room. Taehyung had too been busy doing something with his potion to help him.

"Excuse me."

The students stirred nervously, making way for the professor. She was a petite woman, with long wavy black hair, brown skin, perfectly ironed blouses, and shiny black shoes. Jungkook feared her more than any of his professors, including Professor Chittaphon and the portly professor who always used to call on him in Taehyung's physical magicks class.

"We will begin making preparations for the exam. Wait here until your name is called." She shut the door behind her.

"She's testing us four at a time," someone whispered.

Jungkook resumed staring out the window. It had been raining on and off all day. A sunbeam warmed the hardwood. Water drops glistened like beads, clinging to the glass.

A flurry of whispers erupted down the hall.

Several students jumped. The tension was palpable, like trying to fall asleep after drinking several coffees.

The voices were getting louder.

Jungkook took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind. A boy was speaking loudly, his footfalls echoing loudly down the corridor. Eyes rolled nervously in heads, feet shuffled as people tried to block it out.

"Where are you going?"

"Where do you think I'm going? To the deans' office."

The crowd parted begrudgingly to let them through. The first one was a blond boy from Taehyung and Jimin's botany class—Tommy? and the second was someone Jungkook didn't recognize.

"If you walk out, you're going to fail the evaluation—"

"You idiot, the evaluation isn't happening anymore," Tommy exclaimed. "Not with a werewolf running rampant."

Several people had lowered their flashcards, murmuring quietly to each other. Jungkook strained to hear the rest of the conversation, but Tommy and his friend were already around the corner.

"A werewolf?" someone whispered beside him. "They can't be serious."

"It's probably a prank."

Jungkook stared down the hall where they'd disappeared, frowning.

They were right. It was probably a joke. Some new piece of gossip was erupting three times a day. Witches were terrible.

"Gain?" the professor called, opening the door a crack.

A girl with short black hair scrambled to pack up her notes.

"Hendery?"

More crazed shuffling. This was why Jungkook refused to cram outside the classroom.

"Jungkook?"

Jungkook pushed off the wall and sauntered towards the classroom with discourteous ease.

"Moonbyul?"

"Holy shit," someone said behind him, pressing their face to the window. "A bunch of people are coming up from the greenhouses."

Jungkook paused. A girl bumped into him from behind.

Jungkook's heart was thrashing in his chest. When he refused to move, the girl squeezed around him, shooting him a grumpy, confused look as she went.

The professor held the door open, staring at him expectantly.

"Shit," Jungkook muttered.

He took off at a run.

The murmurs faded as he hurled himself around the corner and thundered down the stairs. His bag crashed against his back, heavy with textbooks. He burst outside a moment later.

A couple students smacked into him as they ran past. He stumbled, catching his footing. Students were wandering back through the topiaries, muttering amongst themselves.

"I love it when class gets cancelled."

"I don't. Now we're going to have to do the assignment on our own time."

Jungkook took a moment to catch his breath. Nobody looked overly alarmed. A few people were laughing.

"Marla and Tommy panicked, they actually think you can get bitten."

"I still think we still should've been told there was one around."

Jungkook sucked in a lungful of air and jogged as fast as he could across the courtyard.

He was holding on to the hope that maybe it was someone else. Maybe there was another werewolf on campus, some poor bastard who had been outed somehow. Even better, maybe this really was a prank, and Jungkook had thrown away his exam for nothing. He would happily take runes over again to avoid the alternative from being true.

Another group of students walked by and a couple of them looked at him, their eyes narrowing with recognition. His heart sank.

When he arrived at the greenhouses, Professor Chittaphon was pacing outside the door.

"Ah, Mr. Jeon," he said, smiling tensely.

"Where is he?"

"Next to the calendula. Although you might not want to go inside at the moment, he's a little indisposed."

Jungkook burst through the door.

Calendula... yellow-orange flowers, would've just started to bloom. He sprinted past the workstations, running breathlessly through trellises of flowering vines. He never noticed how huge the greenhouses were before today.

There was a faint moan to his left. He rounded a corner, almost knocking a pot of tubers off a cinderblock, and his heart dropped out of his body.

At first he thought someone had gotten to Taehyung first. He was lying on the ground next to his cauldron. His body was contorted, limbs splayed stiffly, head grinding into the paving stones.

"Tae," he moaned, grabbing his shoulders.

Taehyung made a rasping noise.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you moving?"

"So much pain," Taehyung sobbed softly.

"Is it your heat?"

Taehyung nodded, and then cried out sharply, writhing against the ground. Jungkook could see that the seat of his pants was soaked with slick.

"I don't get it, it isn't anywhere near the full moon."

Taehyung dug up a handful of soil and squeezed it to a pulp as another contraction wracked his body.

"Did you try fingering yourself yet?"

"No. C-can't move."

Jungkook unzipped the front of Taehyung's jeans and worked his hand down. Taehyung orgasmed with a choked moan the second Jungkook's fingers entered him.

"Where's Jimin?"

"I'm not sure," Taehyung said faintly. He looked pale. "Wasn't he the one who came to get you?"

"No. I heard people talking so I came down to see what was going on."

The greenhouse finches chirped overhead. Jungkook pushed his fingers in deeper, trying to get a good angle with his hand crammed inside Taehyung's tight jeans. Taehyung choked out another orgasm, and then crawled into Jungkook's arms.

"What about your exam?"

"It's okay." Jungkook stroked Taehyung's hair. "I'll ask her if I can write it later."

Neither of them were talking about the bigger issue at hand. Neither of them could go there just now.

"Think you can walk?"

Taehyung swallowed. "I can try."

Jungkook helped him to his feet. The moment Jungkook took his fingers out, he buckled over, clutching the front of Jungkook's shirt.

"I don't know what to do," he said shrilly.

"I can keep my fingers in there while we walk?"

"N-no..." Taehyung shook his head. He was covered in dirt and sweat. "Can you carry me?"

"Won't that hurt?"

"I don't care, I just need to get back to the dorms. Chim will know what to do."

At Taehyung's request, Jungkook took off his jacket and wrapped it around Taehyung's waist to hide the slick stain, and then hefted Taehyung into his arms like a koala. Taehyung shuddered, squeezing tight around Jungkook's back with his legs.

"Okay," Jungkook said. "Here we go."  

Taehyung hid his face in Jungkook's shoulder.

Professor Chittaphon stepped away quickly as they appeared. "Are you taking him to the infirmary?"

Jungkook trudged up the hill without a word.

He went as fast as he could. He could hear Taehyung crying softly in his ear. He wanted to comfort him, to mutter assurances of some kind, but he was too out of breath to do anything but plod on.

Students milled around the entrance to the school. As Jungkook passed, several people craned their necks to see. Nobody came to help. He pushed backwards through a door, wishing he had a free hand to flip them the bird, wishing Yoongi were around to do it for him, Jimin, anyone.

By the time he got back to Taehyung's room his arms were shaking.

"Let's get these jeans off."

"No," Taehyung begged. "Can't, can't move, hurts too much."

Jungkook got him off inside his pants again. That offset the pain long enough to get him out of his jeans. Seconds later another round of cramps came on full force. After a series of pained orgasms, Taehyung was finally undressed and lying in bed.

"It isn't usually this bad, is it?"

"It was the potion. I think it messed me up."

"Your honours project?"

"No, a different one. I was brewing it in secret." Taehyung's voice was hollow. "I was trying to create a tincture that would shorten the length of my heat. The next step was to eliminate it all together."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Jungkook asked dubiously.

"I mean, witches do it all the time. They take potions to skip a menstruation, that kind of thing. You have no idea how helpful something like that would be for werewolves. If we didn't have to worry about getting our heats we could live so much more freely."

"You were planning on sharing it with other werewolves?"

"Maybe. If I could find a way to get it to them." Taehyung frowned. "The way it was supposed to work was that you'd start taking it around the new moon, and by the time the full moon came around, it would be at peak intensity in your system, suppressing things until the third quarter."

"So what happened?"

"I'm not sure. Something backfired, and it triggered my heat early. It needs more work." He sighed. "The new moon just passed. I hope this doesn't mean I'm going to stay in heat for the next two weeks."

Jungkook kept looking at the door, expecting Jimin to appear at any second.

"Oh fuck," Taehyung whimpered.

Jungkook pulled his sweatpants down and crawled on top of Taehyung. He felt like a dream, hot and slippery, but Jungkook wasn't letting himself cum yet, not when he needed to maintain his stamina.

Taehyung came with a low moan.

"Good thing I tend to get nervous boners," Jungkook said.

"I love your nervous boners, they're so cute."

Jungkook pulled out, his jaw tense. He lay on his side and let the tempting desire fade from his body, stroking the top of Taehyung's hand with his thumb.

"I wonder where Jimin went?" Taehyung asked sleepily.

"Maybe he's talking to the deans."

Jungkook pulled his phone out of his backpack and sent Jimin a text telling him they were back in the dorms. Taehyung cried out a moment later.

"Is there anything that might take the edge off?" Jungkook asked breathlessly. He hadn't bothered to pull out this time. "Maybe some turnip tea?"

"Jimin's the only one who knows where to find those turnips. I think he grows them around his hut." Taehyung thought for a moment. "A moonlily potion might help. It's iffy, seeing as you're supposed to pick them when they're in bloom, and they only bloom on the full moon, but it's worth a shot."

"Okay." Jungkook nodded. "Where do I find them?"

"There are some growing on the south side of the school. Just past the shrub that looks like a squid."

Taehyung's face contorted again. Jungkook thrusted until Taehyung came, and then slowed to a stop. His orgasm was so close his teeth were chattering.

"I don't want to leave you," he stammered. "Not when it's this bad."

"Let's wait a little while longer. Chim will probably get back soon."

They waited another hour. Jungkook checked his phone. There were no replies. He opened a text message to Yoongi, doing his best to stuff down the sinking feeling in his stomach.

I need food. And moonlilies. They grow next to the squid shrub. Bring them to Taehyung's room. I'll owe you one.

He put his phone on the nightstand. Taehyung was staring at the wall with a blank expression.

"They all know," he said flatly.

Jungkook's throat was too tight to speak.

"It hit me like a monsoon. At first they thought I'd poisoned myself. Someone went through my notes to figure out what I was brewing. Then they noticed the slick, and everyone disappeared."

"Tae..."

"Professor Chittaphon, the deans, the students..." Taehyung's voice cracked. "They all know."

Jungkook could feel Taehyung tensing up. He pushed in deeper, grinding his hips, and Taehyung came with a hoarse cry.

"They're gonna tell my parents, Gukkie." His voice was getting more frantic. "They might kick me out of the school."

"For now it's you and me, and this room," Jungkook said, wiping tears off the side of Taehyung's face. "We can deal with all that shit later, when your cramps are gone. Okay?"

Taehyung burst into tired, raspy sobs. He cried his way through another orgasm, and then curled up against the pillow, drifting off into an exhausted sleep. Jungkook checked the time. It was only four in the afternoon.

Someone knocked on the door an hour later.

Jungkook stirred. His first thought was, why is Jimin knocking when he knows how to let himself in? He pulled on a pair of boxers. Yoongi stood outside, headphones in, leaning against the wall.

"Sorry it took me so long," he said, turning his music off. "I was in class when I got your text. Here."

Jungkook looked through the bag. There were four sandwiches, a carton of soup, a couple bottles of water, and a big bundle of plants, which Jungkook assumed were the moonlilies. He wanted to hug him.

"How is he?"

"Not great."

"It's bad," Yoongi said. "Several students have already voiced complaints to the deans. I wouldn't be surprised if parents start writing in complaints too."

"Yeah, well, fuck them."

"I assume you knew all along." Yoongi sighed. "Poor fuck. At least he's a high achiever. He has that working in his favour."

"They wouldn't... kick someone out of Blackthorn just because they were a werewolf," Jungkook said.

"It's unlikely. The school has a charter and an ethics committee and all that jazz, but things are definitely going to suck for the next while."

Something clunked inside the room.

"Oh fuck," Jungkook muttered.

He hurried back inside and found Taehyung pressed against the wall, shaking. He handed Yoongi the bag and rushed over to help.

"Chim?" Taehyung stammered.

"Sorry, it's just me." Yoongi set the bag on the desk.

"Yoongi's cool. He brought us food."

Taehyung moaned high and shrill. It sounded like his deep voice was going to snap. Jungkook pushed two fingers inside him and he spasmed almost immediately.

"What do you want me to do?" Yoongi asked nonchalantly. "Want me to leave?"

"Honestly, if you could make the potion, that would be really great," Jungkook said. "At the rate that his cramps are coming, I don't know if I'll be able to steal more than a couple minutes away from him anytime soon."

"Okay." Yoongi slipped out of his leather jacket and hung it on the back of Taehyung's chair. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt and ripped jeans. Monochrome, detailed tattoos stood out in harsh relief against his pale arms. He'd recently bleached his hair bright blond. "Tell me what to do."

"Get a cauldron from my shelf," Taehyung panted. "Fill it halfway with water."

Jungkook unscrewed a bottle of water and handed it to Taehyung. Taehyung gulped the whole thing down in one go. His whole body was dripping with sweat. He handed Jungkook the empty bottle and lay back down weakly.

Yoongi was puttering around, getting the burner set up, laying the lilies out on a cutting board.

"Sorry about the smell in here," Taehyung said weakly. "You can open a window if you want."

"It isn't anything I ain't seen before."

Taehyung brightened up a little. "You knew another werewolf?"

"Yeah, back in LA. She's a brilliant producer. We worked on a few tracks before I got accepted to school." Yoongi brought the cauldron over. "Can you fill it? I've always sucked at displacement spells."

Taehyung stuck his finger in the cauldron.

"We weren't close enough that I'd help her with her heats, but she told me a lot about how bad it could get." Yoongi hefted the cauldron onto the burner. "She made the decision to live openly. It's a little easier in a big city like that. Still no walk in the park."

"Maybe I'll move to LA," Taehyung sighed.

"It's a cool place. Not much space to grow, although certain witches have tapped into the rooftop garden scene, last thing I heard. How should I chop these?"

"Standard flat blade technique. Make sure the pieces are shorter than a centimetre."

The water was starting to boil. The burbling sound was soothing. Jungkook unwrapped a sandwich.

"Is that egg salad?" Taehyung asked tentatively.

Jungkook handed it to him. He managed to get a couple mouthfuls down before he was reeling back, gritting his teeth as another cramp ripped through him.

"I really hope this potion helps," Taehyung whimpered, after Jungkook had helped him out again.

"I always wondered where you three disappeared to each month," Yoongi said. "I assumed you were part of a sex cult or something."

"Damn, that would've been awesome. Oh fuck, fuck—"

Jungkook's wrist was starting to get sore. He rolled onto Taehyung's other side to use a different hand.

"Is this weird for you?" Taehyung asked, after he'd cum again.

"Not really," Yoongi said, sprinkling powdered damiana onto the surface of the potion. "Is it weird for you?"

"Not really," Taehyung said.

"What about you, Gukkie?"

"Everything's weird right now," Jungkook said.

Yoongi doused the flames with a wave of his hand and put a cover on the pot. "That's it?"

"Yep. Now it just needs to stew for an hour."

"I hate you," Jungkook grunted. "You're not even good at potions and you finished that twice as fast as I could've."

Yoongi smirked, dusting off his hands. "I'm a man of many talents."

"You don't have to stay," Taehyung said. "I don't want you to jeopardize your reputation too."

"Oh fuck off," Yoongi said, throwing himself into a chair. He pulled a flask out of his pocket and took a sip.

Taehyung gave his own face a little slap.

"You okay?" Jungkook asked.

"Trying not to cry." Taehyung took a deep breath. "You're really awesome, Yoongi. Thanks for helping even though you hate me."

"Just because I punched you in the face one time doesn't mean I hate you," Yoongi laughed. "I've punched a lot of my good friends."

"You've never punched me," Jungkook said.

"Yeah, well, you're too tall." He took another sip. "It's hard to reach."

Taehyung pulled at Jungkook's hips. "Guk," he choked. "Need you, need you to fuck me."

Jungkook rolled on top of him. Yoongi took out his phone.

"Do you have any cocaine?" Jungkook gasped. He hadn't been able to hold off this time, Taehyung felt too good, and he'd never been very good at edging himself to begin with. "Usually Jimin's here to help."

"I dunno about cocaine, but Hoseok might have something. I'll ask. Ever thought of getting a dildo?"

"They're all back home," Taehyung said glumly.

Yoongi nodded thoughtfully. "I'll look into it."

Yoongi left once the sun went down. Jungkook helped Taehyung sit up so he could drink some of the potion.

"It smells like perfume," Jungkook said, wrinkling his nose. "Does it taste like perfume?"

"Pretty much." Taehyung smacked his lips, grimacing.

Jungkook put the cup on the nightstand and lay down on his back. Taehyung snuggled in close, burying his nose in Jungkook's armpit and huffing deep lungfuls of his scent. People bustled around outside, walking to and from the washrooms, chatting outside their rooms. Jungkook couldn't help but feel like they were all talking about Taehyung. He got up and made sure the door was locked.

The sounds eventually died down. Taehyung had fallen asleep on top of him, face jammed in Jungkook's neck. Jungkook closed his eyes and tried to use the opportunity to get some rest.

Around midnight he woke up.

He didn't know how he knew. It was a foreign sensation, like the first time he'd come back from a loud concert and noticed his ears ringing.

Somewhere, deep in the forest, a portal had been opened.

He wanted to slip into his jacket, to hike out and see if he could find it, but he knew he couldn't leave Taehyung for that long. He contented himself with lying there, trying to see if he could pick out the exact location of the portal with his mind, but as strong as the signal felt, it was impossible to tell where it was coming from.

A couple minutes later the feeling disappeared.

Whoever had cast the portal had closed it.

Taehyung woke up with the sun, shaking in pain. Jungkook fucked him slow and hard as he took little sips of potion.

"Is it helping?"

"It's definitely taking the edge off."

Taehyung orgasmed with a tired little moan. Jungkook leaned against the headboard, checking his phone for the hundredth time.

Taehyung watched him closely. "Anything?"

Jungkook shook his head.

"Where is he?" Taehyung whispered.

Jungkook took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to get mad at me?"

Taehyung nodded eagerly.

"Last month he asked me to come with him to his hut again. The demons in the cypress swamps had possessed one of his trees to get him back for stealing the eye. He wanted to see if I could heal it with my faerie magic."

"Could you?" Taehyung asked interestedly.

"Nope. The tree attacked me, and Jimin had to kill it."

"Too bad."

"Yeah, it sucked." Jungkook trailed his fingers over the fine hairs on Taehyung's forearm. "Last time I checked, there were still trees that were infected."

"You think that's where he is?"

"I think so. It was a bad disease. He said it could potentially eff up the entire forest if it spread."

"Hmm." Taehyung nodded. "Okay. That makes sense."

Jungkook opened one of Yoongi's sandwiches and took a bite. Taehyung lay his head on Jungkook's chest and stared out the window.

"He was in the greenhouse when it happened?" Jungkook asked quietly.

Taehyung nodded.

"Maybe he felt something and had to go right away. Maybe something happened to his hut. He told me once that it's an extension of his magic."

"Yeah. That could be."

"Here, you should eat something," Jungkook said, before either of them had a chance to think more deeply about it. "You need to keep up your strength."

Seeing as Jimin wasn't around to scour them, Jungkook heated water on Taehyung's potions element and gave him a sponge bath. Taehyung ate some soup, Jungkook fucked him on the side of the mattress, and both of them did their best not to think about all the classes they were missing with nobody to take notes for them.

"Still no news from your parents?"

Taehyung turned his phone over in his hands. "Nope."

"Maybe that's a good thing?"

"I dunno. I don't think so." Taehyung chewed on his lip. "There's no way they haven't heard by now. Even if the university didn't contact them directly, this is a big enough scandal that it would definitely make its way through their social circles."

"What do you think they're doing?"

"Trying to clean up the mess? Trying not to get fired? Trying to legally disown me before anybody finds out I'm their son?" Taehyung stared at the wall. Silent tears trickled down the sides of his face.

"It wasn't your fault."

"That's the most fucked up thing about all this. I was making that potion to try to help." Taehyung sucked in a shaky breath. "Why? Why did this have to happen?"

Jungkook wrapped him in his arms and held on tight.

Yoongi stopped by later that night. He was so stoned he knocked on three wrong doors before he remembered which one was theirs.

"More food, some whiskey, just in case you want it, and a special tea that's supposed to help with stamina." He displayed his haul on Taehyung's desk next to the pot of moonlily potion. "Hoseok donated a dildo to the cause. He couldn't find the charger, so you're shot out of luck if you wanted something that vibrates."

"There's gotta be a spell for that," Jungkook said. "Tae, can I have some water?"

Taehyung filled the pot. Jungkook put it on the element and stood there, staring at it, waiting for it to boil, gripping the bag of stamina tea in one hand. He felt like he was phasing out of existence.

"Can I see the dildo?"

Yoongi handed Taehyung a pink silk bag.

"Oh, this is nice." Taehyung ran his fingers over the textured head.

"So Hoseok's chill about everything?" Jungkook asked.

"Oh, yeah, totally." Yoongi paused. "He did mention something about wanting to interview Taehyung for a paper he's writing. Something about common misconceptions and demonic possession."

"I don't think Tae needs to feel like some kind of specimen right now."

"I'll do it." Taehyung sighed. "It could be worse. He could be one of the people who actually thinks I'm possessed."

Jungkook thought back to the look on Tommy's face as he marched towards the dean's office, to the people who had bolted inside the school like a monster was chasing them. He tossed a teabag into the boiling water and scowled at it.

"Any news from the deans?" Taehyung asked.

"They've been busy," Yoongi said. "I think they've been deflecting most of the complaints on the basis of Blackthorn's principles. Even so, a couple students have applied to transfer to different universities."

"Fuck them," Jungkook muttered.

"My honours project is about adapting different bases to preserve potion effects for longer periods of time," Taehyung said. "If I succeed, medicinal compounds could be produced in larger quantities and shipped over greater distances. Maybe if they explained that my research is valuable even for non-werewolves, they'd—"

"You shouldn't have to compensate like that, Tae," Jungkook said. "You have as much a right to be here as anyone else."

"I've been compensating my entire life," Taehyung said tiredly.

"I'm sorry Tae. I know."

"How is it?" Yoongi asked.

"It's a good size." Taehyung lifted a hand up from under the sheets. "Gukkie, can you hand me the textbook on my desk? Third down, bronze spine? I'm gonna see if I can figure out a way to make it vibrate."

Jungkook fished the textbook out of the stack and wobbled over to the bed on shaky legs.

"Any word from Jimin?" Yoongi asked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Jungkook said.

"Hoseok's in illusions with him. Apparently he left a note with the professor saying he's away with a family emergency." Yoongi shrugged. "Thought you'd know more about it."

"Nope. Weird." Jungkook poured stamina tea into a mug. "I hope everything's okay."

Taehyung was silent.

Yoongi played a lofi playlist off his phone, boosting the volume with an amplifying charm, and helped himself to the whiskey he'd brought. Taehyung continued to experiment on the dildo with various charms.

"I thought it would've been easy," Jungkook said.

"The dildo has a simple enough mechanism, but it's hard to tell the specifics without taking it apart." Taehyung turned a page. "I'm trying to find a way to divert energy directly into the battery instead of influencing the mechanism itself. Here we go, this might do the trick."

He pointed between his legs, muttered an incantation, and dropped the textbook on the floor.

"Did it work?" Jungkook asked.

"Yep," Taehyung wheezed, arching against the mattress.

"That's impressive," Yoongi said.

Jungkook watched Taehyung for a while. "I think the tea is working."

"Uh, yeah," Yoongi said, glancing at Jungkook's lap. "Well I think I might be on my way."

Jungkook's phone rang.

He hobbled as quickly as he could towards the nightstand.

"Is it Chim?" Taehyung gasped.

"No. Fuck," Jungkook said. "It's my dad."

"Oh no," Taehyung moaned.

Yoongi cackled.

"He never calls. I should take this."

Jungkook stumbled out into the hallway and crouched over so he wasn't tenting his robe quite so badly. A third year, one of the guys from Taehyung's botany class, was walking down the corridor. The moment he recognized who Jungkook was, his eyes flickered to Taehyung's door and his mouth twisted down at the corners. Jungkook gave him such a death glare he bailed on his washroom mission and turned around, hurrying back into his room.

"Hello?"

"Hello Jungkook."

"What's the problem?" Jungkook said flatly. "I assume you wouldn't have called unless something was wrong?"

"I'm calling about the werewolf."

Jungkook froze.

"Your mother and I sent you to Blackthorn as a form of remediation. We were prepared for some pushback, knowing who you are, but Son." There was a pause. "To consort with someone like that—we never expected you would take it this far."

Jungkook was gripping his phone so hard his hand was shaking. "Who told you?"

"The only trusted person on that campus."

It took Jungkook a moment to add up the pieces. "Professor Chittaphon," he muttered.

"We're worried about you. We didn't want to remit on our stipulations, but if it's come to this, we may consider bringing you home."

"I'm fine!" Jungkook exclaimed.

"You aren't acting fine, Jungkook."

Jungkook hurried down the hall, out of earshot of Taehyung's room. "I don't know what you have against werewolves, but Taehyung is the..." He closed his eyes, cursing silently under his breath. "Taehyung is the reason I've been going to classes."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've been learning magic, Dad." Jungkook smiled joylessly out the window. "Going to classes, doing spells. Taehyung's on the honour roll and he's been tutoring me. And I've been actually really liking it, so yeah." He kicked the wall hard enough to cause himself some actual pain. "Guess you guys made the right decision when you decided to send me here."

"Well, is that so."

Jungkook was grimacing so hard it felt like his face might crack in half.

"You don't miss Seoul?"

"No, not too badly."

"Not even your friends?"

Jungkook wanted to throw his phone through the window.

"Haven't thought that much about them."

"You don't say." His father chuckled. "And I've got a werewolf to thank for this? What's his name again?"

"Kim Taehyung."

"Hmm. I'll put in a good word for him."

Jungkook waited in silence.

"Well, Jungkook, I'm glad to hear you're finally coming around."

"My faerie magic is still nonexistent," Jungkook said unattractively.

"Baby steps." He could tell his father was smiling that particular smile that made Jungkook want to tear his eyes out just so he'd never have to look at it again. "Goodnight, Jungkook."

The line went dead.

Jungkook did four laps around the floor before returning to Taehyung's room. He pushed through the door and found Yoongi on his third glass of whiskey, and Taehyung taking a pee in the chamber pot. Jimin had enchanted a clay basin into scouring whatever was put inside it so Taehyung didn't have to leave his room during his heats. Jungkook was glad that it was still working even though its creator was nowhere to be seen.

"What did he want?" Taehyung asked, shaking off his dick. He crawled back into bed and lay on top of the sheets, butt naked. Yoongi was too drunk and stoned to care, although Jungkook suspected he might not have cared anyway.

"He just wanted to check in," Jungkook said lightly.

"About...?"

Jungkook sat down on the edge of the bed and ran his hands over his face. "I don't want to add anything to your plate," he groaned. "It's already so full."

Taehyung nudged him with his foot. "Just tell me. You're making me nervous."

"He called because of you."

"What?" Taehyung pushed himself up on his forearms. "What did he say?"

"Basically... he was worried that hanging out with a werewolf was a sign of me getting worse, and he hinted around about bringing me back to Seoul."

Taehyung was watching him closely. "What did you say?"

"I told him I'm doing better," Jungkook grated out, still rubbing his face with two hands. He couldn't stop thinking about the conversation his parents were probably having at that very moment. The self satisfied expressions on their faces. "I told him I've been going to classes and learning magic, and you're the reason."

"You didn't have to do that, I..."

"If I hadn't said something, he would've been registering a portal to get me out of here tomorrow." Jungkook sighed. "That's the way he is. Generations of wealth have taught him he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. I needed to get him off that line of thought."

"I'm so sorry Gukkie. I know how important this was to you."

"It's okay." Jungkook emerged from behind his hands at last. "On the flipside, he said he was going to put in a good word for you, so at least there's one silver lining to all this."

"Wasn't he just saying hanging out with werewolves was a sign of degeneracy?"

"Yeah. But you're on the honour roll, so you must be one of the good ones, right?" Jungkook fell backwards onto the mattress with a thump.

"I wonder how he found out," Yoongi said.

"Professor Chittaphon."

"What an asshole," Yoongi said.

"Faeries have this stupid code of honour, I should've known."

Taehyung made a little choking noise.

"It's okay Tae." Jungkook reached out and squeezed Taehyung's foot. "In contrast to what you're going through, this is nothing."

"Yeah, no, that's great, it's just..." Taehyung gasped.

"Tae."

Jungkook crawled up and planted a kiss on Taehyung's mouth. "If you need my help, just say something."

"I don't want to wear you out," Taehyung said hoarsely. "You've already done so much. I don't want this to stop being fun, I don't want you to go away."

"I'm not going anywhere. And I love fucking you, it could never stop being fun."

"But your dick..."

Jungkook worked open the front of his robe. "Look, the stamina potion is working its magic, we're going to be just fine."

"Aaaand that's my cue to leave," Yoongi said.

"Thank you for everything," Jungkook called over his shoulder.

"I'll be back with more food tomorrow."

Jungkook grabbed Taehyung's hips, eager to get his magically charged dick inside something.

"Fuck, you feel good," Jungkook moaned.

"Do you really mean it?" Taehyung gasped, throwing his head back against the pillow. "You aren't tired of me?"

"Hundred percent." Jungkook kissed up Taehyung's neck. "Not really in the mood to pull out. Maybe I'll just keep my dick in you all night."

Taehyung squirmed, rolling his hips.

"My pretty little cock warmer," Jungkook muttered in Taehyung's ear.

Taehyung giggled.

"In all seriousness though, without Jimin taking notes for me, I might not be on the honour roll for much longer."

It was midnight. The moon shone in the window. It had swelled in the past few days to a crescent, almost halfway to the full moon, but not quite. It lit up Taehyung's skin, his elegant shoulders, his spindly ribs, the dip of his waist leading back up to his sharp hip.

"What about Yoongi?"

"He's done enough already."

"Hoseok?"

"We hardly share any classes, his schedule is too specialized."

"Namjoon or Seokjin?"

"They're away until next week for a practicum." Taehyung groaned. "Which means I still have to deal with them finding out about me. Fuuuuuck."

They were lying side by side, facing one another. Jungkook brushed his fingers over Taehyung's knuckles one at a time, tracing the dips.

"Your cramps are starting to ease off a little, right?"

"A bit. I hope this doesn't mean I'm going to get another heat once the full moon gets here."

"Think you could last the morning and afternoon on your own?"

Taehyung frowned in thought. "Now that I got the dildo working, it wouldn't be too bad. I'd probably end up feeling really lonely without your pheromones, but if it was only until... wait..."

"I'll take notes for you."

"What?"

"I may not understand everything that's being said, but I can at least jot down the main ideas."

"Gukkie! You can't."

Jungkook frowned. "It isn't like I'm a complete idiot. I survived your and Jimin's third year classes last semester. For the most part."

"That isn't what I'm saying. You have your own classes to go to. You've already missed way too much."

"I dunno. I think this is a little more important."

"If you're going to go to classes, go to your own." Taehyung crossed his arms. "You've already done enough for me."

"Okay, okay," Jungkook chuckled, smoothing Taehyung's hair off his forehead. "Forget I said anything."

The next morning Jungkook dragged his ass to the showers, kissed Taehyung goodbye, and headed off to Intermediate Chronomancy, using the screenshot of Taehyung's schedule he'd sent himself from Taehyung's phone to figure out the room number.

It was a big class. Jungkook hid at the back, wearing a pair of Jimin's fake glasses and a hoodie. The professor sketched complicated diagrams on the chalkboard, garbling on about paradoxes, synchronicities, second-reversal... Jungkook didn't understand any of it, so he ended up trying to write everything down instead of just the key points, and by the end his fingers were cramping.

Next was an equally dry history course.

"You know, you don't have to take down everything she says," the girl beside him said, once it was over. "She tends to test mainly on the legacy portions."

"I don't know what that means." Jungkook stuffed his notebook into his backpack. "I'm taking notes for someone else."

"Taehyung, right?"

Jungkook looked up. He recognized the girl as Moonbyul, the student who'd been called in after him for the runes exam.

"I heard what happened." She opened her binder. "Do you want to take pictures of the rest of the week's notes? He's already missed a lot."

"Thanks." Jungkook pulled his phone out of his pocket, glancing at her sidelong. "Aren't you a first year?"

"I had special credits coming into the program, so they bumped some of my courses to higher levels."

"Of course they did. Let me guess, you're gonna try to get on the students union next year?"

She looked at him suspiciously. "How did you know?"

Once he was done, he thanked her and went to grab lunch in the refectory. He bought a piece of chocolate cake for Taehyung while he was at it. Halfway through a plate of fish and chips, he checked Taehyung's schedule and cursed under his breath.

It must've been the hottest day of the year so far. The sky was as clear as it had been the night before, and the sun baked the back of his neck as he made his way down to the greenhouses.

People were setting up their workstations. Jungkook took out a notebook and plopped it down next to his cutting board. He could see the calendula peeking through the flowering vines, where he'd found Taehyung frozen on the ground in pain.

These were the same students that had trickled back up to the school that day, bitching about having to make up their assignments. Not one of them had stuck around to see if Taehyung was going to be okay. Not one of them had tried to help.

Jungkook didn't dare meet anyone's eye. He was here to take notes, not to get hauled up to the deans' office for punching someone in the face.

Unfortunately, he found himself in the deans' office anyway, twenty minutes later.

"He should've let me stay," Jungkook fumed, pacing around the desk.

"In no version of reality would a responsible professor allow a first year student to brew a lightness potion," Dean Phantasmagorium said. "Professor Chittaphon was only doing his job."

"I wasn't going to brew it! I was taking notes."

"Jungkook," Dean Sukie said. "You've already missed a week of classes. You walked out of a critical exam. You may fail not only one, but two of your core classes."

"I'm not doing this for fun," Jungkook exclaimed.

"We know why you're doing this," Phantasmagorium said. "It's very kind of you, but your future is on the line."

"What are you going to do then?" Jungkook turned to them. "Can someone else get these notes to Taehyung?"

"We've already faced numerous complaints about this issue. If we are caught giving a student preferential treatment—"

"It isn't preferential... you know what, fuck this. I'm not going to argue about this."

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the greenhouses."

Dean Sukie reached out and twisted her hand in a circular direction. Jungkook tried the knob. It was locked.

"Your parents have made a considerable donation to this school, and so far, we've left you largely to your own devices, but this is where I must put my foot down."

"Right. When one of your students is trying to stand up for justice, that's when you put your foot down."

"We can't have you interfering with other students' classes, Jungkook," Phantasmagorium said.

"Not when one of your professors stood idly by while one of your best students was left alone in the greenhouses in excruciating pain. Nope, didn't put your foot down then."

"Professor Chittaphon should hardly be expected to know how to deal with a werewolf in heat." Dean Sukie sighed. "You need to understand, this is a new issue for all of us."

"Isn't a new issue for Taehyung. He's been dealing with it for years, and still getting straight A's the entire time."

"And he will likely continue to, once this issue blows over."

"It's exam season," Jungkook said flatly. "He's missing everything, and we don't know how much longer his heat is going to last. If he doesn't get help, he could fail all his classes."

"Which is exactly why you need to turn your attention to your own schedule, and—"

"YOU'RE NOT LISTENING."

Both the deans blinked at him in shock.

"The reason why I'm not prioritizing my future isn't because I don't care. It's because my future isn't as important as his future."

Jungkook could feel his pulse pounding in his ears.

He realized he was afraid. He'd been afraid for days. Not of what his father might say to him. Not of getting expelled. He was afraid of what was going to happen to Taehyung, and he was afraid that there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"I have shitloads of money. I'm half faerie. I'm going to be fine, but for him, this is a make it or break it. Can't you see? It's going to be hard enough as it is, showing his face around campus after all this. If he fails his classes on top of it, I don't know what he'll do, he's such a fucking perfectionist, both of them are, god damn it..."

Jungkook couldn't seem to catch his breath. His entire body was vibrating. He fought down a wave of panic and tried to get his mind back on track.

"If he fails his classes, he might not have what it takes to go on. He might drop out. With that on his academic record, he might not get accepted to another university."

The deans were either speechless, or lost in thought. Neither of them were saying a word.

"Do you get what I'm saying now?" Jungkook whispered. "Basically, his entire life could be ruined. Do you want that on your hands?"

"It is possible we overlooked a few things," Dean Sukie said slowly.

"Damn right you overlooked a few things. We've been holed up in that dorm room for almost a week and nobody, not one professor has come to check on us."

"We've been swamped with complaints, and Doctor Green is away this week conducting a practicum." Dean Phantasmagorium frowned. "Still, you're right. Somebody should have checked to see if he was alright."

"Doesn't she have an apprentice or something?" Jungkook's voice was getting increasingly frayed. "You may not get what he's going through, but he's still one of your students."

"And one of our best," Dean Phantasmagorium said. "We are aware, Jungkook."

"Then do your jobs, and protect him," Jungkook spat.

Both of them steepled their fingers at the same time and adopted a thoughtful expression.

"If you won't, I will." Jungkook stood up. "I'm going back to those greenhouses. If you don't unlock this door, I'll blow it down, I swear to god."

"The door is no longer locked," Dean Sukie said. "And please, that won't be necessary. We're going to figure something out."

"For Taehyung?"

"Yes," she said, clearly irritated. "For Taehyung. You must understand, many of our research departments operate on private funding. It is time consuming, balancing the demands of our benefactors with those of the faculty, the student body... but yes, we will figure something out to ensure he can make up his classes."

"Without any penalty?"

"Without any penalty."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes, Jungkook."

Jungkook held out his hand. Dean Sukie heaved a sigh, and shook it.

"You know what this means, right?" Jungkook asked.

"I wasn't born yesterday, and I certainly wouldn't shake hands with a faerie unless I knew what I was getting into."

"That's right," Jungkook said. "Don't go back on your word unless you wanna deal with some seriously fucked up shit."

"It's wonderful that you care so much about your friends, Jungkook."

Jungkook slammed the door behind him. He made it five steps before he collapsed on the grass.

The panic had him in its hands.

He wept into his hands, deep ugly sobs, and thought about how close Taehyung had come to being completely and utterly deserted by everyone around him, and how that was even allowed to be a thing, and trembled harder just thinking about the what ifs—what if Jungkook hadn't said anything? What if Jungkook had been called into his runes exam before Tommy had come through the corridor?

What if Jimin was never coming back?

He hauled himself to his feet, mopping his face with his sleeve, and staggered back to the dorms.

"Gukkie, thank god," Taehyung gasped. He was curled up next to the dildo, with silent tears streaming down his face.

Jungkook threw his bag on the ground and crawled directly into Taehyung's arms.

"Oh my god, Guk, why are you crying?"

"Why're you crying?" Jungkook croaked.

"Just my hormones fucking with me. It's better now that you're back and I can smell you. What happened to you?"

"I wish I could smell you." Jungkook's nose was so blocked from crying he was mouth-breathing. "It was a bit of a day. Let me get the chocolate cake, then I'll tell you about it."

***

"Let me get this straight," Taehyung said. "You entered into a faerie deal with the deans?"

"I guess so."

"To secure my academic future?"

"Yeah."

Envelopes had been materializing in Taehyung's room all day. Some were from professors, outlining the week's assignments. Others were notes transcribed and copied by other students.

"These aren't bad." Taehyung flipped through a stack of parchment. "I still like your notes best."

Jungkook snorted.

"I bet Moonbyul did a bunch of those," he said. "She's dying to get her foot in the door for the students union."

"That first year? Yeah, we know about her." Taehyung cracked open a textbook and stuffed a handful of notes inside the cover. "She hasn't stopped hounding us since the beginning of the year."

"Sounds like a familiar problem."

"Oh shut up." Taehyung laughed. He was lying in bed, leaning against the wall, quite literally drowning in paperwork.

"You seem like you're feeling a little better."

"A bit." He crossed something out on a diagram. "The full moon comes in a week. It's still possible that I could go into a second heat. But I mean, one benefit to all this is that I don't have to be quite as careful anymore."

"Any word from your parents?"

"They sent a letter this morning. They weren't able to cut ties before the news made it back to their bosses."

"Oh shit."

"Yeah." Taehyung rolled his shoulders back, examining a piece of paper with forced indifference. "Mom's bank has a more progressive policy, but dad's been temporarily suspended. He teaches at a witching middle school."

"Oh, Tae."

"I was just trying to help." Taehyung's voice was tight.

Jungkook hugged him from the side. He kept sorting papers, even as tears dripped off his chin.

Three days later, Taehyung's cramps were gone.

"You gonna go to class today?"

Taehyung shrugged. He was dressed in a sweater and boxers, studying at the desk.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, it's fine."

"Want to go get dinner in the refectory?"

"Gukkie." Taehyung looked at him deadpan. "I know what you're trying to do."

"And I know what you're doing, but it's only going to get harder and harder the longer you wait."

Taehyung made a noncommittal noise.

Jungkook walked behind Taehyung's chair and rubbed his shoulders. It had been almost two weeks since Taehyung had left his room.

"What about a nice shower?" he murmured in his ear. "I could give you a massage."

"Guk..."

Jungkook nibbled on Taehyung's earlobe. "A massage anywhere you like."

"Fine," Taehyung snapped, closing his textbook.

With Jimin gone, both of them were getting shaggy—especially Jungkook. Taehyung's roots were showing underneath the blue. Jungkook massaged shampoo into Taehyung's scalp, holding him against his chest. Taehyung was almost the same height as him, but he felt so small in Jungkook's arms, hunched over, eyes closed, letting the water wash away everything Jungkook hadn't been able to scrub away with two weeks of sponge baths.

Jungkook walked Taehyung to his class the next morning. Heads turned as the two of them appeared at the end of the hallway. Murmuring erupted.

"Baby, stop it," Taehyung whispered.

"Sorry." Jungkook ripped his eyes away from three guys he'd been staring into submission. "Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you?"

"I want you to," Taehyung sighed. "But I should probably do this alone."

"Meet me in the refectory for lunch?"

"You got it." Taehyung leaned in, and then stopped.

Jungkook looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"Oh, it's just..." Taehyung's eyes were big and uncertain.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, come here," Jungkook muttered, pulling Taehyung into a kiss.

The murmuring intensified.

Jungkook sweat his way through runes and botany. He hardly absorbed any of the material. He was too distracted to act properly annoyed with Professor Chittaphon. He ran to the refectory so quickly he waited for ten minutes before Taehyung appeared.

"Wow, you smell great." Taehyung sniffed heartily, sitting down beside him with a salad.

"We were making fertilizer. I spilled a bunch on my pants."

"For the belladonna?"

"I think so. I wasn't really paying attention."

"It really stinks," Taehyung laughed, his eyes wide and dramatic. "Too bad Jimi—"

Jungkook's throat went tight. He almost choked on his sandwich. Taehyung looked like he'd just swallowed a mouthful of Hoseok's moonshine.

"How did things go for you?" Jungkook pushed on, with some difficulty.

"Not as bad as they could've. The professors acted like nothing had happened. A few students changed seats to get further away from me. Moonbyul sat beside me in Chronomancy."

"She's chill."

"You remember that guy who tagged along with Seokjin and Namjoon that time?"

"Yeah. Fuckin... Taeyong?" Jungkook scowled. "What did he do?"

"He asked me out on a date."

The anger dropped off Jungkook's face. He stared at Taehyung in dismay.

"Your fucking face," Taehyung cackled, pointing.

"Okay... wow."

"I'm honestly not surprised. There were bound to be a few."

"You think he's like..." Jungkook made a vague motion with his hand. "...into werewolves... for... sexual reasons?"

"Oh my god Gukkie why are you acting like a dad?" Taehyung smacked his shoulder. "Yeah, he might have a fetish. I dunno, it isn't that uncommon, there's a lot of weird porn out there."

Jungkook made a choking sound.

"You have... watched porn before?" Taehyung asked slowly.

Jungkook was staring at the surface of the table, his sandwich forgotten in his hands. He inhaled as if to talk, said nothing, and immediately flushed crimson.

"What on earth Gukkie?"

"I'm just... thinking about if you were in a porno," Jungkook muttered soullessly. "I'm not sure I like it."

"Oh my god." Taehyung wrapped his arms around him from the side, cuddling into his neck. "You're fucking adorable."

They parted ways with a fist-bump followed by a lengthy make-out session against one of the pillars and then another fist-bump. Jungkook was so busy conjecturing over who might ask Taehyung out in his afternoon classes, his transformations professor had to call on him three times before he realized what was going on.

Taehyung found him moping in his room later that evening.

"What's wrong, Guk?"

"Nothing."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

Taehyung gave Jungkook a blowjob at his desk. Jungkook ate Taehyung out while stroking him off on the floor. They studied. They made out. They studied some more.

"I'm done," Jungkook groaned, shoving his textbook away. "I can't read anymore."

"It's ten," Taehyung said. "What do you wanna do?"

"I dunno. What do you wanna do?"

Taehyung leaned his elbow on the desk and sank into silence. Jungkook was sprawled on the ground, half under the bed, surrounded by piles of notes.

The seconds lapsed on.

Now that Taehyung's heat was over and they were no longer lost in the sex haze that came with it, it was a lot harder to ignore the other issues at hand.

"We could sleep?" Taehyung asked.

"Sure!"

Both of them sprang to action, changing into pyjamas, loading up their toothbrushes with toothpaste. It had been almost two weeks, and they'd gotten pretty good at avoiding topics that needed to be avoided.

Over twenty texts... ignored.

No further updates to Jimin's professors.

Yoongi had heard nothing.

Jungkook and Taehyung were great at whiling away their days in sexy domesticity. It was comfortable. But Jungkook knew from personal experience that you could only fuck your problems away for so long before something broke down.

He snuggled up behind Taehyung, wrapping his arms around him. It was raining outside; a soft rhythmic pattering that made the campus feel smaller, huddled in on itself underneath the heavy clouds.

"I miss him," Taehyung said softly.

"Me too."

The two of them lay there in silence. Jungkook's heart was aching so badly he didn't know if he'd be able to fall asleep. He could hear Taehyung quietly crying. If Jimin were there, he would've called them out, demanding to know what was going on, dragging the sorrow out of them with as much sensible authority as someone might clean out a dirty garage.

Jungkook buried his face in Taehyung's hair and closed his eyes.

Taehyung sucked in a shaky breath.

***

Somewhere a portal opened.

Jungkook rolled over and checked the time. It was two in the morning. He slipped out of bed and went to his room to get his jacket.

The rain was coming down stronger.

It fell in heavy raindrops, splashing in the waterlogged flowerbeds, cascading from the eaves in a steady stream. He walked slowly across the field. The portal bobbed and squirmed. He could feel the magic in his body, beckoning him onwards.

He reached the edge of the field and the feeling disappeared. He sat down in the grass.

The moon was hidden behind cloud cover. The school loomed behind him, a series of asymmetrical squares and arches, windows glowing with warm light, so far away it didn't feel real. Darkness settled in on all sides, swallowing him up. It was a relief, feeling himself disappearing, the rain, washing everything away.

He was just a consciousness; a pair of eyes in the dark, staring into the shadow down the hill, waiting.

He didn't have his phone. He couldn't be sure how much time had passed. Waiting was easy—not because time was going by any faster than usual, but because there was nothing else in the world he could've seen himself doing at that moment.

The rain poured down around him, soaking through his shoes. Everything smelled like plants.

A light bobbed through the trees.

Jungkook sat up straighter. A small, familiar figure emerged, clutching a glowing orb in one hand. Jungkook scrambled to his feet.

"Chim!"

Jimin jumped, dropping the orb. It rolled back down the hill, melting into a puddle of darkness.

"Jungkook?"

Jungkook scrambled in the direction of Jimin's voice. A light flared a moment later, a couple paces away.

Jimin obviously hadn't anticipated the weather. He was dressed in a sweater and slacks, soaked to the bone. The orb lit up his face from below, casting shadows overtop his perfect lips, his tiny nose.

"Jungkook," he spluttered.

Jungkook trudged closer and pulled him into a hug.

Jimin wrapped his arms around him, awkwardly holding onto the orb. Jungkook kissed Jimin's cheek. It was icy cold. Jimin turned his head.

Jimin's mouth got warmer the longer they kissed. The ache in Jungkook's chest was exploding out of him. He was glad it was raining so hard, because it masked the tears streaming down his face.

"Chim," he shouted, over the downpour. "Where were you?"

"The trees." Jimin pushed chunks of wet hair out of Jungkook's eyes. "The rot started to spread faster. I tried a lot of different things, but in the end I had to kill them."

"Oh no. I'm so sorry."

"Jungkook—"

"I'm so glad you're back." Jungkook began to ramble. "Things have been insane, Chim. Taehyung took a potion that triggered his heat early, and the whole school found out that he's a werewolf. It's been a complete shit show, his parents are mad, but he's going to be so happy to see you."

"Jungkook, I..." Jimin took a deep breath. "I know what happened."

"What?"

"I was there in the greenhouses the day he took the potion."

"Then—then where did you go?"

Jimin stared at Jungkook. After a moment, he took a step back. "I don't know why you came here tonight. It's so cold."

"You were gone two weeks and you weren't answering any of your messages. I felt your portal flare up. Of course I came."

"I was out of the country. Text messages are a dollar each when you send them internationally."

"Fuck, are they?"

"That's right."

Jungkook swore. Jimin giggled.

"God, I missed your laugh."

The mirth fell off of Jimin's face.

"Anyways," Jungkook said awkwardly. The tightness in his chest was threatening to return. "You didn't answer my question."

Jimin stared at Jungkook expressionlessly. "Professor Chittaphon was right there. So were all of our classmates."

"Yeah, I know, I saw them on my way down to the greenhouses. I don't see how—"

"They thought he'd poisoned himself. They took his notes out of his bag to see if they could reverse it. I had no idea what was written on those notes. He should've told me what he was brewing. Then I could've stopped this from happening."

"I think he knew we would try to dissuade him. He wanted to move forward with it anyway. He was only trying to help."

"Yes, well, he fucked up."

Jungkook stared at Jimin in shock.

"I have no family, no history." Jimin's voice was dangerously soft. "This life I've built for myself, my achievements and goals—it's all I have."

Jungkook shook his head.

"You waltzed in here with your parents' money, acting like you owned the place, and you got away with it because of who you are." Jimin laughed softly. "I will never have that luxury. What I wouldn't give for a single day where I didn't have to worry about my hut. Where I didn't have to hold my claws in."

"I get it, Chim, but this isn't just anyone we're talking about. It's Tae—your best friend."

"I know who he is," Jimin snapped.

"Listen." Jungkook took a deep breath. "I know we never talked about what we are. But this isn't just some agreement anymore, something we do because we all have dirt on each other—"

"I'm a hag, Jungkook. I will always keep moving when things get dangerous or stale. It's in my blood."

Jungkook searched Jimin's face for a sign of caring, any indication that he knew what he was about to do to them. "You know how much he cares about you."

Jimin turned away.

"Please," Jungkook rasped. He stepped closer, clutching at the front of Jimin's sweater. "Please, don't do this, please, Jimin, it isn't the same without you, Jimin, Jimin NO—"

Jimin shoved his hands away.

"You can't do this," Jungkook sobbed. "Is this what you do with every problem in your life? Cut it away like those sick trees?"

Jimin started walking towards the school.

"What about what you said, before you left?" Jungkook stumbled after him. "About us being your beautiful boys? Think about all the good times we've had, that time in the showers, when—"

Jimin looked back at Jungkook in—horror? Disgust? Fear?

Jungkook covered his mouth with a hand. He felt like a hideous monster. He fought his sobs down, grappling his voice into something less pathetic.

"Please," he called out. "I just have one question."

Jimin paused.

They were almost back at the dorms. A sheet of rain blasted down over the labyrinth, slapping over the stones.

"What is it?" Jimin demanded.

"Are you going to tell him, or me?"

Jimin's face twisted for a moment. Jungkook watched him closely, silently begging him to come back to his senses.

Then the blank expression was back.

"I'll tell him." Jimin turned around. "You've already done enough. Now please. Don't talk to me anymore."

He disappeared through a door.

Jungkook fell to his knees.

Every ounce of fear and pain he'd been holding back for the past two weeks wracked through his body. He sobbed until he thought his ribs might break.

I don't want to go back

Just like Jimin, Jungkook was terrified of going back to a time when he had nothing, but unlike Jimin, Jungkook hadn't been saved by names and accomplishments.

He'd been saved by two third-year know-it-alls who wore him down with their pranks, their affection, their persistence, wore him down until he made the mistake of letting them in.

He didn't remember getting back to his room.

He lay in bed, shivering. His clothes were heaped in a pile on the floor. The puddle around his shoes was slowly getting larger. He knew Taehyung would wonder what happened when he woke up and Jungkook wasn't there, but he didn't trust himself to look Taehyung in the face right now without bursting into tears.

Taehyung.

He still had Taehyung.

Jungkook wondered if the two of them would make it. Taehyung and Jimin loved to tease Jungkook, and Jungkook loved being teased. Without Jimin to join in, how long would the game stay fun?

One of Jungkook's key selling points had been that he was one of the only people who could make Taehyung's heats less lonely. Now that Taehyung was out, what was to stop him from finding someone else?

Someone with perfect grades, and a future?

Jungkook rolled onto his side. He wondered if he was going to be sick. His throat felt tight, but his stomach was too empty to give any backing to the feeling. He didn't think he could cry anymore, but he did, for at least another hour. Then he tumbled into a cold, fitful sleep.

"Gukkie?"

Jungkook slowly opened his eyes. Taehyung's face wavered in front of him. It wasn't the kind of morning where he woke up and suddenly remembered what had happened the night before. There was nothing to come rushing back in. The horrible feeling had stayed with him every second, even in his dreams.

"Guk, what's wrong?"

Jungkook searched Taehyung's face for some sign of grief, some sign that he knew, but all he saw was confusion. Jimin must not have talked to him yet.

"Not feeling well," Jungkook rasped.

"Oh no. Do you need me to get you some tea?"

Jungkook was tempted to say yes. He really didn't want to leave his bed, but the thought of Taehyung running into Jimin and receiving the news alone was too disturbing.

"I'm okay." He dragged himself into a sitting position. "Just a headache."

"You sound stuffed up."

"Might be allergies."

Jungkook lurched towards the wardrobe. He must not have slept more than an hour. Taehyung stepped back to get out of his way, staring at him in mild alarm.

"Do faeries even get allergies?"

"Yes," Jungkook said vehemently, groping around in a drawer for some pants.

"Let's go get some breakfast," Taehyung said.

Jungkook pulled on a sock with shaking hands.

The rain had cleared up sometime in the night. Brilliant sunlight shone in the windows. They made their way down a stairwell to the refectory. Students were milling around, eating muffins, drinking coffee.

Everything felt like a sinister dream, where a monster could come popping out at any second. Jungkook's eyes scanned the refectory as they walked through. Jimin wasn't there.

Why hadn't Jimin told Taehyung yet?

What was he waiting for?

"Strawberries?"

"Huh?" Jungkook blinked.

"Wow." Taehyung reached up and ran his hand down the side of Jungkook's face. "You really are out of it. I hope you didn't catch something from the listening vines. They tend to release weird spores around this time of year. Spring is mating season for a lot of semi-conscious plants."

Jungkook watched Taehyung load chunks of dried coconut onto two bowls of oatmeal. He watched him pour boiling water in a mug and put the mug in Jungkook's hand. Somehow, they were sitting at a table, and Jungkook was staring at his breakfast the same way he might look at a bucket of manure in the greenhouses.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really." Jungkook blinked, trying to look surprised. "Wow."

"I've never seen you not hungry. Maybe we should stop by the infirmary over lunch hour."

"N-no, it's fine. Here." Jungkook scooped a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth and almost gagged.

He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to keep this up.

"Did you go out last night?"

Jungkook paused mid-chew. The coconut felt like dried corn stalks in his mouth. No matter how many times he chewed it never seemed to get more swallowable.

"I saw your clothing heaped in a pile, and your shoes were soaked."

"Oh. Yeah." Jungkook put his spoon down. "I thought getting some air might help. Didn't wanna wake you up when I got back."

"I hope you didn't catch a chill."

There was a loud slamming noise behind them. Jungkook jumped so hard he almost fell out of his chair.

"Oh fuck," Taehyung said softly.

Jungkook turned around.

Tommy was sitting one table over. The slamming noise had been him setting his tray down. He was staring directly at Taehyung with a look of disgust on his face. His friends were chuckling.

"That's funny," he said, loud enough for the whole refectory to hear. "I thought this was a cafeteria, not a kennel."

Jungkook stood up so quickly his chair tipped over and smashed onto the ground.

There was a chorus of ooooohs from Tommy's friends.

"I'd sit back down if I were you, faerie boy." Tommy sliced a piece of melon in half. "Your parents might be nobles in Korea, but my dad has been donating to this institution for years."

"I don't think," Jungkook breathed, "you understand how much I don't give a shit."

"You may have pulled the wool over the deans' eyes for now, but my dad is thinking of pushing for a trial. I'd like to see how well the testimony of a monster fucker and his pet stands up in front of the board."

Jungkook took a few quick strides in Tommy's direction. Taehyung watched in horrified silence.

"For fuck's sakes!"

Heads spun to locate the speaker.

Moonbyul threw down her fork and glared at Tommy from the end of the table. "I've only been here for two semesters and I'm already beyond exhausted with your bullshit."

"No one asked for you opinion, Byul-yi," one of Tommy's friends said.

"Still salty because I turned you down last semester, Pete?" She smiled. "Sorry, I don't date bigoted idiots."

Tommy's expression was reticent. "Simmer down, Moonbyul," he said.

"Oh no, we're not going to drop this just because someone appeared who knows how to call you out on your bullshit," Jungkook said.

"And it really is—bullshit." Moonbyul smiled. "Something like this would never make it to the academic courts. It doesn't meet their criteria, for one, and unlike Blackthorn, those courts aren't run by private funding. They have a particular dislike for pathetic little rich boys trying to sway things with their parents' money."

Jungkook snorted. "Wow. Did you hear that Tommy?"

"Is everyone around here insane?" Tommy asked. "This is a civilized institution. Who will we be admitting next? Demons? Hags?"

"I dunno, if they write a mean enough essay, I don't see why not," Taehyung said.

He snuck a smile at Jungkook. Jungkook looked away, warding off a wave of nausea.

"Now that we all know Tommy's an idiot, can you sit down?" Moonbyul said, eying Jungkook with annoyance. "I'm trying to study."

Jungkook was halfway back to his chair when he saw Taehyung's entire face light up.

His heart lurched in his chest. There was only one other thing in the world besides Jungkook that made Taehyung smile like that.

"Chim?" Taehyung asked softy.

Jungkook gripped the edge of the table for dear life, taking deep breaths. Taehyung stood up. His smile was even wider now, shining brighter than the sun coming in the windows.

"Oh my god, it's Chim!"

Jungkook wanted to get it over with, he really did, but he had also hoped to put it off until the end of time. He turned around grimly.

Jimin was standing next to the coffee station, holding an apple in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. Taehyung shouted his name again, and his head jerked up. He met Taehyung's eyes and froze.

Taehyung wove his way through the tables. He was so excited he tripped a few times. Tommy and his friends watched him go with a sour sort of interest.

Go over there, Jungkook's brain told him. He's going to need you—

Jungkook couldn't move. He could only watch, transfixed, as Taehyung got closer, reaching out for a hug the same way Jungkook had last night on the hill.

Jimin took a step back.

Taehyung paused.

Jungkook could only imagine the look on Taehyung's face. Innocent, hopeful... a little confused. He forced himself to start walking. His legs felt like they belonged to someone else, two mechanical objects carrying him closer and closer to the scene of an impending crime.

Taehyung held out his arms.

Jimin took another step back. Jungkook begged his legs to hurry. Jimin placed his tea on the counter, put his apple down beside it, and...

...pulled Taehyung into his arms.

Jungkook halted.

"Chim, you're back," Taehyung exclaimed, wriggling around. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, baby."

Taehyung wrapped his arms around Jimin's torso and lifted him, spinning them in a little circle. Jimin smacked his shoulder until he set him down, and then ran his fingers through Taehyung's hair, laughing breathlessly.

"C'mon, Gukkie," Taehyung said.

Jungkook locked eyes with Jimin over Taehyung's shoulder.

"Gukkie," Jimin said tentatively, motioning with his hand.

Jungkook tried to say something. All that came out was the wisp of a grunt.

"Awe, baby." Taehyung dragged Jungkook over by his wrist. "He isn't feeling well. I think it might be the listening vines."

They both wrapped him in their arms. Jungkook closed his eyes and tried not to break down crying in front of the whole cafeteria.

Jimin grabbed his food and they went outside to get away from Tommy. The grass was still damp. Jungkook fumbled in his pocket and was quite disappointed to find he wasn't wearing one of the jackets he'd slipped a spare pack of smokes into.

"Tell me everything," Taehyung said. "Did you manage to exorcise the trees in your forest?"

Jimin was taking small bites out of his apple. He seemed almost as stunned as Jungkook. He didn't even get mad at Jungkook for telling Taehyung about the trees.

"Unfortunately not. I had to cut them down. I'm sorry I left you in the greenhouses. I felt something shift and..." He shrugged. "Bad timing."

He and Jungkook were artfully avoiding each other's eyes.

"That's fine. I know how fucked up it would be if anything happened to your hut."

"What about you?" Jimin asked blandly.

"It's pretty bad." Taehyung stole a sip of Jimin's tea. "But not as bad as I thought. The good word Jungkook's dad put in for me at Blackthorn seems to have trickled back to my parents' circles. The stance Blackthorn took on the issue set a precedent I guess? My dad is undergoing a series of weird interviews but it's looking like he'll probably be able to keep his job."

"So what does this mean?" Jimin asked. "Can you tell your parents about us now?"

Taehyung leaned back on his forearms, staring out at the forest. "Gee, I don't know. I honestly hadn't thought that far into it."

"He got asked out," Jungkook grunted.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, it isn't a huge deal," Taehyung said. "Taeyong, Mark, and a few other people."

"Did what exactly?"

"Asked me out on a date. With the timing, Gukkie and I think they probably have some kind of fetish—"

"No."

Taehyung blinked at Jimin. "What?"

"They can't... I don't..." Jimin spluttered.

"I didn't like it either," Jungkook said.

"I'm not going to take them up on it!" Taehyung wrapped his arms around both of them, flashing a pervy smile. "I mean, not unless you guys wanted to have a foursome or something."

Jungkook felt Jimin glance at him. He kept his eyes fixed on the grass. 

"A fivesome?" Taehyung continued. "A full blown orgy to celebrate Chim's return?"

"Oh dear," Jimin said.

"Oh," Taehyung murmured. He nuzzled his nose into Jimin's neck. "Oh shit, I've missed that."

Jimin whimpered. 

Ten minutes later, when the three of them were hurriedly undressing in Taehyung's bed, Jungkook took a moment to marvel at how something could feel so, so good, even when you were so mad you could barely speak. 

"Seems like you're feeling a little better, Guk," Taehyung panted.

Jungkook made a noncommittal noise.  

"Anyone want it in the ass?"

"You can both fuck me if you want," Jimin said, sucking on Taehyung's neck.

They never got around to it. It was a flurry of kisses, messy groping, hands trading places. Jungkook closed his eyes and let Jimin lead him down to his cock. He sucked blindly, taking comfort in the simplicity of the sensation.

Taehyung came before anybody got their mouth on him, gasping harshly against Jimin's lips as Jungkook stroked him off. Jungkook fucked into someone's hand, he was pretty sure it was Jimin's, with his head resting on Taehyung's shoulder.

He knew their bodies so well.

Their tastes.

"Fuck," Taehyung said. "We're going to be late for botany."

Jungkook opened his eyes, his post-orgasmic high slipping back into the haze of anger.

"See you later, Guk!"

The three of them parted ways at the base of the stairs. Jungkook reflected on how it was possible to fuck two people without looking either of them in the eye once.

"Everything okay?" Moonbyul asked him in runes.

"Been a bit of a day so far."

"I feel that. I got a paper back and it was graded at an A minus. I almost flipped my shit, but then I realized the TA forgot to add some of the points from the short answer section, so crisis averted."

"Rough," Jungkook said, too drained to crack his usual goody-goody jokes.

He went on a run after class to clear his head. He ended up getting waylaid by Yoongi and Hoseok and smoking a joint in the smoke pit. He was trailing back to his room, considering downing the rest of the whiskey Yoongi had left there, when something collided with him from the side.

"Where were you?" Jimin hissed, seizing handfuls of his shirt and dragging him back down the hall.

"Ouch," Jungkook said petulantly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to run into you like that. I tripped."

Jimin shoved Jungkook into an empty classroom and locked the door behind them. Jungkook leaned against the door and rubbed his face with both hands.

"I need to talk to you."

"I don't know," Jungkook said. "I was thinking maybe I could have a night to myself for once in my god-damned life."

"This can't wait. I know what you're going to do. You're going to spend the next week brooding and ignoring us. That will make Taehyung suspicious."

"You know I don't have to do anything you tell me to right?"

"Jungkook, please."

Something in Jimin's voice made Jungkook pause. He stared at Jimin for another long moment.

"Spit it out. I don't have all night."

"You must never tell Taehyung about what happened last night."

"Oh yeah." Jungkook smiled bitterly. "Because that's a great idea. Building a relationship on lies."

"Jungkook, I'm a hag. I'm always going to lie."

"So I've heard." Jungkook was scowling now. "What if I'm tired of it?"

"Jungkook—"

"One moment you're breaking up with us, and then the next we're having a picnic in the fucking courtyard like it's any other Wednesday."

"I made a mistake."

"Right."

Jimin's eyes roamed over Jungkook's face. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"How do I know you aren't lying to me right now?"

"I'm n-not," Jimin stuttered. "Not this time."

Jungkook was silent.

"It's simple. I messed up, and he must never know."

"Is that why you abandoned him in the greenhouses? In his hour of need?" Jungkook asked. "You messed up?"

"I told you, I was dealing with those trees."

"Give me a fucking break."

"F-fine." Jimin's voice got softer. "You're so hell-bent on the truth, so here it is. When they figured out what he was, I didn't know what to do. I panicked and ran away. My hut seemed like the only safe place in the world. I know it was wrong, and I'm sorry."

"Jimin, you can't just apologize and expect me to..."

"I'm a coward, Jungkook."

Jungkook sucked in a shuddering breath, staring at Jimin straight in the eyes. "What happened last night—do you even know what that did to me? How much that hurt? I was desperate. I begged."

"Yes," Jimin said, his voice laboured, "and I'm begging you now."

"How do I know you aren't going to take it all back?"

"I won't. I can't."

"Right."

"I was going to tell him! I really was. But then he came up to me out of the blue, and I just..."

"You could've told him sooner, so he didn't spring it on you like that."

"That would have changed nothing."  

"Why?" Jungkook asked.

"Please Jungkook!"

Jimin's whole face was trembling. His eyes were frantic. Jungkook had never seen him so animated. His hair hung messily in his face, his lips twisted down at the sides. He was still stunningly beautiful, but it was a wilder, sharper beauty than before.

"You and Taehyung have years on me with this kind of thing, and I'm doing my best to catch up, but I can only go so fast. I fell back on old methods, I thought it would work, but things have changed. I see that now."

"What are you saying?"

"I think..." Jimin's voice lowered to a mutter. "I think I've fallen in love with you two." He bit his lip, eyes dancing over the floor. "I searched for another explanation and found none. There's no logic to this."

Jungkook was suddenly out of breath.

"Yes," Jimin said, nodding to himself in reflection, "I do believe it is love, but it's not going to look the same as it would coming from someone else. You need to give me time. Please, I need more time to understand."

Jungkook was quiet for a long time.

"So... so what? What do you want me to do with this information?"

"I'm asking you not to take this away from me," Jimin cried out, balling his fists at his sides. "After losing my forest, I won't survive it.”

Jungkook stared at Jimin in stunned silence.

"How do I know this isn't another lie?" Jungkook tried to sound spiteful, but somewhere along the way, the fight had been knocked out of him. He shuffled his feet, feeling oddly guilty.

"Here." Jimin held out his hand. "Shake my hand, make a faerie deal."

"Jimin," Jungkook said, laboured.

Jimin forced Jungkook's hand into his own.

"Stop, this is stupid."

"Please, Jungkook—"

"I love you guys too."

The panic lessened in Jimin's face, but only a fraction. He paused. "You do?" he asked uncertainly.

Jungkook looked away. "I honestly didn't know what I was going to do when you said you were going to leave us. I wanted to curl up and die."

Jimin chuckled softly. It sounded a little like a sob.

"Please don't tell him."

"I don't like it. I kind of hate it, actually. But I agree that the truth would probably break his heart."

Jimin grabbed Jungkook's wrist. "Shake on it. Please."

Jungkook heaved a sigh, and moved his hand up and down.

"Oh god." Jimin collapsed against the wall. "I hardly slept last night. I couldn't stop thinking about what you said."

"So it wasn't just Tae that twisted your arm?"

"No Jungkook, I..." Jimin seemed to be curling in on himself. "You caught me at a bad time last night. I was foolish to think that I could ever leave either of you, but I didn't know it at that moment. I wished you'd stayed in your bed. I wish you'd been spared this pain."

"The truth hurts sometimes."

"I know. Why do you think I am the way I am?"

Jungkook pressed him against the wall. He forced himself to stare into his eyes for real this time, and found the pit of bitterness in his stomach unwinding faster than he cared to admit.

Jimin just looked so desperate.

His eyes flickered down after a moment of intense eye contact. Jungkook continued to stare. Jimin ran his hands over Jungkook's chest.

"I really fucking missed you," Jungkook said.

"I'm sorry."

"Asshole."

"I'm so sorry," Jimin squeaked.

Jungkook kissed him.

Jimin's mouth melted against his. It was just like the night before... two weeks of unanswered questions melting away under the force of something.

Maybe Jungkook needed more time to understand it too.

"Two faerie deals in one month," he said, when he pulled away. "Funny thing is, I don't even know how to enforce them. And if you're about to tell me to ask Professor Chittaphon, don't bother."  

"I'm just saying." Jimin took a moment to catch his breath. "Everyone has their uses."

Jungkook heaved a sigh, and then leaned in for another kiss. Jimin clung to him, pushing closer.

"So who's gonna tell him?" Jungkook asked, when he pulled away this time.

Jimin's eyes went wide in horror. "Gukkie—I thought you said—"

"That we love him. You, or me?"

"Oh." Jimin clutched at his chest, even more out of breath than before. "Oh I see." Jungkook couldn't restrain his laughter.

"Well?"

Jimin thought it over. Jungkook took the opportunity to examine his face, his slender shoulders, and the little hand that was tangled in the front of Jungkook's shirt, finally allowing a bit of relief to trickle into his mind.

Jimin smiled tentatively. "I think we both should."

Chapter Text

Dean Phantasmagorium held two fingers up, pushed downwards, and stepped back with a long groan, that was, in Jungkook's opinion, excessively sensual. His fingers sliced through space, leaving behind a narrow aperture surrounded by a silver bleed.

"That should do it." He dusted off his hands. "I'll reopen one from the same location tonight at eight."

"Thank you very much, Sir," Jimin said.

"Oh, and please do say hello to your parents for me, Taehyung," Dean Phantasmagorium said.

"Of course." Taehyung bowed his head.

The three of them stepped through the portal.

"His casting is sloppy," Jimin muttered. "If all three of us weren't so skinny, we would've had a hard time getting through."

"Maybe you should give him a few pointers," Taehyung teased.

"I forget how polite you two get around the deans," Jungkook said. "It's weird."

"He didn't even get the location right," Jimin said, glancing around. "You gave him your parents' address, right?"

"No," Taehyung said.

"Why not?"

"Because," Taehyung sighed, with the air of someone who hadn't really wanted to elaborate, "I always like to walk through the neighbourhood a little to get my head in the game before I have to see them. So when someone's nice enough to cast a portal for me, I give them the address to Lucy's Convenience Store instead."

It was Wednesday.

A week after Jimin's return, Taehyung's parents had sent a letter to the deans requesting to meet with Taehyung as soon as possible. Jungkook suggested driving out that weekend, but the deans, perhaps out of some lingering sense of guilt, offered to register a portal for them that afternoon.

Jungkook was secretly relieved. He didn't know if he could've survived another angsty seven-hour car ride with the two of them.

"What do you think they want to talk about?" Jungkook asked.

"We've been over this at least five times today," Taehyung said.

"Yeah, well, now we're walking down your parents' street and I wanna go over it again."

"Either they've chilled out and they want to check in about the whole thing, or they're still mad and they've finally decided to disown me."

"Even though there's technically no point anymore?"

"I don't know. I'm still not sure how their minds work. I told you, I don't speak normie."

"Maybe they want to make sure you're alright?" Jimin asked.

"Hah," Taehyung said.

Taehyung's neighbourhood felt a lot more lively without the winter gloom. Children played outside, climbing gnarled trunks up to elaborate tree houses, playing camouflage in yards bursting with greenery, feeding little pens of bunnies with sparkly fur. There were gardens everywhere.

Jungkook noticed a certain flamboyance in the people that made up for the lack of ostentation in their houses. Witches pruned trees in leather pants, walked dogs in lacy halter tops, men and women alike. Still, a few heads turned as the three of them made their way down the street. If witches were flashy by nature, Jimin and Taehyung had taken it upon themselves to exceed any and all expectations—as usual.

The conversation back at the dorms had gone something like this:

Chim, I'm thinking I should wear something normal for a change. I've already put them through enough.

Baby, if you wear something conservative and boring, they're going to think you've been traumatized. Do you really want to worry them like that?

I guess I should break out my heels then.

Probably.

Yeah. Probably.

The result: Jimin in a black miniskirt and fishnets. Taehyung in a forest green pant suit and black heels. Both of them with painted nails. Both of them in rouge.

Jungkook had opted for a ripped sweatshirt over a pair of Taehyung's acid wash jeans. He loomed between them, feeling muscular and plain, though he'd let Jimin put a bit of creamy bronze eyeshadow on him to get Taehyung's dad off his case.

The three of them were quite a sight, cutting their way down the street. Taehyung insisted on walking in the middle of the road, to keep as much distance from the neighbours as possible, even if that resulted in attracting twice as much attention.

"I don't mind being ogled. I just don't want to have a conversation."

"That's surprising," Jungkook said.

"What would we talk about? All of these people are married. I don't want to hear about their hundreds of children and grandchildren. Although I guess there are a few dilfs and milfs I wouldn't mind exchanging a few words with, if you catch my drift."

"Haven't you known most of them since you were a child?"

"Exactly. Lots of time for me to assess the goods."

A raven appeared out of nowhere, practically ripping chunks of Taehyung's hair out with her claws as she tried to land.

"Woopsee daisy," Taehyung laughed, catching her as she tumbled off his head. She flapped her wings and landed on Jimin's shoulder instead.

"Hello there," Jimin said, winking at her from the side. She nibbled on his earring.

"If Midgy's here, we must be close," Jungkook said.

"I'm starting to think you're more nervous than I am," Taehyung said.

Taehyung's front yard was as uniform as ever. The only difference was that the flowers in the pot next to the stairs were blue instead of pink. Taehyung marched up the front walk like a soldier and knocked on the door.

His mother opened the door a moment later.

"Hello Taehyun—oh." Her eyes widened as she noticed Jungkook and Jimin standing behind him.

"Hello, Mrs. Kim." Jimin waved cheerfully.

"Hello honey. Hi Jungkook." She sighed fretfully. "Alright, well. Come in everyone."

"Taehyung brought his friends," she called down the hallway, striding into the kitchen. "We'll have to boil more water," she said quietly to herself, and busied herself with the kettle. "Why don't you boys go sit in the living room?"

The three of them piled onto the leather couch. Jimin kept crossing and uncrossing his legs, rearranging the pleats of his skirt. Jungkook leaned back and nervously manspread. Taehyung sat in the middle, picking at his nails.

When Mrs. Kim reappeared, with an enormous tea tray, she had Mr. Kim in tow. Mr. Kim was frowning, but he didn't look as haggard as Jungkook would've expected, given what his week must've been like. Both of them had the same fresh look that Taehyung got right after his heat—clear skin, sharper features; a general healthiness.

Jungkook realized that both of them had probably gotten their heats on the full moon as usual, and that meant they'd been dealing with that at the same time as all the other complications brought on by Taehyung's accident. Despite deeply disliking them, Jungkook felt a degree of begrudging respect for their struggle.

They sat down on the loveseat and stared at the three of them nervously.

"Hello Mr. Kim," Jimin said.

"Hello, Jimin," Mr. Park said awkwardly.

"Taehyung, we thought you might have come alone," Mrs. Kim said. "You know, after everything that has happened... we weren't sure your friends would be comfortable... being in our house... because..."

"We don't mind," Jimin said.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Kim asked. "What about you, Jungkook? You haven't said much since you arrived."

"Jungkook's always been the strong and silent type," Mr. Kim said.

"Yes, honey, but I want to make extra-extra sure everyone is feeling comfortable, given the recent events, and that now... they know that we're..."

There was an awkward pause.

"Oh." Jungkook cleared his throat. "No, I'm good."

Mrs. Kim hummed uncertainly.

"Taehyung, at least let them sit together," Mr. Kim said. "Don't go breaking a couple up like that."

"Uh," Taehyung said.

"About that," Jimin said.

Jungkook made a grunting noise.

The three of them looked at each other. Both Jimin and Jungkook ended up staring at Taehyung, who smiled joylessly.

"We're dating," he said.

Both his parents blinked in confusion.

"Sorry," Mrs. Kim said. "What? Who?"

"All of us," Jimin said.

"Yeah," Jungkook contributed.

"Wait." Mr. Kim blinked again. His brow was furrowed, as if he were trying to decipher something in a language he only partially understood. "As in..."

"All three of us are boyfriends," Taehyung said. "With each other. As in polyamory. I know you won't get it, and you definitely won't like it."

"But..." Mrs. Kim straightened up, adopting a stern expression. "Boys. Do you know what Taehyung is?"

"Obviously," Jungkook said. "That's why we're here, isn't it?"

"If it makes you feel any better, we were all already dating when we visited over the Christmas holidays," Jimin said.

Taehyung and Jungkook gaped at him.

"What?" he asked. "I want them to know that we're okay with everything."

"Yeah," Jungkook whispered, "but you basically just told them that Taehyung—"

"Taehyungie," Mrs. Kim scolded. "That was months ago, long before your accident."

"It's possible they didn't know at the time," Mr. Kim said.

"Oh, we knew," Jungkook said.

Taehyung spun around to gape at him this time.

"Taehyung," Mrs. Kim exclaimed. "This is unacceptable. How many people have you told over the years?"

"Just these two. They house first-years two to a room. I got put with Jimin, I get a heat every month, what was supposed to happen?" Taehyung said exasperatedly. "And then Jungkook just kinda..."

"Appeared," Jimin said.

Jungkook snorted.

"So you were lying to us all along," Mr. Kim said.

"I wasn't lying. I was just omitting certain pieces of information that were largely out of my control and that would have upset you."

"Son, that's lying."

Jimin rolled his eyes.

"Okay, maybe I did lie," Taehyung said. "But I only did it so I could get to see you for a few more years before you found out and cut off ties."

The silence was as loaded as it was awkward.

Taehyung shuffled, staring at his lap. Jungkook wouldn't have been surprised if he started crying. He always did this, heading in strong and serious, surprising himself by saying something brutally sentimental, and ending up in tears.

Jungkook rubbed his back.

"You two... do know what it means, to be a werewolf?" Mrs. Kim asked delicately.

"Sure thing." Jimin's smile was peppy.

"I'm not certain you fully understand. I don't mean to be blunt, but have you seen him on his heats?"

"Have you seen him down there?" Mr. Kim asked.

"Dad!" Taehyung exclaimed.

"Yeah we really don't mind," Jimin said.

"At all," Jungkook said.

"Well," Mrs. Kim said. "You're right, Taehyungie. I'm not sure I understand how this is supposed to work, but it does make me feel hopeful to know that two nice witches would take interest in you."

"The times really must be changing," Mr. Kim said.

"With some people," Taehyung said. "There are still a lot of assholes. Four people applied to transfer to a different university after they found out."

"Even so, in my time, if you'd told me that two witches—even just one witch, any witch—was interested in dating a werewolf, I would've laughed in your face," Mrs. Kim said.

"Or just in befriending one," Mr. Kim elaborated. "I'm honestly amazed I didn't lose my job after all this."

"I don't get it," Jimin said solemnly. "You're basically exactly the same as us, except you have an extra hole, and you get really achy and horny once a month. I fail to see the issue."

Both of Taehyung's parents turned a little pink.

"Well, technically it's a little more complicated than that," Mrs. Kim said carefully.

"Honey," Mr. Kim warned.

"If they're going to be dating our son, they have a right to know these things."

"We really don't have to get into this," Taehyung said.

"Actually, I'm kind of curious," Jungkook said.

Taehyung stepped on his foot, hard.

"It isn't just an extra hole," Mrs. Kim said, in the same diplomatic tone. "If you want to look at it that way, we all have an extra phallus, too."

"So you all have both?" Jimin asked.

"We all have all three, if you think about it," Taehyung said.

"Please, Taehyung," Mrs. Kim said. "Not everyone uses... for..."

"Well that's a shame," Jimin said. "They're really missing out."

Mrs. Kim laughed nervously.

Jungkook remembered the first time he'd walked in on Taehyung during his heat. Taehyung had begged him to come closer, Jungkook had asked about condoms, and Jimin had told him werewolves could only get pregnant with other werewolves. They'd had sex, he'd fallen into the vortex that was his life with them, and he hadn't really taken that line of thinking further.

"Which one of you carried Taehyung?" he asked suddenly.

"His mom, obviously," Jimin said. "If Mr. Kim had carried him, that would've basically been announcing to the world, hey there I'm a werewolf, or at least hey I'm something other than a witch."

"Wait, but aren't there transgender witches?" Jungkook asked. "Like, pregnant trans guy witch dads?"

"True," Jimin said. "It's getting more common, but it still isn't the norm. My guess is Mrs. and Mr. Kim wanted to do anything to avoid public scrutiny, even on that level."

"I see you two really have thought about this," Mr. Kim said.

"They've been some pretty bomb allies, not gonna lie," Taehyung said. "Jungkook even struck up a faerie deal with the deans to protect my academic future."

"We heard about your father putting in a good word for Taehyung," Mr. Kim said. "Thank you."

"I hate that he had to," Jungkook said. "You guys shouldn't have to fight so hard for basic respect."

"It's the world we live in." Mrs. Kim sighed. "Well Taehyungie—it sounds like you've got some pretty caring people around you. Do you think you're going to be alright? In light of everything?"

"Wait." Taehyung's face went blank. "Did you guys really just wanna make sure I was okay?"

"What you went through couldn't have been easy," Mr. Kim said.

"And there are still going to be numerous challenges," Mrs. Kim said.

"Which is why, even though people know now, that doesn't mean you can let loose on your classmates," Mr. Kim said.

"Here it is." Taehyung closed his eyes. "I knew there had to be a catch."

"This is about practicality, Son," Mrs. Kim said. "Your image will have lessened in many people's eyes. You don't need to give them any more reason to think lesser of you."

"We understand that you're facing different challenges than we did," Mr. Kim said. "We were married off at a young age and lived much quieter lives. Yes, we've been outed now," he said, with some difficulty, "but we're older and our heats have become a lot more mild. This is why it's important that you're careful. Nobody knows what kinds of obstacles are going to come your way."

"Try to behave," Mrs. Kim said anxiously.

"My grades are insane, what else do you want from me?"

"A little less rouge, for one," Mr. Kim said.

"Is the rouge really the issue here?" Jungkook asked, annoyed.

"Not the rouge specifically," Mrs. Kim said gently. "It's more about drawing unnecessary attention to yourself. You don't want to appear ungrateful or rebellious, Taehyungie. Because so few of us are out, all three of us are representatives for our kind. We need to be responsible and create good images for ourselves."

"I just wanna fuck my boyfriends and live my life and not worry about being a god-damned delegate for my entire race," Taehyung moaned.

The three of them were walking back down his street. It was 7:45 and their portal back to Blackthorn would be appearing in fifteen minutes.

"They're still stuck in the past," Jimin said. "Be yourself, baby."

"As if I have any other choice," Taehyung muttered.

"I think who you are is great," Jungkook said. "Your approach has worked so far, why change it?"

"Certainly works for Mark and Taeyong," Taehyung said.

Jimin and Jungkook both made wounded sounds.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about that," Jungkook said.

Taehyung's shoulders rocked with laughter.

"Still, it is a bit of a relief, isn't it?" Jungkook said. "That they weren't that mad, and they were at least trying to be nice?"

"I guess," Taehyung grumbled. "Still not sure why we had to have werewolf sex-ed hour though, when you two basically know my genitals better than I do at this point. Oh look, the portal's already there."

The three of them clambered through. Dean Phantasmagorium was on the other side, visibly sweating.

"I cast this damned thing by accident twenty minutes ago and I couldn't get it to close." He mopped his forehead with a patterned handkerchief. "Keeping it open has been an ordeal, to say the least. I'm glad you arrived a little early."

Jimin snapped his fingers. The portal melted onto the grass.

"Oh thank Christ," Dean Phantasmagorium said. "Have you been working on portal magic then, Jimin?"

Jimin stared at the fading portal shards in horror.

"It's complicated stuff," Dean Phantasmagorium chuckled jovially, "but if anyone were up to the challenge, it would be you."

Jimin was locked in silent, self-aimed fury until they got back to the school.

"Relax Chimmy," Taehyung said, running his hands over Jimin's pecks. "He doesn't suspect anything."

"Still," Jimin said.

"You couldn't resist," Jungkook said. "I knew you were going to do something the second he started talking."

"His portal casting is just so bad," Jimin said emotionlessly.

"You know what else is bad?" Taehyung said. "My knowledge of hag huts. It could really use some remediation."

Jimin made a choking noise.

"Be careful, we don't want his brain to explode," Jungkook said.

"Unless by brain you mean dick and by explode you mean into my mouth," Taehyung said, fussing with the front of Jimin's skirt.

"Guys, we're in the library," Jungkook said.

"And?" Jimin said.

Jungkook groaned. "You know I'm not good at public stuff."

"Okay. What about in there?"

Jimin pointed to a mahogany door at the end of the two shelves they were lurking between. The upper half was a frosted window with chipped golden letters that read 'Clerk Office 5.'

"Presumably the clerks have gone away for the evening," Jimin said.

"And even if they haven't, they have offices one, two, three, and four to deal with before they get to ours," Taehyung said.

"Fine," Jungkook whispered, "but no loud moaning."

There was no lock on the door. Presumably the library clerks didn't need privacy for whatever they usually did in Office 5. The sun hovered just below the horizon, setting later and later as the summer approached, filling the room with a strange, impermanent radiance.

Jimin grabbed Taehyung by the front of his pants suit and pulled him closer, until the two of them went crashing back into a desk.

"Shhh," Jungkook hissed, leaning against the door.

"Sor—"

Taehyung cut Jimin off with a kiss.

Taehyung lifted Jimin onto the desk and ground up between his legs. Jimin's miniskirt rucked up around his hips, legs straining underneath black fishnet as he searched for a foothold.

Jungkook found himself staring.

Jimin looked so helpless with his ankles hooked around Taehyung's back, arching and squirming to get more friction through his panties. Jungkook couldn't help but wonder how much of it was on purpose.

Just last night he'd begged Jungkook and Taehyung to tie him to the headboard and fuck him hard, one after the next. Jungkook had walked in on Taehyung pounding him over the planters in the greenhouse a couple days ago. Jungkook didn't think he'd received so many blow jobs in one week.

"P-please," Jimin whimpered.

Taehyung stepped back and pulled Jimin's tights off, bunching them around one of his ankles, and spat on his fingers, reaching up under Jimin's skirt.

"Fuck," Jungkook muttered.

"Hey Guk," Taehyung grunted. "You gonna play guard all night or are you gonna come help?"

Jungkook made an ambivalent noise.

"Suit yourself."

Taehyung lifted Jimin's skirt. "Look at me, pretty boy," he murmured. Jimin turned his head, huffing softly. Taehyung reached out and gripped Jimin's jaw, kissing wetly into his mouth as he slid inside him. Jimin's high-pitched moan was muffled.

"Shh," Taehyung whispered, pulling back. Their lips were connected by a string of spit. Jungkook could see it in the fading daylight coming through the window. "Gotta be good for Gukkie. He doesn't want anybody to hear us."

"I don't know if I c-can," Jimin whimpered helplessly.

"Try your best, kitten."

Taehyung pulled back and thrusted. Both of Jimin's hands flew off the edge of the desk to his mouth. Taehyung thrusted again. Jimin keened through his fingers. Without anything to hold him in place, Jimin slid backwards over the varnished walnut, knocking a jar of pens onto the ground.

"Fuck's sakes." Jungkook hurried forward. He stooped down and picked up pen after pen while the desk above his head quaked with Taehyung's thrusts.

"P-please."

Jungkook pushed the jar of pens as far away from the desk as he could and stood up.

"Please Gukkie."

Jimin reached out a trembling hand. His small, slender fingers brushed against the front of Jungkook's shirt.

"What do you want, Chim?"

Jimin pulled Jungkook lower, parting his lips. Jungkook closed his eyes. Jimin's mouth was already so warm, so needy. Jimin twisted his tongue against Jungkook's, his kiss sloppier than usual. Jungkook couldn't help the groan that rose up in his own throat. He reached down and started to unzip the front of his jeans.

Jimin's voice hitched up higher. Jungkook snuck a sidelong glance in Taehyung's direction. Taehyung had pushed Jimin's knees to his chest. The desk was low enough that he could lean over him a little as he fucked him, pushing his legs down with two hands to hold him in place. Jungkook could only imagine how it would feel to take Taehyung's cock at that angle.

His own cock was heavy in his hand, the result of a slow burning boner that had started to bug him since they'd started messing around behind the shelves. He leaned over the desk, holding himself up on his forearm so he could keep kissing Jimin from the side, and jerked off with his other hand.

"There you go," Taehyung grunted. "I'm proud of you Guk."

He sounded like he was smirking; that lopsided, open-mouthed smirk he wore when he was too fucked out to keep his mouth shut. Jungkook would've told him to fuck off if he hadn't had his tongue halfway down Jimin's throat just then.

"Oh fuck," Jungkook gasped, pulling back.

"G-gonna cum, sir?" Jimin asked, in the most docile, helpless tone. His eyes were misty as he gazed up at Jungkook.

"Fuck, oh fuck." Because he was trying to be quiet, Jungkook's groans were coming out a lot whinier than usual. His eyebrows knit up in consternation, but he couldn't get it under control.

"Oh shit," Taehyung said. "That's getting to me."

"Cum inside me," Jimin whimpered. "Please, fill me up, and if Jungkook hasn't popped by then, he can fill me up some more."

Just those words had Jungkook shuddering over the desk.

Footsteps rang out down the hall.

"Fuck," Jungkook choked. "Someone's coming."

"Just a minute," Taehyung grunted.

The footsteps got closer.

"I don't think we have a minute," Jungkook said.

"Okay juslemmeohhhhhfuck."

Taehyung's hips stuttered. Jungkook knew what was happening. Like the bro that he was, he stuffed his rock hard dick back in his pants as quickly as he could and tried to come up with a solution. His useless, sexed-out pea brain gave him a flatline.

There was a knock on the door.

Taehyung pulled out so quickly Jimin jolted. Taehyung yanked his pants up and then pulled Jimin into a sitting position.

"Is someone in there?"

The three of them stared at each other in panic.

"Uh, yeah—" Jungkook winced at the sound of his own voice. He couldn't have sounded guiltier if he tried. "Just a second."

Taehyung and Jimin wrestled with the hopeless bunched up mess of stocking on Jimin's ankle. The doorknob turned. They bailed. Jimin leapt off the desk with impressive nimbleness, given that Taehyung had basically been folding him in half less than five seconds ago, and scoured the puddle of cum off the desk just as the door opened.

A librarian appeared, appraising them with raised eyebrows. "What are you doing in here?"

"Studying," Taehyung said quickly.

Jungkook was painfully aware of the fact that none of them had any backpacks or books. He glanced down in embarrassment, and immediately noticed an incriminating stain starting to appear through the front of Taehyung's pants.

"This is a clerks office, not a study room. Students can't be in here."

"I'm sorry," Jimin said, treating her to one of his winning smiles. "Our mistake."

Something dripped on the floor. Jimin snapped his wrist and it vanished.

"Alright, well." She gave them another once over. "Make sure it doesn't happen again."

"You got it," Taehyung said.

She stepped back to let them by. Taehyung's heels clicked over the tile as they filed past. Jimin took Jungkook's hand and they broke into a jog, bursting out into the courtyard a minute later. Night had fallen and lanterns glowed all around them.

"God," Jimin cackled, leaning against the brick wall. "I must've done at least fifteen scouring spells on our way out. I'm leaking cum everywhere."

Taehyung collapsed onto the grass in breathless laughter.

"Not fair that you got to cum," Jimin chided.

"It wasn't exactly the best orgasm in the world," Taehyung said. "I cut it off early and barely got to milk the aftershocks."

"Oh, poor you," Jungkook said. "At least you didn't chafe your dick running down three sets of stairs with a boner."

"Oh," Taehyung cooed. "Does Gukkie have a nervous boner? Does it hurt?"

"Fuck me against the wall," Jimin said.

"No," Jungkook said.

"Please?"

Jungkook closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then dragged Jimin behind a bush. Taehyung scrambled to his feet to come watch.

Jimin leaned over and hiked his skirt up. His plump ass practically glowed like a beacon in the shadows. Jungkook hurried forward, as much out of propriety as impatience, and got behind him to block the view.

The cum dripping out of Jimin was starting to get cold. Jungkook gasped a little as he lined up. Jimin grabbed at his legs impatiently. "Jesus you're needy," Jungkook whispered, thrusting forward. Jimin's moan was more than a little self-satisfied.

"You're the worst," Jungkook grunted.

"Please," Jimin whispered harshly. "I'm so close."

Jungkook got comfy—well, as comfy as someone like him could get in a situation like this, fucking one of his boyfriends behind the verge in Blackthorn's well-lit, public courtyard—tweaking the angle, settling into a good rhythm.

"How's it feel, Chim?"

Jimin moaned.

"You're so good to us. Letting us use your ass all we want. And it's such a nice ass." Jungkook slapped one of Jimin's ass cheeks, forgetting himself for a moment, and immediately flinched, looking over his shoulder.

Taehyung giggled. He was sitting on the mulch, watching lazily. Lipstick was smeared around his mouth like a red halo. Jungkook could only imagine what his own mouth looked like.

"You're so good," Jungkook continued. "So beautiful, so perfect."

Jimin's moan was coloured with something a little more raw this time. Jungkook pulled Jimin into a standing position and pushed him flat against the wall, reaching around to stroke him off.

"You like being our toy?" he whispered in Jimin's ear.

Jimin nodded mutely, gasping for breath.

"But you're more than just a plaything." Jungkook stroked Jimin faster. "You're irreplaceable. Isn't that right, Tae?"

"Oh, totally!" Taehyung said. "You're really special, Chim."

"We appreciate everything you do, kitten," Jungkook said. "Not just this."

"Stop being so cheesy," Jimin complained. "It's killing the mood."

Jungkook could see from the side that he was smiling a little.

Jungkook homed in on Jimin's plush, trembling lips, staring fixedly at them until he was cumming, deep and hard; then he fucked Jimin some more, until Jimin shot off in Jungkook's hand, and Jungkook was shaking all over with over-stimulation.

"That's more like it," Jimin grunted lewdly.

But when Jungkook pulled out, and Jimin turned around, the look on his face was a little uncertain. He glanced up at Jungkook with big eyes. Jungkook leaned in and kissed the side of his mouth.

"I meant it," Jungkook said softly.

Jimin inhaled as if to say something, but Taehyung spoke first.

"Want help putting your tights back on?" he asked, hauling himself to this feet.

"I don't think there's much of a point," Jimin said.

All three of them looked down.

"I see what you mean," Taehyung said.

"We're never going back to the library," Jungkook said darkly, once they were back in the dorms, scrubbing layers of dirt, cum, and lipstick off themselves in the showers. "I don't think I could look that librarian in the face."

"What do you think the clerks need all those offices for, anyway?" Taehyung asked. "I bet they screw in them all the time."

"Maybe she would've let us finish if we'd invited her to watch," Jimin said.

"Still wouldn't fix how my orgasm got ruined," Taehyung grumbled. "You guys owe me."

"Get it up now and I'll suck you off," Jimin said.

Jungkook rolled his eyes.

"I could," Taehyung challenged.

"Oh yeah? Prove it."

Taehyung proved it. Jimin held true to his word. Jungkook stood under the faucet and watched, trying not to get too close to the listening vines that were hanging down from the ceiling.

"You want one too?" Jimin asked, wiping his mouth.

"You sucked me off this morning," Jungkook said. "My dick is going to fall off. I don't know how yours hasn't."

"It's just because we're in the showers," Taehyung said. "He'd totally be down if we were back in my room."

"Even if that were the case," Jungkook allowed, "if we don't hurry up we're going to be late."

"Oh right, Namjoon's thing."

They threw on a random mishmash of clothes, all from Taehyung's closet, and snuck back down to the grounds. A breeze blew through their wet hair and Jimin started to shiver. Taehyung pulled him over so he was in the middle, and they wrapped their arms around his shoulders.

"I thought you said your first forest was noble and cold or something like that."

"I was always freezing my ass off there too," Jimin said softly, "but it was worth it."

They hiked into the forest, following a familiar trail past Yoongi's smoke pit along the stream. The glowing bugs had returned with the coming of spring. The cluster around the big tree was thinner than before, and Jungkook reckoned the portal magic was finally starting to fade.

Jimin lit the way with a glowing orb until a bigger, brighter light appeared in the distance, flickering through the trunks.

"How rowdy is this going to be?" Jungkook asked, stifling a yawn. Now that he was actually attending classes, partying on weeknights had lost some of its charm.

"The invite said something about a bonfire?" Jimin said. "I'm not sure. Something to celebrate the end of their practicum."

Taehyung slowed to a halt.

"Tae?"

Taehyung stared at the flickering light with blank eyes.

"What's wrong, baby?" Jimin asked.

"I haven't seen Namjoon or Seokjin since..." Taehyung cleared his throat. "You're sure they invited me too?"

"Yes, Tae. You, me, and Jungkookie."

"Who else do you think they invited?"

"Are you nervous baby?"

"We don't have to go if you don't want to," Jungkook said.

"No." Taehyung took a deep breath. "We should go. But if anyone's there who sucks, can we leave?"

"Of course."

Same as for Taehyung, Jimin's professors had waived any penalties associated with the exams he'd missed, but unlike Taehyung, nobody had consulted the deans to make it happen. Jungkook suspected some kind of hypnotism was involved, but he hadn't thought that hard about it, because every time he did it made him shudder a little.

Creepy hag fuckery notwithstanding, since Jimin's return, all three of them had been devoting their time to studying and catching up on missed assignments. Taehyung was attending his classes, but apart from that, none of them had done much in the way of hanging out with their friends. Jungkook could understand why Taehyung might be feeling a little nervous.

Even Jungook's heart was going faster than usual as they approached the clearing. He was privately incredulous. Partying used to be his baseline lifestyle.

"Heeeeey," Namjoon called out the second they appeared. His hair was longer in the front, dangling in his eyes. He immediately started pouring each of them a solo cup of red wine.

Jungkook did a quick inventory. Namjoon, Seokjin, Hoseok, and Yoongi. He was relieved, for Taehyung's sake. As for himself, he still had to deal with the weird polite awkwardness that persisted between Seokjin and Namjoon and himself, even though it caused all three of them a great deal of unnecessary discomfort and was in no way relevant to their lives anymore.

"Isn't this where we did mushrooms?" Taehyung asked, eying the red moss.

"The very same clearing," Namjoon said. "I've always wanted to return since that night. It was a very transformative experience for me."

"Not sure if that's how I'd put it," Hoseok said.

"Oh come on, more happened that night than these three hooking up in front of us. I communed with nature. I spoke to the stars."

"That's actually so beautiful," Yoongi said.

"Are you high?" Jungkook asked.

"Not yet." Yoongi pulled out a pipe. "Check back in a couple minutes."

Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jimin sat down on a raised mound of moss. Jimin held out his hands towards the flames, humming happily. There was a moment where everyone sat there, staring at the fire, reflecting quietly on their lives.

It was a short-lived moment.

"Thanks for the dildo," Taehyung said.

"I'm glad it helped," Hoseok said. "Yoongi said you got it to vibrate?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty simple technique. I can show you sometime if you like."

"Five seconds," Seokjin said. "Five seconds of pensive silence, before someone started talking about sex."

"How does Yoongi know about the dildo?" Jimin asked.

"He was in the room when Taehyung figured it out," Jungkook said.

"Yoongi really helped us out when you were gone," Taehyung said. "Thanks, Yoons."

Yoongi flashed him a peace sign.

"Helped you out?" Jimin asked. "How?"

"I brought them food and made a moonlily potion." Yoongi exhaled an enormous cloud of smoke. It billowed out into the clearing, joining the smoke from the bonfire. "Jungkook picked up the slack with everything else."

Jimin relaxed a little, but his cheeks were quite pink. Jungkook squeezed his hand, doing his best to ignore the ache in his own heart.

"How's the family crisis?" Yoongi asked.

"Resolved," Jimin said.

There was a pause.

"Well." Yoongi displayed two thumbs-up. "Great to hear."

Jungkook said nothing. Taehyung was playing with a pinecone, changing the direction of the quills like reversible sequins on a tiny cone-shaped purse.

"So more of you have seen and heard about each other fucking each other," Namjoon said. "What else did we miss while we were gone?"

"What about you two?" Jungkook grunted, tearing his eyes away from the fire. "Get up to anything fun while you were away?"

"And I think we all know what Guk means by fun," Taehyung said, waggling his eyebrows.

Namjoon and Seokjin blushed so deeply it was visible over the orange glow of the fire, and Jungkook immediately regretted his life choices.

"There were communal dorms, so no," Seokjin said carefully.

"Wouldn't have stopped me," Taehyung said.

"In the same building as the patients we were treating," Namjoon said.

"I hear what you're saying, but I fail to see your point," Taehyung said.

"Doctor Green was sleeping in the bunks one room over, and there were no doors on the rooms," Seokjin said.

"Hot," Jimin said.

"Don't worry," Jungkook said, hoping to wipe the weirdness away once and for all. "I'm picking up what you two are putting down. I'm not a fan of public sex either."

"Well." Namjoon straightened up and regarded Jungkook politely. "Thanks, Jungkook."

"Yes," Seokjin said graciously. "We very much appreciate it."

Jungkook sagged in defeat.

"I was outed," Taehyung said suddenly.

"We heard," Namjoon said.

Taehyung's eyes flickered to each person in the clearing. His expression was defiant but when he spoke his voice came out guarded and nervous. "Do you care?"

"Not at all," Namjoon said.

"Same," Seokjin said. "I would've said so earlier, but I didn't know if I should bring it up."

"Well." Taehyung sagged a little. "Cool."

"Give him a hug," Jungkook mouthed to Jimin.

"Oh." Jimin detached himself from Jungkook and leaned over, cuddling into Taehyung instead. Taehyung rested his head on top of Jimin's, welcoming the touch with a happy sigh. All three of them loved cuddling, but Taehyung was especially influenced by touch. Jungkook was aware of this more than ever, after how bad Taehyung's last heat had been and how long it had lasted.

"Sounds like it wasn't the easiest time," Seokjin said tentatively.

"You're telling me," Taehyung said.

"It's been a month, that's for sure," Jungkook said.

"There are too many damned rules." Yoongi was lying on his side. His hip was cocked upwards and he looked oddly glamorous in the flickering light. "Why can't people just let each other live?"

"Because people love rules," Hoseok said.

"The stupid ones do," Yoongi said.

"Rules can serve a purpose as long as you remain aware of them. They make a lot of things more efficient," Namjoon said. "The problem comes when they're no longer applied consciously or rationally."

"Nothing worse than a dogmatic asshat," Seokjin said.

"Like Tommy," Jungkook muttered.

"Yeah," Taehyung said darkly. "Fuck Tommy."

They all cheersed to that.

"So let me get this straight," Yoongi said, surfacing from a long gulp of wine. "Faeries—polyamory—yay or nay?"

"It's actually really common," Jungkook said. "At least four of my neighbours had more than one spouse. They're more against mixed race couples."

"Werewolves are never polyamorous," Taehyung said, still a little tentative, but pushing on nevertheless. "With all the secrecy and so many people living under the radar, it's hard enough to meet one other werewolf, let alone two, and even if you could, most werewolves wouldn't want to cause a stir by living polyamorously."

"Yeah, I guess polyamory isn't the most common thing in witching society," Namjoon reflected. "So if you were trying to pass as a witch, you'd avoid it."

"Same with mixed race stuff. Most werewolves avoid it because it necessitates coming out to someone who isn't a werewolf."

"Whoa," Yoongi said. "Based on all that, you three are wildin."

"And hags hardly ever have longterm partners," Jimin said, once they were back in Taehyung's bed, "unless we manage to lure someone into our hut who ends up sticking around. Seeing as it's dependant on who happens to come waltzing by, there aren't many guarantees."

"All those stories about hags tempting handsome princes into their huts," Taehyung said. "They aren't true?"

"Maybe six hundred years ago."

"What about backpackers?"

"They usually stick to established hiking routes."

"Maybe you could tempt them closer with some kind of spell?"

"Very few forms of hypnosis last very long, or if they do, they leave the recipient in a sort of a fugue, which sounds really boring to me, as far as life mates go."

"That clears up a few things for me," Jungkook said.

"What do you mean?" Taehyung asked.

Jungkook paused.

"You thought I hypnotized you?" Jimin asked.

"Not necessarily. But until you told us that just now, how would I have known otherwise?"

Jimin gazed out the window quietly.

Jungkook rolled onto his back. He could almost taste the worry emanating off Jimin. He wanted to say something nice, maybe take it back or turn it into a joke, but the truth was, as much as he wanted Jimin to feel comfortable and loved, there were moments these days when all Jungkook wanted was to retreat into his own mind.

Taehyung must've sensed the tension, because he wriggled his way in between them and splayed as many limbs as possible over their bodies. Jimin gasped as Taehyung's knee landed on something sensitive. Jungkook rubbed Taehyung's shoulder absent-mindedly.

"It's all good though," Taehyung said. "No fugues, you're still here—now you know you weren't. I mean, just say you had been; if you were having a great time, would it matter that much?"

"Is that really what you think?" Jungkook asked. "That the truth means nothing, as long as you're having fun?"

"You and your truth," Jimin said.

"Yeah," Jungkook grumbled. "Me and my unhealthy obsession with not lying. Right."

Jimin sat up, staring at Jungkook jaggedly. After a moment, he turned. "I'm gonna go."

"What?" Taehyung asked. "Why?"

Jimin was trapped in between Taehyung and the wall. He shuffled lengthwise towards the foot of the mattress.

"No, Chim—" Jungkook reached out and grabbed Jimin's arm. "Wait."

Jimin paused.

"I'm sorry."

Jimin turned to look at Jungkook. The look in his eyes expressed everything neither of them could say out loud. Faerie deals were funny things that way.

"You really thought the only reason you were sticking around might have been because I hypnotized you?" Jimin asked softly.

Taehyung was watching both of them silently.

"No, Chim." Jungkook frowned. "That was stupid. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sticking around because I want to. Not because of some spell, or some deal."

Jimin's expression relaxed somewhat.

"What I said the other day... I meant it."

"Are you sure?" Jimin asked.

"What did you say?" Taehyung asked, looking between them. "What is he talking about?"

Jungkook looked expectantly at Jimin.

"It's not like it's anything you don't already know," Jimin said uncomfortably.

"What do you mean?"

There was a pause.

"Why do I have to say it?" Jimin demanded. "I thought we were going to do this together."

"Fine," Jungkook said. "On the count of three."

Taehyung was looking at both of them like they may or may not have gone insane. He seemed pretty excited about it.

"One...two..." Jungkook paused. "Fuck, this feels really weird."

"It isn't supposed to be such a big deal," Jimin said.

"Let's just forget it."

"Wait for a more natural time."

"Now that's just unfair," Taehyung yelled.

"Sorry Tae, we're both cowards," Jungkook said.

Taehyung rolled his eyes. "It isn't like I don't already know what it is anyway."

"What do you think it is?" Jimin asked.

"I'm not going to say it if you aren't."

"Okay." Jungkook took a deep breath. "Why don't we all just say it. At the same time."

"Okay, but you can't bail this time," Taehyung said.

"Fine," Jimin said.

"Okay." Jungkook cracked his knuckles. "One, two, three—"

"I love you," he and Jimin said in unison.

"What the hell?" Jungkook said. "You didn't say anything."

"I got nervous," Taehyung said.

"Oh bullshit," Jimin said. "You actually didn't know what it was did you?"

"I honestly thought it was something else."

"Like what?" Jungkook asked in exasperation.

"Something to do with daddy kinks and BDSM relationships, maybe entering into some kind of formal—don't look at me like that!"

"Jesus Christ," Jungkook said.

"Don't act like you haven't noticed how Jimin's been acting this week," Taehyung argued. "He's been submissive and kinky as fuck."

"Yeah, well, that's..." Jungkook trailed off.

Because he feels bad for—

"Because I love you," Jimin finished, eying Jungkook warningly.

To Taehyung's credit, he looked like he really was trying to make those two things add up. He chewed his nails in thought. Jimin and Jungkook watched him. He seemed utterly immune to the increasing awkwardness in the room.

"Does this mean every time you ask me to split you open you're actually trying to tell me you love me?" he asked, eying both of them doubtfully.

"Not exactly," Jungkook said.

"Sort of," Jimin said.

"Because that's cool and everything," Taehyung said. "I just want you guys to know that for me it's different."

"What do you mean?" Jimin asked.

Jungkook stared at Taehyung blankly, images of Taeyong and Mark flashing behind his eyes in a nightmarish vignette.

"It's less activity dependent. Whether we're fucking, eating... just hanging out, I'm always thinking about how much I love you."

There was a beat.

Jungkook made a weird squeaking noise.

"What was that?" Taehyung asked.

"Oh my god, are you crying?" Jimin asked incredulously.

"No." Jungkook sucked in a shuddering breath.

"Oh Gukkie," Taehyung giggled.

He wrapped himself around Jungkook from the side. Jimin came closer, a little tentative, and Jungkook reached out and grabbed his arm. His face collided with Jungkook's chest a moment later.

"Oh shit, sorry."

"It's alright." Jimin rubbed his nose good-naturedly. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Want me to say it again?" Taehyung said. "I love you Jungkook. I love you Jimin. I love you guys so much."

"Stop," Jungkook said, renewed tears pouring from his eyes.

"I'm glad Jungkook's crying," Jimin said. "Now it feels less awkward somehow."

"Great." Jungkook mopped his face with two hands. "I'm glad I could oblige."

"This is fantastic," Taehyung sighed. "I think we should talk about love all night. Have you guys ever been in love before?"

That got Jungkook thinking about how he not only had never been in love, but how he had never really felt loved in general, before he met them. The room blurred in front of him and he buried his face in Taehyung's hair.

"I'll go," Jimin said charitably. "As I said before, hags rarely secure successful longterm partnerships, but there was a centaur in my last forest who... well, he was quite skilled in certain areas."

"It's not like you to speak so delicately," Taehyung said.

"Let's just say that I really would've appreciated the recipe for a good decoction back then," Jimin said.

"What happened to him?"

"Centaurs are always roaming. He wasn't attached to my forest, the same way he wasn't attached to any forest. He left long before they cut the forest down."

"I'm glad he got away in time."

"What about you, Gukkie?" Jimin asked.

Jungkook surfaced, wiping his eyes. "Yeah, no, never been in love before."

"You're not telling me you were a virgin when you met us?" Jimin asked.

"No," Jungkook exclaimed. "I fucked around a lot in Seoul. The partying scene was rowdy, and a bunch of my friends had flop houses with spare rooms. I dated a couple people too, but it never lasted."

"Were they all humans?"

Jungkook nodded.

"Wait," Taehyung said. "Have you ever banged an actual witch?"

"Nope." Jungkook paused. "No faeries either."

"Whoa."

"Humans, werewolves, and hags," Jimin said. "That's a unique menu right there."

"How many people have you banged, Chim?" Jungkook asked.

Jimin counted them off on his fingers. "Eight... nine? Do I count the people I banged for pleasure? Persuasive purposes?"

"Count all of them," Taehyung said.

"Ok, then sixteen."

"That's a fair amount," Jungkook said.

"I've banged over thirty," Taehyung said.

"What?" Jungkook demanded. "When?"

"Remember those hook-up sites I told you about? Where you'd meet up with people with fetishes and wear a mask?"

"You met up with that many people?"

"I was a horny degenerate teenager, I told you already."

"Did you ever fall in love?" Jimin asked.

"I definitely had my crushes." Taehyung leaned his head on Jungkook's shoulder. "There was Jenny from grade twelve... god, she made me sweat. And Holland, I could never forget Holland." He sighed nostalgically. "And then I did this archaeology practicum thing after graduating highschool, and there was this big burly guy on the site called Johnny. He was sooo built, always wearing these plaid vests with no sleeves. He was also really nice. I swear, I almost, almost came out to him one night, we were making out on his porch, thank god my parents came and got me before I went into heat—"

He paused, looking at both of them quizzically.

"What's wrong with you two?"

"Nothing," they both said stiffly.

"Are you jealous?"

"Maybe a little," Jungkook grunted.

"Why do you guys get so jealous when it's me?" Taehyung asked. "You didn't get weird with each other."

"I honestly don't know," Jungkook said.

"The Taeyong and Mark incident is still fresh in my mind," Jimin said.

"What 'incident'? We never even did anything," Taehyung laughed.

Jungkook glanced at Taehyung's face. His eyes were big and shiny, like he was trying to suppress his amusement.

"I think it's because..." Jungkook took a deep breath. "I could've dated more, but I didn't. Jimin has to think about what happens when he sleeps, but he can still fuck around without too many consequences. But for you, there was a simple obstacle standing in the way of you meeting someone—the need to keep your race a secret. If it hadn't been there, I get the feeling you could've fallen in love a lot earlier."

"Why do you say that?"

"I dunno." Jungkook shrugged. "You're charming. People seem to really like you, and you seem to like people."

"Are you saying I don't like people?" Jimin asked. "Because if you are, you're one-hundred percent correct, good job."

"And now the obstacle is gone," Jungkook said.

Jimin fell silent.

"What are you saying?"

"You could have anyone you want now," Jimin stated.

"Wait," Taehyung said. "You think I was just using you guys because you were the most convenient option?"

Jimin couldn't keep the worry from trickling into his expression.

"You're afraid I don't need you as much as you need me?" Taehyung asked softly. "Now that I'm out?"

Jungkook frowned at the wall.

"Oh my god." Taehyung straightened up, staring at both of them in turn. "I knew Jungkook was insecure, but you too, Jimin?"

Jimin stared back at him, neither denying nor confirming his statement. Jungkook made an affronted noise.

"So Jungkook's just sticking around because Jimin hypnotized him. I'm just here because you guys help me with my heats." Taehyung paused. "Does this mean Jimin is the only one with a pure heart?"

"Oh, no," Jimin said, glancing nervously at Jungkook. "I wouldn't feel comfortable taking up that mantle."

"Jimin's only here because he likes collecting interesting boys," Jungkook corrected.

"There we go," Taehyung said, pointing at Jungkook with finger-guns.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that either," Jimin muttered. He couldn't seem to get comfortable, he kept shuffling around, crossing and uncrossing his arms.

"You guys are ridiculous, I hope you know that," Taehyung said.

"Can we talk about the daddy kink thing?" Jungkook asked. "Namjoon and Jin making out in the bunks? Something to make me feel like less of an idiot?"

"I'd love to," Taehyung said, "but not until you know that it isn't true. I need you guys just as much as you need me."

Jungkook glanced down and accidentally made eye contact with Jimin. He averted his gaze and found himself looking at Taehyung. He gave up and closed his eyes.

A pair of lips brushed against his a moment later.

"I love you," Taehyung whispered.

"Stop," Jungkook groaned.

"I love you so much."

Jungkook covered his face before he actually imploded. He heard Jimin moan softly beside him, presumably receiving the same whispered oaths.

He let his hands drop to his chest. The two of them were kissing overtop his stomach, soft and slow. Taehyung was holding the sides of Jimin's head, his thumbs brushing over Jimin's cheekbones. There was nothing hurried in it. Jungkook let out a soft sigh, and when Taehyung and Jimin looked over at him uncertainly, this time, he made himself look back.

It wasn't perfect. But it was real, and he wasn't going to look away just because he was afraid to lose it.

"I'm glad Namjoon and Seokjin were chill," Taehyung said, plopping his head on Jungkook's chest.

"I thought they'd be okay," Jungkook said. "They might be weird fucks, but Namjoon holds himself to some pretty open-minded ideals."

"I'm exhausted. It feels like I've come out hundreds of times this week."

"I'm sorry, baby," Jimin said.

"Are you going to help Hoseok out with his paper?" Jungkook asked.

"I think so." Taehyung yawned. "I owe him for the dildo."

It was almost two in the morning. The grounds were silent for now, but in a couple hours, the birds would start singing their morning songs, flitting between the shrubs. The moon was barely visible behind Taehyung's curtains, a fading gibbous. The three of them drifted off, curled up on top of the sheets, with Jungkook crammed in the middle on his back.

Someone knocked at the door.

Jungkook woke with a start. The half of his body with Taehyung on it was drenched in sweat. Jimin was shivering on his other side, branches rustling on his shoulder blades. The three of them had never ended up getting under the covers.

The person knocked again.

"One minute," Jungkook grunted, grabbing Jimin and giving him a shake. "Chim, wake up, someone's at the door."

Jimin whined.

Jungkook pushed both of them off and crawled out of bed. He grabbed the edge of the blanket and yanked. It was like trying to pull a tablecloth off a table loaded with bricks. It eventually broke free and he stumbled, tossing it over them haphazardly. It tented over Jimin's branches like a weird art exhibit.

"I'm opening the door," he warned them, wrapping himself in one of Taehyung's robes. What with the escapade in the library and Namjoon's party, none of them had gotten much sleep.

"Good morning, Jungkook," Dean Sukie said. She too was dressed in a robe, and looked as dishevelled as he felt. The hallway was quiet. The morning hustle and bustle hadn't started yet. It must've been six, maybe six-thirty at the latest.

"Are you here to see Taehyung?"

"No, I am here to see you." She smiled in a chipper manner. "Seeing as you weren't in your own room, I thought I'd inquire elsewhere."

"I see."

"Your father would like you to call him."

Jungkook frowned. "You came all the way up to the dorms to tell me that?"

"Believe me, there are many other things I would like to be doing with my morning, but apparently he called you five times and you failed to pick up."

"Oh shit. Really?" Jungkook paused in wiping sleep from his eye. "Do you know what he wanted to talk about?"

"I'm afraid not. The conversation was understandably brief. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to return to my breakfast."

She strode off down the hall, slippers clapping. Jungkook unearthed his phone from a pile of clothing and swore under his breath.

His father had called again one minute ago. There were no voicemails. They never left voicemails. They preferred to let Jungkook stew in anxious curiosity until he got around to calling them back.

"I'll be right back," he said.

There was no response from the lumps on the bed.

He slipped into his sneakers and made his way down the hall to a stairwell.

"Jungkook—finally."

"It's six in the morning," Jungkook said, checking the time on his screen. "None of the other students are even awake."

"I was locked in meetings all morning. Your mother and I have a dinner in an hour with your cousins. With the time difference, this was the only time that worked."

"Is something wrong?"

The stairwell was musty and warm. His bare feet were already starting to sweat in his sneakers. He regretted not putting socks on.

"I want to talk about your future."

Jungkook suppressed a groan. "Right now?"

"There is one month until the end of classes and I would like to know what you intend to do with your summer. You certainly aren't planning to return Blackthorn after the break?"

"Uh..." Jungkook blinked. "Actually, I was."

Jungkook's father rarely sighed, grunted, or laughed. He spoke quickly, laying out his ideas with very little adornment. As popular as he was in the faerie community for his concise ways, Jungkook felt there was only so much you could trim away before a conversation started to feel more like an interrogation or an edict instead.

The only personal flair that affected his father's speech was a sugary eloquence in his tone of voice. His mother thought it sounded princely. It made Jungkook want to punch something, really hard.

"Someone like you has no obligation to graduate from a place like that. In fact, I would advise against it. A few courses at a witching institution could pass as an academic sabbatical of sorts, but anything beyond that will compromise your standing with most faerie institutions."

"What if I don't want to go to a faerie institution?"

"Jungkook." His father laughed, once. "Professor Chittaphon sent your transcripts over a couple weeks ago. You've proven yourself. That's plain to see, but you can't stop there. I won't allow it."

His tone was light and airy as usual, but there was no doubt in Jungkook's mind that he meant what he said.

"So you want me to learn faerie magic? That's it?"

"Yes."

"What if I figure out a way to learn it here?"

"If this is about the werewolf, your mother and I already spoke about hiring him on as your personal tutor. We could offer a competitive wage. Granted, he would have to cease his studies at Blackthorn immediately, but he'd be undoubtedly grateful for any opportunity to work."

"Taehyung can't just quit Blackthorn. He's doing important research here."

"Come now, it can't be that important, Jungkook."

"He's going to get plenty of job offers once he graduates," Jungkook argued, hating himself for taking the bate, hating that his father could still get to him this easily, all the way from across the world, after seven months of not seeing him. "He doesn't need our money."

His father ignored him. "What is your plan then?"

Jungkook stalled, digging at the caulking on the window with his nail. "Can I have some time to think about it?"

"You may have one week. I expect an answer after that."

The line went dead.

Jungkook stared at the dusty windowsill.

The truth was, he'd been so caught up helping Taehyung with his heat and catching up on classes, he hadn't put much thought into what was going to happen once the semester ended.

One month until it was over.

And one week to decide what he was going to do when that happened.

A summer back in Seoul had never felt so unappealing.

***

"Do you have a minute to talk?"

Professor Chittaphon straightened up with an unreadable smile. "Of course. Help me carry these planters back?"

Jungkook nodded. Professor Chittaphon pointed at one of the planters and it hovered off the ground.

"Oh, uh," Jungkook said. "I'm still not very good at levitation charms."

"Oh, then don't worry about it. I can come back."

Jungkook squatted and lifted the planter in his arms. It was decently heavy, but no heavier than Jimin, who he'd carried to and from the showers earlier that morning.

"Wow." Professor Chittaphon raised an eyebrow. "Why practise levitation charms when you don't really need them, right?"

He turned swiftly. The two of them made their way past a shelf of tiny purple sprouts, an enormous aquarium filled with ferns, and a row of tall leafy plants with bulbous, dangling fruits. The greenhouses felt like a convoluted mecca of miniature worlds all jammed in beside each other.

"Just here."

There were two empty spots on the paving stones between two shelves. Professor Chittaphon set his planter down with such precision, the stain marks lined up with the holes on the bottom. Jungkook hefted his into the remaining spot and shoved it with his foot to straighten it out.

"So." Professor Chittaphon tilted his head and examined Jungkook.

Like Taehyung's mother, Professor Chittaphon wore a smile like a mask. Mrs. Kim's concealed her insecurities, but it was impossible to tell what Professor Chittaphon's was hiding. His pale blue eyes glittered in his elegant face.

"What would you like to talk about?"

Most faeries Jungkook had met seemed to have a mildly disconcerting air about them. Jungkook wondered why it bothered him, seeing as he himself was half faerie. Did he come off as disconcerting without knowing it?

Half disconcerting, half disconcerted?

"Can you teach me faerie magic?"

Chittaphon tilted his head to the other side. Took a step closer. His eyes slid down Jungkook's body, and then back up to his face.

"Faerie magic?" he asked curiously. "Yes, that's right. You don't know any faerie magic do you?"

"It's taken me some time to come around to it."

"Your parents told me a little bit about this when we spoke."

Jungkook tried not to scowl. Professor Chittaphon may have been progressive for his race, but he'd still prioritized faeries and faerie traditions over Jungkook and Taehyung's privacy.

"I haven't been able to awaken my powers. I can sense things, I get a feeling about certain forests sometimes, but that's about it."

"Have you considered matriculating at a faerie institution?" Professor Chittaphon's mouth had fallen open slightly, as if he were trying to puzzle Jungkook out. "They would be much more qualified for such a thing. For most things, actually."

"I want to stay at Blackthorn."

Professor Chittaphon's bemused expression became more severe. "Why?"

"I like it here?" Jungkook shrugged. "Do I need a reason?"

"Most people would say that you do. The Jeons are powerful faeries, not just in Korea, but all over the world. I can understand why your parents would want something more for you."

"Listen." Jungkook closed his eyes, trying to keep his voice calm. "I know all that already. And I know you're probably going to report all of this back to them. I can't stop you." He paused. "All I want to know is if you can do it."

Professor Chittaphon blinked. He didn't look contrite, exactly, but he'd definitely heard what Jungkook said on the level Jungkook intended it.

"Awakening your faerie powers." He took another step. As he got closer, Jungkook became more aware of the height difference. Professor Chittaphon was almost three inches shorter than him, but his presence was so tremendous Jungkook didn't notice half the time. His eyes dropped to Jungkook's chest. "Bit of a lofty duty for a botany professor who chose to work at a witching university rather than to recede into the secret colonies with his family, wouldn't you say?"

"Why did you do it?"

"There are many reasons, most of which concern the kind of person I am." Professor Chittaphon pressed a hand to Jungkook's chest. "I feel something. A familiar energy. I don't know how I would tempt it out of you, though."

"Can you try?"

Professor Chittaphon huffed ambivalently. He reached up, cupping Jungkook's ribs with his other hand, and closed his eyes.

"Can you feel anything?" Chittaphon murmured.

"Nope."

He rearranged his hands on Jungkook's chest, digging his fingers in a little. He had small, pointy fingers, kind of like Jimin, but more willowy, less soft.

"Now?"

Jungkook closed his eyes, searching for something, anything that felt different than usual.

"No," he sighed.

"I'm sorry." Professor Chittaphon pulled his hands away. "I don't think I can help you."

"What if we try again? Sometime later this week?"

"Mr. Jeon, I..."

It was strange to see Professor Chittaphon like this. Usually he had no problem telling Jungkook no. Jungkook suspected it had something to do with those faerie traditions he hated so much, some kind of guilty allegiance Chittaphon felt to another of his kind. Jungkook decided to lean into it.

"Can you imagine how it would've felt?" he asked quietly. "Being nineteen and having no grasp on your powers?"

"Certainly it would've been quite devastating."

Jungkook furrowed his brow. "It's maddening. I have this part of me, this ancient magic, lurking just beneath the surface, with no way to access it—"

"There are masterful teachers." There was a degree of urgency to Professor Chittaphon's voice. "Faeries who have pulled genius from the most abstruse pupils."

"I've already attended those institutions. From a young age. My parents tried, but nothing worked—until Blackthorn." Jungkook dropped his gaze to the ground. "Up until four months ago, I thought I didn't have magical powers at all. The people here showed me otherwise."

Professor Chittaphon was looking at him with acute interest. Jungkook almost felt bad for laying it on so thick. But how much of it was a lie, really?

"I can't explain it, but something is telling me this is where I need to be." Jungkook reached up and placed a hand over his own chest. "Something in here."

Professor Chittaphon's eyes went wide.

"The part of me that is waiting to be coaxed out into the world."

"Are you sure?" Professor Chittaphon asked quietly.

Jungkook nodded, trying not to think about how pleased Jimin would've been to watch him committing even this watered-down form of deception.

"Very well." Professor Chittaphon exhaled slowly through his perfectly aligned teeth. "It would be foolish to question a faerie's intuition. We can keep trying, although I can guarantee nothing, I hope you know that."

"Thank you, Professor."

They made their way back to the front door. Jungkook retrieved his backpack from the dusty paving stones. The sun was just beginning to set.

"It's a beautiful night."

"No rain again," Jungkook said.

"Jungkook." Professor Chittaphon turned to him. "If I have understood correctly, your intentions are pure. Sometimes, however, our hearts can blind us from our deepest and truest needs."

Jungkook frowned slightly. "What are you saying?"

"My parents were lovely people. But if I'd decided to hold myself back to hold onto them, it wouldn't have ended well for any of us."

Jungkook thought for a moment. "That logic could spin in many different directions, could it not?"

"It all depends on where you're meant to be. Do you truly know where that is?" Professor Chittaphon met his eye sharply. "Be careful Jungkook."

He turned and walked back into the greenhouses.

***

Five nights later, Jungkook burst out of the greenhouses. The door slammed shut behind him and he strode across the field, fumbling in his jacket pocket for his smokes. He cut into the forest, stepping over fallen logs, leaping over streams. The talking squirrels conversed overhead.

He eventually collapsed on top of a massive root and buried his face in his hands. A chunk of hot ash crumbled over his knuckles a moment later and he swore.

Something rustled to his left.

He glanced in the direction of the sound. The canopy blocked the sunset and the forest was already a shadowy teal colour. Nothing was there.

"Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do," erupted overhead. Jungkook jumped, almost dropping his smoke. Tiny claws scuffled over bark.

"Fuckin' squirrels," he muttered.

He held his smoke to his lips and sucked. Something rustled, closer this time. He sat up straighter and raked the forest with his eyes.

A dark shape dodged back behind a tree. Jungkook's heart started to pound. He knew this forest was supposed to be benign, but he'd always taken that advisory with a grain of salt, seeing as it came from a lying, scheming hag, who could blow up demon-possessed trees with a wave of his hand.

"Who's there?"

Muffled giggling.

Jungkook heaved a sigh and tossed his smoke onto the ground, stomping it out with his foot. "For fuck's sake, if this is some kind of—"

"BOO."

A pair of hands grabbed him from behind. He spun around, shoving whatever it was backwards. There was yelp of pain.

"Jesus fuck!"

Taehyung moaned. He rolled onto his side, clutching at his ass.

"You two—" Jungkook spun around incredulously. Jimin emerged from behind a tree, bending over with laughter.

"How long have you two been following me?"

"Since the greenhouses," Jimin said.

"My ass," Taehyung groaned. "I landed on that stump. I think it's broken."

"What the hell were you doing by the greenhouses? I thought you had a tutorial!"

"It got cancelled," Jimin said. "We decided to get to the bottom of what you've been up to the past few nights."

Jungkook reached out a hand to Taehyung. Taehyung grabbed it and staggered to his feet with a grimace.

"So. Private lessons with Professor Chittaphon?" Jimin asked.

"Four nights," Jungkook grumbled. "I try to do my own thing for four nights, but you just can't keep your noses out."

"Does this mean you finally gave in?"

"No!" Jungkook rubbed his hands over his face. "Okay, yes."

"How's it going?" Taehyung asked.

"Fucking terribly."

"Oh well." Jimin shrugged. "At least you tried."

"It's not that simple." Jungkook crouched down and started rooting around in the mulch for the cigarette. "If I can't find a way to awaken my faerie powers here, my parents are going to bring me back to Seoul."

The humour evaporated off both their faces.

"What?" Jimin choked.

"When?" Taehyung asked.

"After this semester is over."

Jungkook unearthed the cigarette and held it out to Jimin. Jimin scoured it distractedly.

"Why?" he asked. "Aren't they proud of you for learning magic here?"

"It's witching magic. They'll only ever think of it as a stepping stone to something greater." Jungkook sighed, wiping his hands off on his jeans. "They don't want me to finish my degree at Blackthorn because they're afraid it'll look bad on my academic record."

Both of them made insulted noises.

"I know, I know. Don't take it personally. It's just the way they are."

"Do you think anything you do will ever make them happy?" Taehyung asked.

"I don't know. Maybe not." Jungkook plopped back down on the ground and lit another cigarette. "Either way, they want to know what my plans are by the end of this week. I thought maybe if I could awaken my faerie powers by then, they'd soften up to the idea of me staying here for another year."

"And if you can't?" Taehyung asked.

"They'll want me back in Seoul as soon as possible."

Jungkook exhaled smoke through his nostrils. Taehyung and Jimin stood there like two spindly statues, staring at the ground in shock.

"I honestly don't know what I was planning," Jungkook chuckled humourlessly. "I might've ended up back in Seoul for the summer anyway."

"I can't last all summer without seeing you guys," Taehyung said flatly.

"What are you planning to do over the break, Taehyung?" Jimin asked.

"I don't fucking know."

"It's already April." Jungkook scratched the back of his ear. "We should've thought about this sooner."

"There was a lot going on," Jimin said.

"I didn't want to think about it," Taehyung said glumly. "My only options are going back to my parents' or working some boring internship again. Fat chance I'll get one of those now that I've been outed. Especially on such short notice."

"Do you think the deans would let us stay here over the summer?" Jungkook asked. "Maybe we could propose some kind of research project?"

"Only graduate students get to stay. They're pretty strict about that."

"Fuck." Jungkook rubbed his eyes with his palms. "I don't know why I'm fixating on the summer. Summer... the fall... it makes no difference if my parents want me back in Seoul for good."

Taehyung let out a dismayed noise that sounded dangerously close to a sob.

"What if you had summer plans?" Jimin asked.

"Unless they involve awakening my faerie magic, my parents aren't going to be down."

"What if they did?"

Both Taehyung and Jungkook looked at Jimin.

"What are you getting at?" Taehyung asked.

"I'm just saying." Jimin shuffled his feet.

There was a pause.

"Well?" Jungkook demanded.

"You could both spend the summer at my hut."

Taehyung erupted into joyous shouts.

Jimin looked like he'd just signed up to fight in the frontlines of the weakest battalion.

"Sounds fun," Jungkook said. "It still doesn't solve my faerie magic problem though."

"But it does." Jimin's voice was tight. "The demons in the cypress swamps. I think they might be able to help you."

Jungkook made a face. "Don't they hate you?"

"Well, yes, but they'd be mad to refuse a lucrative offer."

"You think demons could help me? When another faerie couldn't?"

"Demon magic is actually similar to faerie magic. It stems from within, rather than drawing upon the world around it. The only difference is that while there's a wellspring inside each faerie, demons contain..." Jimin paused. "How do I put it—voids? emptinesses? within themselves."

"Let me get this straight," Taehyung said. "You're gonna get a demon to suck Guk's magic into existence with some kind of anti-magical vacuum?"

"It doesn't sound anywhere near as appealing when you put it like that, but yes."

"I'm not sure I like the idea of these demons getting their hands all over him. Aren't they the same ones that effed up your trees?"

"If they try anything, I'll destroy them."

"Even if it could work, what could we possibly offer them that would convince them to help us?" Jungkook asked.

"Let me worry about that," Jimin said. "You focus on finding a way to pitch it to your parents without telling them I'm a hag."

Jungkook thought it over.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Jungkook motioned to Taehyung and himself. "The two of us spending an entire summer in your forest?"

"I'm not," Jimin said stiffly. "But the alternative is worse."

"Yay," Taehyung said. "I'll finally get to see Chim's hut."

"Do you think you can do it?" Jimin asked.

"If I spin it the right way... maybe." Jungkook realized his cigarette had gone out. He handed it to Jimin, who scoured it with a little sizzling sound. "I'll call them tomorrow and we'll go from there."

***

"What's taking him so long?"

Jimin was sitting at Taehyung's desk, going over notes. Taehyung was sitting in Jimin's lap, sucking a lollipop and going through flashcards.

"Maybe they're just working out the details," Jimin said.

"It took less than a minute to convince my parents," Taehyung said. "I think they knew how hazardous it would have been to their wellbeing if they said no."

"You don't seem like the type to suffer in silence."

"Hell no." Taehyung pulled the lollipop out of his mouth with a smack. "We haven't spent more than two weeks in each other's presence since I left for college. There are going to be..." He counted the months off on his fingers. "At least three heats over the course of the summer, if not four."

Jimin turned a page. "Sounds awkward."

"Awkward is a constant when your parents are werewolves." Taehyung smacked his lips, staring off into the distance. "I honestly think the heats might be the least difficult part. At least I wouldn't have to see them during those times."

Jimin checked the time on his phone.

"I'd probably go into some kind of withdrawal without your guys' pheromones though."

"That's why you're coming with me even if he can't."

"He's coming with us, Chim. Even if his parents say no."

"How? Are we going to kidnap him?"

"I'm open to it."

"Tae." Jimin put his pencil down. "For real. What if he has to go back to Seoul?"

The implied sentiment hung in the air: forever

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Taehyung asked. "We're going to find out any second what they said."

"I need to prepare myself for the worst case scenario."

"It's not like it's going to be any easier if you're expecting it." Taehyung leaned his head on Jimin's shoulder. "He's one of us now."

"Yeah," Jimin said softly. "He is."

Jimin added something to a paragraph in his notes. Taehyung had given up. His flashcards were bunched up and forgotten in his limp hands.

"Maybe we could go visit him in Seoul. Strike up a portal out of the city limits and, I don't know, hike in along the highway. I could learn to drive."

Jimin sighed. "Maybe."

The door swung open.

Jungkook looked at both of them one at a time. His expression was strange.

"Well?" Jimin demanded harshly.

Jungkook exhaled, a little smile curving onto his mouth. "They said yes."

It wasn't just Taehyung who erupted into shouts of joy this time. The two of them burst out of the chair, almost knocking it over, and tackled Jungkook with a massive, wriggling, four-armed hug.

"Oh my god," Jungkook wheezed, as they squished him into the wall.

"This is going to be the best summer ever," Taehyung shouted, grinding his forehead into the side of Jungkook's head.

Jimin beamed up at Jungkook.

"Are you happy?" Jungkook asked.

"I'm relieved," Jimin said. He didn't even look that worried about the fact that two outsiders were going to be spending four months in his forest. He huddled in closer, and the final shred of lung capacity Jungkook had been nursing disappeared.

Jungkook pushed both of them forward. They picked up momentum, tripping and stumbling across the room, and tumbled in a writhing mess on top of the bed. Taehyung was crushed beneath both of them.

"Be careful," he gasped. "My ass still hasn't recovered from last night."

"Are you talking about the incident in the forest, or—"

"Oh shut up." Taehyung slapped Jungkook's arm. "We both know for a fact that the only person bottoming last night was Jimin."

"I'm going through a subby phase," Jimin said. "Don't be rude."

"Doesn't have to be a phase," Jungkook said, petting over Jimin's cheekbone with his thumb. "Although I do kinda miss how mean you were when you had your dick in me."

"He is mean," Taehyung said. "Does a lot of damage with that cute little thing."

"Maybe I'm not feeling so subby after all," Jimin said, reaching out and giving Taehyung's hair a tug.

"What did you say to convince them?" Taehyung gasped, even as he scrambled to undo the front of Jimin's pants. "Did you tell them about the demons?"

"Not exactly." Jungkook shuffled to the side so Taehyung could get a better angle. "I was vague. I told them Professor Chittaphon tried to help me, and it didn't work, and that certain advisors at the school thought I might need to try some alternative methods to get the job done."

"What did he say?"

"He didn't buy it."

Taehyung and Jimin turned to look at him in bewilderment. "So then how—"

"I ended up having to play the same card I always do. I told him I was afraid I'd fall back on my old ways if I went back to Seoul. That this place keeps me on the straight and narrow. Maybe now, if this thing with the demons works out, he'll let me come back in the fall." He sighed. "Talking about this is only going to make my dick get softer, I'm warning you."

"I'm sorry," Taehyung said. "I know how much you miss your human friends sometimes."

"I do miss them." Jungkook started unbuttoning the front of Taehyung's shirt. "But not as much as I'd miss you two."

Taehyung continued to stare at Jungkook even as his face flushed red. Jimin smiled the same beautiful smile as before, a smile that made it hard for Jungkook to believe that he didn't experience love the same way Jungkook did.

They still needed to survive exams. Jungkook had two papers to write, and he'd agreed to help Yoongi record some vocal harmonies for a song he was composing. There was a lot to do, but it didn't feel as dismal as usual—maybe because there was something waiting for him on the other side of it all.

For once in his life, he actually had something to look forward to.

He was going to spend the summer with his boys.

Chapter Text

It probably would've felt weird seeing Yoongi's room like this if Jungkook hadn't been so drunk.

The walls were bare. Yoongi had taken down all his tapestries, with their psychedelic, undulating patterns. There was no more music equipment on his desk, no speakers, no midi interfaces, no winding chords cluttering the floor. The space felt even sparser than Jungkook's room.

"I usually don't like clutter, but this feels strange," Jungkook said.

"Probably because you know it means I'm leaving."

"Oh yeah." Jungkook took a sip of gin. "Right."

Yoongi stumbled to the window and looked out.

It was an overcast day. Not the ideal vibe for day drinking, but the two of them had persevered. It was two in the afternoon and they were already well into a two-six of Hendrick's.

"I'm thinking of leaving the muffling charm as a gift to the room's next occupant."

"I can't believe you're not gonna be here next year."

"I can't either." Yoongi trudged back over and plopped down on the floor in front of Jungkook. "Being back in LA is going to be... I mean, it's going to be wicked, but I'm going to miss you guys."

"Congrats on the apprenticeship."

"Yo, thanks." Yoongi reached for the gin. "She's an amazing musomancer. I think I'll learn a lot."

"Maybe I can come visit sometime. Listen to some tracks."

"If you survive the summer."

Jungkook raised his eyebrows knowingly.

Yoongi wiped his mouth and handed the gin back. Jungkook hefted another gulp. Both of them had to leave in an hour, and his goal was to get as pasted as possible before that happened.

"Think you'll be okay, though?"

"Okay... in general? Or with my classes, or—"

"Without me?"

Jungkook looked at him sharply, trying to figure out if he was being serious or not.

Yoongi gave him a searching look. His hair, as usual, was a beautiful disaster. He'd dyed it pink without re-bleaching the roots. He'd recently pierced his eyebrow too.

"I still can't think of anything more comforting than your face." Jungkook reached out and gave Yoongi's cheek a squeeze. Yoongi batted his hand away. "But I think I'll survive."

"That's what I like to hear."

"Really?" Jungkook leaned back against the desk, smirking. "You don't wanna hear that I won't make it, that I'm going to waste away without you?"

Yoongi shook his head, chuckling at the back of his throat. "You're bad." He ran a thumb along his bottom lip. "Always been bad."

"What about you?" Jungkook picked at his shoelaces. "Are you gonna survive without me?"

"I dunno man. We've had some good times."

Jungkook blinked at his shoes. After a moment, he nodded.

"I couldn't have wished for a better surprise to come hurtling into my life. I never expected my graduating year to be the rowdiest one of my whole degree, but here we are." He raised the gin bottle.

"Yoongi," Jungkook scolded.

"What?" Yoongi handed it to him. "This is the last time I'm going to get to say this shit for a while. And we're drunk."

"Yeah, and I'm way more likely to cry."

"I think I can handle you getting a little teary after all the shit we've been through."

Jungkook took a shaky breath and washed his emotions down with another mouthful of gin.

"You're a good kid, Jungkook. Standing by Taehyung like that." Yoongi met his eye. "I still don't trust those two though."

"You wanna know something? Neither do I."

"You really think it's a good idea to spend the whole summer with them?"

"Better than going back to Seoul."

Yoongi leaned over and lay down on the ground. His head hit the hardwood with a thunk. Jungkook, without thinking too much about it, lifted his head and set it on his thigh. Yoongi snickered.

"You're jacked," he muttered. "My neck is at an ungodly angle."

"Shh," Jungkook said, running his fingers through Yoongi's hair.

Yoongi closed his eyes.

They'd spent the morning cleaning. The room smelled like lavender, from Yoongi's smokes, and burnt wood, from the scouring charm Jungkook had attempted on the desk and failed. A rainy-smelling breeze drifted in the window.

"Were you and Hoseok ever a thing?"

"Sort of still are."

"Is he going to LA too?"

"He got offers from two universities for graduate studies. One's in LA, the other's in China."

"He should pick LA," Jungkook said decisively.

"Oh yeah?" Yoongi's eyes were still closed. He smiled. "Is that what you would do?"

"I hate thinking about you being lonely."

"I had a crush on you for a while."

"I know."

"Oh yeah?" Yoongi laughed dryly. "Was I that obvious?"

"Not really." Jungkook brushed a piece of hair behind Yoongi's ear and admired his piercings. He had three silver rings along his helix, all different sizes, an industrial barbell, and a glittering peridot stud in his lobe. "I mean, maybe. In your own way."

"But then you got swept up by those incubuses," Yoongi rambled on drunkenly. "Honestly I think it's for the best. I could've never kept up with that pace."

"Yoongi." Jungkook paused solemnly. "Are you hinting around about a foursome?"

Yoongi made a spluttering noise.

"Wait—a fivesome? If Hoseok is invited—"

"NO."

Jungkook dissolved into laughter. Yoongi shook his head, staring at the ceiling in disbelief.

"It's all in the past anyway," Yoongi said.

"I had a crush on you too." Jungkook smirked. "The guys would kill me if they knew we were having this conversation. Although if you so much as mentioned the word 'foursome' around them you'd never get Taehyung off your case."

"Isn't it funny eh?" Yoongi pulled himself up into a sitting position. "How things end up shaking down in life."

"Ever the mystery."

"Fuck, it's almost two." Yoongi stuffed his phone back in his pocket. "My portal's gonna open any minute."

Jungkook hauled himself to his feet, and then helped Yoongi up. They staggered downstairs, chugged the last of the gin, and deposited the bottle in one of the flowerbeds.

"I needed to leave my mark somehow," Yoongi said, admiring it with his hands on his hips.

"I'll come pray here everyday."

"It's not like I'm dead or something. Not yet, anyway."

"Keep me updated on that."

Dean Sukie was standing on the top of the hill. They trudged up to meet her. Jungkook hauled Yoongi's suitcases in both his hands, seeing as both of them still sucked at levitation charms.

"Well, Mr. Min," she said officiously. "Are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"I can assure you that your unique presence will be greatly missed." She crinkled her nose. "Dear god. Is that Nolet's?"

"Hendrick's," Jungkook said.

"We can only be so bougie, we're broke students, remember?" Yoongi said. "Well okay, not him, but I am."

"I'm still on an allowance," Jungkook protested.

"The fact that you have an allowance proves my point."

Jungkook breathed on his hand and smelled it.

"Yes, I can smell it, and yes, it's obvious that you two are wasted."

"Well, shit."

Dean Sukie turned around and spliced time and space with her forefingers. A shimmering portal appeared a moment later.

"Good luck in LA, Mr. Min."

Jungkook burst into tears.

"Oh no," Yoongi said.

He pulled Jungkook into a gruff hug. Dean Sukie watched them equably. Being the dean of a university and one of the chief portal casters on campus, it likely wasn't her first rodeo paying witness to tragic goodbyes.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

Jungkook nodded, wiping his eyes.

"I'll come visit. I promise."

"Me too," Jungkook croaked.

Yoongi wiped tears off Jungkook's cheeks. Jungkook rested his hands on Yoongi's chest. They'd probably both feel a little weird about this when they sobered up, but they'd be miles away from each other when that happened, so it didn't really matter.

"Okay, go, go be a rockstar."

"Okay." Yoongi smiled. "Good luck, Guk. You got this."

Jungkook nodded. He watched Yoongi heft both his suitcases through the portal. He vanished a moment later with a final peace sign.

Dean Sukie snapped her fingers and the portal vanished. She hadn't even broken a sweat. Jimin would've been impressed.

"Well," she said.

Jungkook sniffed drunkenly.

"Your transportation is organized?" she asked.

"Yeah, I've got it all figured out."

"I'll see you next semester. Keep well, Jungkook." She flashed a dry smile and made her way back across the field.

All of Jungkook's things were neatly packed into the backpack on his back. He lit a cigarette, made sure Dean Sukie was back under the archway leading to the courtyard, and then started down towards the forest.

"What took you so long?" Jimin asked the second he appeared. He and Taehyung were standing at the smoke pit amongst a small village of suitcases. "We were supposed to leave five minutes ago."

Jungkook shrugged.

"Have you been crying?" Taehyung got closer, and then crinkled up his nose. "Oh man."

"I had to say goodbye to Yoongi." Jungkook scowled. "Properly."

"Okay, okay." Taehyung held up his hands. "No judgement, but can we get going? I'm not going to relax until we're through that portal."

"Neither am I," Jimin said.

Jungkook started loading suitcases into his arms.

Taehyung pointed. All the suitcases Jungkook had picked up lifted into the air, along with a few of the others. Jimin levitated the rest.

"Don't you want my help?"

"Just worry about getting yourself there in one piece, okay?" Jimin said. "I feel like that's enough of a task for you at the moment."

"You're both so sober," Jungkook said. "It's jarring."

"It's two in the afternoon," Jimin said.

"We made it through exams, it's summer vacation."

"The second we get to my hut I'm feeding you a clarifying potion."

"No," Jungkook exclaimed. "The alcohol in my system is the last connection I have to Yoongi. I need to hold onto it as long as possible."

"That's actually kind of sweet," Taehyung said.

"I wanted to do some weeding," Jimin whined. "You're going to be useless."

"I can still weed."

"Not these plants," Jimin said. "Listen, I'm not having Jungkook gets nearly strangled to death by vines episode number three. At least not on the first day we get there."  

"You're growing strangling vines?" Taehyung asked interestedly.

"Creeping fig," Jimin said.

"Whoa. Isn't the fruit supposed to be super potent?"

"Yeah. If you can get near it."

Jungkook's sneaker smacked into a root and he almost face-planted into the mulch.

"You really sure you wanna brave my forest in your current state?" Jimin asked. "You know what it's like there."

"Demon's ain't got shit on me," Jungkook said. "I burnt a hole in Yoongi's desk this morning. I'm invincible."

"Uh huh."

Jimin stopped. Jungkook bumped into him and lurched backwards. Taehyung caught him by the shoulders. The suitcases wobbled precariously around them.

"You're so drunk," Taehyung chuckled.

"Yoongi's fault."

Jimin glanced over his shoulder. He'd recently cut his hair almost shorter than Jungkook's and dyed it purple. The exposed strip of forehead underneath his bangs glowed with sweat. "You're sure nobody saw you enter the forest?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Taehyung tucked his chin over Jungkook's shoulder, watching silently. He was also pretty sweaty. Jungkook could smell it, the familiar salty aroma that became magnified during his heats.

Jimin turned his back to them. Taehyung's heart beat through his chest, thumping against Jungkook's back.

Jimin prodded the air with his forefinger. A portal yawned out of nothingness, like a fissure opening in the ground. Jimin watched it widen with a bored expression on his face and then made a little waving motion with his hand when it reached an adequate size.

Okay, maybe he wouldn't have been very impressed with Dean Sukie's casting.

"Everybody through." He scanned the forest. "Quick."

Taehyung hurried forward. "Suitcases first, or me?"

"Suitcases."

He angled his hand, sending the luggage through one at a time, and then clambered through, chuckling giddily.

"Hurry up," Jimin hissed.

"Okay, okay!"

Jungkook hurried forward, tripping again, tripped trying to get his leg high enough to stick through the portal, and tripped over a suitcase when he appeared on the other side, landing, as he usually did, in a pile of muddy water.

A flock of suitcases zoomed over his head and Jimin appeared a second later. He snapped his fingers and the portal melted onto the ground like liquid from an alien world.

"Is there anyway you could cast onto flat ground next time?" Jungkook gasped, hauling himself to his feet. One of his sneakers got stuck in the mud and yanked itself off his foot.

"I told you to bring boots."

"From where? Get them shipped from Amazon?"

"The Amazon?" Jimin asked quizzically. "Nice try, but no."

Jungkook sighed, yanking his shoe free. He crammed it back onto his foot and straightened up. It was even hotter than last time. His t-shirt had already adhered itself to his chest with sweat.

They hiked up onto a patch of dryer ground and made their way towards the clearing. Taehyung's suitcases were scattered around the cabbage patch, forgotten, and he was chasing the hut around, flapping his arms and making squawking sounds.

Jungkook couldn't help but laugh. "I knew he'd love it here."

He glanced to the side and caught Jimin smiling.

Jimin whistled loudly and the hut turned around. He motioned with his hand and it tromped towards them. Taehyung ran along beside it.

"Whoa." Taehyung dropped to his knees, running his hands all over Jimin's bird feet. "Sick."

Jimin curled his toes inwards, giggling breathlessly. "Ticklish, Tae!"

"If you aren't using those, can I?" Jungkook pointed to Jimin's abandoned boots.

"If you can make them fit."

Jimin and Taehyung loaded the luggage into the hut while Jungkook sat on a stump, puzzling over the boots. He burnt the laces off one of them before he figured out how to alter their size.

"Here." Jimin reconstituted the laces by pinching at the singed polyester and pulling.

"I could've done it if I wasn't drunk," Jungkook grumbled.

Jimin held the boot up to Jungkook's foot. Jungkook frowned, expecting him to say something mean, but Jimin nodded. "Not bad. Your resizing spell actually worked really well."

Jungkook frowned harder, trying not to blush.

"Your magic is really coming along. Maybe I'll get you to fix some stuff around the hut." Jimin clapped his hands together excitedly. "Think about how useful you'll be once you get your faerie powers working."

Jungkook glanced up into the forest.

"We'll go tomorrow," Jimin said. "I don't think we should approach them while you're drunk. They might try to take advantage of you."

"Can we go the day after? When I'm not hungover?"

"I'll make you a tonic. We should go as soon as possible. I don't want them spying on us and figuring out ways to get the upper hand."

Jungkook shivered, averting his eyes from the trees.

"Cypress swamps," Taehyung announced, marching over from the field. "Southern live oak, saw palmettos."

"No," Jimin said.

"Swamp bay." He pinched a bit of soil between his fingers and let it crumble down in front of his face. "Quartz in the soil."

"Stop."

Taehyung screwed up his face. "We're in the Everglades, aren't we?"

"Fucking hell Taehyung," Jimin yelled.

"The Everglades?" Jungkook asked. "Isn't that in Florida?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You told me your hut was in another country."

"YEAH. I LIED."

Taehyung was nodding to himself, stroking his chin. "It actually makes total sense. It's a national park, so it probably won't get cut down. Yeah, tourists wander through sometimes, but if you cast the proper concealments, you'd be good to go."

"You told me the reason you couldn't message me back was because of the extra fee for international text messages," Jungkook said.

"Mhm. I lied."

Jungkook looked bewildered.

"To my credit, it was a flimsy-ass lie," Jimin protested. "If you'd checked your phone bill, you would've seen there were no extra charges and figured it out."

Jungkook's mouth dropped open.

"Let me guess. You didn't check your phone bill."

It was Jungkook's turn to look guilty.

"Sometimes I forget you're wealthy enough to pull shit like that," Taehyung said.

"I try not to act wealthy on the best of days."

"Too late," Jimin hummed. "Because we already know."

"Hey Guk, wanna buy me a new chemistry set for next semester?" Taehyung asked.

"Get my faerie magic working and my parents would probably buy you a yacht."

"I don't need a yacht," Jimin said thoughtfully. "Maybe a couple dories for the mangrove marshes, though..."

They spent the rest of the day following Jimin around, pretending to be helpful, as he checked on the compound.

"Want me to trim back some of these—"

"DON'T TOUCH THOSE THEY'RE POISONOUS."

"Ghost thistles," Taehyung observed. "You have all kinds of wacky stuff growing around here."

"Help me move this rock," Jimin said.

Jungkook hefted while Jimin and Taehyung levitated. The rock thumped down two feet to the left of where it had started.

"That should give those saplings a little more room to spread out."

"I swear," Jungkook panted. "I've sobered up twice as fast as usual from sweating."

Taehyung scanned the trees. "So where exactly in the Everglades are we?"

Jimin's eyes flashed threateningly.

Taehyung got out his cellphone. "Damn, no service. I was wondering why Gukkie didn't use maps to figure it out."

"Right," Jungkook said. He'd never even thought to take his phone out of his pocket both times he'd been here.

"The cypress swamps are hecking massive, so that isn't much to go on," Taehyung carried on, ignoring Jimin's glare. "But you mentioned something about mangroves, which are typically further south, along the coast."

"How do you even know this?" Jungkook asked.

"Oh, the Everglades are cool," Taehyung said. "There are shitloads of weird things that have happened here. Even humans have ghost stories about them."

Jimin had rolled his sleeves up past his shoulders. Taehyung had cut the bottoms off his jeans to turn them into shorts. The frayed denim and broad-rimmed hats gave them both a country bumpkin kind of feel.

"You guys look like landscapers," Jungkook said.

"Oh no," Jimin said.

"That doesn't sound good," Taehyung said.

"I think it's cute." Jungkook sauntered up behind Jimin and gave him a hug, and then immediately pulled away. "Oh yikes, it's too hot for this."

"How on earth are we going to bang?" Taehyung asked.

"Just ask Chim," Jungkook said. "What do you usually do when you lure unsuspecting travellers into your hut?"

"Haven't really had that problem until now," Jimin said.

"What about the tourists?"

"Most of them are with their families."

"No centaurs in the Everglades?"

"Unfortunately not," Jimin said sadly.

"Poor Chim," Taehyung said. "Going all of last summer without busting one nut."

"It isn't like you busted any nuts either."

"Uh."

"Taehyung." Jimin straightened up, putting his muddy hands to his hips. "Did you seriously hook up with people through that sketchy site even after you and I met?"

"I thought you said it was just a horny teenage phase," Jungkook said.

"We hadn't talked about what we were," Taehyung whined. "I was desperate. Jungkook wasn't here yet."

Jungkook stood there in the baking sun thinking about Taehyung, bored and aimless, climbing into someone's backseat, huffing and whimpering through his mask as they gave it to him hard, steaming up the windows with his muffled panting, too desperate to wait for the semester to start again, too desperate to stave it off with sex toys or his own hand—

"Come over here and help me repot this before you break your mind," Jimin said.

Jungkook grunted and stooped down beside him.

Taehyung wandered across the field and started chatting with the hut. It sank down, tucking its legs beneath it, and let him run his hands over its siding.

"He's unstoppable," Jimin said.

"I'm glad there aren't centaurs in this forest," Jungkook muttered.

"Oh, they'd love him. And they don't give one fuck what race you are, as long as you're DTF."

"I feel sick." Jungkook stuffed soil into a pot. "And thirsty." He thought for a moment. "And hard."

"Let's finish this and then see if we can do something about that."

Jimin made them big glasses of iced tea, steeping mint from the garden and generating big chunks of ice with a charm. Jungkook sipped the drink and slowly recovered enough strength to help with dinner.

"The red one?"

"Dark red, not the blood red one," Jimin called through the window.

"What are those ones for anyway?" Jungkook asked. He was stirring a pot of baked beans, sweating through his second shirt of the day.

"Medicinal purposes." Jimin set a basket of chopped bread on the table. "Leave it at that, you don't want to know, trust me."

Taehyung came bounding into the house with a cabbage. "What now?"

"Chop it up and steam it." Jimin sank down into a chair. "Wow. It's really hot."

"Aren't you used to it by now?" Jungkook asked.

"It always takes me some time to adjust."

"I like it," Taehyung said, shoving big, uneven chunks of cabbage into a pot.

"I thought you'd be off the worst." Jungkook poked Taehyung's side. "You're always generating so much heat."

"I'm really happy to be here." Taehyung beamed at both of them. "Also, werewolves are adaptable to most temperatures, but that's a side note."

Jungkook set the pot of beans on a trivet and collapsed beside Jimin. Taehyung whizzed around, draining the cabbage and making more tea.

"I wonder what Jin and Namjoon are doing right now," Jungkook asked through a mouthful of beans.

"Jin got accepted to med school," Jimin said. "Namjoon's on some fast-tracked graduate studies program, where he'll finish his master's and doctorate in two years."

"Are they in the same city?"

"I think so. Jin's going to be doing practicums all over the country, though."

"That makes me a little sad," Jungkook said. "It feels wrong to break up the awkward dream team."

"They're only awkward with you." Taehyung took a loud slurp of his tea. "I caught them making out in the washrooms on the last day of classes and they said I could stick around and watch for all they cared."

"Did you?" Jimin asked.

"For a bit." Taehyung stabbed a chunk of cabbage with his fork. "It was okay. Nothing to rave about."

"Maybe they will make it after all," Jimin said.

"Are you going to eat that?" Jungkook asked, pointing at Jimin's bread.

"No, take it." Jimin scratched at his shoulder. He'd changed into a black tank top to give his branches more room to come out. "The heat always ruins my appetite."

"Not for all things, I hope," Taehyung said. "I really wanna fuck you with your chicken legs."

"Tae," Jungkook chided.

"What?"

"The hut," Jungkook whispered. "I feel like it can hear us."

"The hut's heard a lot worse things than that," Jimin said.

"So it can hear us."

"The hut is technically an extension of me. It's no different from when I'm watching you fuck Tae on any other ordinary day of our lives."

Jungkook looked around him. Jimin's bird feet were sticking out from under the table. He kept grinding his claws together, scraping mud off onto the floor. The hut rocked gently, rearranging its footing. The shelf next to Taehyung's head was full of jars, each one housing vibrating beads of a different coloured light.

"Not exactly what I'd call ordinary."

"It better start feeling ordinary soon," Jimin said. "I'm not going to be the one telling you two where to find everything for the next four months."

The sun set around eight o'clock. The darkness and the heat made it hard to want to stay awake. Jimin reset the wards on the door and windows and they climbed up a tiny set of stairs to the second floor.

Jungkook had never seen Jimin's bedroom before. It was everything his dorm room wasn't. Blankets and towels, all different colours and patterns, were folded on a rickety wooden shelf. There was a tall wicker hamper beside the closet. The bed was a big four-poster whose columns morphed directly into the ceiling. There were plants everywhere—the windowsills, the nightstand, squeezed into spare spots on the bookshelf. There was a big potted cactus right next to the bed.

"Wow," Taehyung said. "It's so cozy and domestic. I didn't know you had a cozy and domestic side."

"There's a spare room next door in case things get cramped," Jimin said.

"We've been sleeping together up to this point." Jungkook sat down on the edge of the bed. "Besides, how would we decide who to kick out?"

"My bed back in the dorms is about the same size." Taehyung stripped his shirt off and spread out on the mattress. "Maybe even a little smaller."

Jungkook stripped down to his boxers and flopped down beside Taehyung. Taehyung had unbuttoned the front of his shorts and given up.

Jimin stood at the foot of the bed and watched them.

"I can't believe you two are here," he said.

"Ta-da," Jungkook said weakly.

"I kind of like it." Jimin shook his head, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just said, and dropped his shorts to the floor.

Taehyung shoved his hand down the front of Jungkook's boxers. Jimin crawled in on his other side.

"I wanna jerk you off," Taehyung groaned. "But I'm so sleepy."

"The heat's finally getting to you," Jimin said.

"It's okay," Jungkook yawned. "Tomorrow."

The three of them drifted off in the hot Florida night, Jimin's cheek pillowed on Jungkook's shoulder, Taehyung's limp hand wrapped around Jungkook's limp dick.

Jimin left the window above the bed open. The screen kept out the bugs, but not the sounds of the swamp. Things creaked and groaned. At one point, the hut got up, stretched, and sat back down again. A hot bout of rain blew through just after midnight.

"Where are you going?" Jimin asked, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

Jungkook paused by the door. "Gotta pee."

"Use the chamber pot in the next room. Don't go outside."

Just before sunrise, Jungkook woke to the sound of something shrieking, loud and high in the distance. He tilted his head to the side, picking out titles of books on Jimin's shelf, trying to figure out what the ceiling was made of, trying not to think about whether or not a demon had made that sound, or had made something else make that sound—trying not to think about demons in general, until the other two woke up.

They sat around the table eating leftover beans on toast. Jimin had mixed Jungkook a hangover tonic with some of the glowing beads from the jars. It twinkled bright orange in a glass next to his coffee.

"So, demons," Taehyung said.

Jungkook had been eying the tonic for the past three minutes psyching himself up into taking a sip. His stomach was feeling a little weak. At the mention of what was probably making it that way, he set the glass back down.

"What do we know about them?" Taehyung was leaning messily over the table, one elbow propped beside his plate, one foot up on his chair. His mouth was stuffed full of toast.

"These ones are water dwellers," Jimin said.

"Probably why they didn't care as much about messing up your trees," Jungkook grunted.

Jimin frowned. "If the forest dies, the swamps die too."

"Maybe they aren't the types to think very far ahead," Taehyung said.

"Or to agree to a deal," Jungkook said.

"Are you sure they're going to be down for this?" Taehyung asked, speaking loudly all of a sudden. "What if they decide halfway through that they're tired of talking to us and put some kind of curse on Gukkie or something?"

Jimin sighed impatiently. "I stole their eye, remember? And they haven't driven me out of the forest yet."

Jungkook wiped sweat off his brow. He'd barely gotten down a spoonful of his breakfast.

"Drink your tonic," Jimin said.

Jungkook grimaced, lifting the tonic to his lips. He shot it like a glass of cheap rum. It slid down his throat like pulpy orange juice, leaving a disconcerting coolness behind, like mint. He gagged, covering his mouth.

"Give it a second," Jimin said.

The second it hit his stomach, his head cleared and the nausea evaporated.

"Holy shit," Jungkook said.

Jimin smiled in a secretive, self-satisfied manner, and popped the last bite of his toast into his mouth.

Once breakfast was finished, the three of them got ready for the swamps. Jungkook wore a t-shirt, sweatpants, and the boots he'd resized the day before. Taehyung wore a tanktop and shorts.

"You're going to get eaten alive in those," Jungkook said, eying the shorts.

"Chim?" Taehyung turned around expectantly. "Insect repellent?"

A bottle came sailing out of the spare room a moment later.

"You could've told me about this stuff sooner," Jungkook said, rubbing it into his neck. "I've had bites for days every time we come out here."

"Sorry Gukkie." Jimin emerged, dressed basically the same way as Taehyung. Jungkook wondered what other options he had, with all the branches growing out of his back. The twigs had started to bud. He moved gracefully, for someone walking around on two bird feet. "I'll make it up to you. Here, I know." He knelt down beside Jungkook and cupped each of the boots in his hands. He straightened up after a moment. "Now they repel water."

"Thanks." Jungkook kissed him on the lips.

When Jimin pulled away, his eyes were a little misty. "Yeah, my subby phase definitely isn't over," he muttered.

"When we get back we're going to dom you so hard." Taehyung paused. "With your chicken legs."

"Can't seem to get off that train of thought, can you?" Jimin asked.

"I really can't."

The hut had wandered across the clearing during breakfast. They hiked back to the cabbage patch and then ducked under the oaks, making their way into the forest. The ground was a tangle of vines, ferns, and wet patches with bright green algae floating on the surface. Jungkook stepped in one by accident, thinking it was a patch of moss, and was instantly grateful for Jimin's water-repelling charm.

Birds chirped overhead. Things rustled in the trees. The forest, despite its dearth of talking squirrels, felt much more alive than the forest around Blackthorn.

They passed a bald spot in the undergrowth. Jungkook recognized the charred remnants of trees. The stump had begun to crumble into black, powdery dust. He frowned, steeling himself with new resolve. If this worked, and the demons were able to draw out his faerie powers, he'd be able to do more than appease his father. He could fix things, heal things, prevent things from having to die.

Vines hung down from the trees, tangling themselves with the vines on the ground. The ground dipped and fell in mounds. Jungkook suspected the mounds had once been fallen trees. The air was dank and fertile.

"Now that I'm not getting bitten every two seconds, this is kind of nice."

"It has it's charms," Jimin said, smiling to himself once again.

The terrain started to get wetter. Jimin led them along big, thick roots, balancing from trunk to trunk. Little birds started to land in his branches, cleaning their beaks on his tank top, chirping softly.

"I see why you could use a few boats," Taehyung said.

"Yeah, it isn't great. Jungkook, watch out for the alligator."

Jungkook pulled his boot out of the water so fast he kneed Taehyung in the back.

"Sorry," Jungkook muttered, rubbing Taehyung's back as he stared daggers into the water. "Are they evil? Magical?"

"It's hard to say, but I think they have a degree of sentience that goes beyond regular alligators."

"So you're saying there are like... the equivalent of humans and witches in the animal world too?"

"Essentially, yes." Jimin inched along a root to patch of raised soil. "Although some spirits routinely possess animals, and some animals that lack magical sentience still have magical properties, so it's a little more complicated than just that."

"Maybe it's a little more complicated for humans too," Jungkook said. "Maybe some humans have inherently magical properties."

"Ever the activist." Jimin hummed, poking his head out over a cluster of ferns. "Okay, we're here."

The three of them peered over the ridge.

The cypress trees looked like they were floating on the surface of the water like big knotted buoys. The pool was barely clear enough for Jungkook to glimpse their trunks descending beneath the surface into the caramel-brown depths. A beam of sunlight snuck through the canopy, lighting up the marshy fathoms in a single spot.

"Maybe we should've asked Hobi about this?" Taehyung whispered.

"No," Jimin whispered back. "He might've been able to discern the location of my hut based on the types of demons we're dealing with. I don't know if they're native to the Everglades or if they live in other places too."

"Right." Taehyung took a deep breath.

"Should I sneak in there like I did for the tree?" Jungkook whispered. "Pretend I'm alone?"

"I don't think so," Jimin said. "You need more clout this time. Maybe if I go first, and—"

"HARK, YOU HOARY FOOLS."

Jimin closed his eyes. "Well. Here we go."

"SHOW YOURSELVES YOU SCUM, WE KNOW YOU'RE THERE."

Jimin straightened up with a weary sigh. Jungkook and Taehyung rose up on either side a moment later.

"It's YOU. Oh piteous SCOURGE, dares return here once more after the INIQUITY he committed against MY VERY BROTHER—"

Jungkook scanned the area for the voice. There was a splash in front of him, and he jumped. A head was emerging from the pool, covered in clumps of ratty, colourless hair, followed by a pair of pale blue shoulders, and a torso.

"I don't know about that," Jimin called. "You look like one of the assholes who fucked up my trees."

The demon fixed Jimin with a look of extreme dislike. Its eyes were a familiar green colour.

"A just revenge for what was taken, I think," it muttered.

"Oh yeah? Rotting out the entire forest? Your forest? Seems a little counterproductive to me."

"Well you fixed it, didn't you?" The demon gestured with a hand, with claws three times longer than Jimin's ever became. "Cursed sorcerer."

"I blew it up, the same way I could blow you up, anytime I like."

The demon made a spluttering noise. "Is that why you've come here? To berate us with senseless threats? You got what you deserved, now go."

"Ahh," Jimin purred. "You see, I need something from you, and until you give it to me, I'm not going anywhere."

"Me? Provide you? With anything?" The demon spluttered again. "You must be out of your mind. Moon sickness, maybe, or a rot similar to those trees." It snickered happily to itself.

"I need you to bring forth this man's powers." Jimin rested his hand on Jungkook's shoulder. "In return, I will pay you a fine price."

The demon turned, examining Jungkook closely. Its eyes zeroed in on Jungkook's chest. Jungkook shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"I see what you mean." When it wasn't cackling or snorting, the demon's voice was surprisingly melodious, deep and resonant like a note through a wooden flute. It scratched its ear, and then turned back to Jimin with distaste. "What could you possibly offer that I would desire?"

"Money. Honour." Jimin smiled easily. "This man has plenty of those."

"What good are such things in the swamps?" The demon turned to go. "Faerie magic is oh so ouchy. Wasting my time, ugly warlock and his strange friends..."

"I have blood," Jimin said quickly.

The demon paused.

Jungkook's heart was pounding in his chest. He glanced at Jimin from the side. His expression was unreadable. Was this what the blood-red cabbages were for? Had Jimin gone and killed something? If so, why hadn't he asked Jungkook first? Because Jungkook's answer certainly would have been no, he didn't want that kind of deed on his hands—

"What kind of blood?" the demon asked.

"Werewolf blood," Taehyung said.

Jungkook and Jimin spun towards him in horror.

"Tae what the hell?" Jimin hissed.

"I know what you're going to do," Taehyung said. "And I don't want to see it."

"Werewolf blood." The demon licked its lips with a pale white tongue, and then went on to lick each of its crowded, pointed teeth. "A tempting offer, but no."

"That was a joke," Jimin said flatly. "The blood you shall possess is mine."

Jungkook's jaw dropped.

"Your blood?"

The demon's eyes glittered. It swam a little closer, trailing its gaze all over Jimin's body. Jungkook would've been squirming if it had been him, but Jimin held his ground, staring back calmly.

"Yessss," the demon hissed softly. "Now this I can see. A fair recompense, for what you took from us."

"So is it a deal?" Jimin asked.

"Jimin, no," Jungkook said.

"Indeed. A deal it is, indeed." The demon's tail splashed behind it, long and slippery looking.

"Then shake on it."

Jimin pushed Jungkook forward. Jungkook gaped at him in confusion.

The demon's gleeful expression became somewhat squashed. "Is this really necessary?" it muttered.

"Shake on it." Jimin smiled cheekily. "Shake on it, or no blood."

The demon sighed, a wet, guttural sound, and held out a hand. Jimin slapped Jungkook's shoulder.

"Shake its hand," he hissed.

"Me? Oh. Right. Faerie deals." Jungkook turned his back to the demon. "Listen Jimin, I really appreciate this, but I don't feel comfortable with—"

"SHAKE ITS HAND OR I'LL RIP YOUR SKIN OFF."

The demon jolted back in alarm.

"I'm sorry, but those kinds of threats don't work on me," Jungkook said.

"Please," Jimin said, stepping closer. "Let me do this for you."

"Chim, I..."

"You can't go back to Seoul. You can't. Think about what that'll do to us. I want to know I did everything I could to prevent that from happening." Jimin gave Jungkook another little shove. "Please."

Jungkook turned to Taehyung. "Tae? Are you okay with this?"

Taehyung heaved a deep sigh.

"I was ready to give my blood to prevent the same thing from happening. I can't deny Jimin the chance to do the same." He sighed again. "Shake its hand, Gukkie. It's the right thing to do."

Jungkook tipped his head back and stared at the treetops in disbelief.

"Are you going to shake, or not?" the demon said. "I don't have all day."

"Oh fuck off," Jimin said. "You aren't going anywhere now that you know you're getting my blood."

"Fine," Jungkook said. "Fine. You two are actually insane, okay? God damn it."

He made his way down the steep, muddy ridge. There wasn't much in the way of a bank. The demon slithered closer and held out its hand.

"In exchange for Jimin's blood, you're going to awaken my faerie powers," Jungkook rattled off.

"I agree," the demon cooed.

Jungkook shook its hand. The claws were so long they wrapped around his wrist. Its skin was cold and smooth, nowhere near as slimy as he'd been expecting.

"Alright," he said, spreading his arms. "Do your thing."

"Blood first."

Jungkook frowned distrustfully.

"Chill out, Guk." Jimin slid quickly down the ridge. He rocketed off the side and his bird feet hit the water with a splash. "It's a faerie deal. Doesn't really matter about the order of operations."

The water went up to Jimin's naval. He waded over to the demon and held out his wrist. "Hurry up."

Jungkook looked away.

"It's okay, Guk," Taehyung said. "Chim knows what he's doing."

Jimin let out a little groan.

Jungkook forced himself to look.

The demon had its mouth on Jimin's wrist. It was holding Jimin's arm in place with both hands. It was eerily quiet, eyes closed, body slumped over.

"It's gone full vamp on his ass," Taehyung muttered.

"How much... like how long, will he let it..."

"Long enough for a good taste," Jimin said stiffly.

The demon swallowed audibly.

"Jesus Christ," Jungkook said shrilly, running his hands through his hair.

Taehyung was perched up on the ridge, watching in fascination. The little birds were hopping around in Jimin's branches, chirping agitatedly. Jimin started to stoop forward, his eyes drooping closed.

"Oh fuck." Jungkook slid into the pool.

"Ah, ah, ah." Jimin pushed two fingers to the demon's forehead and the demon jumped back with a yelp. "I felt that. You were trying to poison me."

"Touché." The demon grinned, wiping its mouth.

Jimin examined his wrist. A scattering of puncture marks marred his skin. A drop of blood hit the water with a ploop. He took a little vial out of his pocket and sprinkled a solution over the wounds, jolting slightly.

"You okay?" Taehyung called.

"I'm fine. Just stings a little." Jimin flexed his fingers. "Your fangs are fucking long, just so you know," he complained.

"There was nothing in the faerie deal about my fangs," the demon said suspiciously. "Or about poison."

"Gukkie, get over here."

Jungkook waded over. It was slow going without a pair of bird feet. The bottom was cluttered with slippery roots. His sweatpants were heavy and waterlogged, almost yanking themselves off his hips a few times, but Jimin's charm was keeping his feet dry at least.

When he got close enough, the demon arranged itself in front of him. Its teeth were stained cherry-red. Jungkook grimaced.

"So protective of your little hag. You do know he could kill us all if he wanted to?"

"Stop with the mind games," Taehyung shouted. "We held up our end of the bargain, now it's time for you to do the same."

"Very well," the demon said. "Come a little closer."

Jungkook was glad he'd already shaken its hand, because he knew what to expect when it reached out to touch him this time. It pressed both its palms to his chest. Cold wetness seeped through his shirt. Its claws hung over his shoulders, uncomfortably close to the sides of his neck.

"Ah, yes," it muttered.

"You see it too?" Jimin's demon eye zeroed in on Jungkook's chest.  

"Of course I see it, I've seen it all along," the demon snapped. "The question is, will I be able to reach it."

"Okay." Jimin crossed his arms. "Do you think you'll be able to reach it?"

"Shhh," the demon whispered. "I cannot concentrate with your senseless yabbering in my ear."

Jimin rolled his eyes.

Jungkook kept his eyes closed at first, but after five minutes, he glanced up at Taehyung and Jimin. They both looked like they were in a movie theatre, gawking at him closely, waiting for the grand reveal. All they needed was a bag of popcorn.

"Is anything happening?" he asked uncomfortably.

"Shush!" the demon blurted. "I'm trying to open your magic to mine."

"Well, that sounds kinda sketch," Taehyung said.

"Oh," the demon and Jungkook exclaimed, in unison.

"What is it?" Jimin asked.

Neither Jungkook nor the demon responded.

The demon's lips were pulled back over its teeth. It's eyebrowless brows were pulled in tight. Jungkook felt something swoop inside him, like he'd gone over a drop in a rollercoaster. The demon grunted, digging its claws into his skin. Jungkook hardly felt it. Something was swelling, stirring, clawing against a barrier he hadn't known was there.

"Hurts," Jungkook grunted.

"Yes," the demon groaned. "I too am in much discomfort."

"Is something wrong?" Taehyung asked.

No response.

Suddenly the demon arched, jerking its head back. "HEAVENS OF HER DARKEST PALACE," it shrieked. "PISS OF SULFUR AND EYE OF THE EGG!"

Jungkook's eyes flew back open.

There was a beat. The demon's shrieks faded to silence. Jungkook could hear someone wading towards them. The splashing sounded like it was coming from miles away.

"Is it over?" Jungkook asked.

"OH PISSANT!" the demon yelled, at the exact same time that Jungkook's face contorted and he screamed.

There was a flash of light.

A mid-ranged buzz exploded between them, running through Jungkook's ears, fading out into the forest like a surge of electricity. The demon went flying backwards, spinning head over foot, and crashed through a line of branches. A loud SPLASH erupted from the next pool over.

"Are you okay?" Taehyung gasped.

Jungkook stared at the cypress tree in front of him.

He didn't know how he could've thought they were anything like buoys at all. The roots wobbled and glowed, pressing through the water, deep, deep into the saturated soil.

"Gukkie?" Taehyung asked, wading up behind him.

"He's okay," Jimin said.

"The tree." Jungkook pointed.

Everything went black.

***

The earth was breathing.

Not just one sky, one ocean, but the entire thing. Everything was so, so spread out, but also incredibly detailed, and relentlessly connected.

Jungkook knew he needed to wake up.

He could sense two beings nearby. They were afraid. He lay on his back, on something soft. He could hear their voices babbling softly, like a fountain on the other side of a garden.

There were also other things.

Little life forms, breathing, watery veins pulsing in Jungkook's mind, pressed into pots, stacked around him.

"What have we done?" Jimin was saying. "What if we fucked him up for good?"

"We don't know that this is bad yet," Taehyung said slowly. "It could just be part of the process."

"It's been five hours."

There was a pause.

"I fuck everything up." Jimin's voice was thin, shaky. "Everything I love, I destroy."

Taehyung made a tsking noise. "Come now. That isn't true."

"But it is."

"You haven't fucked things up with me."

"You don't know that." Jimin sniffed. "There are things you don't know."

Jungkook breathed in slowly. The air around them vibrated with life. Traces of pollen, dust, little insects.

"What are you talking about?"

"When you got outed. In the greenhouses." Jimin's voice was breaking down into breathless sobs. "I ran away. I'm so sorry."

"What? But you said your trees—"

"My trees were slowly and steadily rotting away. There was no rush. Nothing to justify leaving you there, in the greenhouses, alone. I left because I couldn't face what had happened."

Jungkook could tell that the surface he was lying on was connected to something that had once, too, been alive. Desiccated tracts remained in the limbs, veins that once pulled water and nutrients from the ground.

"I'd made up my mind to leave you when I returned. Both of you. Jungkook begged me not to do it the night I g-got back, and I refused him."

"Then what..."

"I saw you. And everything changed. I can't explain it."

Taehyung sounded like he was frowning. "Jungkook never said anything about this."

"I made him lie. I made him shake on it, another faerie deal." Jimin choked on another sob. "S-see? The demon was right. There are things you don't know about me. Things I've done that I can never take back. I'm no good, Tae."

There was a lengthy pause.

Jungkook felt a lingering sense of urgency, like an alarm going off through a pair of earplugs. He tried to move his fingers.

"Is there anything else I don't know?" Taehyung asked slowly.

"Anything else?" Jimin choked, and coughed for a second. "Nothing else pertaining to you."

"What about Jungkook?"

"Not really. He doesn't know that I sometimes use magic to prep him. I think he might have a skewed idea of how flexible his asshole really is. I hope he doesn't try to go in cold with a human one day."

"Is that it?"

"Well there was the time we accidentally jinxed his nipples off while he was sleeping, but you were just as much a part of that as I was, so... no, I don't think so."

Taehyung made a deep huffing noise.

"Are you mad?" Jimin asked softly.

"I'm not mad," Taehyung said grumpily. "My feelings are a little hurt, but to be honest, it makes more sense now. I kind of suspected something like this happened. You and Gukkie were acting really weird for a while there."

"It was awful. I started to regret the faerie deal. I wanted him to tell you so I didn't have to."

There was a pause.

"What matters is that you chose to stay in the end, right?"

"Are you for real?"

"Yeah, I'm for real."

Jimin's laugh was choked. "Jungkook was so much saltier."

"Of course he was."

Jungkook tried to speak, but he couldn't move his mouth. He was still too spread out, past the limits of his skin, hovering in the air. He needed to come back inside himself.

"I really hope he wakes up soon."

"Me too."

"You love me, right?" Taehyung asked softly.

"I do."

"And you love him?"

"I really do."

Taehyung sighed. "Then I can't be mad at you. I know things are different for hags, but that demon was full of shit."

Jungkook's toe twitched.

"Did you see that?" Jimin gasped. "He moved."

"Really? Where?"

"His foot, it kind of—"

"You fuckers jinxed my nipples off?" Jungkook slurred.

"Oh my god." Jimin burst into tears all over again and threw himself on top of Jungkook's chest. Jungkook lifted a shaky hand off the bed and let it plop down onto Jimin's back.

"I'm proud of you, Kitten," he mumbled.

Jimin cried harder.

Taehyung came closer, peering at Jungkook's face.

"Jungkook?"

"Sup." Jungkook blinked sleepily.

"Last November, when we were experimenting with different plant-based lubes, what colour was the one you liked best?"

"Yellow?"

"What part of my body is the most sensitive, besides my cock?"

"Your nipples, which is why I don't know how you were able to stand getting them pierced. Speaking of nipples—"

"Who's hotter, Dean Phantasmagorium or Dean Sukie?"

"Dean Sukie." Jimin sniffed, wiping his nose.

"I dunno," Taehyung said. "Phantasmagorium's kind of daddy in my opinion."

"His portal-casting is a complete turnoff."

"Ew, fuck." Jungkook made a face. "Stop."

"Oh thank gods." Taehyung sagged with relief. "We thought the demon might've possessed you."

"Oh. No, it's definitely me."

Jungkook tried to sit up and winced. Taehyung helped prop him up on a couple more pillows.

"So..."

Both of them were staring at him with spellbound expressions.

"Did it work?" Jimin asked.

"Oh yeah." Jungkook blinked. "It worked."

"What's it like?" Taehyung questioned eagerly.

"Kind of feels like I'm on mushrooms. All of Jimin's plants look like they're glowing. I don't even want to know what the forest is going to look like."

"Does it feel okay?" Jimin asked uncertainly.

"It's wild." Jungkook stared at the little succulent on Jimin's nightstand. "I think that's why I passed out back in the swamps."

Jimin frowned.

"Stop worrying. This is totally normal," Taehyung said. "Basic superhero shit. When your powers are awakened it's overwhelming as fuck. You've gotta learn to master it."

"I figured as much," Jungkook said.

"I can definitely see a change." Jimin ran his fingers over Jungkook's chest. "The egg-shaped thing in your chest is gone. It's like it's expanded into the rest of your body."

"Do you know what happened?" Jungkook asked.

"We wanted to ask the demon more about it but it ran away."

"I don't think it liked us very much," Taehyung said.

"My guess is that the mixture of witch magic and faerie magic inside you created some kind of barrier when you were growing up," Jimin said. "Maybe they needed to separate themselves in order to develop properly. Maybe they just pushed each other apart by accident. Either way the barrier is gone now."

"Huh." Jungkook paused. "I hope my witch magic is still there."

He pointed at an empty glass on the desk. It quadrupled in size and then vaporized.

"Yeah, it's still there."

"Holy fuck," Taehyung said.

"What were you trying to do?" Jimin asked.

"Levitation."

"Okay," Jimin said with an air of forced calm. "I'm guessing your casting might be a little wonky for a while."

"Oh, but I can never do levitation."

"Yeah, but that mistake was weird, even for you," Taehyung said.

Jungkook tried to tilt his head at a better angle to see them. Taehyung helped stuff more pillows underneath him and he sagged back with a sigh.

"God, I'm tired."

Jimin poured him a glass of water from the pitcher on the nightstand. Jungkook held the glass in front of his face without taking a sip, staring at it.

"What do you see?" Jimin asked.

"Energy patterns... something this water was touching."

"Could it be the chopped cucumber I put in it?"

"Yeah," Jungkook said, with satisfaction. "That's totally it."

"Wow." Jimin held up the pitcher and inspected it. "I can't even see that with my demon eye."

"Well this is great." Taehyung leaned over and kissed Jungkook's forehead. "You can tell your dad that you have faerie magic now and we get to keep you."

Jungkook looked at his lap. "I don't know if I wanna tell him before I can at least do a few things with it."

"That's fair." Taehyung nuzzled closer, lying down beside them. "No rush. We have all summer." He plopped his leg over Jungkook's lap. "But we are keeping you, that's non-negotiable."

Despite Taehyung's head resting on top of it, Jungkook's chest felt lighter. Was this the feeling of a faerie deal lifting? Or was it something else—something a bit simpler, like true forgiveness, or relief?

"You're free to practise around the hut as much as you want," Jimin said. "Just avoid the kitchen. I'm kind of attached to my current dining set. And the cabbage patch. Best to stay away from that too."

***

Jungkook spent the next three days in Jimin's bedroom, stumbling to and from the chamber pot, collapsing back to sleep the second he got back to bed. On day four, Jimin and Taehyung dragged him downstairs to the miniature greenhouse that stuck out the back of the hut. He sat on an overturned bucket as they took turns holding the garden hose over his head and scrubbing him with a rough cloth. The cold water felt nice after so many days baking in his own sweat.

He stared at the tomato plants, the miniature lemon tree, the herb garden, transfixed, as Taehyung dried him off and pulled a t-shirt over his head, stooping down to get a pair of shorts around his legs.

"Eat," Jimin said, setting a plate in front of him.

They were sitting in the kitchen. It was midday and the afternoon storm hadn't blown in yet. Sunlight illuminated the world like a flare. Jungkook was artfully avoiding looking out the window. He could feel the forest's power throbbing around them, tickling his skin, pressing on his temples.

"Did my dad go through this too?" he wondered aloud.

"He was born with his powers fully functioning, right?" Taehyung asked.

"I think so."

"Then he probably didn't. He was born looking at the world like that and wouldn't have known any different."

"I wonder if there are any half-faeries you could get in contact with, maybe online?" Jimin was sitting on the floor, mixing fertilizer in a bucket. He kept squirting eyedroppers in from various bottles, dumping in scoops of powder from big mason jars, and kneading it all with his hands like dough. Dark green liquid was splattered up to his elbows. "It might be a good idea to compare experiences with someone who's gone through the same thing." He glanced up. "Eat, Gukkie. You've gotta keep your strength up."

"Oh, right."

Jungkook finished his plate of steamed greens and scrambled eggs with some difficulty. His body felt full enough as it was.

"Great." Jimin took the plate away and put it in the sink. "Now we're going to go on a walk."

"How about tomorrow?"

"Nothing wrong with today."

They led Jungkook out onto the front steps. He kept his head ducked down as if they were standing on a bungee jumping ledge and he didn't want to acknowledge how high up they were.

"You seem nervous," Taehyung said.

"That's because I am."

"What are you afraid of?"

"My brain exploding when I look at everything."

"Guk, it's going to be fine." Jimin ran his fingers through Jungkook's hair. "You were made for this, remember?"

"I don't know—was I?"

"You totally were. Think about how awesome it'll be when you get a handle on it. You might be able to cast better than me or Tae."

Jungkook lifted his eyes.

He turned around and scrambled back inside the hut.

It was on day eight that he finally ventured off the steps. He wandered barefoot through the lush grass with his eyes closed. His fingertips brushed over ferns, vines, the fencing around Jimin's cabbage patch.

"Looks like some seriously transcendental shit is going on over there," Taehyung shouted.

Jungkook opened his eyes wide enough to squint, and gave Taehyung the finger.

Taehyung hooted.

Jungkook wandered closer, using the fence as a safety railing.

"What are you doing?"

"Jimin said I could plant a garden. The climate here is perfect for this clover I've been wanting to try in my werewolf potion."

"You're still trying to brew that?"

"Not the exact same thing." Taehyung positioned the shovel and hopped up on the sides. His weight drove it through the grass, and he reached down, ripping up the turf with two hands. "I've given up on the idea of eliminating heats. I think you're right, it probably isn't the best idea, even though it would really help a lot of people out."

Jungkook watched Taehyung rip out another section of turf. Focusing on something so specific was calming.

"Why aren't you using magic for this?"

"I dunno." Taehyung grinned at him, dropping his voice into a weird, husky purr. "It's fun to get your hands dirty once and a while."

"You don't know how to do it, do you?"

"Fuck off." Taehyung leaned on his shovel, panting. "It's really complicated spellwork."

"But you move stuff around all the time."

"Displacing inorganic compounds is one thing, but ripping up a bunch of grass, which happens to be alive, entails breaking all kinds of other bonds—living bonds—which starts to feel a bit too much like sorcery for my tastes, thank you very much."

Jungkook knelt down. He reached out a finger and prodded at the grass.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm asking it to move."

"Oh. Cool."

Jungkook continued to poke and prod. Taehyung watched closely. The grass started to rustle.

"It doesn't want to move. It says there's nowhere to go."

Taehyung threw his head back. "Well, fuck. It talks?" He stared miserably at the pile of turf. "I've already ripped a bunch of it up."

"Everything talks." Jungkook stood up. "It doesn't mean we can't keep living our lives."

"We could become, what are they called, those people who only ever eat things that fall off trees... foragers?"

"Taehyung, keep digging your garden."

"I don't know if I want to now!"

"It'll be fine, I promise. On the grand scale of chaos in this world, digging a garden is very low on the list." Jungkook strode away.

Taehyung scowled. "Thanks a bunch, mister druid." He lined up his shovel dubiously.

"Holy fuck." Jungkook leaned over the fencing. "Jimin's cabbages are fucked up."

He spent the next hour wandering between the rows of cabbages, running his fingers over them, murmuring to himself. When he got to the blood cabbages, he spooked so hard he tripped trying to get away.

Taehyung had already turned the soil and was arranging it into rows. Jungkook knelt beside him, clutching his skinny arm as his breathing calmed down. Taehyung alternated between poking holes in the rows for seeds and kissing Jungkook's ear, his cheek, the side of his nose.

"You're okay baby."

"I'm never going to sleep soundly again."

"They can't be that evil. Think about it. They grow right beside the ones that we ate the other day."

"Oh well that's just great," Jungkook said faintly.

"Wanna help me plant this angelica? Get your mind off things?"

"I kind of wanted to check out the forest," Jungkook mumbled.

"Okay." Jungkook could tell Taehyung was trying not to smile. His voice was practically vibrating with fondness. "Have fun."

Jungkook stood up and strolled into the forest, giving the cabbage patch a wide berth as he went. Taehyung chuckled as he watched him go. He disappeared into a patch of knotted, twisted oaks, and didn't return until nine o'clock that night.

"Where the hell were you?" Jimin shrieked.

Taehyung was hunched over an unopened book, his face ashen with worry. Jimin had flung himself out of his chair the moment the door opened, knocking a glass of wine over. Sauvignon blanc trickled onto the floor in a steady stream.

"In the forest." Jungkook blinked at both of them. He was halfway in the door. "I told Taehyung."

"Nine hours ago," Taehyung groaned.

"You can't go out in the woods past sundown," Jimin said weakly. "That's when the ghouls come out, not to mention the panthers—"

"I think I saw a ghoul. Those fat green things, with the beady eyes?"

"Oh god." Jimin reached for the bottle with a shaking hand, ignoring the puddle of wine on the floor.

"It was fine. None of them saw me, and even if they did, the trees would've had my back anyways."

"How do you know that?" Jimin demanded. "You only just got your powers. Mistakes have been made before."

Jungkook's smile was patient, like he was trying to figure out the nicest way to tell him that, despite his best intentions, he was really just wrong.

"So you've gone from agoraphobic shut-in to full-blown wood elf over the course of one day," Taehyung said. "I mean if that's the case, fuck yeah, but a little heads up would've been nice."

"I'm sorry. You're right." Jungkook shut the door. "I just got so caught up in it all. I'm not afraid anymore."

Jimin scoured the wine with a wave of his hand and stood up, hurrying across the room to lock the door. Jungkook sat down at the table. Jimin flitted around, putting up his usual wards, lighting lamps.

"Wine?" Taehyung asked dryly.

"Sure."

Taehyung passed him the bottle.

"So you saw some pretty cool shit?"

"So much cool shit." The corners of Jungkook's mouth curved up into a little grin. "I think I might've been able to heal your trees now, Chim."

"Well great, the next time the murderous demons that live in the forest you were wandering around alone in all evening decide to fuck me over, I'll keep that in mind." He came up behind Jungkook and plopped his head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he sighed. "We were just so worried. I'm glad you got your powers working though."

"It's okay." Jungkook reached up and buried his fingers in Jimin's hair. "I'm a little confused. You go out into the forest at night all the time."

"That's because my combat magic is jacked. Just yesterday, you turned a book inside out trying to slide it across the table."

"Maybe his faerie magic is different?" Taehyung asked. "Maybe he'll be more of a natural at it right away?"

"I don't think so. I wasn't really doing much magic. I was just checking stuff out. Making friends."

"With trees," Jimin said.

"What else would I be making friends with?"

"The ghouls? The alligators? Hell if I know. This is uncharted ground for all of us, Guk."

"That's what you get for adding a weird-ass half-faerie to your collection." Jungkook stood up. "I'm going to cook something. I'm starved. You guys want anything?"

"My stomach is still mostly deceased from worrying about you," Taehyung said. "But thanks."

"Can I at least scour your feet first?" Jimin asked.

"You cook in here with muddy feet all the time."

"Yeah, but I'm in a grumpy and critical mood." Jimin pouted. "You did this to me, you don't get to complain."

In the hot, humid climate, Taehyung's garden exploded with greenery, plant and weed alike. When he wasn't tending to it, he was experimenting with his potions. There were a couple oaks that grew next to the garden, and he set up a station in the shade, dragging over an old workbench from the greenhouse. It took an entire morning to cast the protective wards that would keep his tools from blowing away in the afternoon storms. Jimin had suggested he move his operations inside, but he complained that he kept spilling things every time the hut got up to stretch its legs.

Hiding a hut in a magical forest entailed a lot more than Jungkook had originally expected. Jimin was continually checking up on the wards.

"It's worse now that we're here." Jimin was standing on top of the roof, casting concealments into the sky. "Believe it or not, we attract a lot more attention than the hut. The hut knows how to hide when it needs to."

He hiked out into the forest, sometimes disappearing for days at a time. "It's yearly maintenance," he explained one afternoon, after returning from a particularly lengthy venture. He'd shrunk his feet back down to witch size and was soaking them in a tub of cold water, with a beer in his hand. The hut paced warily at the edge of the glade.

"Relax," he called out tiredly. "I'm still me. I just have blisters."

"Where did you go this time?" Jungkook sat on the ground beside him.

"To the edge of this hardwood hammock. There's a tourist trail that runs through the forest next to this one, and people sometimes boat through the marsh that runs between them. I've padded the entire area with wards, but it's good to check up on them now and again."

"Do wards break down?"

"Oh, all the time. The deans are constantly fussing over the concealments around Blackthorn." Jimin took a sip of beer. "It's especially bad when there's wild magic around. The Everglades are so charged, wards go wonky over the course of a couple months."

Jungkook went to get a beer from the fridge. It took him a couple minutes to coax the hut close enough to let him through the front door. He sat back down and leaned his head on Jimin's knee. The ground around them was speckled with tiny purple flowers. Taehyung had told him that heather grew wherever there were high concentrations of earth magic, so what Jimin was saying lined up.

"He's got a nice ass," Jimin murmured.

Taehyung was in the garden. The clover had started to flower and he was bent over, meticulously collecting pollen by tapping each flower into a tiny glass tube. His denim shorts pulled tight around his thighs. Seeing as he was basically upside down, his shirt had slipped halfway up his torso, revealing a soft plane of tummy leading up to his abs.

"He does," Jungkook agreed.

"It's been almost a week since we fucked."

"What the hell?" Jungkook snorted. "Wow. I guess we've all been really engaged."

"I don't know about you, but it's starting to get hard to focus."

Taehyung straightened up and marched back to his potions table. His shirt tumbled back down, swishing around his slender hips, draping low off his shoulders. He'd dyed his hair brown a couple weeks ago, and it was long and scruffy, hanging in his face as he bent over a stack of notes. Jimin squirmed a little in his chair.

"Maybe it's the heat," Jungkook said.

"Speaking of heats, shouldn't he be getting his any day now?"

"Maybe not. Maybe his potion worked and he won't get one all summer."

"Good for him. I guess." Jimin frowned.

"You don't need an excuse to have sex with us," Jungkook laughed. "If you want me to fuck you, just say the word. I could bang you right here, on the grass, with Taehyung watching."

Jimin let out a long, tortured moan. "I want to. But I need to fertilize the cabbages."

"Well you're gonna have to do that one without me kitten."

"I know, I know, you're scared shitless of them. It's okay, don't you have some weird faerie shit to take care of?"

"I did. Now I'm just horny and distracted."

Jimin leaned over and kissed him. Jungkook grabbed the front of Jimin's shirt and pulled him closer, licking deep and needy into his mouth. Jimin pulled away, gasping, even more flushed than before.

"Jerk," he whined.

"Just let me fuck you," Jungkook whined back.

"After the cabbages."

Jungkook scowled. Jimin lifted one of his feet out of the tub and flexed his toes, wincing. Jungkook watched the bones in his foot stretch outwards, his toes morphing together until there were three instead of five, nails curving outwards and down into claws. His heel stretched out in the back into the fourth and final appendage. Before he could get away, Jungkook reached out and grabbed his ankle.

"Oh no, Guk, I'm super ticklish—"

He pressed a kiss to Jimin's front, middlemost claw, as Jimin writhed, almost tipping his lawnchair on its side.

"M'sexy bird boy."

"You and Taehyung need to stop," Jimin giggled breathlessly.

Jungkook kissed higher, up to his ankle. Jimin squirmed, but only half-heartedly, and by the time Jungkook made it to his thigh, he'd gone stock still.

"Where's your fight gone, kitten?" Jungkook bit Jimin's inner thigh through his shorts. Thick bands of muscle flexed under his teeth.

Jimin moaned softly. "T-take them off."

Jungkook chuckled to himself, and pushed the tub of water to the side. He knelt in front of Jimin's lawnchair and helped Jimin out of his shorts, and then his shirt too. Jimin gazed down at him in consternation.

Like Tae, he'd let his hair grow out a little longer. The purple had faded to a silvery blond. It hung down on either side of his face, framing his pretty features—his smoky eyes, his razor sharp nose, and his plump lips, which were currently pouting in displeasure. Slender shoulders led down to sharp collar bones. Boyish yet built pecks led down to more planes of tan skin and compact musculature. Thick thighs led down to sculpted calves, which led down to scaly bird feet. Crooked twigs framed his head like two devil wings.

"You do kind of look like an evil warlock."

"Gukkie," Jimin whined, giving him a little kick.

"Okay, okay."

Jungkook leaned down and kissed the tip of his dick. It was pretty, too—short, thick, with a brownish-pink hue on the tip and balls. Jimin gasped, parting his thighs a little. Jungkook got to work, knees sinking into lush soil.

A couple minutes later Jimin gripped hard at Jungkook's hair and pushed him down, thrusting up into his mouth a couple times. Jungkook thought to himself, oh so this is how this is going to go, but then Jimin yanked him off with a pained moan.

"Want you to fuck me," he panted.

Jungkook made a second trip into the hut. He rifled through several drawers of wooden beads, little pipes, chipped and dirty plant pots, and pouches of seeds, before he found the lube. It had fallen onto the floor and slipped under the bed. He hurried back outside.

Jimin was kneeling on the grass, drinking the rest of Jungkook's beer and lazily watching Taehyung in the distance.

Jungkook dropped down behind him, snuggling in around the branches. "Thought you might've bailed to go fertilize those cabbages."

"I'm too worked up now. I want your cock."

Jungkook swallowed. He coated his fingers in lube, and then had a thought.

"You could probably speed this up if you used magic to stretch yourself out. You know. Like you've secretly been doing to me all along."

"I like it when you work me open." Jungkook kissed Jimin's neck, sucking a mark next to the ghost of a hickey Taehyung had left there last week. Jimin choked a little. "I like how long it takes."

Jungkook hummed in agreement, and slipped his fingers between Jimin's cheeks. The way they were kneeling, they had a perfect view of the compound. The oak trees stirred overhead in a faint breeze, and shadows danced over the grass.

If lazy was what Jimin wanted, lazy was what Jimin would get. Jungkook worked him open slowly, sucking two, and then three more marks into his neck and down his shoulder. He gripped Jimin's hip and fucked him back and forth on the fingers of his other hand.

"Okay," Jimin moaned. "I'm ready."

He dropped down on all fours and arched his back. Jungkook unzipped his shorts and pulled them down far enough to get his cock out. It was a stifling hot day, and both of them were sweating. Another breeze blew through and they let out relieved groans.

Jungkook had to spread his own knees to get down low enough for a good angle. There were going to be grass marks pressed into his skin after this. He thrusted forward, giving it to Jimin in one quick, effortless slide, and Jimin arched further, claws digging into the ground.

"Feel okay?" Jungkook asked.

"Mhm. So good. Fuck."

Jungkook started casually slamming his hips into Jimin's ass. He didn't have enough energy to make it smooth. The air over the glade rippled like a mirage. Sweat dripped down his face.

Jimin's fangs had come out now too, and he was biting his lip so hard it was bleeding. Jungkook could see it from the side, when he turned around to give Jungkook one of his trademark sultry, accusatory glares. Jungkook reached forward and wiped the blood off with his thumb, and then licked it off without thinking.

"You're gross," Jimin whimpered.

"Tastes good."

"What, are you a vampire now?"

"I can see what that demon was on about."

Jimin made a breathy tsking noise and tumbled further down, pressing his chest to the grass. One of his treelike wings smacked Jungkook in the face. Jungkook hauled his hips closer and fucked him a little faster. The desire to cum was starting to overpower his desire to not have a heat stroke.

Jimin had his hand between his legs, stroking himself erratically. His moans were muffled in his elbow.

"C-can he see us?"

"I dunno," Jungkook grunted. "I think he looked up a couple times."

"I'm gonna cum," Jimin whimpered. "Gonna cum real hard, Guk—"

Jungkook felt it when it happened.

He fucked into each tight spasm, until Jimin's hand dropped off his own cock and he was gasping harshly into the grass. Jungkook fucked him harder, the way he knew he liked it, until he came too. He kneaded Jimin's ass, massaging the trembling muscles with his thumbs, as he rode the feeling into the ground.

Their collective moans were dampened by the heavy, humid air. Every sound, even the birds chirping, seemed flatter than usual. Maybe that's why neither of them noticed Taehyung making his way towards them until he was right there in front of their faces.

"Hi guys."

"Oh." Jungkook wiped sweat out of his face. "Hi Tae."

"How was that? You guys have fun?"

"Loads of fun," Jimin mumbled, trying to get up off the ground. His wrists gave out and his face sank back into the grass.

Taehyung plopped down beside them. Jungkook pulled out and pushed Jimin over. Jimin toppled like a poorly-inflated bouncy castle, landing on his side with an oof. Taehyung burst into laughter.

Jungkook pulled Jimin into his lap, shaking with laughter. Jimin murmured various oaths to kill both of them.

"So what's up? Come to join the fun?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I saw you two get going and I was rocking a semi the whole time I was powdering the gypsum." Taehyung held out a cup. "I'm actually just wondering if you could taste this for me."

Jungkook looked at it suspiciously.

"You just licked up my blood and you're nervous about sampling a potion?" Jimin asked.

"Blood is more predictable than most potions."

"Just taste it," Taehyung said. "I promise it's fine."

There was an impatience in his voice. Most of the time, he outmatched Jimin with his chillness by a mile—except right before his heats. He stared fixedly at the cup with his big obsidian eyes until Jungkook put it to his lips and took a sip.

"It doesn't taste like anything."

"Chim?"

Jimin took the cup from Jungkook and drank down what was left. "Yeah, nothing."

"Fuck yeah," Taehyung exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

"That's a good thing?" Jungkook asked.

"To me it tastes like pepper. That means it's angling its effects towards werewolves. I'm on the right track." He grabbed the empty cup and jogged back towards his workstation, humming an unrecognizable tune.

"Yeah, his heat is definitely on the way," Jimin said.

"Scour me?"

Jimin's lethargic eyes assessed the situation. "At this point I feel like we might as well take a shower. Although you're right, I still have to fertilize the cabbages." He whipped his hand across Jungkook's lap. All the cum and lube went flying, yanking his dick roughly to the side.

"God damn it Jimin!"

"That's for shoving me over."

Jungkook tucked his dick protectively into his shorts. Jimin got dressed slowly, cackling to himself, and then limped his way down to the cabbage patch. Jungkook trudged inside, cracked another beer, and started making dinner.

Later that evening Jungkook and Taehyung were doing the dishes while Jimin poked around the cupboards.

"Tomorrow I'm going shopping. We're running out of stuff."

"Like beer," Jungkook said.

"And cereal. And oil."

"And beer."

Their gardens provided them with a lot of fresh vegetables, but none of them wanted to risk hunting in the Everglades and pissing off the swamp ape, or mistaking a demon for a duck and setting off another turf war, so Jimin cast portals and went shopping for the rest of their groceries in human towns, where the portals wouldn't be flagged for being unregistered. Jungkook gave him his credit card. So far none of their bills had come close to scratching the ceiling of Jungkook's monthly allowance. It turned out Jimin was actually quite practical, and also far less likely to get distracted in the liquor store and wander down the spirits aisle and return home with several bottles of expensive scotch.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to brew phase two of my potion," Taehyung said.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to go and try to do more faerie magic in the woods," Jungkook said.

The next day a storm blew in around eleven, and by early afternoon the wind was blowing so hard Taehyung had to run out and reset the wards around his work station. The three of them huddled upstairs in Jimin's bedroom, listening to the rain pound down in sheets on top of the roof.

"So much for wandering around in the forest," Jungkook said.

"I'm not going shopping either." Jimin peeked out the window above his bed. "This is the worst storm we've had all year."

"I hope my garden doesn't flood," Taehyung stammered. He was sitting on a stool in the corner, dripping water all over the floor.

"Tae," Jimin chided. "Get out of your wet clothes."

"Can't. Too achy."

Jimin gave him a once over. "Did you get your heat?"

"I don't know. I don't think so, but it's hard to tell with the potions I've been drinking. Maybe it's here and this is as intense as it's going to get."

Jimin tapped his shoulders. Taehyung begrudgingly lifted his arms over his head so Jimin could undress him. A minute later he was naked and shivering on the stool, waiting for Jimin to pull a towel down from the shelf.

"Do you need anything?" Jungkook asked.

"I'm fine."

Jimin wrapped a big, fluffy towel around Taehyung's shoulders and went back to lie on the bed. Taehyung huddled into the towel. His hair hung around his face in wet clumps. His skin was a little wan. There were shadows under his eyes. He looked pretty rough, but not as rough as when his heat came on in full-force.

"You're shivering," Jimin said. "Are you still cold?"

"Just cramping a bit."

"Come here. We'll cuddle you."

"Don't know if I wanna stand up right now."

"Does it hurt that bad?" Jungkook shuffled to the end of the bed and looked at him. "Maybe you are in heat."

"Maybe. I'm not really that horny though."

"You're never that horny right before your heats," Jimin said. "The calm before the storm, so to speak."

"Yeah, but I'm never this achy either."

"Mind if I take a look?" Jungkook asked.

"Alright," Taehyung sighed. He spread his legs with a wince, pulling the towel to the sides. "Are you about to pull some epic faerie shit on me?"

"I'm gonna try." Jungkook knelt down and examined Taehyung's abdomen. Taehyung breathed out slowly between his teeth.

"Can I check inside you?"

"Go ahead."

Jungkook slowly pushed two fingers up inside Taehyung. Taehyung's thighs were straining against the stool.

"There's a fair amount of slick, but nothing out of the ordinary."

"It is the full moon, right?" Jimin asked.

"Oh it's the full moon alright," Taehyung grated out. "You can't see it through the clouds, but it's up there."

Another sheet of rain slapped against the roof. Wind buffeted against the window. The hut got up and shuffled a little closer to the trees. Jungkook closed his eyes and let his mind flow out through his fingers, into the systems and channels that made up Taehyung's body.

"Oh fuck," Taehyung suddenly swore. Both his hands flew off the stool and gripped Jungkook's shoulders. The towel slid to the floor.

"Whoops," Jungkook said.

Slick pooled around his fingers.

"What did you do?"

"I uh. I think I might've done some faerie magic. By accident. On your sexy parts." He rearranged his hand. "Sorry."

"Do it again."

Jungkook glanced up at Taehyung. His eyes were closed. There was a flush on the bridge of his nose. Jungkook closed his eyes too, and focused.

"Oh fuck, fuck," Taehyung whimpered.

"You can feel that?"

"Oh god, fucking hell Gukkie, why didn't you show this to me sooner?"

"I just figured it out the other day. I had my hands on a tree, and—"

"Are you saying you had sex with a tree?" Jimin asked.

"Well." Jungkook started to blush. "Not exactly."

Taehyung rutted against his fingers. Jungkook opened his eyes. Taehyung's cock bobbed against his stomach, fully erect and leaking.

"Well?" Taehyung asked breathlessly. "Am I in heat?"

"I'm not sure." Jungkook curled his fingers a little. "Sorry Tae, I can't tell."

He started to take his fingers out. Taehyung's hand shot out at the speed of light and grabbed his wrist.

"Hold up."

Taehyung's head dropped forward, bumping against Jungkook's cheek. Jungkook kissed his forehead.

"Can you do that thing again?" Taehyung whispered. "Just one more time?"

Jungkook kissed Taehyung on the mouth this time. "You can have it as many times as you like, baby."

Jimin wandered over, peeking over Jungkook's shoulder. "I kinda wanna touch you too," he said, "but I'm not sure if this is medical, or sexual—"

"Definitely sexual at this point." Taehyung's voice was high and raspy.

Jimin pulled up a stool next to Taehyung's and wrapped his arms around Taehyung's torso, kissing his neck and thumbing over one of his nipples. Taehyung's breath stuttered in his chest.

Jungkook pulled Taehyung to the edge of the stool and fingered him a little quicker, charging the tips of his fingers with the same energy as before. Taehyung moaned into Jimin's mouth. Slick dripped onto the floor.

"Is it helping?" Jungkook asked.

"Yeah," Taehyung panted. "Let's move to the bed."

Taehyung wanted to know if Jungkook could do the same thing with his dick. The answer was yes, but not quite as well. He also demanded that Jimin try, even though they all knew what the answer was going to be.

The three of them lay on the bed a while later, catching their breath. Taehyung was in the middle, limbs spread lazily over the sheets. Jimin's chin was tucked over his shoulder, his lips swollen and red from sucking Taehyung's nipples. Jungkook's hands were sticky and sore.

"Was this a good idea?" Taehyung laughed. "You two need to save your stamina for if my heat gets here for real."

"There's plenty more where that came from," Jungkook muttered.

"Endless amounts," Jimin agreed.

The temperature in the room was almost bearable. Jungkook knew that the second the storm blew over, the moisture it left behind was going to transmogrify into heavy, muggy humidity. He tried to enjoy it while he could.

"I'm not sore anymore," Taehyung said.

"No?" Jungkook asked.

"No. We should bake muffins."

"I guess we have a little flour left," Jimin mumbled.

The three of them trooped downstairs. Jimin turned the oven on and sat down at the table, yawning. Jungkook started beating eggs in a bowl.

The door slammed. Taehyung stomped inside, drenched from head-to-toe.

"Again?" Jimin asked.

"I got blueberries." Taehyung plopped a watery bowl in front of Jungkook.

"Nice." Jungkook assessed the wares. "I love blueberry muffins. I'm a shit baker though. Someone needs to tell me what to do."

Taehyung was halfway into the kitchen before Jimin grabbed him by the back of the shirt. "I am not," he muttered, beginning to strip Taehyung's clothes off, "having you turn my house into a marsh for the second time today."

They ate blueberry muffins and sipped tea that night, huddled around the kitchen table. Jimin was studying an ancient script in order to decipher a spellbook he'd stolen from one of his classmates. Taehyung was reading a lexicon of local plants from the shelf in Jimin's bedroom. Jungkook was going over notes from the year before, still trying to get his basic incantations straight.

Two days later, Taehyung hobbled over to the cabbage patch from his workstation and tapped Jimin's shoulder. Jungkook watched out the window as Jimin bent him over and fucked him over the fencing. Taehyung squeezed the sides of Jimin's face, kissed his lips, and went back to his potions.

"I think I'm definitely in heat." Taehyung watched Jungkook shower, waiting his turn. Water trickled down Jungkook's body and over the paving stones, draining out through the greenhouse floor. Jimin was air-drying naked as he watered his tomato plants. "I'm definitely hornier than usual, and there are still cramps. But I've also been able to keep up with my garden and my potions." He was beaming. "This means I won't need to ask you guys for notes and scramble to catch up anymore."

"You're going to attend classes in heat?"

"I'm going to try. Worst comes to worst I'll bring that dildo around with me and sneak off to the washroom if I need to."

Jungkook handed him the hose. They traded places. Jungkook spread out his arms, savouring a moment of coolness before the water evaporated and was replaced with sweat.

Jungkook could still remember the look on Taehyung's face when Jungkook had walked in on him that first time; how he'd begged Jungkook to come closer, so he could smell him, touch him, anything to make the pain go away. There was something nostalgic about Taehyung's heats. Something that broke down boundaries. Jungkook liked taking care of Taehyung. He liked feeling needed.

"You look a little sad," Taehyung said, scrubbing under his armpits.

"I'm not. I'm happy for you."

"I'm going to miss it too, you know." Taehyung put the hose down and turned the water off. "The delirium. The frenzy. It's been part of me so long, especially with you guys."

"It's not worth your freedom."

"Maybe every now and then I could skip a month and let the heat come on strong. Maybe over the holidays."

"Only if you want to." Jungkook's feet made wet splatting noises against the stones as he came closer. He ran his thumb along Taehyung's jaw. "You know that conversation we once had, where Jimin and I were being insecure assholes about why you guys stick around?"

Taehyung's lips slowly stuck out into a pout. "What are you saying?"

"The way you don't just keep us around to help with your heats... we don't just stick around for them either."

"Are you sure?" Taehyung laughed dryly. "It's a hell of a lay."

"Sex with you is always a good time. With or without the frenzy." Jungkook brushed Taehyung's bangs out of his eyes. Taehyung dropped his gaze to the ground. "Hey," Jungkook whispered. "It's true. I always worry about you during your heats. I'm glad you've discovered a way to lessen the pain."

"I can't believe it's actually working." Taehyung's eyes shimmered. "Guk, think about the possibilities. Not all werewolves have two sexy boyfriends to help them through their heats. For them it's nothing but loneliness and pain, but if I could find a way to get this potion into their hands..."

"It'd be life-changing."

The warmth in Taehyung's eyes spread across his entire face. He smiled at Jungkook radiantly. Jungkook thought his heart my actually break from the force of his adoration.

"You're amazing," he murmured, pulling Taehyung into a hug.

Taehyung giggled. "You're amazing too. I'm really impressed with how your witch magic is coming along, and your faerie magic is fucking cool. It's ancient stuff, touching and feeling things the way you do."

"Naw," Jungkook said. "It isn't really that big a deal."

Taehyung's smile flickered a little. He drew his knees together. "How do you feel about fucking me on the counter right now?"

"I'm feeling pretty solid about that, actually."

Jungkook hefted him into his arms and carried him into the kitchen.

"Nerds," Jimin called after them.

The summer passed like a dream. When Jungkook looked back on it later, it seemed a bit like a high—a delirious chain of events and images bound together by the fact that they all occurred over the summer months and in Jimin's forest.

It was probably the heat.

It seeped into his brain like a drug. He couldn't remember a moment when he hadn't been sweating. Although, the feeling never really left him, the pervasive dreaminess, even once he returned to the cool forests surrounding Blackthorn. It was getting harder and harder to remember what it felt like to look at the world without his faerie eyes—to look at the world without it looking back.

In July, Jimin decided to add a reading room to his hut. He sketched chalk symbols all over the floor, sat down in the middle of it, and meditated until a room popped out next to the spare bedroom upstairs. They made a portal run to Ikea for furniture. Taehyung insisted on purchasing a big squashy chair that barely fit through the door.

Taehyung decided to let his heat run its course in August. He'd perfected the potion recipe and no longer needed to act as his own guinea pig. Jungkook and Jimin holed up in the hut with him the entire week, taking turns to slip downstairs to make food and brew turnip tea. Once it was over, the cabbage patch was overgrown with weeds. Jimin tearfully asked Taehyung and Jungkook to weed it so he could nurse a shrivelled cactus back to life in his greenhouse. Jungkook braved the blood cabbages just that one time.

The rainy season was still in full swing in August. The day they had to leave, it was raining so hard Jungkook couldn't see past the gardens. Jimin and Taehyung cast water-repelling charms on all their luggage.

The hut seemed to know something was different. It followed them to the edge of the forest, spilling water down Jimin's back from the eaves.

"I'll be back soon." Jimin blew it a kiss.

Taehyung reached out and ran his hand down its siding one last time. Jungkook waved.

They sloshed their way past a pile of logs. Jimin cast the portal with Taehyung holding his hair out of his eyes so he could see what he was doing. They sent the luggage through, and then Taehyung, and then Jungkook's boots landed on firm, dry moss, and he knew there was no denying it.

It was time to head back to the dorms. It was time to see what his class schedule looked like, and it was time to call his dad.

"Fourth year, eh Chim?" Taehyung asked.

"That's right," Jimin said.

They made their way into the forest back towards the school. Jungkook's heart ached every step of the way. Like Taehyung's heats, the feeling was both good and bad in its own way.

Chapter Text

"Just... angle your fingers a little more."

"Like this?"

"Try to get more surface area with the tips."

Jungkook bit his lip in concentration.

"Nothing?"

Jungkook stepped back. "I can feel where the problem is. I can feel the roots. I just can't figure out how to get any of it to move."

"Hmm. Maybe there's something wrong with it." Professor Chittaphon reached forward and stuck his fingers into the soil.

He was dressed in a loose white sweater and matching pants. The whole outfit had a bunch of straps and cords hanging off it, from various drawstrings, belts, and a lace-up collar. His hair had gotten longer and it hung in his face. If Jungkook didn't know scouring charms were a thing, it would've struck him as the least practical outfit someone could possibly wear for a day in the garden.

"Does your hair grow fast too?"

"Yes. Inordinately fast." Chittaphon glanced at him sidelong. "Did your father tell you none of these things?"

"My father and I never did much talking."

"Hmm." Chittaphon frowned slightly.

"Sorry." Jungkook snorted. "I know you want to like him."

"It's just strange that the Jeons I had theorized about so severely misalign with the Jeons I've come to know."

Jungkook chuckled dryly, crossing his arms. "Yep."

Chittaphon's breath hitched slightly and the vine straightened up in its pot, leaves inflating with water, stalks becoming rubbery and stiff.

"There was nothing wrong with it, was there?"

"No." Professor Chittaphon dusted off his hands. "You should've been able to redirect the water easily."

"Well damn."

Professor Chittaphon turned to him. He was playing with one of the white cords coming off his outfit. He had the exact body language of someone in a drama who was about to ask another person out on a date.

"I'm only suggesting this because I have your future in mind."

"I'm not interested."

"Are you certain?" Professor Chittaphon let out an exasperated little huff. "There's only so much someone like me can do. I never trained to become a teacher of faerie magic."

"If it's too much pressure..."

"I can handle pressure," Chittapon said curtly. "For a young faerie trying to refine his magic, I would endure far more pressure than this. I am simply wondering how practical these sessions really are, when it's been an entire month, and you still haven't been able to influence any plants I've put in front of you—"

Jungkook began to pace. He did a lap around the workstations and back, rubbing at his chin.

Chittaphon was still playing around with the white cord coming off his pants. "I don't mean to discourage you, Mr. Jeon."

"You're good. I'm plenty decent at discouraging myself."

"You really are determined to stay at Blackthorn?"

Jungkook halted. "Yes," he said lowly. "I've said it hundreds of times."

"Because of those two?"

Jungkook's frown deepened. "Those two are going to be graduating this year. I still have two years to go. If I were just staying for them, I wouldn't be so concerned about my longterm schooling. Besides, is it really professional for teachers to ask their students about stuff like that?"

"Not teachers," Chittaphon said silkily. "Fellow faeries, yes."

"Damn faeries."

Professor Chittaphon snickered, a squeaky little sound emitting from inside his nose. If Jungkook didn't hate him so much right then, he might've admitted that it was kind of cute.

"Okay." Professor Chittaphon let the cord drop. "What if you talk to your father about setting up a distance schooling program?"

"What do you mean?"

"You could continue with your witching education at Blackthorn, while attending evening classes in Seoul at a faerie institution at the same time. It would require ongoing portals—it's really an option only rich kids entertain, given how expensive it is, but I do know that your parents..."

"Are loaded, yeah." Jungkook picked at his chin, staring angrily at the floor. "Evening classes and daytime classes, huh?"

"You would be very busy. As it is, you and I have been meeting three evenings a week, but I guarantee you, those professors would push you much harder."

"Oh, I know. I've been in those kinds of classes before."

"Not when your magic was actually awakened. Faeries who can sniff potential can be some of the most lethal people in the world."

Jungkook looked up and met Professor Chittaphon's eye. "It's incredible how much you get it, and yet you still buy into it."

Professor Chittaphon's mouth slid into an impish smile. "You underestimate me, Mr. Jeon. I'm simply a strategist trying not to fuck up my life."

Jungkook blinked. "Fair enough."

"Think it over." Professor Chittaphon led him to the door by the elbow. "It might just put your mind at ease."

"Both of our minds, Professor?"

"No, no," Professor Chittaphon said serenely. "I'm fine."

He closed the door behind Jungkook.

Heavy rain clouds hung overhead. They seemed undecided whether they were going to let loose their contents. Jungkook wandered underneath that ambiguous sky across the field.

Night time was one of the only times when the grounds felt normal again.

He was used to wandering the forest alone at sundown, back and forth to Maven, smoking at the pit when Yoongi was too busy in the studio to join him. Yoongi's peak work hours had always been at night. Even now, Jungkook often woke up to text messages from him that had rolled in at three or four in the morning.

Any other time in the day and things just weren't right.

During the daytime, Jungkook avoided the smoke pit like Jimin avoided the topic of his hut. The first week back, he'd made a few trips down the hill and smoked a few cigarettes sitting on the old stumps in Yoongi's honour, but the pit felt lifeless, empty without its originator. Jungkook tried to breathe new life into it. The next week he commandeered a bunch of first years who'd been caught smoking in the courtyard. Yeonjun, Soobin... they were nice boys—fresh-faced rich kids, whose parents had moved around a bunch, and they'd picked up smoking along the way—but nothing like Yoongi.

The third week back at Blackthorn, Jungkook accepted that no matter how hard he tried, the smoke pit wasn't going to feel the same, because it wasn't really about the pit.

The refectory felt downright subdued without Seokjin's honking laughter ricocheting off the chandeliers. He hiked back to the glade with the red moss one night, when Jimin and Taehyung had a meeting with their supervisors, and lay on his back, thinking about Namjoon's stormy, philosophical ways, and his first semester at Blackthorn, and how little he'd realized how fast things could change.

It wasn't like he had tons of spare time on his hands. Courses had picked up and midterms loomed on the horizon, but he was Jeon Jungkook, and if there wasn't time in his life to be moody and sentimental, he'd schedule it in.

There was a tower in the east wing that nobody either knew or cared about. Jungkook suspected the latter. Half the windows were broken. Dust and sunlight poured in over the cracked plaster, lighting up the inside of the turret like a massive torch. Pigeons roosted in the rafters, cooing fretfully to themselves while Jungkook smoked below, leaning against a brick pillar, gazing out the window and trying not to get shat on.

His phone was on the ground beside him.

He needed to call his dad. He needed to call him because he needed a future. Taehyung and Jimin were graduating in less than eight months and if Jungkook wanted to remain relevant in their lives, he needed a plan. What he wanted most was to break free from the grip his parents had on him, but in order to do that, he needed to find a way to support himself, and in order to support himself in the magical world, he needed magic.

He picked up the phone and frowned at the black screen.

You awakened your magic!

That's right. Their methods worked.

Well, it's about time. I was really starting to wonder if you were destined to live the rest of your life as a mediocre witch.

I wouldn't get too excited. I still haven't learned any faerie spells. Jungkook didn't know if what he did in bed with Jimin and Taehyung counted as a faerie spell, or a witch spell, or a spell at all. Either way he was one-hundred percent certain that his father didn't need to hear about it.

Of course I'm excited. We'll throw a party.

What? No, dad. I'm too busy with school.

There were plenty of reasons not to call.

The endless insinuations that Jungkook wasn't good enough. Unreasonable demands that Jungkook drop his studies to come home to visit. Little digs aimed at the people Jungkook loved most in this world. But worst of all was the ongoing fear that his father was going to put his foot down one day and demand that Jungkook abandon his schooling at Blackthorn, and there was nothing Jungkook would be able to do about it.

This is why I need to get my magic working.

Because then I'll finally have something of my own, and I'll be free.

He ran his thumb over the screen, chewing on his lip, staring at his father's number. It was the last call in his recent history. He barely called anybody anymore. Things had fallen out over time with his human friends back in Seoul, Yoongi preferred to text, and Jimin and Taehyung preferred the method of bursting into each other's rooms unannounced.

A pigeon cooed overhead. There was a chorus of shuffling feet and flapping wings.

"Hello?"

"This is unexpected."

"Sorry to call so late. I needed to ask you about something."

"It's alright. Your mother and I were up entertaining some guests. Mrs. Lee and her two husbands, do you remember them growing up? Well, their daughters have grown into quite a pair of entrepreneurs. They've partnered in a magical enhancements practice, and—"

Jungkook let his breath out slowly through his nostrils.

"Yeah, that's great dad. I was hoping to make it quick."

"Never one to dally."

Jungkook dug his sneakers into the dusty floor. Neither are you, when you haven't been into the wine, fucking hypocrite.

"I'm wondering if we could set up a distance education program."

"Where?"

"In Seoul. I want to take evening classes at a faerie institution."

"Why evening classes?"

"Because," Jungkook grated out, "I'm still going to be doing daytime classes at Blackthorn."

"Oh, right. I forgot." A pause. "Are things not working out with Professor Chittaphon?"

"It's going okay."

"So, no then."

Jungkook scowled at a massive pile of pigeon dung.

"I'd prefer you enrol fulltime in Seoul, but the prospect of you spending at least some time at an actual school does please me. Can you catch up on what you've missed if I enrol you in something right away?"

Oh, so his father was going to be doing the enrolling now.

He never could resist controlling as much of Jungkook's life as possible. Jungkook never got the feeling he did it because he actually cared. Caring about Jungkook's life was a sport his parents played recreationally on the weekends, a casual hobby they'd taken up on the side, like knitting. Controlling things and putting on good face was a fulltime tenured position.

"Yeah, I think so."

"I'll get everything in order. It won't be easy with the time difference, but I'll find something that works."

"Thanks, Da—"

"On one condition."

Jungkook paused.

His heart was pounding, fight or flight instantly triggered. Sometimes talking to his dad felt like an ongoing, real life version of the trolley problem, some ridiculous what-would-you-rather-do where at any given moment he was going to be asked to throw away his entire support system in the name of his own needs—what he wanted to do with his life, and the people he loved.

"What is it?" he demanded skittishly.

"A celebration, Jungkook. Your mother and I haven't seen you in over a year. Neither have any of your relatives and your birthday just passed. It's more than overdue."

Jungkook sagged against the pillar in relief. "Oh. Okay, fine."

"Superb. I'll organize the portal for that too."

"Can I bring anybody?"

"Bring the werewolf if you must. I know he's a point of comfort for you. And please invite your advisor, the one who awakened your magic at the summer retreat. I'd love to shake his hand."

"Okay."

Jungkook hung up the phone and fumbled in his pocket for his smokes.

The trapdoor opened a second later.

"Wow." Taehyung poked his head in and sucked in a big breath through his nostrils. "It doesn't smell half as bad as I thought it would in here."

"Jesus Christ."

"So this is where you've been hiding these days." Jimin appeared next to Taehyung and used Taehyung's head as a handhold, shoving his way up through the trapdoor first. Taehyung let out a groan of complaint.

"How the fuck did you two find me?"

Jimin held up a short black hair, pinched between his thumb and forefinger. "Locator spell. Found this in your room. Led us right to you."

"Jungkook," Taehyung scolded, yanking the smoke out of his hand. "I thought you'd stopped that over the summer."

"Can I not... just have five minutes..."

"What about the pipe I carved for you?" Jimin asked. "I thought you were going to smoke organic tobacco instead." Taehyung handed him the smoke and he scoured it with a grimace. "These things are packed full of chemicals."

"So that's why you two stalked me up here? To stage an intervention?"

"Well, not exactly."

Taehyung rummaged around in his pockets and took out a plastic ziplock bag with something brown and smushed inside. He handed it to Jungkook.

"Um."

"It's chocolate cake from the cafeteria."

"Oh." Jungkook examined the bag more closely. "Why are you giving me cake?"

"You seem off lately," Jimin said.

Taehyung elbowed him in the ribs.

"What?" Jimin whispered.

"You can't lead in that strong," Taehyung whispered back. "You've gotta work your way into these things, pepper it with some questions—"

"I can hear you," Jungkook said tiredly.

"I know," Taehyung said. "I'm trying to get a point across. Honestly this little visit was sort of a kill-two-birds-with-one-stone kinda deal—" He winced, glancing up at the pigeons. "Sorry folks, figure of speech, but poor choice of words, to be sure."

"What do you mean?"

"The first mission was to cheer you up, of course. But I also thought it would be a good opportunity for Jimin to learn some more about how emotions work."

"I'm getting better, but there are still gaps in my knowledge," Jimin said. "My strongest suits are sexy and clever emotions. I really like sarcasm—"

"Which is weird, seeing as that's something even some witches don't understand," Taehyung said.

"—but I'm less good with sadness, especially when it belongs to other people."

"You definitely seemed pretty sad when you thought I was in a permanent coma over the summer."

Jimin frowned. "I don't like talking about that."

"But see, that's still an example of Jimin fearing for his own loss," Taehyung said. "Right now, Jungkook is feeling bummed out for reasons unknown, with very little fallout for us, except we care about him," he looked at Jimin, enunciating the words slowly, "so we don't like seeing him suffer, right?"

"I don't know if what happened over the summer was exactly that simple," Jimin mumbled.

"Good. Good!" Taehyung nodded excitedly. "That's exactly it. Emotions are rarely simple. So in this case, what you need to try to do is make Jungkook open up to you, instead of forcing your ideas on him. Go in with an open and curious heart."

"Maybe that's the problem," Jimin said. "I feel like my solution is always right."

"And it often is, Chim, which makes it even more confusing. Sorry Jungkook," Taehyung said quickly. "This must be a little tedious. I really only intended this to be a quick aside."

Jungkook took a big, gooey bite of chocolate cake. "No, no, go on," he said, cheeks puffing out. "It's good entertainment."

"We didn't come here to entertain you," Jimin said. "We wanted to talk to you about your feelings."

"Mmm." Jungkook chewed noisily. "Good cake."  

"Now Jungkook isn't the type to like talking about his feelings," Taehyung muttered in Jimin's ear. "In this kind of situation, usually you berate him and tease him until he either spits out the truth bitterly, or gives up. We're not going to do that today."

"No, today we're going to let Jungkook eat his cake in peace and pretend you never saw him here," Jungkook said.

"Gukkie," Taehyung chided.

"Watch out for the poop." Jungkook pointed.

Jimin yanked his hands off the ground like he'd been burned.

"There's poop everywhere," Taehyung said. "It's bird poop. Big deal. That really isn't the main focus right now."

Jungkook finished the cake and then licked the bag clean as loudly and obnoxiously as he could. Jimin watched him with an expression of amused contempt. Taehyung merely looked worried.

"Why do I have to talk about it?"

"We barely see you anymore," Taehyung said. "You're in the greenhouses with Professor Chittaphon three nights a week, and when you're not, you're always sneaking off on your own."

"I'm just..." Jungkook played with his hands. "I've just been adjusting."

"Why don't you ask Yoongi to come visit over the holidays?" Jimin asked. "Or we could make a trip to LA, if Tae's parents aren't too butthurt over us not going to stay with them instead."

"My dad will only be butthurt over not getting to see Jungkook," Taehyung said.

"It isn't just Yoongi." Jungkook paused. "I've been thinking a lot about my future."

"Oh no," Taehyung said. "Don't do that."

"And you haven't? I saw the applications on your desk for graduate school, Tae."

"Yeah, well." Taehyung looked a little guilty. "I don't like to bore you guys with those kinds of details."

"That's the thing. They aren't just annoying side details to me. I've never known how any of that works. You two are going to be graduating in seven months and I'm..." He took a deep breath, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "I just got off the phone with my dad."

A look of enlightenment spread across both of their faces.

"It isn't that simple either," Jungkook railed on. "I'm not just pissed because we talked. I'm trying to figure this shit out."

"I know Guk." Taehyung rubbed Jungkook's leg.

"What did you talk about?" Jimin asked.

"The lessons with Professor Chittaphon have been going terribly. I asked him if I could set up distance schooling at a faerie institution in Seoul."

"What did he say?"

"He's gonna take care of all of it."

"Well..." Jimin said tentatively. "That's good, right?"

"I guess."

There was a pause.

"We care about you, you know that?" Taehyung said.

"The fuck did I have to fall in love with two third-years," Jungkook muttered, ducking his head lower.

"We'll find a way to make it work."

"How?" Jungkook asked. "I'll be living in the dorms. You two might be in different cities."

"Hmm." Jimin stared out the window in thought. "I see your point."

"Have you honestly not thought about this yet?" Jungkook sniffled, wiping his eyes in frustration. "God, I'm such a fucking sap. Ignore me."

"I'll figure something out," Jimin said.

"You don't have to."

"Stop," Taehyung begged. "Just because we're scattered doesn't mean we don't care about you. I get it now. We need to figure this out."

"You don't need to do anything."

"Fuck off, Gukkie."

Taehyung curled up beside him, snuggling his head into his shoulder. Jimin stroked his leg distractedly, still gazing out the window.

"Yeah," Jimin said. "It's going to be fine."

Jungkook was almost feeling spiteful and insecure enough to leave it at that. But then Taehyung wrapped his arms around him and kissed his cheek, and his self-hatred took an impulsive turn, pushing the rest of it out of him instead.

"My parents are throwing a gala to celebrate my birthday. You two are invited but I know you're busy with your proposals, so forget I said anything."

He crossed his arms and huddled further down into himself.

"What?" Taehyung asked.

Jungkook remained a silent, seething lump.

"Of course we're coming with you Guk. Is that even a question?"

"I've wanted an opportunity to check out a faerie house for years," Jimin mused. "But the security in those neighbourhoods is extreme. This is fantastic. This way I won't even need to break in."

Taehyung heaved a similar sigh to the ones Chittaphon had been heaving all week during their private tutorials.

***

"Let me get this straight," Taehyung said.

The three of them were loitering behind a tropical plant with leaves the size of Jungkook's entire body. For the past twenty minutes they'd been following a meandering stone pathway through what was, for all intents and purposes, an enchanted garden. Butterflies fluttered lazily through the air. Trees the size of small skyscrapers loomed overhead, smooth grey trunks leafless until the very top, where branches spread out like palm fronds. Tiny ornate bridges led over babbling brooks. Everything was either much bigger or smaller than usual.

"This is your front yard?"

Jungkook grimaced, nodding.

A faint haze hung in the air, like they were on a theatre set. Just visible through the verge was an enormous mansion. It spiralled out of the ground like a castle-sized glass-blown sculpture, forcibly asymmetrical in its design. Pale yellow lights glimmered through the transparent walls, hovering in the corridors like imprisoned will-o'-the-wisps. In the centre was a tree.

"And that's your house?"

"Yeah," Jungkook said.

"Where are your neighbours?"

"In the next enchanted forest over."

"Holy shit."

Taehyung took a moment to stare. Jungkook took a moment to drink.

"Who are all those people going in?"

"Those are the guests my parents invited."

"Don't they want to see you one-on-one first?"

Jungkook looked at Taehyung like he was insane. "Why would they want to do that?"

Taehyung snatched the flask out of Jungkook's hand and took a gulp.

Jimin was busy ogling their surroundings. "These are some insane compression spells," he breathed, running his fingers through the air.

"Faerie magic, bruh," Jungkook said, doing his best imitation of one of Taehyung's pervy faces.

Taehyung snorted, spilling whiskey down his chin.

"If you ever learn to do this, please teach me," Jimin said.

"Sure," Jungkook said doubtfully.

"I think someone saw us," Taehyung said. "Should we go inside?"

"Can we?" Jimin asked eagerly.

Jungkook slipped the flask into his inner pocket.

They walked along the path and joined the procession of people making their way through the front gate. There were no roads, seeing as faeries rarely drove cars. The gate was matte silver, opening up on both sides to a smooth marble path, which led up to an arching glass entranceway. Portals sparkled in the distance, flickering off all the reflective surfaces as more guests arrived.

"At this rate if we want to see your parents we'll have to submit a request," Taehyung said.

"They'll make themselves known," Jungkook said gloomily.

A group of faeries in long silver dresses turned around. The moment they spotted Jungkook they began to whisper amongst themselves.

"Isn't that a little overt?" Taehyung asked.

"That's just the beginning."

Jimin kept buttoning and unbuttoning the front of his jacket. He'd decided to wear a full suit; black polyester with silver pinstripes, with a matching waistcoat and pants. An array of jewellery glittered on his fingers and ears, and seeing as he was supposed to be an 'instructor' from Jungkook's alleged 'summer retreat', he'd added a pair of fake glasses.

"Nervous?"

"I hope they don't see through all this," Jimin said quietly.

There was nothing Jungkook could say to assure him. He could feel the flask bumping around in his pocket, begging for attention.

"You look stunning, Chim," Taehyung said. "That's all that counts."

Taehyung was dressed in a flowing cream shirt and waist-high black pants. He'd tied his hair back in a tiny ponytail and held the rest in place with a metal tiara. Even by faerie standards he was looking very pretty. A couple guests stole a few looks at him as they were waiting to go through the front door. He bobbed up and down in his dress shoes, oblivious as usual.

Jungkook had chosen to dress up a little too. There was no point in causing rifts at such a superficial level, not when the goal was for the evening to go by as quickly and unremarkably as possible. He was wearing a white turtle neck under a suit jacket, with black pants and dress shoes. Taehyung had pierced his ears over the summer. Thick silver bands dangled from each lobe.

Jimin pulled a little bottle out of his inner pocket, uncorked it, and shot the whole thing in one go.

"What was that?" Jungkook asked in astonishment.

"A concealment." Jimin wiped his mouth. "To make sure my hag traits stay hidden."

"There are so many people here," Taehyung said. "I'm sure you'll blend right in."

"They're all faeries." Jimin uncorked a second bottle. "I don't trust faerie eyes."

They made their way through the entrance. The lobby was crowded with guests. A cluster of glowing orbs hovered overhead, twirling and churning like an ensorcelled disco ball. The floor was a smooth plane of glazed concrete curving around a stairwell into the ballroom.

"This shit is so slippery," Taehyung remarked, sliding his shoe over the floor.

"Dude, I used to eat shit coming down those stairs all the time."

"Your parents know that I'm a werewolf, right?"

Jungkook nodded, trying to keep his expression neutral.

"And they're cool with it?"

"Yeah." Jungkook's voice didn't come out anywhere near as convincing as he'd hoped.

Taehyung gave him a dubious look.

"They really appreciate everything you've done for me."

"Well at least there's that." Taehyung heaved a sigh. "Is that champagne?"

"Faerie tonics." Jungkook snatched two off a passing tray and handed one to Taehyung.

"What about me?" Jimin asked.

"Here." Jungkook handed the other one to him and looked around for more.

"Jungkook, is that you?" A faerie glided over. She was a couple inches taller than Jungkook, even in flats. Her jet-black hair hung down over her shoulders. She was wearing a crown of living air plants.

Jungkook abandoned his booze mission with a begrudging smile. "Hi auntie."

"Auntie?" Taehyung muttered incredulously.

Jungkook's aunt looked no older than Jimin or Taehyung. She had big doe eyes and the same rosebud mouth as Jungkook.

"This is Kim Taehyung and Park Jimin," Jungkook said awkwardly.

She shook Jimin's hand. "I've heard we have you to thank for many exciting things." Her eyes flickered to Jungkook in conspiratorial excitement. "And you." Her eyes lingered on Taehyung. "Now, you're quite pretty, aren't you?"

"Thanks?" Taehyung shook her hand.

Jungkook wanted to crawl out of his skin.

"It's good to see you again, Jungkook." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Such interesting friends. Carrying on your parents' legacy, perhaps."

She flitted away before he could respond.

"Sorry about that," he muttered.

"How old is she?" Taehyung asked.

"A couple years younger than my dad—maybe fifty? Fifty five?"

"Damn." Taehyung stared at Jungkook. "If you're gonna look like that when I'm fifty, I better start looking into some anti-aging creams."

"I think she knew," Jimin muttered.

"Chim, you need to relax," Jungkook said. "We're here, there's nothing we can do at this point."

"I'm trying, but it's hard when I can't even hold your hand."

"I mean, we could," Jungkook said uncertainly.

"It's okay. I don't want to make things any more complicated than they need to be."

Jungkook snatched a couple more tonics off a side table.

A small ensemble was playing in the corner. The babble of voices drowned out most of the instruments, but the flute wove its way through the crowd, a high, melancholy melody that Yoongi would have liked. The ballroom banked up against the tree in the centre of the mansion, and where there would have been a wall, there was smooth, grey bark instead.

Sections of the glazed concrete floor alternated with glass. A stream flowed underneath Jungkook's feet, trickling through a bed of river rocks.

"I feel like I'm in a museum," Jimin said.

"Do witches even have museums?" Jungkook asked.

"Not really. Art is one area where the line between witches and humans blurs."

"Art is magic," Taehyung said.

"Where are your parents?" Jimin asked.

"Chill, I'm trying to find them."

Jimin shot back another tonic. Jungkook didn't think he'd ever seen him so nervous.

"I can't believe you grew up in this place," Taehyung said.

"Neither can I, honestly."

"Like, this?" Taehyung pointed to a sculpture. It was a faerie goddess, carved out of marble, kneeling in the centre of a large indoor garden. Several fountains burbled on either side of her. "This was just your everyday life?"

"When I couldn't get away to the city, yeah."

Jimin went to look at it closer and stumbled. Jungkook held out his arm. Jimin clutched his elbow, adjusting his glasses.

"How many tonics have you had?"

"Only two. I think they're interacting strangely with my ward potions."

"Let's find some water."

Taehyung pouted until Jungkook offered him is other elbow, and then there they were, cutting their way through the crowd, the prodigal son with a hag on one arm and a werewolf on the other, making a scene and turning heads as usual.

The bartender immediately recognized Jungkook. He brought them a pitcher. Jungkook poured Jimin a glass of water and leaned on the bar, trying to look invisible.

"Is that your dad?" Taehyung asked.

Jungkook looked up. "Fuck."

"Yikes, he looks just like you. This is going to be weird."

Jungkook's father was making his way through the crowd, holding his mother's hand. He was wearing a lavender robe underneath a white vest cloak. His hair was pulled back from his face in a plait that went all the way down his back. He looked thirty, if that. Jungkook's mother looked closer to her age, but years of magical interventions gave her a youthful impression when her face was at a standstill. She was also wearing traditional faerie attire, a pale blue robe underneath a cloak that matched her husband's. Her hair was loose, with a single braid ringing her head like a tiara.

"There you are," his father said jovially. "And this must be—oh, let me guess."

Jungkook eyed the tonic in his father's hand dubiously.

His father took a step back, appraising Jimin and Taehyung closely. His mother stood to the side, chuckling at his father's antics. Jimin couldn't seem to stop blinking. Taehyung gawked unabashedly.

"Mister Park," he said at last, holding out his hand to Jimin.

Jimin shook it. "How did you know?"

"How do you think I knew?"

"The glasses?" Jimin asked uncertainly.

Jungkook's father winked. "Dead giveaway."

Jimin shuffled his feet, looking at Jungkook. He seemed a little lost.

"So you're the witch who unlocked my son's powers." Jungkook's father seemed oblivious to Jimin's discomfort. His jet-black eyes were unfaltering as he took him in. He bowed his head. "We're indebted to you."

"Thank you." Jungkook's mother bowed her head too.

"And this is Taehyung," Jungkook interjected.

"Oh." Jungkook's father glanced over, distracted. "Yes. Pleased to meet you."

There was a brief handshake before Jungkook's father returned his gaze to Jimin.

"Mister Park. Please, tell us about how you did it."

"It's quite miraculous," his mother said. "We tried for years, but Jungkook was so stubborn."

Jimin straightened up, abandoning the hold he had on the counter with some bravery. "Of course."

Jungkook sipped a tonic and listened as Jimin wandered his tipsy way through the most elaborate, rambling lie he'd heard him come out with yet.

Taehyung leaned both elbows back on the bar, spread his legs, and watched people walk by. He was naturally sensual, with his posture, his slender wrists, his beautiful face. People glanced at him curiously until they saw who he was with, and then they looked away. Jungkook wondered how many people his parents had told about their son's 'werewolf friend'.

"Well, that's quite involved," his father was saying. "I can see now why our methods might not have worked."

"It really takes a lot to make it happen sometimes," Jimin said.

"Can we have a word, Jungkook?" his mother asked.

Jimin's expression deflated a little at the abrupt dismissal. Jungkook had endured their mercurial methods his entire life, but it was strange seeing them carried out on someone else.

"Of course," he said.

He followed them up the stairs to a railing overlooking the ballroom. He glanced over at the bar. Jimin was leaning against the counter again. Taehyung was feeding him more water.

"Still cutting your hair like a human, I see."

"It's convenient, and Jimin's a good hairdresser."

"Jungkook." His mother's voice carried the same saccharine undertones as his father. In his most conflicted moments growing up, perhaps in some unsuccessful attempt to sort himself out, Jungkook had listened to recordings on the internet of lectures she'd given as a young witch, before she'd met his father. She hadn't always shaped her words like a noble faerie. It was a habit she'd acquired because of him, like so many other pieces of her current identity—her hair, her clothes, her areas of research—her striving for eternal youth.

"What are those boys to you really?"

"Jimin and Taehyung?" Jungkook turned his back to the bar and looked at his parents. "Taehyung's my tutor and Jimin is my mentor."

"Come now, Jungkook."

"Why are you asking if you already know?"

"I've always preferred to hear people speak the truth themselves," his father said. "I'd rather confirm my suspicions than assert them prematurely."

"They have nothing to do with this."

"A werewolf was one thing," his mother said softly. "But a hag? Will you stop at no ends to turn your life into some kind of spectacle?"

"You told her?" Jungkook turned to his father. "When?"

"I'm frankly surprised you know." His father laughed lightly. "I thought maybe he tried to pull the wool over your eyes too. Knowing you, he might've succeeded."

"I found out in my first semester," Jungkook said darkly.

"Good for you," his father said.

"Shows how much I don't care."

"We saw you come in the door," his mother continued. "Mister Park could cast wards on himself until he turned inside out, and we would still know what he is. We're faeries. Our magic is strong enough to see through most things."

"You're a witch, mom."

"I'm fully aware of what I am." The sweetness in her voice dipped for a second, and Jungkook caught a glimpse of the hardened witch that she really was. "Are you, Jungkook?"

"That's why I'm here, isn't it?"

"Think of their feelings," his father tittered. "Humans are one thing, but to involve those poor creatures in your aimless schemes? Don't you think it's a little cruel?"

Jungkook's mouth hardened into a line.

"Drop your studies at Blackthorn," his mother said. "You have your faerie magic now. You're twenty years old."

"Your mother's right, Son. It's time to grow up."

"So let me get this straight," Jungkook said slowly. "My choice of lovers isn't good enough. My choice of school isn't good enough."

"Now don't go putting words in our mouths—"

"It isn't good enough that Taehyung inspired me to learn magic when I was determined to spend the rest of my life drinking and partying with humans."

"Jungkook—"

"It isn't good enough that Jimin took it upon himself to pull my faerie magic out of me, at the risk of his own safety. No, I've come miles beyond where I ever thought I'd stand in your eyes, and it still isn't good enough." Jungkook's voice had risen loud enough that several guests were looking over. "I'm starting to see that nothing is ever going to measure up, is it? No matter what I do, you're still going to keep beating me down."

"Jungkook," his father snapped. "Lower your voice."

Jungkook took a deep breath.

"Will you pay for my schooling?" he asked.

"I don't see where that ever came into question," his father said.

"And you'll register the portals for my distance classes?"

"Jungkook, why are bringing this up now?"

"Will you?"

"Yes!" his father exclaimed. "It's all put in order. I thought we'd been through this."

"Okay." Jungkook turned around.

"Where are you going?"

"I fulfilled my half of the agreement, didn't I?" Jungkook turned around and kept walking backwards. "Thanks for the birthday party. Best thirty minutes of my entire life."

"Jungkook, the dancing hasn't even started yet."

"I hate the waltz. You know that."

Jungkook made his way down the stairs. His hands were shaking. Jimin and Taehyung were still at the bar, chatting with the bartender. Nobody else seemed to know what to do with them, like they were pets that belonged to someone else, and they weren't sure if they were allowed to go up and pet them or not.

"Come on," he muttered, grabbing their hands.

"Baby?" Taehyung asked. "Is everything okay?"

Jungkook pulled them through the crowd.

"Slow down," Jimin said. "I'm dizzy."

"Sorry Chim."

Jungkook slowed to a walk and wrapped his arm around Jimin's shoulders. Jimin leaned into him with a shivery sigh.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Still pretty wasted."

"What happened?" Taehyung asked.

The anger that he'd restrained upstairs threatened to erupt again. He clamped his mouth shut and kept walking.

Most of the guests were in the ballroom. Jungkook could feel his parents' eyes on his back as he wove through the crowd and slipped out into the lobby. The butler bowed to them as they made their way under the glass archway, down the steps, and out into the garden.

The cool night air hit Jungkook like a sledgehammer.

"Gukkie?"

"Fuck them," Jungkook exclaimed, leading Jimin onto the garden path. Jimin's shoes got tangled at the base of the bridge and he almost fell over. Taehyung made his way around to Jimin's other side and helped hold him up.

"Is everything okay?"

"I thought maybe for once in my life they'd be proud of me, but of course they weren't. I'm so stupid."

"I know that feeling." Taehyung frowned.

"You're not stupid," Jimin slurred. "Neither of you. Don't say that, I don't like it."

"Awe," Taehyung said. He kissed Jimin's head. "That was sweet, Chim."

"Well, fuck them." Jungkook turned left at a fountain, leading them in a different direction than before. "I don't need their approval—I need their money. For now. With any luck one day I won't need that either."

"You're finally starting to sound like a proper witch," Jimin said.

Jungkook let out a strangled laugh. "Thanks, I guess."

"You're sure you could live without all this?" Taehyung asked.

"I've lived without it most my life. Made a point of living without it. The only thing I'll miss is the financial freedom, but it comes at too high a cost."

"That's because it isn't your money," Jimin said wisely. "You need to get money of your own. Lots of money. Start a treasure hoard. Like a dragon."

They walked by a patch of glowing lilies, and then Jungkook cut off the trail. They made their way over a rug of plush green grass, through a line of Japanese lilacs, and along the edge of a pond with several frogs lounging on rocks, trilling softly in the preternatural glow of the water.

"Think you can hop this fence?"

Jimin nodded.

"I'll give you a leg up."

It was a stony retaining wall, maybe six feet high. Taehyung climbed over and waited on the other side. Jungkook gripped the bottom of Jimin's foot and hoisted him up. He flopped facedown on the top of the wall, stuck with one arm and one leg on either side.

"Come on baby," Taehyung called from below. "Just a little further."

"What's wrong with me?" Jimin groaned.

He rolled to the left. Taehyung swore. There was a scrambling sound, and then a thump. Jungkook scaled the wall as quickly as he could.

Taehyung had attempted to break Jimin's fall by catching him. Both of them had ended up tangled in an abelia shrub. Jungkook pulled Jimin off Taehyung. The second Jimin made it to his feet, his knees gave out and he fell back down, landing in the mulch.

"Ow, ow, ow," he squeaked, curling in on himself.

"What's wrong?" Jungkook asked, alarmed. "Is something broken?"

Taehyung was still struggling to disentangle himself from the shrub.

"The potions, they've gone awry."

Jimin held out his hand. Claws were bursting out of his nail beds, longer and longer, two, three times their usual size. Jungkook heard something rip.

"Take my jacket off," Jimin moaned. Twigs started to snap. "My hag traits, they're g-going crazy."

Taehyung scrambled over, finally free, and pulled Jimin's jacket off. Jungkook started unbuttoning his waistcoat. Jimin thrashed, kicking off his shoes just in time for his bird feet to explode into existence.

"What do we do?" Taehyung asked.

"I left the remedy at home," Jimin gasped.

"I don't think you can portal-cast like this."

"We're in Seoul," Jungkook said. "He can't portal-cast anyway."

"Says y-you—hah!" Jimin's face contorted in pain. "Oh fucking hell—"

Twigs were pushing out of his shoulder blades, cracking in half, crumbling to the ground, and growing some more. Jimin clamped his eyes shut. Tears streamed down the sides of his face.

"We've gotta do something," Taehyung said.

They were stranded on the side of the highway on the edge of a faerie community in Seoul. Even if there had been a doctor around, Jimin was sure to refuse treatment if it meant outing himself as a hag. The only person on the planet who could help Jimin right now was Jimin, and he was in no state to help anybody.

Jungkook grabbed Jimin's hands. He closed his eyes. He smoothed his thumbs over Jimin's claws.

Jimin's breathing hitched in his throat.

Jungkook slid his hands up Jimin's arms to his chest. He could feel the potions in Jimin's veins. He could feel the way they were mixing with the faerie tonics, turning into something poisonous. He could always feel these things, but he could never do anything to change them.

He willed the poison to leave Jimin's body.

Jimin was biting his lip. His fangs were drawing blood. There was a crunching sound from behind him, and his mouth flew open. He shrieked in anguish.

There's no time for this.

Jungkook closed his eyes. He blocked out Taehyung's panicked breathing in his right ear. He waited for the moment when he was able to feel what was in Jimin's veins again, and this time, instead of asking it to move, he moved it himself.

Jimin groaned softly.

"Chim?" Taehyung asked softly.

Jungkook opened his eyes.

Jimin sagged back against the retaining wall. The branches were sucking back into his shoulders with a rustling sound. His claws were shrinking. His feet were back to their usual size. His paisley socks lay in ruins around his ankles.

"What happened?" Taehyung asked.

"The potions are gone."

"How?"

"I peed them out," Jimin chuckled weakly.

Taehyung's eyes dropped lower. There was a big wet stain on the front of Jimin's pinstriped pants.

"Oh wow. You totally did."

"Don't look at me like that. Jungkook made me do it."

"Guk did this?"

"I guess I did."

Taehyung gave Jungkook an up and down. "Fucking badass."

"I don't know about that."

"You stripped the toxins out of my blood on a molecular level, without brewing a potion." Jimin reached for his waistcoat. "Pretty badass if you ask me."

"Are you feeling better?"

"Just peachy." Jimin scoured the front of his pants. "Where are we off to next?"

"I'm not sure if I can just move on from that," Taehyung said. "That was kind of scarring to be honest."

"I was thinking we could go drinking downtown," Jungkook said tentatively. "But—"

"I'm game." Jimin pecked Taehyung on the lips. "Come on babe. We've gotta make this night fun somehow."

They trudged out of the bushes onto a freeway. Jungkook flagged down a cab and texted his friends on the way downtown.

"Wow, they actually responded," Jungkook said. "They're at a karaoke bar."

The three of them were crammed into the backseat with Jimin in the middle.

"Karaoke?" Taehyung asked. "That's the singing thing, right?"

"As long as there's more booze, count me in." Jimin massaged his nailbeds, gazing out the window. Jungkook wove their fingers together and gave his hand a squeeze.

They pulled up in front of a convenience store. A line of restaurants stretched down the street. People were everywhere.

"God, I miss the nightlife here," Jungkook said, handing his credit card to the taxi driver.

The three of them piled out onto the street. Taehyung and Jimin spun around, gawking at the neon signs, the flashing screens, the hoards of boys with similar haircuts as Jungkook. Jungkook took their hands and led them up a steep set of stairs to a small door. A board was hammered above the door which read Sing Your Best.

"Anything we should know about your friends before we go in?" Jimin asked.

"They're probably already extremely drunk." Jungkook thought for a moment. "So drunk they might not remember we were here when they wake up tomorrow morning."

Both Jimin and Taehyung sighed in relief.

"I'm tired of trying to impress people," Taehyung said. "I don't think the people at the party liked me very much."

"They were just intimidated, baby," Jimin said.

They made their way across the room to the bar. The menu was written above the counter on a chalkboard. Hop scotch designs were painted on the floor. Several people crowded around the mainstage, where a couple guys were singing a song so badly Jungkook couldn't tell if he recognized it or not.

He ordered two bottles of raspberry soju and slid his credit card across the counter.

"Gotta flex that cash while you still have it," Taehyung said.

Jungkook raised his eyebrows knowingly and poured each of them a shot.

"I can see why you prefer this to your parents' house," Jimin said, wiping his mouth. "It feels more carefree."

"In some ways."

Jimin and Jungkook were holding hands. Taehyung had his hand in one of Jungkook's back pockets. A group of guys were shooting glances at them from a table across the room. Taehyung took another shot and leaned across Jungkook's lap, beckoning to Jimin with a finger. Jimin leaned in and planted a messy kiss right on his lips.

The guys' eyebrows shot up under their bangs.

"What're you looking at, Guk?"

"Nothing."

Jimin and Taehyung followed his gaze across the room. The guys immediately looked away.

"That's right." Taehyung turned to face the group of guys, leaning back on the counter. "Humans find it weird when guys make out with guys, right?"

"Some do." Jungkook shrugged. "Doesn't matter. If they try anything I'll punch them."

"You're so aggro tonight," Jimin chuckled, running his hand up and down Jungkook's arm. "Calm down."

Jungkook puffed out his chest.

"Come on, let's go find your friends." Jimin wandered through a curtain down a hallway. "They're in one of these rooms, right?"

Jungkook got out his phone. "The door marked fifteen," he shouted over the garbled mess of songs.

"Do your friends care?" Taehyung pouted. "I'm tired of not being able to make out with you."

"No, they're cool." Jungkook's brow furrowed. "Make out with me. I need it."

"Okay."

Taehyung immediately shoved Jungkook against the wall and attacked him tongue-first. Jungkook grabbed his ass with both hands, kneading it until he could hear his moans over the music.

"Come on," Jimin laughed, grabbing both of their wrists. "We're almost there."

They stumbled through the door.

Solar and Hwasa were up on the table singing a duet. They were both wearing purple overalls and big clunky boots. Doyoung and Taeil were doing shots on top of the songbook. Lucas was standing right in front of the door. He staggered forward as they piled in behind him, tumbling face-first onto the leather couch.

The moment Solar saw Jungkook, she abandoned the song and tackled him with a hug.

"Jungkook," she yelled. "It's been so long! Do you like my hair? I decided to go bald."

"You look amazing!" Jungkook shouted back. "This is Taehyung, and this is Jimin. We go to school together. They're my boyfriends."

"Woooow." She winked at him. "How did you manage to score such hotties?"

"Solar's pan," Jungkook said, to Jimin and Taehyung. "She gets it."

"Pan?" They both blinked at him in confusion.

Jungkook laughed. "I'll explain later."

Lucas had crawled up off the couch, only to trip over his own feet and fall back down between the couch and the table. He finally dragged himself to a standing position and lurched around, offering Taehyung and Jimin a handshake and a massive grin.

"All so handsome," he yelled in his ratchet Korean. "Wow, Jungkookie."

"What did he say?" Jimin asked.

Unlike the faeries at the party, none of Jungkook's human friends spoke English, except Lucas, who had a dubious grasp on a seemingly endless list of languages. Taehyung had learned some Korean through his parents, but while Jimin looked the part—some strange genetic coincidence, or perhaps the hag who created him had come from Korea?—he'd only ever learned Korean words in order to cast Korean spells, which wasn't very applicable in this scenario.

"He says you look good."

"Oh." Jimin straightened up, pleased. "Tell him he looks good too."

Jungkook turned to Lucas, but Lucas was already waving him off with a friendly, "Yeah, yeah, I know, I know."

"This is Lucas. He's Chinese. He's the one who taught me how to drive."

"Buddy." Lucas patted Jungkook on the head. "You're looking good. Here." He shoved a half-finished beer into his hand. "Come on, let's pick a song."

"He's wasted," Taehyung said gleefully.

Taehyung climbed up on the table and danced the rest of the song with Hwasa. Someone shoved a mic into his hand for the next song. Jungkook leaned back on the couch, with Jimin in his lap, drinking Soju and watching Taehyung sing, and for the first time in weeks he felt at peace.

Lucas ordered three bottles of soju just before their room reservation ended and they finished them out in the bar. Solar sat in Hwasa's lap, holding her hand. Doyoung, Taeil, and Lucas were crammed in beside them in the leather booth.

"Let's play truth or dare," Jimin said. "That's something that humans do, isn't it?"

Jungkook and Taehyung dissolved into helpless drunken laughter.

"I think so," Lucas said in all seriousness.

Jungkook translated the proposal for the group. Doyoung dove in strong and dared Hwasa to drink a shot out of Solar's mouth. The two of them spilled soju all over their overalls and the guys across the room all stood up and went out for a smoke.

"Wow." Taehyung watched them go. "You really weren't lying."

"Another two!" Lucas yelled, holding up two fingers to the bartender. "Two bottles!"

"Oh my god Lucas," Doyoung said.

Taehyung dared Jimin to drink a shot out of Jungkook's mouth, forsaking originality for a damned good idea. Jimin's mouth was hot and boozy. Jungkook's tongue felt a little numb. Jimin gripped the sides of Jungkook's head, licking into him long after the soju was gone. Jungkook closed his eyes, and pulled Jimin closer by the front of his shirt.

The next thing he knew he was up on the mainstage, singing an eighties ballad with Doyoung and Taeil. Taeil spilled beer all over Jungkook's feet. The soles of his shoes stuck to the creaky wooden floorboards.

He watched Doyoung and Taeil follow the hopscotch grid back to the table. He was about to do the same when a hand landed on his shoulder. He lurched around and stared into an unknown face.

The guy's skin glowed pale blue in the neon lights. He had pretty eyes, with long lashes and a biggish nose that reminded Jungkook of his own. Jungkook reached out to touch his shirt, which was covered in stripes.

"Don't touch me," the guy barked, slapping his hand away.

"You touched me first."

"You shouldn't be in here."

Jungkook straightened up. Now that he was paying attention, he realized the guy was from the group sitting at the table across the room. Jungkook looked him up and down, assessing his size. He was taller than Jungkook, a little more built, and markedly less drunk. The room behind him was spinning glacially to the left.

"Stop looking at me."

"Relax," Jungkook groaned. "I don't want to fuck you. I'm trying to figure out how fast it would take me to knock you out."

The guy grabbed Jungkook by the front of the shirt. "Let's go outside."

Jungkook reached forward and gripped the guy's shoulder. He let out a strangled groan and let go of Jungkook's shirt. Jungkook dug his fingers in harder.

"Hey babe." Jimin appeared on Jungkook's left. "Is there a problem?"

"I'm not sure," Jungkook grunted. "What do you think, man? Is there a problem?"

The guy was groaning in pain, struggling to prise Jungkook's fingers off, but he still took the time to turn and shoot a hateful glance at Jimin. Jimin looked back into his face with open curiosity.

"Wow," Jimin said. "You're all messed up inside aren't you? Here."

He reached out and tapped the guy between the eyebrows.

"Let go of him, Guk."

It took a moment for Jungkook's drunken brain to process the order, and another moment for the order to make its way from his brain to his fingers. He slowly released his grip. The guy took a step backwards, massaging the side of his neck. His face was blank.

"Oh," he said politely. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Jungkook said.

The guy's face contorted. He covered his mouth and walked quickly out of the bar. His friends gave each other confused looks, grabbed their coats, and followed him out.

"Jimin," Jungkook said dubiously.

"Relax.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't break his mind or anything."

"He didn't look very unbroken to me."

"All I did was wipe away his fear."

"He was afraid?"

"Scared shitless."

Jungkook looked at the door the guy had fled through. From where he was standing, it looked like a vague black rectangle taken at long exposure with a shaky hand. "Why did he look like he was going to cry?"

"Don't ask me. I don't understand that shit on the best of days."

"God damn." Jungkook took Jimin's hand. "You still freak me out sometimes, you know that?"

Jimin's mouth tilted up into a devilish smile. Jungkook wrapped his arm around his waist and they hopped back through the hopscotch grid together.

They stumbled outside a while later. It was a humid night for September. Jungkook's turtleneck felt sweaty underneath his suit. Solar unbuttoned her overalls and let the top hang down around her waist like a lumpy denim skirt.

"I want ramen." Lucas wandered down the street to the convenience store.

"I'm gonna bum a smoke off those people," Jungkook decided.

"No," Jimin said. "I refuse to watch you smoke that poison when there's a perfectly good alternative I've pitched to you many times." He reached into his side pocket and pulled out a massive gnarled pipe and a bag of organic tobacco, and pushed them into Jungkook's hands.

"Holy fuck," Hwasa said, clinging drunkenly to Taehyung's arm. "Where did you get that?"

"Chim made it," Taehyung said.

"That's actually really nice."

Jungkook embarked on the delicate task of packing a bowl into a foot long wizard pipe on a crowded downtown street in Seoul shit-faced out of his mind.

Doyoung and Taeil were gone. Jungkook remembered fist-bumping both of them as they left, but he couldn't remember at what exact point in the night that had been. Lucas wandered back over, double fisting instant ramen cups, and whooped at Jungkook's wizard pipe. With the perfect logic of six drunken minds, and a sloshy cab ride later, they ended up back at Hwasa's apartment.

Lucas raided Hwasa's kitchen, swallowing five preboiled eggs in quick succession, and passed out on the loveseat. Solar and Hwasa disappeared into Hwasa's bedroom. Music hummed behind the door, almost drowning out their giggles, but not quite.

"Think you can heal blisters, Guk?" Jimin looked down at his feet. He'd worn his dress shoes all night without socks.

"Maybe." Jungkook groped for Jimin's foot. He ran his fingers over the red welt on the base of his ankle and let go with a groan. "Fuck, it's way too much to take in right now."

"That's okay babe."

"Can't you heal stuff? You healed Tae's neck that time."

"I sewed his neck up, I didn't heal it, there's a difference." Jimin reached down and sealed the edge of one of the blisters that had broken open. He left the rest alone.

Jungkook wanted to ask more about the difference between the two, but he knew he wouldn't understand Jimin's explanation in his current state. "I guess I can't do faerie magic when I'm hammered."

The three of them were lying on the pullout couch. The window was open, letting in soft washes of humid, downtown air. The city lights blinked and flashed below.

"This is going to get so tangled in my branches." Jimin ran his fingers over the blanket. It was loosely knit wool.

"Better than nothing," Jungkook mumbled. His face was mashed into a body pillow. He hoped he wasn't going to get drool all over one of Hwasa's favourite anime characters.

"Hey Guk," Taehyung whispered.

"What is it now?"

"Are you sure you can't do faerie magic when you're drunk?"

"Why?"

"Think you can get me off?"

Jungkook made a disgruntled noise. "Lucas is right there."

"I'm horny," Taehyung lamented. "I'm too drunk to cum with my hand."

Jungkook glanced over his shoulder. Hwasa's door was still closed. Lucas's snores emanated from across the room. He heaved a sigh and reached underneath the blanket, working his hand down the front of Taehyung's boxers.

"You're so wet Tae."

"You two were working me up all night."

Jungkook rolled closer and accidentally bumped faces with Jimin. Jimin giggled. He was sandwiched between them.

"Sorry Chim."

"Fuck," Taehyung growled softly. "You're good at this, even when you're drunk."

"That's because I've done it so many times before."

"Muscle memory," Jimin whispered.

"My brain is going to be broken by the time I get to myself."

"I'm glad you're aware that you're doing me next," Jimin said.

Taehyung gripped Jungkook's forearm under the covers, squirming so hard the mattress creaked. Slick pooled around Jungkook's fingers a second later.

"God," Taehyung panted. "It's weird cumming that hard when you're drunk."

"You're welcome." Jungkook pulled his fingers out.

"It's weird feeling anything that vividly when you're drunk."

Jungkook slid his hand down the front of Jimin's briefs.

Jimin let out a little gasp. "You were wet, Tae."

Taehyung chuckled.

"Kiss him, Tae," Jungkook said. "He's not going to be able to stay quiet."

Jimin made an offended noise. Jungkook twisted his fingers, sending a pulse of magic straight through the underside of Jimin's cock, and Taehyung's mouth got there just in time to muffle the moan that shot up from his throat.

Jimin clutched the blanket, kissing messily into Taehyung's mouth. His moans were needy, yet lazy at the same time. He never really got that hard, even right before he came.

"That is weird." His chest rose and fell as he caught his breath. "I still liked it, though."

"You look so hot right now," Taehyung murmured. "Both of you. I wish I could get it up so I could fuck Gukkie's brains out to thank him for everything he's done."

"Same," Jimin sighed.

Jungkook was starting to feel shaky. His drunken brain was running on autopilot but the magic was still taking its toll. He wrapped his hand around his own dick, undecided if he really felt like putting in the effort.

"Come on baby," Jimin whispered in his ear. "I wanna hear that sexy noise you make when you get off."

"There isn't going to be a noise," Jungkook whispered back.

Three minutes later he was arching against the mattress, groaning breathlessly through his teeth.

Jimin let out a choked little moan alongside him as he watched.

"It's a really nice noise," Taehyung said quietly.

"You're right, that is kind of strange," Jungkook said, pulling his hand out of his briefs.

"Don't pretend like you haven't already tried that," Taehyung said. "I saw you jerking off in the reading room that night we tanked three bottles of wine over the summer."

"You really like watching people, don't you?" Jimin asked. "Namjoon, Jin, Guk... have you ever spied on me?"

Taehyung thought for a moment. "There was a time in first year before we'd banged. You were jerking off in the shower stall beside me."

"How can you be sure?" Jimin asked, scandalized.

"I mean, it was pretty obvious."

"Voyeur," Jungkook murmured.

"They were all accidents! I'm merely a passive observer wandering my way through a chaotic and sexual world."

"What happened when you heard me?" Jimin rubbed a hand over Taehyung's chest.

"Well." Taehyung took a deep breath. "I touched myself. But that isn't fair, have you heard your own moans?"

"What about with Namjoon and Jin?"

Taehyung laughed valiantly. "Nice try. My Namjin wank fantasies dried up way before I caught them making out with each other."

"Fuck's sakes," Jungkook said. "You had Namjin wank fantasies?"

"I can't control these things, alright?" Jungkook could tell Taehyung was pouting by the tone of his voice. "I actually thought I might encounter a similar problem with your dad, but turns out he's nothing like you, so crisis averted."

Jungkook paused. "You didn't think so?"

"He made me feel small and insignificant. Whereas you; well, you're kind, and warm, and you make me feel nothing but happiness."

"It's true," Jimin said. "You're so good, Gukkie."

Jungkook took a moment to collect himself.

"Thanks for coming with me," he eventually said, "and braving my asshole parents."

"At least they left me alone." Taehyung laughed dryly. "Poor Chim. He got put in the hot seat."

"I don't remember half of it," Jimin said. "I was so tipsy by that point."

Something clunked in the bedroom, followed by more giggles.

"Wanna go peek under the door Tae?" Jimin asked. "Sounds like something you might be into."

"Oh piss off." Now Jungkook could tell that Taehyung was smirking.

He remembered something Jimin had once said about people's magic aligning when they spent enough time around each other. He wondered if he'd aligned with them yet, or if he had enough of a hold on his magical abilities to align with anyone.

Maybe he was just starting to know them really, really well.

"I almost feel bad for your mom," Taehyung said.

"Don't," Jungkook said. "She's been obsessed with faeries since young. Even if it means aging way faster than everyone around her, there's nowhere else she'd wanna be."

Lucas snorted loudly in his sleep. Jimin jumped so hard he smashed the top of his head into Jungkook's jaw. Jungkook's teeth clacked together. The three of them broke down into hysterical giggles. A car honked below. Someone was talking loudly on their phone a couple balconies over. The three of them laughed themselves into a breathless frenzy, and then drifted off into a drunken sleep.

An alarm shattered the reverie a couple hours later.

"What the fuck?" Lucas groaned.

"The muffins are ready," Taehyung murmured to himself.

Jungkook pushed himself up on an elbow, wiping his eyes. Jimin's branches were sticking out through the blanket as predicted. Jungkook gave his shoulder a shake. Jimin let out a heart-breaking keen.

Hwasa shuffled into the kitchen in a yellow sweatshirt and slippers.

"Are you baking something?" Jungkook asked, rolling onto his side to block her view of Jimin.

"Hell no." She leaned over and shut the oven alarm off. The back of her hair was matted into an impressive bird's nest. "You asked me to set this last night."

"Right. The portal."

"The what?"

"The, sorry, our flight. It leaves at ten."

"Help yourself to. Stuff. I'm going back to bed."

She disappeared back into her bedroom. Lucas rolled over and stuffed his face into the crease between the backrest and the seat. He'd slept the whole night without a pillow.

A hand grabbed Jungkook's shoulder and pulled. He shuffled around, pillowing his cheek on Jimin's shoulder, which was now smooth and branchless. Taehyung's face was buried in Jimin's chest. Jimin was hugging his head like a stuffed animal. Jungkook resisted the urge to close his eyes. Sadly, the oven alarm didn't come with a snooze function.

He hauled himself off the couch to a chorus of sad groans. He turned the kettle on and ate wooden, stale baby carrots out of a bag while he waited for it to boil. Lucas had left ramen cups and plastic egg wrappers all over the counter. Jungkook brushed the mess into the garbage and started wiping things down. By the time the tea was ready he was feeling generally alright.

"Hey man." Lucas rolled over to face the kitchen. The youthful pouches under his eyes were a lot puffier than usual. "Can I have some of those?"

Jungkook lobbed the bag over the island. Lucas caught it with one hand. Carrots thundered down all over his chest. He picked one off of his stomach and ate it.

Jungkook came around to the bed and yanked on Taehyung's shoulder. Taehyung thumped onto his back, eyes even puffier than Lucas's and lips caked in drool.

"Here."

"Izzit a tonic?"

"Not exactly, but it might help a little."

Taehyung hauled himself into a sitting position and sipped the tea. Jimin buried his face in Taehyung's lap and continued to hide.

"Do you still have your hangover powers?" Lucas asked. Jungkook could never tell if his English was better or worse than his Korean, because whenever they were together they spoke a random mixture of the two.

"He does," Taehyung grunted. "Bastard."

"Lucky."

"Here Chim." Taehyung tapped Jimin's head. "Take a sip."

"Not a tonic." Jimin's voice was hoarse.

"No, but it's all we have."

"What is this tonic thing you keep saying?" Lucas asked.

"Hangover tonics," Taehyung said.

"Oh that kind of stuff. Isn't that a hoax?"

"Most of them are," Jungkook said quickly. "Ours are more like... herbal medicines."

Lucas raised his eyebrows in consideration, still chewing his way through the bag of carrots. He seemed oblivious to how stale they were.

Jimin slowly emerged. The second his face showed, Jungkook whooped.

"You look fantastic," Jungkook cackled.

"Shut up," Jimin rasped. His hair was even rattier than Hwasa's. One eye was drooping shut more than the other.

"Feeling like ass and Jungkook laughs at you," Lucas said. "Awe, Good memories."

"At least I make tea. And clean stuff."

"The tea isn't helping." Jimin pouted, flopping back down.

"Chim got wasted twice," Taehyung explained. "Once at the party, and then again later."

"A double header." Lucas nodded, a sagely expression on his face.

Jungkook fed them more tea and made them toast, and when Jimin still refused to get off Taehyung's lap, he dragged the covers off and threw them on top of Lucas instead.

"You're so mean," Jimin yelled.

"We're going to be late." Jungkook hucked Taehyung's clothes at him, and then started dressing Jimin himself.

There was always something mildly appalling about getting back into the same outfit a person had spent the night partying in. It didn't help that Jimin's shirt was ripped up the back from the branches episode, and Jungkook's pants reeked of beer. He hunted around in Hwasa's washroom for bandaids and gave Jimin his socks.

"How on earth is your shirt so spotless?" Jimin asked Taehyung.

"I just kept asking you to scour it for me whenever I spilled something on it."

"Scour?" Lucas asked. He was wrapped in the wool blanket playing games on his phone. Jungkook couldn't remember if they'd remembered to scour it either. He stared at a suspicious stain on the corner near Lucas's foot.

"He means clean," Jimin said.

"Chim's really good at cleaning," Taehyung added.

Jimin shoved him.

Jungkook gave Lucas a sweaty hug, and left a note on the counter thanking Hwasa and Solar for everything.

"Nice to meet you guys," Lucas called through a mouthful of toast.

"You know, that wasn't too bad," Taehyung said, as they stepped out the front door.

"You were able to withstand one night partying with a bunch of humans?"

"They have a unique charm," Jimin said.

The street was bright and sunny. Jungkook threw his jacket over his shoulder. His turtleneck was stifling. Jimin held his hand over his eyes, squinting down the crowded street. Jungkook bought them iced coffees from a vendor.

They took the train back north and squeezed through an invisible door crammed between a vending machine and a cafe. They walked down a long alleyway, which became weedier and weedier until they emerged into a bustling street in the faerie district.

"Tell me we don't have to go back to your parents' house," Jimin said.

"God no." Jungkook squeezed his hand. Taehyung was holding his arm on the other side. His coffee was gone but he was still sucking on the straw, which was a chewed-up plasticy mess at this point. "They scheduled the portal in front of the school I'm going to be attending. It was supposed to be a family outing, but they probably would've bailed anyway."

"This is going to be your school?" Taehyung asked.

Tiers of steps led up to a statuesque building in the distance. Like the rest of the district, it was banked in on all sides by a multitude of trees. Students walked by, most of them with long braided hair and a tunic of some kind, eying their outfits and their iced coffees with curiosity. It was rare that faeries crossed the precincts of the district into the human realm.

"Everyone has long hair," Taehyung observed.

"I understand why you don't want to grow yours out now," Jimin said, "but I still think it would look really hot."

"Not too much like my dad?"

"You have a different nose." Jimin stretched up and kissed Jungkook on the nose. "And a different jawline."

"You're just better," Taehyung said.

Jungkook chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm nowhere near as gorgeous as you two." He didn't give them compliments very often, seeing as they were so good at doing it themselves, but every now and then the truth slipped out.

They both made affronted noises.

Around nine fifty-five a faerie in a plain black tunic appeared at the base of the steps. They checked the watch dangling around their neck and looked around expectantly.

"I think that's our person," Jungkook said.

The three of them made their way to the steps. "Mister Jeon?" the faerie asked, once they were within speaking range. Jungkook nodded.

"Do you work for Azurite Portals?" Jimin asked.

"Why yes. How did you know?"

Jimin smiled. "Just a lucky guess."

The faerie took a crisp card out of their pocket and handed it to Jimin.

"Cool." Jimin stepped back, tucking the card into his pocket. "Well, do your thing."

The faerie turned around. Jungkook couldn't tell if it was just their usual way of doing things, or if they were feeling excited that someone who knew something about portal-casting was watching, but they opened the portal with such bravado it ended up shaped like a lopsided parallelogram.

"Oh dear." The faerie wiped their brow.

Jimin's smile was stiff.

"Don't worry about it," Taehyung said, patting the faerie's shoulder in a friendly way. "It's nice and big. We'll all fit through no problem. Good enough for me."

They stepped through.

Jungkook's shoes landed on the spongy turf on the Blackthorn field a moment later. The portal closed behind them and Jimin erupted into a fit of mischievous giggles.

"What was that about?" Jungkook asked.

“That faerie works for my competition."

"Excuse me?"

"I applied at a few companies. I got offers from most of them, but I decided to go with Mirrorworks. They compete neck-and-neck with Azurite Portals."

"You already got a job?" Taehyung asked incredulously.

"I'll start when I graduate. They hire early."

"I thought you didn't want anyone to know about your portal-casting abilities."

"This was more important. I have some stuff to figure out." Jimin shrugged, still smirking. "I'm not going to work there very long. I have lots of other projects on the go."

"Like what?" Taehyung asked.

"I'll tell you later."

"I knew you were going to say that." Taehyung sighed. "I'm jealous. I won't hear back about grad school until December at the earliest."

Jungkook had fallen into a contemplative silence.

"Gukkie?" Jimin's smile faded somewhat. "You okay?"

Cooking smells from the refectory floated through the topiary. Dinner must've begun.

"I've been thinking," Jungkook said tentatively. "Maybe I could become a healer. Like Doctor Green."

Taehyung and Jimin's faces split into massive smiles.

"I'm not sure how it would work yet," Jungkook said quickly. "And I'm not sure I have what it takes."

"That's fantastic, Guk," Taehyung said. "What made you think of that?"

"I've honestly been thinking about something like it for a while. I doubt I'll ever be a master spellcaster like you or Jimin. I'm not good at grand theoretical magic. I like stuff that's practical, and useful." He looked up at the sky. "When Chim was in trouble and I was able to help, it made me think: what's more practical and useful than being able to heal people?"

"It's perfect," Jimin exclaimed. "I can see it already, your cute little office, a pair of fake glasses on your nose, maybe Tae and I will sneak in as fake patients one time and try to lure you into a quickie—"

Jungkook laughed, shaking his head.

"It's weird being this hungover at night," Taehyung said. "Usually that idea would've gotten me instantly hard, but as it stands, I'm only half-mast."

"Let's stop by the greenhouse." Jimin massaged his temples. "I'll whip up a tonic."

Taehyung grinned. "And then maybe we can whip up something else."

The future loomed, petrifying as always, but it was a little—only a little—less painful hearing Jimin and Taehyung talk about their post-graduation plans, now that Jungkook had a lead of his own. The idea of becoming a healer was faint and uncertain, but it seemed to fit him in some strange way, and best of all, it was his own.

For now, he revelled in the fact that he no longer smelled like beer. Taehyung's long legs were tangled with Jimin's muscular ones. Jungkook watched them kissing against the shower stall, soaping up his body, until Taehyung grabbed his arm and pulled him close. He held one of Jimin's hands and kissed Taehyung's nape. The soapy slide was addictive, and soon his legs were tangled too.

It was hard not to be afraid, but either way, he had two beautiful people in his arms who loved him as much as he loved them, and that was more than he could've ever asked for.

Chapter Text

"What time is it?"

"I don't fucking know," Jungkook said. "I don't know when we told them to arrive. I don't even know how to layer this cheese. Why did we decide to make lasagne again?"

"Because we're distinguished, grown-up witches, who throw proper dinner parties now," Jimin said.

"Uh huh." Jungkook placed a lasagne noodle on top of several mounds of frozen spinach. The noodle broke in three pieces. "Not one word of that was true. Not even one."

"I think we're plenty distinguished. Look, I'm drinking wine." Jimin took a hearty sip of cooking wine from the bottle. "We're listening to nice music."

Chopin floated into the kitchen from a speaker in the living room.

"Okay. The music is pretty nice, I'll admit that."

"Where's Taehyung?" Jimin hurled a handful of grapes into a big bowl of fruit salad. "He told me he was going to get the placemats."

"I heard the water running ten minutes ago."

"No." Jimin wiped his hands off on his apron. "He is not taking a bath when we have guests arriving in the next hour."

"Wanna bet?"

Jimin tossed his head back, huffing violently. Recently he'd let his hair grow out its natural black colour. It was tied up in a little top knot. The sides were shaved. He was wearing a loose rayon top with black slacks underneath his apron.

Jungkook emptied an entire package of pre-shredded cheese over the lasagne and slid it into the oven with a grim expression on his face.

"He told me he was going to set the table."

"He still has..." Jungkook checked the time on his phone. "Oh wow. Ten minutes until they arrive."

"TAEHYUNG!"

Jimin disappeared down the hall, slippers slapping over the hardwood. Jungkook's phone went off with a ding. It was a text from Yoongi asking if they'd prefer he show up on time, or with even more wine than he'd initially intended to bring.

More wine, I'll hit you back

Jungkook reached absent-mindedly for the cooking wine and took a sip. Jimin stomped back into the kitchen with an armful of placemats and started setting the table.

"Was he taking a bath?"

"What do you think?" Jimin snapped, laying out forks and knives.

"What a little fucker."

"It's the clawfoot tub. Ever since we got it, he never leaves the bathroom."

"He always wanted one back in the dorms. I think he's making up for lost time."

The doorbell rang.

"Oh, shit."

"Relax, baby." Jungkook kissed the side of Jimin's head. The side shave was bristly against his lips. "None of them are distinguished adults either. They'll understand."

The three of them were renting an apartment in a witching complex in LA. The landlord had renovated just before they signed the lease, redoing the interiors into something modern and minimal. Jungkook had immediately fallen in love with it and proceeded to have it wrenched out of his grasping hands within a matter of weeks.

His study was the only room that retained even a hint of the original concept. The rest of the flat had taken on the flavour that Jimin and Taehyung tended to bring with them everywhere they went—functional chaos, with lots of plants.

Jimin had torn down the plain indigo drapes and replaced them with forest-green velvet curtains that went all the way to the floor. There were so many ornamental lamps everywhere, Jungkook had forgotten where the light switches were for the overhead fluorescents. Ceiling-high bookshelves masked most of the walls.

Taehyung had crammed a couple desks into the living room in case any of them ever felt like reading outside of their respective studies, but it was kind of silly that they called them their studies, because really, every square foot of the apartment served as some kind of study space. There was a general explosion of books and notebooks on every surface. The kitchen was more potions-lab than kitchen. Shelves of herbs were hammered into the wall over the stove, next to the fridge, and over the table. The cupboards were stuffed with flasks and bottles. Instead of a cutlery drawer there were several 'instrument' drawers, which Jungkook could never seem to keep straight. He'd eaten his breakfast with one of Taehyung's measuring spoons more times than he could count.

The hallway housed several lamp-lit plant boxes. There were cauldrons in Taehyung's bedroom, bubbling away on elements built into the floor, for potions he needed to supervise overnight, and a stack of magical mirrors tucked behind the bathtub.

Jungkook angled his way through the plant boxes and opened the door.

"Hey," Namjoon said.

"Hi," Seokjin said.

"Come in," Jungkook said, opening the door as far as it could go, which wasn't very far. It jammed against a big bag of compost someone, probably Taehyung, had left there that morning.

"Can you pick some basil from the herb garden please?" Jimin yelled.

Jungkook had to take a second to remember which of the gardens were herb gardens, and which of the herb gardens had the basil.

"I like the lamp," Namjoon said.

"Which one?" Jungkook was genuinely curious. There were at least five in his immediate field of vision.

Namjoon laughed heartily, like Jungkook had cracked the funniest joke he'd heard in weeks.

"You've really put in your work over the years, haven't you, Jungkook?" Jin rested a hand on Jungkook's shoulder and gazed meaningfully into his eyes.

Jungkook took their coats, grabbed a messy handful of basil, and ushered them into the kitchen as quickly as possible. It had been two years since they'd graduated. Jungkook had long since accepted that the awkwardness between them was never going to go away, and had developed a few workarounds over the years, which mainly included spending as little time with them on his own as possible.

"Seokjinnie! Joon!"

Jimin straightened up from the tray of cupcakes he was decorating and ran over to give them hugs. They laughed easily, handed him a bottle of wine, helped find the glasses. Jungkook watched in vexation.

"So Jungkook's on his last year at Blackthorn?"

"That's right." Jimin beamed. "He was accepted into med school at Taehyung's university. We got the letter last week."

"Holy hell," Namjoon said. "Sage? Who would've known. Not that we didn't think you had it in you, Jungkook," he added quickly.

"I certainly didn't think I did," Jungkook said.

"How's Taehyung's work coming along?"

"He's basically the leading researcher in the world for werewolf health at this point," Jimin said. "It's still a budding field, but it's growing pretty quickly."

"Nothing to sneeze at," Namjoon said.

"He loves the potions end of things, but lately he's been trying to figure out ways to get his medicines into the hands of werewolves who are living undercover—sociological, policy stuff. I'd let him tell you about it himself, but he's still in the bath."

"I'll go check on him," Jungkook said.

The doorbell rang. Jimin glanced fretfully over his shoulder, both his hands coated in chocolate icing.

"Cancel that. I'm getting the door."

The smell of baked cheese was starting to creep out of the oven, joining the other smells floating around: Jimin's cupcakes, fresh-cut basil, damp soil, pungent flowers, dust.

"Yooooo," Hoseok said, flashing Jungkook a peace sign. He was dressed as gothically as ever—a skinny, eyeliner-clad, nail-polish adorned vision, in a long black coat, a black v-neck, and ripped black jeans.

Jungkook pulled him into a hug.

"Hey there."

Jungkook looked up.

Yoongi grinned at him over Hoseok's shoulder. He was leaning against the wall outside the door, an open bottle of wine dangling casually from one hand, a bag from the liquor store in the other. His hair was bright green.

Jungkook's smile softened.

Moving to LA had originally been Jimin's idea, but it definitely came with its perks.

After Jimin and Taehyung graduated, the three of them had conducted an intense and brief brainstorming session as to what they were going to do so they could keep living together—intense, because a lot was on the line, and brief, because Jimin had basically figured it all out already.

"I was also accepted into Blackthorn's graduate studies program," Taehyung had said. "Maybe I'll just do that."

"The program's a lot better at Sage. You can't stay here just for me."

"It's the only option that makes any sense. We still won't get to see much of Chim, but at least he can portal-cast into the forest and sleep with us in the dorms at night."

"What if I transfer to Sage?"

"You've made a lot of strides in the past year, Guk, but I don't think you'd get in at this point. I'm sorry, it's ridiculously competitive."

"Shush now." Jimin had donned an all-knowing smile. "Rest your fretful hearts, lovely ones, and hearken your destiny. Taehyung is going to go to Sage. Jungkook will attend Blackthorn. We are all going to live together in a beautiful apartment in LA. Here are your keys."

Taehyung and Jungkook's jaws had dropped.

Everyone who worked at a portal-casting agency was obligated to sign an oath of confidentiality in order to gain access to the international portal registry. Jimin had signed the oath with the same fake name entered into his Mirrorworks employee profile. In the first week with the company he'd memorized the registry's security system. In the second week he'd figured out how to cast dummy spells with false location information that coded as official portals by the registry's wards. In the third week, with the data in the company's archives, he'd discovered how to write portals into the future, so they would open on their own.

"Basically, if I cast a dummy spell every time I open a portal, it'll look like I registered it, and the portal's true destination and departure spot will remain hidden."

"So now..." Taehyung started to nod, putting the pieces together a lot faster than Jungkook, who was still stuck on the concept of a dummy spell.

"I can cast portals whenever I want, wherever I want, without registering them, and without needing to be there."

"So that's what your plan was," Jungkook said. "You started working for a portal-casting company so you could figure out how we could live together."

"One of my plans. I have many plans."

He quit Mirrorworks a month later, much to the disappointment of his employers.

The three of them spent the summer at Jimin's hut and moved into their apartment in LA just in time for the fall semester to begin. Jimin paid for the apartment with funds acquired from various unnamed side jobs—Jungkook liked to think Jimin had finally figured out how to debug a counterfeiting spell, but a person could never be sure. Either way, Jungkook didn't do too much complaining—or prying—seeing as Taehyung's grants were barely enough to cover the cost of his schooling at Sage, and the ticking time bomb hanging over Jungkook's head had finally gone off in October.

He'd gotten accepted to one of the most prestigious witching institutions on the continent for med school, he was faithfully attending his distance classes in Seoul, he had two boyfriends he loved and respected, but either way, his parents had had enough.

Jungkook wasn't even that surprised when he received the phone call.

The game is over, Jungkook. You're moving back to Seoul after you graduate. This is not a discussion.

A week later, Jungkook had terminated his distance schooling in Seoul and took out a loan, much to Jimin's dismay, who had offered to pay for both his and Taehyung's schooling in addition to the apartment in the first place.

"I need to learn a bit of independence, Chim," Jungkook had laughed. "If I end up over my head in debt and jobless, we can revisit this conversation, how's that sound?"

Four months later, he was still looking for a faerie tutor. He'd been limping along with Chittaphon's lessons since the phone call, but he had no plan for after he graduated Blackthorn. It was harder than he'd expected. Even in a progressive city like LA, there weren't many faeries lending out their services to delinquent half-bloods enrolled in witching school, looking to learn faerie magic on the side. Through his failed attempts, he'd gained a bit more begrudging appreciation for Chittaphon's attitude.

Every morning Taehyung and Jungkook got up, ate breakfast together, and left through Jimin's contraband portals to their irrespective cities. Jungkook went to Blackthorn, Taehyung up to Sage in Vancouver. Jimin was back most nights for dinner, but neither Taehyung nor Jungkook were entirely certain what he was up to most of the time.

He was a continual source of mystery in their lives.

Jungkook leaned against the counter, watching Jimin grate parmesan cheese onto Caesar salad, and contemplated the fact that this was the person who had signed a contract with a water dragon to gain access to an abandoned underwater library. This was the person who had broken into a museum to steal the precious jewels that the dragon coveted. This was the person who had learned how to breathe underwater so he could spend as long as he wanted poring over those barnacle-encrusted shelves.

He told them about the whole thing six months after the fact, when he was casually examining a scroll at the kitchen table written in merperson.

"How're you liking LA so far?"

"I like your studio. I like this street. I really like the grocery store one block over."

Yoongi chuckled. "You need to get out more."

"I'm too busy with school."

"Wasn't the whole reason you guys moved here so you could live more freely? Get out to events, not have to worry about being poly, Taehyung being a werewolf, that kind of thing?"

"That was our initial intention, yes," Jungkook mused, picking his chin. "Before academia stole our souls."

"I hear you and Taehyung have been doing some work together."

"We're trying to see if faerie magic can be used to treat hormone imbalances in werewolves. I've already received a few complaints from the faerie community about it, of course."

"Of course. Try to do anything good and true in this world and the asshats will come out to play." Yoongi uncorked a new bottle and topped up Jungkook's wine. "What's Taehyung's part in it?"

"He's been amassing patients for me to test my methods on. He's made a few connections through his work. He could tell you more about it himself, if he weren't still in the—"

"If I weren't what?"

Taehyung strode down the hallway in a silk patterned shirt, slacks, and suspenders. He'd recently magicked his hair red, and it was perfectly coiffed and dry. He was even wearing socks, which was an extremely rare occurrence in the household.

Jungkook squinted at him.

"What?" Taehyung asked.

"It smells like your body wash."

"I always smell like my body wash."

"Even if that were true, I wasn't referring to you." Jungkook sniffed. "I was referring to the hallway. It's moist."

"I'm always moist."

Hoseok groaned.

"Okay, that is true," Jungkook said.

Hoseok groaned again.

"Perhaps I should reconsider my wording. The hallway is humid. I can hear the bathtub draining."

Taehyung smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry to tell you this, Gukkie, but I think you're insane."

"Ah hah," Yoongi said. "After all these years, some clarification."

Jungkook pushed Taehyung against the wall and got up in his face. "How did you dry your hair so fast, you fucker?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Jimin's going to kill you."

"Whatever." Taehyung smirked. "I'll make it up to him later."

"You better do something. Otherwise he's going to get rid of the tub."

Taehyung's face went blank.

"That struck a chord," Hoseok observed.

"No," Taehyung breathed.

"Go. Get the lasagne out of the oven." Jungkook shoved Taehyung down the hall. "Start cutting it up, if he hasn't already."

Taehyung scrambled into the kitchen, every ounce of decorum gone.

"Was that a Tom Sawyer situation, or are you genuinely trying to help him keep the tub?" Yoongi asked.

Jungkook shrugged.

"Maybe a bit of both?" Hoseok asked.

Jungkook shrugged again, trying to hide his smile.

"I can't believe you three live together and you're still like this," Yoongi said. "I'd plant booby traps around my room. I'd never sleep. I'd probably die an early, stress-related death."

"It keeps things interesting."

"Spoken like a true romantic." Yoongi spun his wine in his glass. It was maybe the most sophisticated thing Jungkook had ever seen him do. "You three were made for each other."

"We deserve each other. I'm comfortable admitting that." Jungkook tried to do the same thing and spilled wine all over the floor. "What about—god damn it."

Yoongi sighed. "To this day I don't understand the point in these things. Be a hell of a lot easier if everyone just drank out of bottles."

"What about you two?" Jungkook wiped the mess up with his sock, glancing down the hall to make sure Jimin didn't see. "Decide to move in with each other yet?"

"We're thinking about it," Hoseok said.

"What's to think about?"

"I'm attached to my apartment. It's a one bedroom. Yoongi would need a bedroom to himself, seeing as he stays up five hours later than I do every night."

This was the kind of candour Jungkook had unsuccessfully attempted to introduce into his relationship with Namjoon and Seokjin over the years. He suspected it was something that couldn't be forced, but he kept trying anyway.

"We've been trying polyamory lately," Yoongi said. "Took a leaf from your book."

"Oh yeah? How's that going?"

"Still haven't figured out the jealousy piece."

"Neither. We get jealous of each other all the time."

"Huh," Hoseok said. "No way."

"But not like, with each other?" Yoongi asked.

"No, not like that." Jungkook paused. "Honestly, I don't know if I have much useful advice on that one. Even growing up around faeries, I never thought I'd be able to handle polyamory. I'm too possessive, too private."

"So what the hell happened?"

"Hell if I know."

Yoongi cackled.

From the sounds of it, Taehyung had successfully intercepted the lasagne cutting mission, and was now being graduated to the task of cutting bread. Seokjin's laughter erupted over the steady sawing of the bread knife.

"It felt natural, right from the start." Jungkook gazed down the hall. "We get along best when it's the three of us. Things start to feel a little strange when one of us is away for too long."

"Maybe you all have to meet at the same time to make it work," Yoongi said.

Jungkook shrugged. "Tae and Jimin knew each other before they met me. I've seen faeries add new partners to their relationships at different points along the way. They seem fine."

"Would you guys ever consider adding someone new?"

Jungkook laughed weakly. "I don't know if I could handle it."

"That's exactly my problem," Hoseok said.

"Why do you want to add someone else anyway?"

"Maybe we don't. We thought it might be fun?" Yoongi said. "We're intellectuals, it's good to try new things. I don't know."

Jungkook's gaze lingered, even as he was laughing. "Keep me updated on that, Yoons."

"DINNER IS READY."

The three of them hurriedly ducked underneath a bushel of ivy and emerged in the living room. Taehyung was lighting little candles with the tip of his pinkie. He was wearing an apron now too. Jimin was adjusting the playlist off his phone.

"Anybody want more wine?" Jungkook reached for a bottle in an attempt to look useful.

The only element the owners had preserved from the prior design were the chandeliers, with twisting iron frames and overlapping skirts of crystals. Taehyung had lit up the one over the table with bright orange flames, and twinkling, warm light danced over the maroon tablecloth. The table was loaded with fresh cut flowers and food.

"You guys didn't have to do all this," Namjoon said.

"Damned right they did," Seokjin said. "It's been two whole months since we've seen them. It's a momentous occasion."

"I can schedule portals for you to come by whenever you want," Jimin said lightly.

"You and all your inside connections," Jin grumbled. "I'd tell you not to brag if I thought it would do any good."

"He deserves to brag," Taehyung said. "He's an amazing, talented, and benevolent person. Especially the latter. For example, he never takes things away from people when he knows they depend on them as a source of ongoing happiness."

"Thanks baby," Jimin said. "That's really sweet."

Jungkook shot Taehyung a sceptical look. Taehyung loaded up a forkful of salad, avoiding his eye.

"Like what kinds of things, Tae?" Jungkook asked, returning to his own food.

"Oh." Taehyung exhaled, puffing his cheeks out. "There's too much to count. I wasn't really thinking of anything specific."

"Not like, thinking of bathtubs, for example."

Taehyung picked up a piece of radish and hucked it at Jungkook's face. It smacked off his forehead and landed in the fruit salad.

"It's begun," Hoseok said darkly. "First they start bantering, and then it turns into flirting—"

Jimin pointed at the radish.

"Waitwaitwait don't scour it!" Taehyung yelled. He scrambled out of his seat, reached into the bowl, fished it out with his fingers, and ate it.

"Taehyung," Jimin exclaimed. "Those fingers could've been anywhere."

"Don't worry, they're clean. I just took a bath."

"Not really helping your case," Jungkook said.

"It's our fault," Yoongi said. "We know what we're walking into every time and we keep showing up anyway."

"I'm prepared to sit back and watch them have a full-blown orgy if the rest of the food is this good." Seokjin's cheeks were puffed out with his mouthful. "Who made the lasagne?"

Jungkook waited for one of the other two to say something.

"That was Jungkook," Taehyung said, after a pause.

Jungkook had no doubt that, if he'd been out of the room, one of the other two would've taken credit for it.

"Taehyung, you shouldn't leave yourself out of this," Jungkook said, through a mouthful of sourdough. "You're incredibly industrious. What some people would ordinarily accomplish in an hour, you achieve in ten, fifteen minutes, like setting the table, for example, or lighting the candles—"

Taehyung tried to stomp on Jungkook's foot. Jungkook jerked his foot out of the way and Taehyung almost face-planted into his own plate from the extra momentum.

"Can I smoke in here?" Yoongi asked.

"Go ahead." Jimin waved his hand and all the windows flew open at once. A warm cross-breeze riffled the napkins, and a hint of jasmine joined the medley of smells in the air. There were several bushes growing in the space between the apartments, which bloomed at night. "As long as you don't set Gukkie off."

"If I haven't gotten set off in his studio, I won't get set off here."

"You quit?" Seokjin asked.

"Yeah." Jungkook sighed. "Smoking doesn't suit a healer quite the same way it suits a musomancer."

"Still smoking those hand-rolled things?" Namjoon asked.

"It's kind of comforting," Taehyung said. "The world could be crashing down around us, but somewhere, out there, Yoongi is sitting back, smoking a lavender cigarette, and probably getting drunk."

"I'm a creature of habit, what can I say." Yoongi exhaled and yet another smell added itself to the mix. "An anchor of solidity in this meaningless world."

"Ah, how I've missed those sweeping, nihilistic statements," Seokjin said.

"I dunno, hearing that shit twenty-four seven can mess a buddy up." Hoseok took a sip of wine. His whole face was maroon. He was always the one who got flushed the quickest, aside from Seokjin. "It's another reason I've put off moving in with him," he said sensibly.

"Pshhh," Yoongi said. "You're ten times more emo than me and you know it."

"You two are still dating?" Namjoon asked.

"Sure," Yoongi said. "Let's call it that."

"I always thought you two made a cute couple."

"They're considering polyamory," Jungkook interjected. "Just something to think about."

Namjoon and Jin blinked at him in confusion.

Taehyung chewed his lasagne open-mouthed and studied the four eldest ponderously. "I could see it. Could I see it?" He tilted his head to the side.

"What are you trying to see?" Namjoon asked.

"Namjoon would have to dom," Jimin said decisively.

"Oh no," Namjoon said.

"Hoseok, Seokjin, and Yoongi?" Taehyung's eyes went wide. "I dunno Chim, that's a lot to keep organized. I don't know if even I could handle that."

"I get it now," Namjoon said. "Why on earth was I cursed with a mind that understands contexts and puts concepts together, and gets things—"

"Yoongi could call some of the shots as a power bottom, I suppose," Jimin said.

"No, if Namjoon's domming, I'd definitely wanna see him wreck Yoongi," Taehyung said.

Yoongi, who'd been quietly smirking up to this point, made a spluttering noise into his wine glass.

"What baseless and absurd speculation." Seokjin threw down his fork. "I'll have you know that I'm the only one at this table with any hope of domming that many people at once, and if it were these three, I'd have them eating out of my hand in minutes."

Namjoon covered his face with a hand.

Yoongi covered his face with a hand.

Jungkook dropped his cupcake. It landed facedown in a puddle of balsamic vinaigrette.

"Well," Taehyung said.

"That certainly changes a few things," Jimin said. He and Taehyung were sitting up a little straighter.

Hoseok gave Seokjin a shameless up-and-down.

"You better believe it does, puppy," Seokjin said.

"Puppy," Jimin spluttered.

Jungkook fished his cupcake out of the dressing and gave it a lick.

"How's it taste?" Yoongi asked, peeking out from behind his hand.

"Not as weird as you'd think."

"I'm not a puppy!" Jimin's cheeks were pink.

"Don't worry Chim, he's running on autopilot," Taehyung said. "It's probably what he calls Joon and it just slipped out."

Namjoon covered the rest of his face with his other hand.

"How many people are thinking about Seokjin domming Joon right now?" Hoseok asked. "Just a show of hands, out of curiosity—"

"I never really got over the idea of Joon domming you, to be honest," Yoongi muttered. He immediately busied himself with uncorking another bottle of wine.

Hoseok looked puzzled. "But you never dom me."

Taehyung and Jimin slowly lowered their hands.

"I'm always the one—"

"Just because you can't do something yourself doesn't mean you wouldn't like to watch it being done by somebody else," Yoongi rambled loudly.

"Like hang-gliding," Jungkook said. "Or bungee jumping. Poker."

"Not sure what any of those are, but yes." Yoongi pointed at Jungkook. "Exactly."

"Ask Taehyung," Jimin said. "He's really into watching stuff."

"Good lord," Seokjin said.

"I just realized." Taehyung blinked solemnly. "The only people I've yet to see make out with each other in this room are Hoseok and Yoongi."

"Groundbreaking," Namjoon muttered. He was bright red.

"I'm actually amazed," Seokjin said. "The amount of times in fourth year alone that you walked in on—"

"No, no wait," Taehyung interrupted. "Nope, scratch that."

Jimin started to giggle.

"Sorry. Just took me a minute to remember."

"Wow," Jungkook said. "I haven't even seen that."

Taehyung leaned back in his chair. "It was actually pretty hot."

Yoongi swore.

Jimin said something about a cup of tea and Taehyung burst out of his chair and practically jogged into the kitchen to get the kettle boiling. Jungkook watched him go, trying to keep the smirk off his face.

They sipped tea out of paper-thin teacups from Jimin's hut—he'd finally replaced his dining set—and ate more cupcakes. Someone on a floor above them was playing the panpipes with their windows open. Every now and then sparks floated over from the apartment across the street. A new family had moved in last month and the kids were playing out on the balcony.

"I remember when I was that age," Hoseok laughed. "I was the same, casting hexes on anything I could get my hands on."

"I bet you were a menace," Yoongi said.

"Most witches are," Namjoon said.

"Not as much as werewolves," Jungkook said. "They're the worst."

"In my opinion, faeries are the ultimate menaces," Taehyung said. "Second only to—"

"WHEN I WAS A YOUNG WITCH, I WAS PERFECTLY RESPONSIBLE," Jimin said.

Everyone's necks jerked around to look at him. He stared daggers at them all.

"Oh yeah," Yoongi cackled. "I just bet."

Taehyung started sheepishly unwrapping another cupcake.

Yoongi poured himself more wine and commandeered the playlist. Something went off with a bang across the street, followed by the shouting of parents. Eventually, Seokjin stood up and stretched.

"We should probably be heading back," Seokjin said. "Practicum is at eight and I'm a monster without my beauty sleep."

"And not the sexy kind of monster Namjoon's into, right?" Taehyung snickered, spitting bits of icing all over the place.

"No, not that monster," Seokjin said calmly.

He ruffled Namjoon's hair. Namjoon stared at his plate. The room took a collective breath and held it.

"I like all your monsters," Namjoon said quietly.

"Whoa," Taehyung breathed.

Jungkook's third cupcake of the night slipped out of his fingers and went sailing past the edge of the table. There was a depressing splat.

"Oh my god baby," Jimin laughed. "You're having no luck."

Jungkook retrieved the cupcake. It was covered in dust, sprigs of plants, and bits of hair. "I think you better just scour this one," he sighed.

"Okay." Jimin paused. "Unless you want it, Tae?"

"Scrape the icing off and I'll eat it," Taehyung said cheerfully.

Jungkook picked up his fork.

"I've gained new respect for you tonight," Hoseok said.

"Thank you," Seokjin said.

"I was talking to Namjoon," Hoseok said. "Taking a dick is no easy task."

"Oh." Seokjin angled his head. "Fair point."

"Before anybody says it, I'll say it myself," Yoongi said. "Yes, I do know a thing or two about that, and no, it isn't easy, especially not when it's coming from Hoseok."

"Look at them go," Jimin said. "They don't even need our help anymore."

"It's still your fault." Namjoon turned to face them. "These topics only ever arise when we're around the three of you."

"I don't know why you're involving me in this," Jungkook said. "I've just been quietly eating my dinner the whole night."

Seokjin raised an eyebrow. "If that was quiet, I don't want to know what noisy looks like."

Night had fallen. Jimin went around turning on all the ornamental lamps hiding in various places around the apartment. Taehyung was doing dishes. Jungkook went to get everyone's coats from the bedroom.

"Before we go, does anybody feel like telling me what they've actually been up to?" Seokjin asked.

"Still slogging along with my thesis," Hoseok said.

"Same," Namjoon said.

"Same," Taehyung said.

"I don't have a thesis, but I'm slogging my way through med school," Seokjin said.

"I'm still slogging along at Blackthorn," Jungkook said. "Next year I'll be slogging along at Sage."

Jimin and Taehyung's faces cracked into proud smiles.

"I don't know why I even asked," Seokjin said. "Clearly we're all going to be drowning in academia for the rest of our lives."

"I almost escaped," Yoongi said.

"What do you mean by almost?" Namjoon asked. "You aren't at school anymore, are you?"

"Our company got the grant we applied for," Yoongi said. "We're going to be partnering with musomancers overseas to try to rerecord an ancient symphony unearthed in a library in Mumbai."

"Yeah, that sounds pretty academic to me," Taehyung said.

"What about you Jimin?" Seokjin asked.

Jungkook and Taehyung turned to look at Jimin with almost as much curiosity as the others.

"Still plugging away at Mirrorworks," Jimin said.

"You've been there, what—" Namjoon counted the years off on his fingers. "Two years now?"

Jimin smiled. "It's honestly a bit of a lifer position. I wouldn't be surprised if I work there until retirement."

Jungkook turned a snort into a cough.

"You hired a portal-caster to get here, didn't you?" Jimin asked.

"We had to be in LA for the conference anyway," Seokjin said. "It's okay, the university covered it." He and Namjoon were standing off to the side, watching as Jimin opened a portal in the hallway for their return journey.

"Even so... next time, please feel free to call me."

"Knowing someone who works at a portal-casting company certainly has its perks," Namjoon said.

"No kidding. Free registration?" Seokjin said. "You must save thousands of dollars each year."

"They're quite generous with their employees," Taehyung said.

"Yes, keyword being employees, and employees only," Jimin said, "which is why it would be appreciated if you kept this to yourselves."

Namjoon and Seokjin nodded in grave understanding.

Jimin fired off a dummy spell with a flick of his fingers and straightened up. "Good to go."

Hugs were exchanged all round. Namjoon and Seokjin promised to visit more often. Jimin stepped back and watched the portal seal itself behind them like a big watery eye closing.

"They close on their own now?" Yoongi asked curiously.

"It's a feature I just added."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?" Hoseok said. "What if everyone isn't through when it closes? What if someone gets stuck?"

"Oh, I'm only trial-running it at the moment." Jimin waved his hand. "I would never do it without being there to supervise."

Hoseok didn't look fully convinced.

"He's right, you know," Jimin said.

The three of them were standing in the lobby, watching Yoongi and Hoseok walk down the street towards the metro. The old Camry was parked on the road in between a horse-drawn carriage and a Prius. Two more years biding on Blackthorn's rainy campus had left it rustier than ever.

"Travelling through unsupervised portals is very risky."

"I don't know, I'm pretty used to it at this point," Jungkook said. He and Taehyung both caught Jimin's unsupervised, prescheduled portals to and from school everyday.

"We're both agile," Taehyung said.

"And self-preserving," Jungkook said, omitting the time he'd reached back through the half-closed portal to grab an extra piece of toast and almost lost his hand.

Jimin frowned.

It was something they still needed to figure out.

Jimin was tinkering with timeframes. Leaving the portal open for too short a period risked someone missing it, or worse, getting stuck halfway through. Leaving it open too long was a security risk. None of them wanted a random person wandering into their apartment through a portal they'd left open and unattended because they needed to run to class.

"I think we should go back to the texting method," Jimin said.

Taehyung groaned.

"What if you're out of the country?" Jungkook asked. "What if you aren't by your phone?"

"Gukkie's right," Taehyung said. "I hate asking permission every time I want to come home."  

When Jimin had first discovered how to open portals across time and space, he'd insisted that they text him every time they wanted to go somewhere, so he could make sure they were safely through before he scheduled the portal to close. The only problem was, whenever Jimin wasn't at home in the apartment, he was rarely in the country, and even more rarely by his phone. It was hard to be on standby while you were hundreds of leagues under the ocean sweet-talking a water dragon.

"I was late to so many classes last semester because of the texting method." Jungkook wrung his hands. "It was conditional acceptance to Sage. I need to keep my grades up, I can't afford to—"

"There is one solution to all this."

"What's that?" Taehyung asked excitedly.

Jimin huffed. "You two could finally get your shit together and learn how to cast portals and dummy spells yourselves."

"Oh right," Taehyung said.

"Uh, yeah," Jungkook said. "About that."

"I wrote out the instructions. I included diagrams."

"I'm so busy with school Chim," Taehyung moaned.

"When will you not be busy with school?" Jimin closed the door behind them and turned around, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Thinking about those portals closing on you keeps me up at night. I want my peaceful sleeps back. I don't want to worry about what I might find on the floor every time I come home."

"It isn't like you never make us worry," Jungkook said. "We don't even know where you are half the time."

"Gukkie's right." Taehyung put his hands on his hips. "While we're in class, you could be burning up inside a volcano, or getting turned inside-out in outer space for all we know. That shit keeps me awake too."

"I haven't been to a volcano in years."

"Oh my god," Jungkook groaned, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor.

"I know you're trying to help, but you're only making it worse, Chim," Taehyung said in a neurotic, sing-songy voice.

"I know how to handle myself," Jimin said.

"Could you not tell us one thing?" Jungkook asked softly. "Just like, one detail. It's been almost a year since you told us about the water dragon."

"He's right," Taehyung said. "I have literally no idea what you've been doing these days."

Jimin's face split into a smile.

"What?" Jungkook demanded.

Jimin covered his mouth with a hand and tried to look serious.

"What are you fucking grinning about?" Taehyung asked in exasperation.

Jimin continued to smile behind his hand, staring at the floor. Taehyung and Jungkook waited with bated breath.

"Guys." Jimin looked up. His eyes were twinkling. "Do you want to see something really cool?"

Jungkook scrambled to his feet.

They followed Jimin back to his room. Jungkook hadn't taken his shoes off. Taehyung was still in an apron. He and Jungkook knew better than to take too long or ask too many questions when Jimin was in one of these moods. His decision to let them in on one of his secrets could blow away as capriciously as it had blow in.

"I wanted to have it ready for your birthday, Jungkook, but it took longer than I expected. I was planning to wait until Taehyung's birthday to show it to you, but..." He played with one of his rings. "I kind of want to show it to you tonight."

"Yes," Taehyung said.

"Are you sure it won't spoil the surprise?"

"No," Jungkook exclaimed. "Not at all."

"Okay. Then, Tae, you might want to go get some shoes too."

Taehyung vanished out the door and reappeared with a pair of boots in his hand less than ten seconds later. He gave Jimin a breathless thumbs up.

Jimin flashed him a shy smile and then turned his back to them. Jungkook snuck a look at Taehyung. Taehyung glanced back with big excited eyes.

Jimin poked the air the same way he did when he was opening a portal. The texture of the space around his bed wobbled. He added another hand, feeling around. Something invisible shifted—Jungkook felt it, a quivering wave that washed through his body, a bit like when the demon had awakened his faerie magic in Jimin's forest.

Jimin was panting.

A sliver of light broke open. Jimin dug his thumbs inside like he was trying to physically prise it open. Jungkook had never seen him expend so much energy opening a portal, not even back in first year.

No matter what he did, the sliver refused to open more than a couple inches. Jimin stepped to the side, catching his breath. "Just one second."

"Is there any way we can help?" Jungkook asked.

Jimin thought for a moment.

"Let's try touching it all at the same time," he said.

Jungkook and Taehyung stepped closer. A draft was slipping through the sliver of glimmering light, brushing over Jungkook's hair. It smelled earthy, herbal. Jimin repositioned his hands on either side and nodded to them.

"Now."

Jungkook and Taehyung reached out in unison, pressing their fingertips into the edges. The portal melted under Jimin's touch. He pushed it open until it was big enough that they could fit through.

"Well that seemed to work," Taehyung said.

"Of course it did," Jimin said.

He stepped through the portal.

Jungkook looked at Taehyung. Taehyung's cherry-red hair stirred around his face, caught in the slipstream. His skin looked luminous in the strange light.

"Well, alley-oop."

Jungkook watched Taehyung's clunky boots disappear through the aperture. His heart was pounding in his chest.

He'd known them almost four years. He knew them better than anyone else in the world, and yet, it was moments like this that reminded him that there were still things about them he didn't know at all.

Anything could be waiting for him on the other side of the portal.

Jimin had once lured him into a cursed corn maze with a similarly excitable glint in his eye. Jimin had also blown up a tree in his forest to prevent the same mistake from happening again. There was no hint of that glint when he thought Taehyung had accidentally swallowed an entire cup of distilled belladonna, or when Jungkook and Taehyung joked about blowing themselves up in the Sage laboratory.

Anything could be waiting for him on the other side of the portal, and whatever it was, Jungkook was certain it was going to be wonderful.

He stepped through the aperture.

He was right.

Temperate air washed over his skin. He was standing in a field of grass speckled with purple flowers. Clouds drifted overhead like heavy boats, leaving feathery streaks in their wake. The sky looked like the inside of a pretty blue marble.

He wandered through the grass in the direction of Taehyung's whooping. The field gave over to a grey clay shore leading down to a long rectangular lake. The clear azure water stretched far into the distance, and at the other end, there was a stone tower with a single turret at the top.

"C'mon, Gukkie!"

Taehyung surfaced, blowing water out of his mouth in a stream. Jimin ducked.

Jungkook had been too distracted by the scenery to notice the pile of clothes to his left. He undressed absent-mindedly, tossing his shirt onto the pile, still looking around at his surroundings. The lake was banked around by a forest. The magic radiating off the trees was powerfully familiar.

He waded into the water. It was warmer than he'd expected, given the freshness of the air. His toes squished into the clay. It was smooth, but not too slippery. Once he got close enough Taehyung greeted him by spitting a mouthful of water into his face.

Jungkook seized Taehyung around the waist and held him above the water to stop him from reloading. Taehyung burst into laughter. Their naked bodies pressed together and Jungkook shivered. He beckoned to Jimin.

"Are you going to spit on me too?" Jimin asked coyly.

Jungkook smirked. "Only if you want me to."  

Jimin paddled closer. Jungkook wrapped an arm around his shoulders and dragged him into the tangle of slippery limbs.

"Where are we?" Jungkook asked.

"Guess," Jimin said.

"The water is warm, but the air is fresh," Taehyung began.

Jimin watched him closely.

Taehyung ran his fingers over the surface of the lake. "The water is still, but there are no mosquitoes. The forest has all kinds of fucking trees that don't usually grow together—southern live oak, redwoods, firs, birch. The grass back on the hill is so overgrown with heather, you'd think the air would detonate if you touched it."

"What are you saying?"

"This place is impossible," Taehyung said. "It can't exist."

"But it does." Jimin smiled. "Look."

He slapped hard at the water with the flat of his hand. Water splashed all over their faces, shooting straight up Jungkook's nose.

"Chim!"

Taehyung flailed until one of his hands broke free. He took the opportunity to repeat what Jimin had done as many times as he could until Jungkook swam in closer and pulled them both against him, pinning their arms to their bodies. All three of them were gasping with laughter.

"Always my nose," Jungkook complained.

"So was I right?" Taehyung asked. "This place isn't real?"

"What, like astral projecting or something?" Jungkook asked. "Then what was the point in the portal?"

"Look closer," Jimin said.

Taehyung squinted.

"That turret on top of the tower looks a lot like my pigeon turret back at Blackthorn," Jungkook said.

"That's because it's exactly the same as your pigeon turret back at Blackthorn."

"Whoa."

"Are we in a dream?" Taehyung asked.

"Not exactly." Jimin took a deep breath. "I made you a world."

Taehyung and Jungkook took a moment to think that over.

"A world," Taehyung said.

"Like... a planet?" Jungkook asked.

"Kind of. Not exactly."

Jimin's voice was trembling with excitement. Jungkook wondered how long he'd wanted to tell them about this and kept it to himself. If it had been Jungkook, and he'd been that excited about something, he would've been able to hold out for a week, maybe two. If it had been Taehyung, he would've been able to hold out for a couple minutes.

"I found a spell in the merperson library. It was an ancient formula. I was looking for Atlantis, see, because apparently there's a library there, that has this book that... well, I won't waste your time by getting into the details. Long story short, I figured out that the reason why nobody's been able to find Atlantis is because it isn't on earth."

Taehyung had fallen silent, watching Jimin with big eyes.  

"The merpeople discovered a way to build worlds in other dimensions. I guess it's kind of like astral projection, but instead of just uploading your consciousness to a different plane, you put actual physical matter there."

"But that would require an insane amount of magic," Taehyung said.

Jimin smiled slyly. "That's what the book in the library in Atlantis was for."

Taehyung and Jungkook took another minute.

"So you built this?" Jungkook asked. "Like, all of this?"

Jimin nodded.

"Why?"

"Because... I felt like it, I guess."

"You're nuts."

"It's just a start," Jimin said quickly. "I need to map out a lot of things. Casting is a little wonky here because I'm still fine-tuning the physical laws. The forest is already starting to develop its own character, though, which is really cool."

"Holy shit."

"I made the tower for Jungkook. It has the turret on top, and I'm not sure if you can see them right now, Tae, but this world has three moons. I wanted to create a place that was entirely ours, kind of like a living, breathing secret between the three of us. I'm tired of keeping secrets all to myself, and, I mean... mostly I just wanted to see if I could do it."

"Jesus fucking shit, Chim."

Do you like it?" Jimin asked anxiously. "I mean, I know Jungkook likes it, I can feel his boner, but what about you, Tae?"

"I love it," Taehyung breathed.

"I'm not ashamed of popping a woody over a cool alien world," Jungkook said. "I'm entirely comfortable with that concept."

"Are we going to live here?" Taehyung asked.

"I don't know." Jimin leaned his head on Jungkook's shoulder. "Maybe one day. I was thinking it might be a nice place to hide my hut, seeing as this forest is definitely never going to get cut down, but I'm also weirdly attached to the Everglades."

"Choosing which whole-ass world I want to live in." Jungkook shook his head. "A dilemma I would not have foreseen."

"You say the casting is wonky here," Taehyung said.

"Just a little."

"And the physical laws. How wonky are those?"

The corner of Jimin's mouth tipped upwards. "We're swimming, aren't we?"

Jungkook let out a surprised moan.

"What did you do?" Jimin asked.

Taehyung twisted his wrist. "Just running a few more tests."

"Fuck, Tae," Jungkook gasped, arching his back. "Your fingers are kind of cold."

"Let's go up on the shore," Jimin said.

The clay was cool against Jungkook's skin. He lay on his back, squinting in the light of a sun Jimin had dreamt up, as Taehyung massaged warm slick into his asshole, and Jimin loaded up handfuls of clay and smeared them down his chest. Turned out the clay was smooth against his cock too.

"Fuck," Jungkook whimpered.

"He's so beautiful."

"He really is," Jimin sighed.

Jungkook tipped his head up to look at them.

Taehyung's knees were coated in clay. The blue-grey colour stood out against his tan skin, like someone had changed their mind on the colour palette halfway through painting him into life. He sometimes looked so serious during sex, especially when he was prepping someone, eyes focused, mouth stern, the same expression he got when he was mixing a potion.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

"You," Jungkook whispered.

Jimin's ponytail had come out at some point. The wind whipped his hair into his face. Jungkook reached out a trembling hand and brushed his hair back, so he could see his eyes.

"And you."

Jimin's gaze moved between Jungkook's eyes. His expression was brimming over with an emotion Jungkook couldn't place. He looked sensual, but also a little sad.

"What's up, Kitten?"

"I love you," Jimin said softly.

"Oh."

"Both of you so much."

Taehyung added another finger. Jimin had loaded more clay onto Jungkook's cock and was squishing and pulling at the shape experimentally. Jungkook moaned. He sounded so needy, so helpless, trembling underneath their hands.

"Lemme do something."

"Kick back, Gukkie," Taehyung said.

"We're spoiling you today," Jimin said.

"How?"

"Well, I was thinking I could start by fucking you open so that Tae—"

"How did you two end up loving me?" Jungkook choked. "Two people like you, I never thought I'd, g-god, oh fuck—"

"I ask myself the same thing everyday, about you two," Taehyung said, twisting his wrist. "Wow. You're opening up so fast today."

"Because I want you so bad!"

Jungkook had his needy moments, but this was pushing it, even after all the wine. He blushed, closing his eyes, and waited for the teasing. It never came.

"Pretty boy." Jimin thumbed over his mouth. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?"

Jungkook shook his head, grinding the back of his head into the clay.

"Look at me, Guk."

Jungkook opened his eyes.

Here was a being who was changing history for his race. Here was a being who could create entire worlds out of aimless curiosity.

Their beauty was blinding.

"I'm yours," Jungkook whispered. "Please, take me. Swallow me alive, I don't care—"

Jimin pushed inside him slowly.

"We belong to you just as much as you belong to us, silly," Taehyung said in his ear.

"More," Jungkook whimpered. "Please, I can take it, I promise—"

"Whatever you want, baby."

Jimin's hips crashed forward.

Jungkook's heels splashed into the water. He held Taehyung's hand while Jimin pounded him into the clay, moaning helplessly, in a world where nobody would ever hear him, and magic padded him on all sides, and he felt so wonderfully safe.

Jimin pulled out.

"You're not going to finish inside him?" Taehyung asked.

"I wanna watch you with him," Jimin said gently. "That's how I wanna cum today."

"You're both being so romantic," Taehyung said. "It's kind of getting me choked up."

"Hurry up," Jungkook whispered hoarsely, reaching for Taehyung's hips. Unlike Taehyung, he already had tears streaking his face and was in no mood to speculate or fuck around.

"You already look so wrecked, Guk," Taehyung said fondly, and then proceeded to thrust inside him in one smooth movement.

"Oh fuck," Jungkook rasped.

"How's it feel?" Jimin asked.

"So fucking g-good."

"Wow, I almost just came." Taehyung took a shuddering breath. "Gotta get my shit together."

"It's okay." Jungkook pet over Taehyung's chest, thumbing distractedly at his piercings. "I don't mind if you cum right away. I love you Tae, I want you to feel good."

"N-not helping."

Jimin dropped his hand from his dick and shuffled around behind Taehyung. A moment later Taehyung let out a loud groan.

"Okay that's definitely not helping."

"What happened?" Jungkook asked.

"Chim stuck his dick in me," Taehyung said through clenched teeth. "What happened to just watching?"

"I couldn't help it. You both looked so good."

Taehyung closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and let out a long humming sound.

"What are you doing?" Jimin asked.

"I'm meditating."

"Is it helping?"

"Not really." Taehyung stroked the sides of Jungkook's face. "I'm going to fuck you now, Guk. Sorry if I cum within literal seconds of getting my dick inside you."

"I told you I don't care." Jungkook giggled softly. "I felt that noise you made inside my ass."

"Good. Maybe once I prematurely ejaculate all over the place I'll rim you while singing an aria to help you along to your happy place. I know a few good ones."

Jimin thrusted hard from behind.

"Rude," Taehyung gasped.

"Had to shut y-you up somehow. Wow," Jimin wheezed. "I'm on the edge too."

"I think it's all the magic in the air," Jungkook said. "I've already cum twice."

"What?" Jimin asked. "When?"

"I'm not sure, in the clay, and when you were fucking me, I think."

"Little sneak." Taehyung leaned over, rubbing his clay-covered hands through Jungkook's hair, and started to thrust into him, slow and hard. Jimin chased Taehyung lower, holding himself up on his forearms and countering Taehyung's thrusts with his own.

Jungkook reached out and gripped each of their arms in turn, running his hands down the muscle. Neither of them were incredibly built.

"Checking out the guns?" Taehyung asked.

"Wiry," Jungkook chuckled breathlessly.

Taehyung sucked a breath in through his teeth.

"Just cum. You're torturing yourself."

"I don't want this to end."

"If you're still horny afterwards I'll fuck you instead."

"Oh yeah?" Taehyung licked his lips. "With what, your three, four orgasms deep dick?"

"I think there's enough magic here to fuck indefinitely."

Jimin was still thrusting into Taehyung from behind. Jungkook could hear it, the soft wet squelching, amongst various bird calls trilling in the distance.

"You gave it birds," Jungkook said.

"Of course I ohhhfuckI'm, I'm—"

Taehyung's breathless laugh was a little smug.

Jimin's fingers ground into the clay. Taehyung remained still, letting Jimin's thrusts knock him forward. Jimin pulled out a second later and crawled back to his original spot.

"Now I'm ready to watch."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Taehyung murmured. "Wow. I can't believe I'm the one who lasted the longest."

"That never happens," Jungkook giggled.

"Meanie."

Jungkook pouted, smearing clay down the side of Taehyung's nose.

"You're too fucking cute." Taehyung dropped into a rhythm, thrusting once, twice, three times, and then his face went slack. Jimin laughed. It was contagious. Jungkook giggled some more, while Taehyung groaned, low and shameless, through lips so slack they jiggled a little with each thrust.

Taehyung gasped harshly.

"Feels good," Jungkook whispered. "So hot, inside me."

They kissed languidly, deeply. Jungkook wasn't quite sure when it happened, but Taehyung wasn't inside him anymore. They were covered in clay, Jimin was there too, rolling with them, legs tangled, nipping Jungkook's fingers with his fangs.

"I'm so happy I met you," Jungkook said.

Jimin was lying on his stomach, half-draped over Jungkook. Jungkook watched Taehyung roll his hips, thrusting inside Jimin from behind. The sex was formless, unhurried, a hazy bridge between orgasm after endless orgasm. Jungkook had no concept of what time it must've been back at their apartment.

"Me too," Jimin said. "I'm so glad I decided to leave my forest and go to witch school."

The clay on their bodies had begun to dry. Jimin's hair hung around his face in messy clumps. Taehyung's was slicked flat against his scalp at this point. Jungkook smiled and dried clay cracked off the side of his face.

"My parents exiling me in America—best thing to ever happen to me."

"I'm just glad I had good enough grades to get into Blackthorn," Taehyung added.

"Was that ever a question?"

"No." Taehyung grinned. "Not really."

Jimin snickered, and then moaned.

"We're in a trippy newly-wrought world,” Jungkook said, "and you're still bragging about your academics."

"I can't help it, they're just so good." Taehyung whined. "Not as good as Jimin's ass though. Fuck, Chim, do that thing again—"

Jimin arched his hips higher. Taehyung slammed out a few messy thrusts, and then collapsed on top of him with an exhausted moan.

"I've never cum so many times in my life," Taehyung wheezed softly. His eyes were rolled up into his head, but his lids weren't quite closed. Jungkook could see the whites peeking through.

"Get off me, I want one more," Jimin said.

Taehyung rolled to the side. Jimin climbed up into Jungkook's lap.

"Finger me?"

"How many do you want?"

"After Tae's cock, I'm gonna need three."

"Reasonable."

Jimin sat down on Jungkook's hand and started to stroke himself off. Jungkook pushed Jimin's hand out of the way and did it for him. Jimin spread his legs wider, biting his lips, and there Jungkook was, on an alien beach, with a werewolf snuggled up beside him, and a hag twisting and panting in his arms.

Everything around them, the trees, the lake, the birds, was informed the moment Jimin came.

"How do you still have the energy for that shit?" Taehyung asked.

"I love yelling when I cum," Jimin panted. "I just don't do it all the time because I know it makes Jungkook nervous."

"Only when we're in public," Jungkook protested.

"I'm actually inclined to believe you," Jimin said. "You almost outdid me today."

Jungkook frowned.

"Look at that blush," Taehyung laughed weakly. "I don't know how you have the energy to be embarrassed right now either."

"The energy here is insane," Jungkook said.

"You might have trouble sleeping tonight," Jimin said. "It happens to me every time I come here."

"Really? I feel like the second I step back through the portal I'm going to collapse." Taehyung looked down. "And yet, I'm hard. How is this possible?"

"Wanna go explore a bit?"

Taehyung scrambled to his feet so fast he slipped on the clay and almost went crashing back down.

"I'll take that as a yes," Jimin laughed.

They swam across the lake to the base of the tower. A spiral staircase led up to the turret at the top. Jungkook inspected the floor closely.

"I'm sorry, Guk, I couldn't bring myself to make it quite as decrepit."

"I still can't get over the fact that you made this." Jungkook rubbed his bare foot over the stone blocks. "All of this. It's amazing. There isn't even any poop."

"These pigeons know to poop outside."

"They're so cute," Taehyung giggled. He had pigeons all over his head and shoulders. They were rotund, downy, and a lot more purple than regular pigeons.

Jungkook crossed the room to the window. The valley looked even more lush from up high. The hazy air held onto the sunlight. The shifting beams danced in the admixture of pollen, moisture, and magic. The forest stretched as far as the eye could see, emerald and already so, so wild. He could feel it.

"I can see our clothes." Taehyung pointed. "I got so distracted I forgot I was naked."

Jungkook spotted a black dot on the shore in the distance and burst into laughter.

"And there's one of the moons."

"I wonder what it would be like to get your heat here," Jungkook said.

Both of them looked at each other and erupted into a chorus of yoooooooooo's and oh mannnnn's.

Jimin leaned against the brick pillar in the centre of the room, watching them with a twinkling smile on his face.

"Can we come here whenever we want?" Taehyung asked.

"Only if you know how to portal cast," Jimin said lightly.

"Oh geez."

"Oh my god." Jungkook gasped. "This was your plan all along."

"Right," Taehyung said. "Chim created an entire world to motivate us to learn portal-casting."

"I would," Jimin said. "I'd create five worlds if it meant not having to worry about you two every second of the day."

Taehyung clapped a hand over his heart and pretended to cry. "So touching."

"So what's next on the roster?" Jungkook pushed on, who was actually trying not to cry. "Now that you've created a world, and everything."

"I'm going to iron things out here for a while, then I don't know. I've got a few other things on the go."

"You're never-endingly shady," Taehyung said. "I'd be worried about having an existential crisis if I were you. What could possibly follow something like this?"

"Oh." Jimin's eyes were glittering. "You have no idea."

Jungkook really didn't.

A pigeon flew out through the window, maybe to stretch its wings, or to go poop in an approved area. Jungkook took in the beautiful sights, and realized that two other sets of eyes were taking in the same thing, and he'd never quite know exactly how it felt for them, but that was okay. Jimin had projects on the go that Jungkook couldn't even imagine. Taehyung had his private fantasies. They all had their secrets—but as the years went by, there were fewer and fewer of them, and things still hadn't gotten any less exciting.

Jimin came closer and held Jungkook's hand. Taehyung rested his head on Jungkook's shoulder.

They'd almost known each other four years. They'd gone to school together, awakened magic together, and created worlds, but like Jimin hinted, there was so much more to come.

This was just the start.

"With enough curiosity," Jimin said, "you can live forever."

FIN