Archive of Our Own

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 respective 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