Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The elder will rise in times of serenity and bring forth prosperity. The torrent brings with it the second, reigning malediction...

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

It’s dark. Everything is dark. Always so, so goddamn dark.

It’s cold and he shivers where he lays curled up into a ball against the hard ground, eyes squeezed shut so tight that fireworks start to speckle the darkness. His head presses against what he thinks is a tree root. Its bark is rough and scratches him through his hanbok with every shiver he can’t suppress. He thinks the tree is behind him; he can feel the presence of something looming and occasionally his tremors cause him to bump against it.

He can’t open his eyes, he’s too afraid. He knows the sounds are of a forest but he isn’t able to distinguish which, as forest sounds and creatures aren’t taught to children as young as he. He can’t pinpoint the direction of the wind or the different scuffles of the animals— if there are any animals. He hasn’t been taught how to identify the finer details and intricacies within individual forests yet.

He doesn't understand why this is happening. His muscles are tight, stiff from the damp, post rain haze and something else, but he wouldn't dare move anyway. He’s frozen with fear from each and every noise that seems to scream so loud through the forest when they’re barely more than a whisper. 

A cricket chirp.

A frog croak.

A twig snap.

Was that a footstep?

Always afraid. Everyone is so mean to him for no reason— at least, reasons he isn’t able to understand at his young age. Everyone in his village always looks at him like he has two heads and walks on the other side of the street when they spy him coming. They always stay away from him when he visits the general stores or remove their kids from the local field when he arrives with his parents and brother to play.

And now they’ve left him all alone in the middle of the fucking woods in the dead of night to fend for himself.

He cracks his eyes open barely a sliver. It’s so dark, he can’t see anything. Not even the fallen leaves on the ground in front of him. He doesn’t know why he tried. He squeezes them shut when the tears threaten to fall as reality smacks him in the face again.

He’s not sure if he’s dreaming or if this is his new reality.

He’s always stuck in the pitch blackness for minutes or hours, he’s not sure, never sure. 

Until he hears it.

The growling.

He’s never sure how he ends up there in the woods under the beech tree, its twisting roots stretching all around him like fingers ready to drag him deeper. He’s never sure how he ends up with creatures surrounding him and a small wolf defending him. It terrifies him more each time.

Until he remembers.

He knows what’s happening.

He doesn’t want to, but he has to.

After all, one’s own thoughts are one’s own worst enemy.

We are our own worst enemy.

It’s a terrifying dream, yes. But it also means his familiar isn’t nearby. The darkness is creeping back in, slowly but surely. He’s shaking even more and the blood is rushing through his ears, pounding so loud he can almost hear it in his sleep. He knows what’s going to happen next.

Goblins, creatures of the night, his wolf. And blood. So, so much bloodshed.

But he needs to wake up.

Because he isn’t safe. Because he can’t stay in this dream any longer.

Because it means Jeongguk isn’t near him.

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

Taehyung wakes with a violent jerk. The sudden movement has him instantly realizing he has a fucking massive headache. His skull is pounding, squeezing to where it feels like it’s going to burst any second. He threads his fingers into his blonde hair and grips, tugging the sweaty strands a bit too hard to try and lighten the pressure. He swears he can hear them tearing from the follicles.

“Fuck,” he groans, curling in on himself and pressing his head further into his pillow. “Je-Jeon—” he tries to push out but can’t. He can barely focus, the words jumbling in his mind. His muscles ache from the tension and the remaining magic from his dream reminding him of his past.

He’s hot, his pillow is soaked under his head and his skin is starting to tingle. Everything already feels so strong, so stuffy and suffocating that he can’t concentrate on forming even a single thought.

Where the fuck is his familiar?

He can’t reach for his phone, everything hurts too much. Even moving an in inch sounds like hell.

He can’t feel his boyfriend’s presence behind him so he must not be in bed, nor in their home if he hasn’t rushed into their bedroom by now. Strangely though, he can feel the presence of Jeongguk’s pendant and that worries him. Without it around Jeongguk’s neck, it’s useless to the both of them.

He needs his boyfriend and he only has one other way to reach him.

Guk, he forces through their bond. He sounds so pitiful, so weak to his own mind. He’s sure Jeongguk can hear it and probably fears hearing it every time they’re separated. Taehyung knows how worried his familiar gets when his magic starts to overwhelm him and he has to call for the wolf like this.

It feels like forever before his familiar is answering him. He’s starting to shake and sweat and he hopes his aura doesn’t get to the point of excruciating agony. The pure anguish and crushing pressure he's already feeling is starting to become too much.

He’s trying to suppress it, control it like he was taught to do but it’s so hard for him to concentrate. He’s strong, he knows he is and that’s what upsets him the most.

His own magic is out to ruin him but he refuses.

The pressure causes light static in the air around the bedroom and the atmosphere is almost debilitating. It’s getting stronger the longer his familiar is away and not answering. It’s— 

Sorry, Jeongguk replies back. It’s only a few mere seconds later but it still feels like minutes to Taehyung’s warped sense of time. Jeongguk sounds out of breath and he feels so far away. Too far away. But the sound of his rough, deep grating voice slowly grips Taehyung like his claws do sometimes and pull him slowly back to reality. Coming, Master.

Taehyung’s skin is starting to tingle more, agitating him to where he wants to scratch to make it stop. It’s starting to pass the point of uncomfortable and is building to a simmer. It won’t be long until his skin starts to feel like it’s burning, like there’s fire running through every limb, through every vein. He hopes he isn’t full on screaming when Jeongguk returns home.

He can feel the shift in his aura just from Jeongguk talking to him. It’s not enough, never will be when he’s in this state, but he’ll beg for that sweet relief of Jeongguk any day. Whether it be in the form of cuddling or fucking, he’ll always need it. Want it. Want him.

His aura is starting to soften, calming down little by little as he struggles on what to reply. If he wasn't as powerful and not as in tune with his body and magic as he is, he wouldn’t have noticed the constant shifting. His skin is sitting at a steady, uncomfortable temperature right below fire and above simmer. When he finally manages to gather enough coherent thoughts together, he inhales deeply and puts all of his strength into replying through their bond.

Hurry, is all he manages to send back to Jeongguk before succumbing to his pain.

✧･ﾟ☽ ♡ ☾˚⋅✧

He knew this was coming, that he would be thrust back into the dream again. It’s some sort of twisted compensation that he and his magic have come to in spite of him not letting it consume him. His magic replays the dream over and over, start to finish whenever it manages to creep up on him.

But, is it still a dream if it really happened? If Taehyung and Jeongguk truly experienced it?

It’s dark again. Always, always dark in Gamangnara Forest. It’s where the most malicious and vile creatures of rural Daegu are taken, where the ones prophesied to wreak havoc are forced to enter and damned to rot, or worse.

The wind is howling now, ruffling the full bloom trees around him and whining as it twists its way through the branches. He shivers, tries to shuffle closer to the tree behind him but his muscles still feel stiff, like he can’t move them no matter how hard he tries to.

Then, the wind stops.

It’s silent.

Everything is still.

The only thing he can hear is his erratic heartbeat and the blood still rushing through his ears. His magic feels sporadic, like it can’t contain itself and its worry for him. It has formed a protective bubble around him but he knows it isn’t strong enough to fend off anything bigger than baby pixies.

His heart drops when he remembers there aren’t any in this forest. He can recognize it now, the dead smells and pungent undergrowth fill his nose and cause him to scrunch it.

He knows he needs to try and get up and make his way home, or at least find some sort of shelter for the night. He really doesn’t want to be out when he knows what evils lurk in this forest. He’s sure his parents and Seokjin are worried sick about him by now.

He tries to stretch his limbs out again but his muscles scream in protest. Whatever the village folk fed him definitely made him feel strange. His head had started to hurt, he felt dizzy, and his vision started to get blurry. He told them he felt sick but they just smiled and told him he would be okay. They just peered down at him as he fell to the ground while everything faded to darkness.

Remembering their wicked stares makes him shiver violently again. He keeps his knees pulled to his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around them. It’s not like he has much of a choice, anyway.

An ominous feeling washes over him at the same time his magic abruptly spikes in warning. It urges him to get up and move, warning him of the danger quickly closing in around him. It’s silent though, too silent and that terrifies him even more.

That’s when he hears it. When it’s dead silent. When the wind has stopped howling and the crickets hush.

The sounds have his eyes flying open and his body freezing mid shiver. He hears the shuffling of leaves and distant growling and he thinks this is it. He isn’t yet the strong witch his parents always told him he would become. Hell, he’s only five, he can’t even hurt a pixie. His magic hasn’t fully set in yet, hasn't started developing with him. It’s still pure. He’s still pure.

That’s when he sees it. Sees them.

Their eyes are first, moving as if they’re floating, lined up in a daunting semi circle formation around him and closing in slowly. Then, their silhouettes come into view through the fog, dappled moonlight bouncing off their gray skin.

Saaghan Goblins.

They’re evil creatures ranging in size from as small as him to towering over him. The ones in this forest have been turned long ago by dark magic. They don’t help people, they don’t play harmless tricks on them, they don’t snicker behind villagers’ backs. They smell, they attack, and they eat or corrupt anything in their path.

They’re hunched over and ugly, covered in boils, warts, and whatever else the forest decides to give them. Their hair is falling out, stringy and missing in places. It hangs over their oversized ears, their distorted faces. Ugly, disgusting teeth bared by their grimaces. Too small and useless clothes are torn, ripped in many places and their round guts hang. Some of them swing their clubs around, ready to take him in deeper.

Now, as they draw closer, he can hear their devious laughter, their taunting voices trying to scare him even more, whispering how they’ve been waiting for him.

He shrinks back against the tree, cowering in on himself as far as his tiny body will let him. His eyes are wide and filled with unshed tears, reflecting the full moon and the dark silhouettes of the evil around him. He was taught to never cry, no matter how terrified he becomes. 

The goblins are almost upon him now, circling his little clearing and advancing slowly. They love playing with their prey. They loom over him already with their deep, haunting voices taunting and tormenting him from their distance.

Through his fear, he barely registers the other sound in the distance quickly closing in. His magic amplifies the sound so he can pick up on it and pinpoint its direction. It’s approaching from behind him and the tree.

Running , he thinks fleetingly, wide eyes darting between the dark silhouettes in front of him. A lone tear slips down his cheek and stains the earth beneath him. He doesn't want to go out this way but his muscles still won’t budge.

He’s weak with fear and whatever the villagers slipped in the tea they offered him. Now he realizes it was probably some form of opium, be it seed or liquid , a laudanum tincture maybe . During the afternoon he never thought to question the strange taste because the villagers were being friendly to him for once.

He thought they finally had a change of heart.

What bullshit.

The thundering steps are getting louder and louder with every passing second, the bushes now rustling as the animal advances through them. It’ll be in the clearing within a few seconds.

This is it, his mind tells him again. Goblins and whatever else is coming will be the death of him. He idly wonders if they’ll fight to the death over him. 

He can hear it now through the amplification of his magic; the snarling. It sounds vicious, like it wants him all to itself. He almost prefers the goblins over the other terrors lurking in the forest.

Suddenly a black shadow launches itself over the roots by his head and lands with a thud in front of him. The animal stumbles a bit when trying to regain its balance, the goblins stopping in their tracks.

It’s silent again. 

When the animal straightens itself out and stands up tall, Taehyung can easily identify what it is through the darkness. 

A wolf.

And when it turns to him and shoves its muzzle in his face, he can see his own reflection in its deep, red eyes. It sniffs at him, lips pulled up to reveal its canines and a growl resonating so deep from within his chest that Taehyung feels it in his own soul.

Another tear slips down his cheek with the realization that it’s a feral wolf.

✧･ﾟ☽ ♡ ☾˚⋅✧

Through his haze, Taehyung can faintly hear their front door being thrown open about ten agonizing seconds later. It clatters against the wall and if he were in the right state of mind he would worry about his rattling herb jars and different bottles and trinkets on the shelf beside the door. He would scold Jeongguk for being careless again, something his familiar’s feral side refused to let go of.

But all Taehyung can focus on is keeping his aura off himself and in a bubble around their bed. He made a promise long ago that he would never let it fully consume and corrupt him, even if he has to die to avoid it.

Jeongguk bursts through their bedroom door less than a second later. Perks of having an open floor plan cabin. “Sorry,” he’s muttering, voice low and gruff as he’s beside the bed in even less time, the sound of his baji being removed before the mattress dips. 

(Jeongguk has the choice of sweatpants and whatever else modern times bring, but he still chooses baji. It’s endearing.)

Taehyung imagines Jeongguk’s black ears are twitching and his tail is lashing with his haste. He would love to roll over and greet his familiar, his boyfriend, but his head still feels two steps away from exploding and his skin feels like it’s made with a concoction of electricity and fire.

He feels his aura’s force lessen with Jeongguk’s sudden presence, shrinking back to tamable levels almost like it’s screaming in agony at being shut down again. He has no doubt Jeongguk can feel the pressure, the heavy energy in the air.

Jeongguk’s chest is heaving as he climbs into bed beside Taehyung and immediately curls around him. He tangles his legs with Taehyung’s and slithers his tail around Taehyung’s waist along with his arm and tugs Taehyung closer so he’s flush against his front. Jeongguk’s sharp nails are digging into his stomach through his shirt but he can barely feel the pain.

In fact, the grounding is almost welcome. It’s similar to when he’s angry and needs to be fucked roughly.

The force of his aura is still too overpowering even with Jeongguk beside him now. He has stopped shivering so he takes that as a small win because it means he’s managing to keep grounded and in control.

It means Jeongguk is helping.

This situation isn’t new to them, sadly. When Taehyung is away from his familiar for too long his aura starts to shift, somehow realizing the one main thing that keeps him grounded is missing. Taehyung can barely keep control over his magic and when it grows strong enough, it becomes overwhelming. It quickly becomes dark with thoughts and power, crackling with violence and wanting to corrupt him like it has been prophesied to.

He made a promise to himself a long time ago that he would never let his magic overtake him. When his parents finally sat him down and explained to him why everyone in their village seemed to be afraid of him and not of his brother, he cried.

He cried and sulked for a few days, refusing to leave their little hanok on the outskirts of the village. He didn’t understand why this was happening to him, why everyone hated him but not Seokjin. He just wanted friends, wanted to experience what a normal child of the 18th century in the hills of Daegu would experience.

His parents promised he would have the experiences he wanted if he continued to be a good person and did good deeds, never lied and always, always helped people. If he continued his training and stayed true to his wholesome self.

It was then, when his parents let a few tears slip down their faces, that he vowed to them that he wouldn't let his aura overtake him.

He would be good. 

He vowed to his older brother that he would follow in his footsteps and never succumb to his urges.

His older brother, prophesied to bring only good to the world, sat in his bed and cried with him into the early hours of the morning. Seokjin never resented Taehyung, never got angry with him or gave up on him. Seokjin never lost hope for his brother who was prophesied to reign unforgiving evil down on his own greater good.

Seokjin never stopped believing in him even though they are ten years apart. Even if he was cursed with immortality just like Taehyung and Jeongguk, bearing the ancient Talwen on his back as Jeongguk does. He’s the best brother Taehyung could've asked for.

Then he heard his parents late one night when he couldn’t sleep and was up way past his bedtime, Seokjin sound asleep beside him. Their hushed arguing and a few soft bangs against the wood of their hanok caught his attention. When he snuck over to the door to peer around it, his eyes grew wide.

His parents were quarreling with a few other village folk outside, his mother on her knees with dirt on her clothes and his father at her side, helping her up. He couldn’t hear everything they were saying, but with the way his mother’s shoulders were shaking and his father’s tense arm curled around her, he knew it was anything but good. It worried him seeing his parents so upset.

Eventually the little group reached an agreement and he bolted back to his shared room to hide, tucking himself under his covers before anyone could turn and see him.

His parents had agreed to let the town remove Taehyung from the village and let him live if the villagers wouldn’t make King Min Yongsun aware of Taehyung’s existence. He didn't understand what most of their conversation meant at the time but when he woke up in the woods a week later, he began to have an understanding.

When he and Jeongguk first met, he already felt a strong pull to the feral werewolf. He felt safe curled up against the old beech tree as Jeongguk tore the goblins to shreds. 

They've stayed together ever since, learning to help control their behaviors together and, more importantly, learning what to do when one gets out of hand. It was a lot of trial and error but with the help from Junghwa, they persevered.

Because of this, Jeongguk is able to control when he shifts instead of his otherwise uncontrollable and painful feral full moon shifts.

They finally started dating when they were old enough to understand their growing feelings and are now bonded for life. Taehyung bound himself to Jeongguk so his magic wouldn't overwhelm him, but if it ever did they would have a way to deal with it.

When Jeongguk is away from Taehyung, his animalistic side starts to grow stronger. He was born a hybrid and raised in a feral clan outside of Busan. He was only four when he started showing signs of shifting to and using his human form more than his natural form and being interested in the life of humans.

This was unheard of in his pack and they quickly chased him off, exiling him for going against their code. He was just a pup who was still donning his fuzzy pup fur and teeth with puppy breath. He was only a little bigger than the average domesticated Labrador.

Taehyung sometimes wishes they weren’t so codependent on each other due to their history because it would mean he didn’t need to have his familiar soothe him. It would mean his magic wasn’t trying to corrupt him, and it would mean they were safe most of the time. They wouldn’t be feared, nor cursed.

But now is not the time to dwell on their past.

Three hundred years after they first met and Taehyung still thinks about their birth place. Thinks about how they grew up and survived together with Junghwa’s help when his own village wouldn't have him. Thinks about how Jeongguk saw him at his absolute worst and stayed by his side. How he wanted Jeongguk by his side and how devoted Jeongguk has been to him throughout the years.

How he bared his neck for his familiar to bite and how he sealed their bond with his magic.

Taehyung is never trusting of people, especially those Jeongguk openly dislikes. Being a wolf hybrid, Jeongguk’s strength and senses are stronger than most. He’s able to pinpoint those out to harm Taehyung, those out to try and get rid of him to stop the prophecy from being fulfilled. 

Taehyung is only open and trusting with Jeongguk in this state. Jeongguk is the only one who gets to see him like this, when his magic gets to be too much for him and starts to crack his shell. And in return, Taehyung gets to handle Jeongguk when his feral urges get to be too much for him. They soothe each other in ways only they know how.

Which is why Jeongguk is doing what he’s doing right now. Holding Taehyung, whispering to him, taking some of the burden off him with his presence and the pendant now around his neck.

It proves just how deep their bond truly runs, how intense their trust really is. How severely they rely on one another.

Taehyung isn’t sure where he would be if Jeongguk hadn’t saved him and they hadn’t met Junghwa. 

Jeongguk is everything to him. Always has been, always will be. That’s why Jeongguk is here with him now, doing his job as Taehyung’s familiar to quell the urge of his heinous magic. No one should ever be this close to him, not even his own brother who is just as powerful.

But really, Taehyung is just himself. He’s lived for many moons, cursed with immortality and the burden of carrying his potent magic. He’s observed many kings and cultural changes in Korea and through the world, witnessed many wars and has seen how time has changed the world’s perspective of him and Jeongguk. He’s learned many different types of magic and has met with many different species, most of which have heard of him and were not his, nor Jeongguk’s, fan at the time.

He’s more widely accepted now, past the point of his prophesied destruction and connected with modern technology and teachings. He’s part of the Preternatural Council for being one of the most powerful witches and for his immortality. He and Jeongguk are admittedly well respected throughout most of the world and are written about in history books. Taehyung has even published a few of his own spell books which have sold surprisingly well.

In reality though? Taehyung is just himself. Born with more magic flowing through his veins than most people combined and a sob story that he didn’t ask for to accompany him. An old witch with a feral werewolf as a familiar. A witch who appears calm and classy to the public with multiple degrees and not a single, rotten bone in his body. Taehyung has always portrayed himself without a weakness and with a feral as a familiar.

But right now? He’s exposed.

He’s exposed for the one person he trusts with his life to see. The only one still alive who knows every struggle and every effort of his story down to the beetles crawling on him the morning after the goblin fight, and still loves him enough that he would give his life for him.

He’s exposed in their bed with nothing but boxers and Jeongguk’s large shirt on, bruises littering his most intimate areas. His arms are bare save for the ancient Talwen curse that’s always on show. 

No jewelry decorates his fingers, ears, or neck. No extravagant clothing or shoes. No composure to keep up around other witches, around town. Around those who are still afraid of him.

He doesn’t have to be sophisticated, doesn’t have to keep his cool, doesn’t have to reign in his aura. He’s bare now just like he bared his soul for Jeongguk all those years ago. He’s bare, all for Jeongguk to see and handle and that trust is what helps him the most.

How many people would let a feral werewolf nuzzle against them? Let alone bond with them? Touch them?

Taehyung can feel Jeongguk’s sweaty forehead against his own perspiring nape as he nuzzles it against him. Jeongguk’s chest is sticky against his own back and somewhere in the depths of his fuzzy mind he realizes Jeongguk must’ve been out for his morning hunt.

“Sorry,” Jeongguk whispers again, so quietly it rumbles in Taehyung’s ear, breath hot against the side of his face. If Taehyung didn’t know any better he would never guess he has a feral werewolf hybrid cuddling him right now, wouldn’t guess the big mutt would kill for him.

Jeongguk has, again and again, over and over. He wouldn't guess his pup would give his life for him if he could. Taehyung would do the same in a heartbeat.

But they can’t.

Perks of being cursed with immortality by one of the very few witches stronger than himself.

Jeongguk is still panting, breath fanning down Taehyung’s neck and flowing over where they’re still connected. The heat radiating from Jeongguk has Taehyung sweltering but he doesn't care. 

He needs this.

Taehyung takes a deep breath, filling his lungs and clearing his mind. He forces a sound out that scratches at his throat but he knows Jeongguk will understand it as an affirmation that it’s okay. That he’s okay.

Jeongguk continues to whisper praises and sweet nothings to him, gently rubbing his waist and nosing at his nape. He presses soft kisses there when Taehyung trembles again, intermittent shivers as his magic regulates with Jeongguk by his side.

They lay like that for what feels like hours to Taehyung. He can never tell how much time passes whenever he feels like everything is beginning to crumble around him. 

Jeongguk stays flush against his back, bare chest against his warm skin and limbs wrapped securely around him. Jeongguk’s breathing has calmed and his long hair tickles Taehyung’s neck where it was thrown over him in his haste. He occasionally murmurs sweet words to Taehyung, a few spells he’s learned that help Taehyung ground himself and help them reconnect.

When Taehyung finally feels better to the point where he isn’t dizzy and the skull cracking pressure has reduced, he adjusts onto his back with his forearm over his eyes. From under his arm he can see their room is dark, blackout curtains still drawn, fairy lights and lamp turned off. “Where did you go?” His voice comes out hoarse. He really needs a drink but he can wait a little longer.

Now that his senses are more clear, he can smell the rain water and forest on his familiar. He assumes the sweat he was feeling was a mixture with the water. They really have to change their sheets now, especially after last night and this morning.

Jeongguk doesn’t move, just presses his forehead into his neck before replying. “Morning jog and hunt, Master. Sorry, I thought you'd be okay but when you reached me, I realized I left my pendant here. My fault.”

Ah, his pendant.

A delicate piece of jewelry forged from part of Taehyung’s soul and bound to Jeongguk with a mix of their blood and his magic. A physical manifestation of their bond, if you will. It’s a little red crystal wrapped with wire that Jeongguk wears around his neck at all times. It’s what helps him balance Taehyung’s aura, in essence taking some of the weight off Taehyung, and helps him to soothe his own feral urges.

“‘S okay, you were doing your job,” Taehyung soothes him softly. He reaches over and runs his long fingers through Jeongguk’s black locks, the messy strands sticking together from the rain. His arm aches from how tense he had been and he winces as he stretches his elbow out. “Proud of you, pup.”

Jeongguk moves his arm from around Taehyung’s waist and traces his fingers along his bicep, fully aware of how Taehyung’s magic physically affects his body during a magicsode. (That’s magic and episode together, something they've taken to calling what happens with his magic to give some humor and light to the situation.) He holds Taehyung’s elbow gently to help support his arm, canines on show from the praise.

Taehyung’s fingers make their way to the back of Jeongguk’s head, the hybrid’s claws sliding along his arm to support his shoulder. Taehyung presses his forehead against Jeongguk’s and nuzzles their noses together to show him affection in the form of his own kind.

It’s something they’ve done for a long time; Taehyung will do something from Jeongguk’s wolf culture and in return, Jeongguk will do something in Taehyung’s human or witch culture.

“Love you,” Taehyung whispers quietly, sleep threatening to pull him back in. He’s trying to delay falling back asleep as long as he can. He’s had the dream for years, reliving their past over and over again but every time still feels like the first time.

“Love you too,” Jeongguk answers before leaning in and pressing their lips together. He hums softly, fingers tightening around Taehyung’s shoulder as his weight relaxes more.

When Taehyung pulls back he returns Jeongguk’s smile, then leans in and presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “You did great,” he continues to praise his wolf, placing another kiss to the opposite corner. “Perfect, pup. The best boy,” he finishes with a kiss to the tip of Jeongguk’s nose, fingers gently combing through his hair and scratching.

Jeongguk’s nose scrunches at the bridge, lips curling up at the corners. No matter how feral he is, his tame side can’t resist praise from Taehyung. (Taehyung insists it's the canine in him.)

“So you’re feeling better?” Jeongguk asks quietly. His eyes are still closed so Taehyung assumes he’s searching their bond himself instead of waiting for a response. It’s his impatience seeping through which he has never been able to get under control. As if on cue, Taehyung feels his wolf prodding at their link.

Better, yes. More cuddles, though, Taehyung speaks through their bond with a reprimanding look at Jeongguk. He knows his wolf can see him due to his excellent eyesight in the dark. You know what’s next.

Jeongguk snorts. “Sorry, Master.” He nuzzles his nose against Taehyung’s cheek before kissing him again, apologetic feelings seeping through their connection. Taehyung isn’t actually upset with his familiar and Jeongguk knows, but Taehyung lets some acceptance seep through anyway and instantly feels Jeongguk smile against his lips.

Taehyung smiles just as soft as he pulls back and scratches behind Jeongguk’s wolf ears. “Thank you,” Taehyung murmurs, the words barely above a whisper against his lips. His throat scratches but he can push it aside for now. Jeongguk is more important. “For everything,” he adds, knowing how essential it is to them both to praise Jeongguk in times like these. He’s fragile, too.

Jeongguk makes a deep rumbling noise from within his chest, something akin to the sound of happiness a dog or wolf would make. It’s a mannerism born from Jeongguk’s feral side, something Taehyung has learned as a sign that shows he is content. He can hear Jeongguk’s tail hitting the bed softly and he can faintly see the way his ears twitch when his bare fingers smooth over them.

“Sorry,” Jeongguk huffs again, leaning into his touch. His eyes are glowing softly, a deep red that stares back at Taehyung through the darkness. They search over Taehyung’s face for any other sign of pain or discomfort. His ears are perked up and attentive with one smushed against the pillow, the other twitching as Taehyung’s fingers caress over them. He’s always listening for Taehyung and for signs of trouble; it’s a habit he never bothered to get rid of over the years (or tried to).

“‘S okay, didn't mean it,” Taehyung slurs, feeling more tired by the second. His hand slips down his familiar’s face and over his damp cheek to his lips. He presses them together gently with his fingers, a small smile pulling at his own lips. “Shh now, sleep for a while longer, love.”

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

The wolf is about Taehyung’s height but he knows the animal isn’t fully grown yet, probably no older than himself. So what is a pup doing out on his own? In Gamangnara Forest?

He doesn’t have time to dwell on the small, menial details because the wolf is panting in his face, canines bared and eyes blazing red. Taehyung feels like they’re staring into his soul, wide and searching.

Taehyung has stopped trembling despite the situation but his arms are still locked tight around his knees. His eyes mimic the wolf’s for a second until he remembers his dad telling him to never stare a predator in the eye. He lowers his eyes to the wolf’s chest where a silver chain dangles from, a simple silver pendant in the middle. 

Then, the wolf takes a step towards him and lowers its face so it’s level with Taehyung’s. If the wolf were any bigger it would have to crouch, but it just simply lowers its neck down. The goblins are still frozen in place, looking around and trying to figure out what they should do. This tells Taehyung the wolf isn’t part of their plan.

Maybe— Just maybe the wolf is there to help him.

Taehyung swallows, keeping his eyes averted for as long as he can. Almost as if on instinct, he can feel the wolf’s warm breath on his cheek before its wet nose is pressed to it. Taehyung’s heart is ready to beat out of his chest. Can wolves smell fear? He doesn’t remember.

A few more tears make their way down his cheeks, the tear tracks cool when the wind blows. He still can’t believe he’s in this situation. Surrounded by goblins with a feral wolf in his face. He should be crying. He should be screaming. He should be fighting and trying to get away.

And yet.

He isn’t nearly as terrified as he thought he would be.

The wolf noses at him ever so gently, right over the tears. Its breathing has calmed significantly as it snuffles at him, wet nose moving over his cheek. Taehyung flinches when it huffs with a soft whine, almost like it’s confirming something, and it snorts, wetness coating his cheek. Taehyung can’t stop the little smile that makes its way onto his lips at the action. It reminds him of his favorite puppy in the village.

The wolf then pulls away to nudge its nose between Taehyung’s face and the ground before pushing up gently. Taehyung doesn’t understand at first, but when he barely pulls his head away and the wolf whines and shoves its head under his body, he understands.

It’s trying to help him sit up.

Taehyung tries to shift his weight with the help of the wolf but he can’t. They don’t make it very far before he pulls his head back again and it hits the ground. He isn’t sure the wolf will understand him but since he hasn't been torn to shreds yet, it’s worth a try. “I c-can’t move yet.”

The wolf whines again and shoves its head back under Taehyung and pushes more until Taehyung's body is on top of it, then manages to work Taehyung into a sitting position against the beech tree.

Taehyung tries to shuffle as much as he can but he isn’t much help with stiff muscles. The wolf pushes him so he’s tucked between two twisting roots before pulling back. The wolf stares at him, deep red eyes settling something within him. They share a look, one that tells Taehyung he’ll be okay. He knows he isn’t done with this wolf yet, though. He feels it deep within himself. 

The wolf continues staring almost like it’s waiting for something, for Taehyung to answer back to his stare.

Taehyung assumes it’s his turn so he nods even if he isn't sure what’s going on. The wolf not eating him gives him some form of hope that maybe the animal is on his side.

During their short exchange the goblins have started advancing again, albeit slower, unsure. One steps on a fallen branch and breaks it, successfully pulling the wolf’s attention away from Taehyung.

The wolf spins around, fluffy black tail almost smacking Taehyung in the face as it twists and resumes its position from earlier. It crouches low to the ground, ready to attack. It’s growling, head turned to the closest goblin.

From this point onward, Taehyung always closes his eyes until it’s quiet and the wolf is pressing his nose to Taehyung’s. He doesn’t need to see what the wolf does to the goblins, he hears it all. Every piece of flesh ripping, every bone snapping, every guttural noise the goblins let out in anguish as the wolf tears them to shreds.

All while accompanied by his familiar’s snarling resonating around the clearing, moonlight dappling the bloodshed. Taehyung eventually finds out he was growling about how he’ll always protect Taehyung, no matter what.

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

When Taehyung wakes up again, Jeongguk is still wrapped around him. Taehyung has rolled over and is entangled with him now, face shoved into his familiar’s chest with his arm thrown over the hybrid’s torso. His body still aches and when he lifts his arm, the blood quickly rushes back to the white skin on Jeongguk’s torso where his arm was laying. He must've been squeezing Jeongguk a bit too hard.

If it hurt Jeongguk he doesn’t show any sign of it, growling quietly as he sleeps, mouth barely open and his semi sharp canines trying to peek through. Taehyung is glad his familiar is getting some sleep; it means he felt comfortable enough with Taehyung’s state to relax himself. Sometimes Jeongguk will stay up for days to keep an eye on him.

Jeongguk being so relaxed also helps Taehyung relax. With Jeongguk being a hybrid, he’s able to sense things most people can't and it helps clue Taehyung on a lot of things.

Taehyung takes a moment to appreciate his familiar. He does this sometimes when he wakes up first. He’ll lay in bed until Jeongguk awakens and just stare at his familiar, completely mesmerized by the face he’s woken up next to for many, many moons.

He’s so fucking appreciative of Jeongguk and so indebted to him, he’s never been able to put his feelings into words. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to find the correct words to express what Jeongguk means to him, so he figures spending eternity with and loving the hybrid will be enough for now.

Sometimes he feels undeserving of Jeongguk as his familiar and his boyfriend. He feels as if him being prophesied to ruin the world is a burden on Jeongguk and that it’s unfair they've been bound together since the 18th century. Three hundred years is a long time to spend with one person but Taehyung wouldn’t choose anyone else to spend it with.

And the way Jeongguk looks at him and takes care of him always assures him otherwise. The way he’ll push Taehyung’s hair behind his ear when they're curled up on the lounge chair outside. The way he’ll curl up on the floor of Taehyung’s atelier so he can still sleep ‘with’ Taehyung. The way he’ll make love to him and the way he’ll fuck him hard when his magic is threatening to take over. The way he protected him from the goblins when Taehyung was five and he was four.

He knows Jeongguk is in this with him for the long run.

Taehyung gently runs his fingers through Jeongguk’s now wavy hair over his forehead. It’s still damp and clinging together, the fur on his ears much the same. It makes him wonder if Jeongguk was in his natural form or human form today when he contacted him.

Jeongguk’s hair is somehow still soft even after being outside and soaked in rainwater, potentially with sweat too. His wolf coat has always been much thicker than his human hair, even during the summer. The length remains the same and as he prefers it, long and covering his ears, almost reaching his shoulders.

Jeongguk prefers spending summers shirtless in his human form (much to Taehyung and Taehyung Jr.’s appreciation) and the winters in his natural form. If he can get away with it, he’ll wear as little clothing as possible.

Taehyung still can’t believe he got so lucky all those years ago. Jeongguk has always struggled to explain why he helped Taehyung, but he’s narrowed it down to because he felt a pull towards his magic. He doesn’t quite remember it since it’s been over three hundred years, but they still do talk about it every so often.

The slope of Jeongguk’s nose, the angle of his eyes in both of his forms always look the same to Taehyung. Jeongguk always looks like his familiar, his pup, his boyfriend. The love of his life.

When those deep, crimson eyes stare back at him, smile at him, gaze at him with lust and love, Taehyung still gets butterflies. Just like he can feel them now, starting to stir and take flight in his tummy as his fingers tangle in a strand of Jeongguk’s hair over his temple. He tucks it behind Jeongguk’s ear, then continues to observe in silent awe.

He traces over Jeongguk’s cheekbone, outlining his sharp jawline with the tips of his fingers. His nails scrape gently over Jeongguk’s skin and down to his chin where he takes it between his thumb and forefinger. His touch is featherlight, just barely holding Jeongguk while his eyes examine his sleeping face. His own lips still hold a lazy smile, tired eyes happy and filled with love.

The pad of his thumb brushes over Jeongguk’s plush bottom lip, the skin rough with small indents. Taehyung frowns, brows scrunching together. Jeongguk must’ve been biting his lip in worry, a habit he picked up recently.

Then, Jeongguk growls softly, breath warm where it ghosts over Taehyung’s knuckles. Taehyung can’t stop the little laugh that escapes his lips, his worry forgotten.

It had scared him the first few times he heard Jeongguk growl in his sleep but he quickly grew accustomed and found it cute. Jeongguk, a feral wolf hybrid whose snoring is actually growling, whether he’s dreaming or not. A little quirk of Jeongguk that only made Taehyung love him more, if possible.

Jeongguk growls quietly again and Taehyung takes that as his cue to get up and start his day. He lets go of Jeongguk’s chin and lets his hand slide down to Jeongguk’s bare chest where his pendant hangs. The fact that Jeongguk forgot it when he left but slipped it on in his rush to cuddle Taehyung makes him feel warm. Sure, his familiar may forget sometimes but he tries his damnedest to make up for it.

Taehyung untucks himself from under Jeongguk’s arm and tail and rolls over to the edge of their bed. He gently places his pillow under Jeongguk’s bent arm before he stirs, then pushes himself up slowly just to make sure he really is feeling okay. He thinks he feels alright, but magic is tricky.

He doesn't feel nauseous so he takes that as a win. Deciding he’s fine, he throws his feet over the side of the bed and his arms over his head. He arches his back and points his toes to stretch his calves that are still sore from their late night activities.

He smiles softly, remembering the way Jeongguk held him and the way Jeongguk made love to him last night. His ass tingles with just the thought of being under Jeongguk again, the hand print shaped bruises on his hips pulsing pleasurably. No matter how often they make love or are absolutely filthy with each other, it always feels unique and exhilarating in its own way.

Maybe later, Taehyung thinks as he relaxes and slumps his shoulders. Unless it’s what Taehyung needs to calm his magic, Jeongguk will refuse to fuck him or even touch him sexually for a full day after a magicsode. There’s no use for him to get worked up and have to relieve himself while Jeongguk watches (again).

Taehyung sighs; he has more important things to tend to than a hard dick and a whiny, discontent pup who refuses to touch him but still complains about it.

After his muscles are appeased, he stands up slowly with his hand on the nightstand. When he doesn’t feel a pull from any lingering magic and only pain in his backside, he knows it’s been fully quelled for at least a day. The dream isn’t done, but the pull of the corrupted magic is.

He checks his phone and sees nothing out of the ordinary. Same social media notifications, emails, Jeongguk’s daily morning text explaining he’s out on his hunt (if Taehyung ever wakes up before he’s home), and—

🌱Hobi Hyung(?)🌱

Hiii Tae 👀

Huh. That’s a new one.

Taehyung wipes the sleep from his eyes to make sure he’s seeing his screen clearly. He blinks a few times to clear the blur and when he looks back to his phone, he smiles.

Yeah, that’s a text from his hyung.

Taehyung hasn’t heard from Hoseok or Yoongi in a few weeks. They had left to go to an annual forest convention to sell and share herbs, teach remedies, and to learn new magic. With Hoseok being a well-known forest elf and Yoongi a hyades nymph who brings rain and manipulates water, they’re highly anticipated to show up every year. They even have their own little market section and group of fans.

They always extend the offer to Taehyung and Jeongguk but they never accept. It would be a different experience and Taehyung would be lying if he said they never thought about joining them before. It’s just not really Taehyung’s thing; being out and around people who may still think he’s evil? Jeongguk would not fare well either, dealing with so many people and so many emotions at once, all day.

It’s also due to Taehyung feeling like too many people still dislike them. Resent them, even. How can he show up in public and offer to teach people when they won’t want to listen and may want to harm them? 

Since Hoseok is a forest elf, he specializes in herbology and botany. He’s only been around less than half as long as Taehyung but has quickly made a name for himself with his advancements of the healing properties of smeraldo flowers.

Hoseok is also one of the few who wasn’t afraid to come up to Taehyung and Jeongguk in Hanyang in the late 1800s. He had introduced himself as someone who admired Taehyung’s strength and practice of both light and dark magic.

Jeongguk hadn't been bothered by Hoseok’s approach towards Taehyung. He had been in his natural form that day since it was easier for them to get around. People back then didn’t usually get close to someone when they had a feral hybrid with them, let alone approach and stop them.

When Hoseok approached Taehyung, Jeongguk simply stood protectively in front of him and sniffed at Hoseok’s outstretched hand before huffing indifferently and sitting back at Taehyung’s feet, partially in between the two, ears listening. The top of his head reaches above Taehyung’s waist, sleek black wolf body wider than Taehyung’s own slim body.

Taehyung was shocked when Hoseok expressed the want to be his apprentice. He still remembers the moment clearly even over a hundred years later. He can recall how Jeongguk shoved his head under his hand and how his ears brushed between his jeweled fingers to get his attention. When he didn’t snap out of it, Jeongguk had nudged his head against his hip to get his attention.

Pure intentions, Master.

Taehyung accepted Hoseok under his wing when Jeongguk gave him the okay. If someone with bad intentions or a bad soul ever approaches Taehyung (or even looks at him wrong), Jeongguk is in a frenzy before they can even get close.

It isn’t often Jeongguk has to protect Taehyung in public. Even though they work well together, Taehyung can handle himself. The few times Jeongguk has needed to protect him were when Taehyung’s attention was on someone else and during an ambush in the late 1700s.

Taehyung taught Hoseok a lot of elemental magic per Hoseok’s request, though it was clear Hoseok’s core element was earth. His green eyes and blonde hair told Taehyung how truly interlaced he is with his element. Hoseok excelled quickly and Taehyung moved on to plants and herbs. This went on for a while as advancements in the medical world soared.

To this day, Taehyung still teaches Hoseok and offers Hoseok a place to work alongside him.

When Hoseok came to Taehyung a few years later saying he had someone he wanted them to meet, Taehyung was wary. He’s always wary of newcomers for multiple reasons, but if Hoseok wanted them to meet then Taehyung would give whoever it is a chance. Hoseok has never done them wrong and Taehyung trusts him.

The stars in Hoseok’s eyes were more than convincing, though. Taehyung knew that look; he still wears it to this day.

Taehyung sat on the thought after talking it over with Jeongguk, then asked Hoseok about his mysterious new friend about a week later.

Hoseok introduced Yoongi as someone he met while out searching for new herbs a few months prior. He explained how Yoongi is a hyades, a species of dryad who brings rain, and how he found Yoongi on a lake shore manipulating the water.

Or, trying to.

Apparently Hoseok found him soaking wet and messing with water balls— suspending them in the air, throwing them into the lake, twirling them and creating water pictures. Just practicing.

Taehyung was still wary but let Hoseok explain why he wanted Yoongi to meet Taehyung. Although, Jeongguk being the bullshit sniffer he is, already had an idea.

Yoongi is special to him, Jeongguk had spoken through their bond while Hoseok was having a drink. Hoseok wants you to accept them as one.

Ah. Taehyung had a feeling but didn’t want to assume. I think we should meet Yoongi, yeah? He sounds like a good fit for Hoseok.

Yeah, I want to meet him first but for now, I feel they’re both safe.

Taehyung had smiled softly at Hoseok as he continued to talk about Yoongi. Thank you, pup.

Hoseok explained that Yoongi was a few years older than himself. He was a bit reserved on the lake shore, but he quickly came around when Hoseok shared one of Taehyung’s teaching methods with him and he was then able to achieve the water spell on the first try.

They spent a few more hours chatting on the shore and eventually the topic of Yoongi and his magic came up again. Yoongi was curious where Hoseok learned the method he had used and that led to Hoseok telling him about Taehyung.

“And— Wait, was that okay?” Hoseok had interrupted his retelling with a gasp. “I just wanted to know if he’d be okay with that. Because— Like I said, we were getting along really well and if you being my mentor was a problem for him, I wanted to know sooner rather than later and—”

“Hey.” Taehyung had stopped his rambling with a hand up. “Yeah, of course it is. Better they know sooner rather than later,” he agreed. “Please, continue about this special hyades.”

The idea that people wouldn't want to associate with Hoseok because of him is something Taehyung explained to Hoseok early on. It doesn’t really bother him anymore as he’s grown used to it and people are more calm around him now, but sometimes it still manages to get under his skin.

Hoseok’s cheeks bloomed with red as he continued. He had Taehyung’s attention but the affectionate wolf prodding at Taehyung through the bond tugs it away. He smiled as he ran his fingers through Jeongguk’s long hair, sending his own affection back through to the familiar curled into his side. Hoseok doesn’t even need to explain it to them, they know.

Eventually Hoseok arrived at the big question of the night.

“Would you like to meet him?” Hoseok had looked nervous when he asked, eyes round and fingers wringing in his lap. “He doesn't have to come here!” he scrambled to add, hoping to not offend Taehyung in any way. “Not to your home! I just, you know—”

Taehyung’s hearty laugh cut him off; Hoseok is too caring for his own good. “Yes, we’d love to meet your Yoongi,” Taehyung had told him. He had heard enough about Yoongi to make a decision and was ready to decide if he and Jeongguk could potentially adopt Yoongi into their little family.

Taehyung knows what it’s like to be head over heels for someone and Hoseok is a mirror image of himself when he was younger and pining over Jeongguk. Red up to his ears and down his neck, fidgety, speaking only about the wolf and stuttering over every word. Love does that.

Taehyung still remembers how Hoseok’s jaw dropped and he tried defending himself. “He’s not—”

Jeongguk’s deep grumble had cut Hoseok off. Jeongguk— never being one to hide how he feels— had groaned dismissively at Hoseok’s obliviousness. The noise had Hoseok spewing words at him and Taehyung smacking his head playfully before scratching behind his wolf ears in silent praise.

Because they know. Jeongguk went through the oblivious stage with Taehyung before and he doesn’t want others to have to wait. It’s part of the canine in him, the want to please everyone and keep everyone happy.

When Hoseok finally calmed down, Taehyung spoke up again, tone firm but gentle. Taehyung remembers that moment in vivid detail. “It’s okay to fall in love.” His eyes had floated down to Jeongguk’s snoozing form. His eyes were closed and his head was pressed into Taehyung’s side but his ears twitched. Taehyung knew he was listening. “It’s okay to not recognize it as love yet.” Taehyung’s fingers twirled a piece of Jeongguk’s black locks around them. “And it’s okay to fall in love with a different species.” Jeongguk’s tail had tightened where it was wrapped around Taehyung’s calf.

Taehyung’s other arm tightened around Jeongguk as he told Hoseok words he still wishes people had told him. When they were younger, he and Jeongguk had struggled a lot but they had each other to get through it.

Junghwa was the single most important person to them once they were exiled. Junghwa may have taken him and Jeongguk in when they needed a place the most, he may have been their mentor and protector, but he was also the only person who had ever told them anything of the sort.

(Taehyung had always been sure his family approved of them, too. He was proven right when he and Jeongguk had told them after they bonded. They weren’t there during the most crucial parts of his life but their acceptance made it okay.)

Junghwa was the one who was there when they needed someone the most and they’ll be damned if they let someone deal with anything similar to what they had, no matter how big or small the issue may be.

They arranged for Hoseok to bring Yoongi over a week later. Taehyung and Jeongguk met them outside their cabin and Taehyung was instantly impressed by Yoongi because he was helping Hoseok carry his herb boxes.

Jeongguk had taken the box from Yoongi as part of their way to test his reaction. Yoongi just smiled and said thank you with a small head tilt. He didn't recoil at being so close to a feral hybrid, nor did his scent spike with hatred or worry. That was when he had Jeongguk’s approval.

(Yoongi eventually becomes the person who will spend hours petting Jeongguk when he’s in his natural form.)

They spent some time sitting outside getting to know Yoongi. He was nervous but was open and answered their questions, overall making a good first impression.

Taehyung was quick to take to Yoongi when he learned Yoongi is also from rural Daegu and hasn’t looked wrongly at him once. Yoongi hasn’t brought up his past, the Talwen on his arms, nor anything else about Daegu other than it’s where he was born and that he’s heard of Taehyung.

Jeongguk’s intuition is never wrong, though Taehyung still likes to decide for himself about new people. Yoongi gives him the same feeling Hoseok had but with an underlying presence of comfort and royalty.

Taehyung soon found out that Yoongi is a descendant of Junghwa and he recognized the teaching method Hoseok had taught him as one of Junghwa’s own. Yoongi had received a book as a child that detailed different elemental magic teaching methods that had been passed down through their family and what Hoseok taught him was an advanced, more evolved version. One that Taehyung and Junghwa had perfected, then Taehyung had taught it to Hoseok.

As the conversation calmed down, Taehyung had realized his mug was empty. “More tea?” he asked the little group, an eyebrow raised pointedly at Hoseok. Hoseok has never been able to resist his omija tea.

Hoseok had looked at him sheepishly but answered with no shame. “Yes, please.”

When Taehyung had looked at Yoongi, he was staring at Hoseok with stars in his eyes and blooms of red dusted his cheeks when he turned to Taehyung and realized he was caught. “Yeah, me too, please.”

While Taehyung was inside brewing more tea, he heard their screen door shut a few minutes later.

“What're you thinking, hyung?” Jeongguk had asked, coming up behind Taehyung and wrapping his arms around Taehyung’s middle. He had nuzzled into Taehyung’s dark hair, outgrown from its cut. He didn't see many people often anyway, so his hair has always been the least of his worries, usually ending up long and curled at the ends.

Taehyung hummed softly as he stood in front of their woodfire stove, leaning back into Jeongguk’s embrace. He felt Jeongguk’s wolf ear twitch against his own hair as he nuzzled into Jeongguk’s cheek. “I like Yoongi. I think he’s a good fit for Hoseok. Humble, kind and quiet, but smart.”

Jeongguk held him tighter and had agreed with him. They spoke quietly about Yoongi and what accepting him meant for them for a few minutes, swaying softly and watching the wildlife through their kitchen window.

“Wanna know what else I think?” Taehyung continued a few minutes later, changing the subject. His fingers danced over Jeongguk’s wrists on his belly as his head cocked to the side, bangs brushing Jeongguk’s temple.

“What’s that?” Jeongguk’s voice had dropped to match the tone of Taehyung’s, satoori accent shining through. The atmosphere shifted to something more heavy, intimate.

“I think— Mm,” Taehyung had hummed, interrupting himself. He turned around in Jeongguk’s arms and threw his own tattooed ones around Jeongguk’s neck. “I know I love you.”

A noise rumbled from Jeongguk’s chest, one of his protective growls he lets out whenever Taehyung says or does something that ignites that small fire within himself. His deep red eyes had bore into Taehyung’s own and spoke volumes. “I love you too. Forever and always, hyung.” Jeongguk has never been good with words, always too quick to say what he thinks but this time, his words hold true. 

Taehyung had leaned in to kiss Jeongguk then, a soft peck amplified by their bond. Their lips had slotted together, Jeongguk’s plush bottom lip between Taehyung’s own. Jeongguk tasted like magnolia berry and love.

If Taehyung focuses today, he can still taste the omija tea.

Their bond was soothed again, forever happy. Has always been whenever they touch or are even near each other.

It’s strange for a hybrid and a human to be mated, almost impossible. But a witch and a feral hybrid? It was unheard of back in the 1800s (and completely unfathomable in the 16th century), but their magic said otherwise. 

If they were to try and describe their bond, Taehyung would say it’s like their souls are twisting together for all eternity (literally) and Jeongguk would say it’s like his wolf is running free wherever it wants to go. Though, it’s usually through the prettiest summer forests and most gorgeous fields filled with Taehyung’s most favorite flowers.

The memory of the kitchen tends to be one of Taehyung’s more vivid ones. It leaks into their bond sometimes and causes them to smile wherever they are, tingles erupting under their skin.

Taehyung is pulled back to reality when he feels strong affection tugging at the bond. It’s Jeongguk’s wolf searching for his own spirit. He smiles softly down at Jeongguk who is still sound asleep but his lips are quirked up at the corners.

His phone vibrates with a notification and he startles with it. The phone slips from between his fingers but he catches by the charging cord before it meets its demise on the floor.

Right, Hoseok.

He assumes Hoseok and Yoongi must be back now and are wanting to meet up sometime soon. He smiles with the thought; he’s missed his hyungs.

Taehyungie🔮

it’s early don’t do this to me

🌱Hobi Hyung(?)🌱

It’s 3pm

👀

Taehyungie🔮

yeah, early

🌱Hobi Hyung(?)🌱

Mmm, late night? 😏

Taehyungie🔮

…

🤪

🌱Hobi Hyung(?)🌱

Yeah yeah, no need to go into detail

Taehyungie🔮

eye—

🌱Hobi Hyung(?)🌱

Just checking to see if you’ve

checked your mail yet! 

Let me know when you do!

Taehyung laughs to himself before placing his phone back down. His eyes catch the half-full glass of water Jeongguk had brought him the night before and he reaches for it. His magicsode’s take a lot out of him, as did he and Jeongguk’s night last night. He’s parched.

It’s room temperature, lukewarm but it does its job to quench his throat until he’s able to have his morning tea. (With or without his sleepyhead pup.)

He heads over to the curtains and opens them a sliver, taking a moment to observe the wet wilderness around them. It’s still raining, albeit not as hard as it had been earlier in the morning.

He then flicks on the fairy lights around the room, illuminating the various vines and trinkets hanging up and around the walls. It took them a while to finally get their bedroom perfect and now that it is, they absolutely adore it. Aside from their multiple picture windows overlooking their porch and backyard, it’s their favorite room.

Taehyung saunters over to Jeongguk’s side of the bed and leans down to press a soft kiss to his cheek. He’ll be walking like he still has something up his ass until he gets used to the dull pain. 

Jeongguk growls quietly again, something akin to a purr this time. He curls around Taehyung’s pillow a little tighter, fluffy tail fluttering before it settles.

He’s finally able to get a good look at Jeongguk now that his face isn’t pressed into Jeongguk’s chest. He’s half on his side and half on his back, Taehyung’s pillow held tight to his stomach. 

He’s shirtless as usual, muscles toned and skin glowing honey. His dark hair is strung over the pillow every which way, strands sticking together from rain and sweat. Where his face is usually hard and all angles, it’s now soft in the dim amber light.

Jeongguk’s plush lips are parted, his little growls coming out quietly between them. The tattoo of Taehyung’s name sits proudly over his heart, a match to Taehyung’s own of Jeongguk’s name.

Taehyung covers his own tattoo with a lazy smile on his lips, sighing contentedly. 

Scars litter Jeongguk’s arms and torso; battle scars of his past fights with the wilderness and whatever came his way when he was more feral than not. Most of them have faded, as his fights are more of a past occurrence while they were getting used to everything and adjusting with the ever-changing times.

There’s a long scar that spans Jeongguk’s chest to mid-stomach. To this day, neither he nor Jeongguk want to talk about it. Everyone knows not to ask about it. If they do, Jeongguk is angry in an instant and Taehyung isn’t able to hold him back.

Taehyung lets his eyes linger over the discolored flesh for another second before they continue to wander their way down Jeongguk’s body.

From his position, he can’t see Jeongguk’s toned abs but he knows they’re there. He feels them on a daily basis for health reasons.

On Jeongguk’s back is his own ancient Talwen. He bears the ancient scripture there along with Seokjin, whereas Taehyung has his visible on both his arms and back. 

The dark green sheet lays nicely over Jeongguk’s lower half, outlining the curve of his lithe waist, the globes of his ass, and his thick thighs. Every day Taehyung is reminded of how lucky he truly is.

The fact that Taehyung knows Jeongguk is naked beneath their sheets ignites something small between his legs but he shoves it away for now. They have all eternity to fool around. 

Taehyung smiles and reaches down to cup Jeongguk’s head for a moment, fingers slipping into his dark locks behind his wolf ear. He leans down to press another kiss to Jeongguk’s temple before moving away and out of the room.

When Taehyung walks into the main room, his lips automatically purse at the wide open front door. He stares at it for a second before shaking his head, a soft chuckle leaving his lips. He can’t ever fault Jeongguk for doing his job even if it means the door stays open for hours.

He shivers as he walks over to it, arms wrapping around himself to keep warm. There’s a small puddle forming at the base of the door frame and dried muddy footprints leading to their bedroom, tapering off as they go.

Taehyung peeks his head out the door and takes a whiff of the afternoon forest. It’s cool and comforting, pine and wood and something distinctively wet. He’s learned to associate the smell of the outdoors with Jeongguk. No matter what kind of cologne or perfume Jeongguk uses (if he does), he always has the underlying smell of the forest they call home.

It’s still raining, a low-lying fog swirling around the multiple flowers and tree roots on their front lawn. The undergrowth lining their property is neatly trimmed, the tree leaves drip with rain water and blow in the soft wind.

Taehyung had elected not to use magic to clear out space for their changes to the surrounding forest when they decided to build here. He did, however, use a little bit to make sure they replanted most of the trees and bigger flora life. They most definitely didn’t want to anger the sprites living around the outskirts of Seoul.

They had cleared out some trees from the front and back to make a bigger front lawn. They planted flowers along with multiple outdoor herbs in various gardens littering their property. They also put a proper fruit and vegetable garden out back and an indoor pool.

Taehyung observes the wilderness for a little while longer, shoulder leaning against the door frame and hands rubbing at his arms. Once Junghwa left to adventure and visit sacred places before growing too old, Taehyung and Jeongguk decided to move from Daegu to the outskirts of Seoul. It was more convenient for them since Taehyung is on the Preternatural Council.

The trip across South Korea never bothered Junghwa. He always sees the good in things, which is a reason he took Taehyung and Jeongguk in.

Now, Junghwa’s cabin is their vacation home and is still his own home when he returns from his ventures.

This home, however, has really become Taehyung and Jeongguk’s own little paradise. It’s a place where they feel completely comfortable and at peace. It’s something they’ve always hoped for but never thought they could achieve. Would achieve.

Taehyung blinks, his heart warming as different memories swim around in his mind. He and Jeongguk playing with the water hose. Jeongguk in his natural form stalking him while he uses magic to find Jeongguk first. Cuddling on the porch. Jeongguk in his natural form sniffing flowers and sneezing. Jeongguk smashing his thumb with a hammer while installing the mailbox.

Speaking of the little wooden box at the end of their stone pathway.

Taehyung isn’t sure how he missed it initially, but by their mailbox there’s a small, unmoving furry lump. Taehyung’s heart tugs despite the morbidity of it. More for the fact that Jeongguk still feels the need to take care of him and court him, rather than the actual aspect of the animal as food.

Jeongguk had found something to eat for the day while he was out hunting. It took Taehyung a while to get used to Jeongguk’s more feral habits, but he eventually grew accustomed to them after a few years.

He doesn't stare at the animal for too long as it still makes him upset. He stares at their mailbox instead, contemplating if he should grab the mail. But if he does, he’ll feel the need to carry the animal inside and if he’s honest, he doesn't want to touch it. That’s always been Jeongguk’s job.

(Another one of their compromises. If Jeongguk prepares the food, Taehyung doesn't think about where it comes from.)

A brown and white blob emerges from the trees then, stealing his attention. It maneuvers its way between the branches and out into the clearing with a hoot. It flies the length of the lawn then turns and glides over the roof in the direction of their backyard.

Taehyung watches the animal with a small smile on his face. “Hi, Gureum,” he says out loud, huffing a laugh. He waits to see if Gureum will come back over, but when the animal doesn't, Taehyung shuts the door with a scoff.

After a quick inspection of his jars along the wall by the door (they’re all okay, Jeongguk’s ass is safe for today), Taehyung heads to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Or lunch.

Whichever fits for the time of day.

Taehyung starts with making yuja cha (because fuck coffee, he's never liked it). He pours the hot water into his mug that holds a few tablespoons of yuja marmalade. The spoon clinks as he stirs it, the yellow liquid steaming with little bubbles forming on top.

The tea is still swirling when he tilts the mug to take a few sips. He groans quietly at the citrus-y taste, poignant on his tongue and warming him up instantly.

Yuja cha is one of his favorite teas to have after a magicsode. Along with yulmu cha, it’s one of the best teas he’s found that helps rejuvenate him both mentally and physically.

When his tummy is satisfied, he moves on to prep the rice, then gather the pre-cut vegetables from the fridge. Through the years, he and Jeongguk have learned the wonderful art of meal prepping. It may be a little bit more work the night before or at the beginning of the week, but with how busy they can get, it’s worth it.

Taehyung hums softly as he continues to prepare some side dishes— everything from beans and kimchi to eggs and tofu. Jeongguk can handle the meat when he wakes up.

Which, according to their bond, Taehyung feels will be soon. The bond has stirred some, though Taehyung knows Jeongguk isn’t fully awake yet. If he were, he would already be attached to Taehyung’s hip.

The skillet starts to sizzle, pulling Taehyung’s attention back to the food he’s meant to be preparing.

Taehyung plans for them to have a healthy breakfast today— a vegetable omelet with rice and kkakdugi. He gets to work with the vegetables and eggs, throwing them into the sizzling skillet.

As Taehyung is finishing up most of the late breakfast, he feels Jeongguk’s wolf wake up. It brings a smile to his face when he instantly feels Jeongguk poking his nose into the bond.

Tae?

Cooking, baby.

No more than a second later Jeongguk is padding out of their bedroom and across the house into the kitchen. His arms instantly wrap around Taehyung's waist and pull him into a tight back hug. Jeongguk groans affectionately, nose finding its way into Taehyung's hair and inhaling. His tail winds its way around Taehyung’s upper thigh, tickling his bare leg.

“I’m alright, pup,” Taehyung tells him, leaning back into the embrace. He turns his head to look at Jeongguk, whose eyes are droopy but still their brilliant deep red. He meets Jeongguk halfway, locking their lips in a kiss.

Jeongguk kisses Taehyung hard, like the time Taehyung has been out of bed isn’t only a half hour. Jeongguk kisses Taehyung like he’s pouring all of his emotions into the simple act, expressing his undying love all over again,

Jeongguk tries to pull Taehyung tighter against him, bodies pressed together almost uncomfortably. Taehyung can feel every inch of Jeongguk’s warm body against him. Taehyung wiggles his ass and if he had to guess—

“Tae,” Jeongguk groans softly.

Yep, Jeongguk is still fully naked and half hard.

Taehyung sighs out a chuckle, hand coming up to cup Jeongguk’s jaw. He nuzzles their noses together as warm smiles pull at both their lips. The moment is perfect; his soft pup of a boyfriend hugging him and the smell of breakfast permeating the air.

“‘M still sorry,” Jeongguk mumbles against his lips. He continues to press kiss after kiss to Taehyung’s lips and face until the smell of food burning pulls Jeongguk’s attention away. His nose has always been sensitive. “Shit— let me—” Jeongguk quickly pulls away, stealing the spatula from Taehyung and stirring the vegetables. “Today is just, not my day,” he mumbles, ears twitching in frustration before they lay down flat against his head.

The Talwen on Jeongguk's back catches Taehyung’s eye and he stares for a moment before pushing the memories away. It’s not worth dwelling over. 

Taehyung copies Jeongguk’s position from mere seconds ago, arms wrapping around Jeongguk’s fully naked torso. Jeongguk’s tail slithers its way around Taehyung’s lower hips, right above the curve of his thighs.

That’s something else Taehyung loves about his hybrid— if Jeongguk doesn’t have to wear clothes, he won’t. He’s always claimed they’re too restricting. Taehyung always laughs at him but he can feel the way Jeongguk’s wolf recoils whenever he’s forced to wear clothes into the city. If Taehyung is honest, it’s kind of cute.

Taehyung revels in Jeongguk’s warmth, the thin t-shirt and boxers he’s wearing not doing much to stave off the cool air. He hooks his chin over Jeongguk’s shoulder, hands spreading out across Jeongguk’s toned abdomen, fingers gently smoothing over the defined muscle.

Jeongguk growls softly again— a quiet, comforted low hum from his chest. “How are you feeling?” Jeongguk asks him after a few moments. His free hand comes to rest on Taehyung’s fingers while he’s not holding the handle of the skillet.

“Fine,” Taehyung answers, squeezing him softly. He threads their fingers together, eyes falling onto the steaming food. It looks pretty good if he does say so himself. (And no, he isn’t biased. He’s just had a few hundred years to perfect his cooking. With and without magic.)

“Tae—” Jeongguk frets quietly, worry starting to trickle through the bond.

“I promise, baby,” Taehyung cuts Jeongguk off, knowing how worked up Jeongguk gets when he says he’s fine. “I rested, had my tea, and have my familiar with me. I’m fine,” he reassures, reaching up to comb his long fingers through Jeongguk’s tousled locks. “Just a little weak if anything,” Taehyung promises, then adds, “It’s not finished yet, maybe about halfway. Right when I wake up and we move.”

“But— It was really strong this time,” Jeongguk mumbles, squeezing the hand still perched on his stomach. “I could feel it outside.”

Taehyung nods, agreeing the best he can from his position. It was one of his stronger magicsodes, yes, but he’ll be damned if he lets one take control of him. Especially when Jeongguk isn’t near. “That’s why the front door was still open?” Taehyung quips, eyeing Jeongguk’s side profile and watching him freeze up. 

But, Jeongguk isn’t one to back down or to lie. “Yeah. Wanted to get back to you.”

Taehyung laughs softly. “It's alright. Thank you for coming home so fast. I managed to handle it until you got here. We handled it.”

Regret starts to seep into the bond now, heavily from Jeongguk’s wolf. “I should’ve been here, though. I’m sorry,” Jeongguk apologizes again, deliberately ignoring Taehyung’s words they always repeat when one of them gets stressed over a magicsode.

“We handled it,” Taehyung stresses again, hugging Jeongguk even tighter to punctuate his point.

Jeongguk’s lips purse and when Taehyung doesn't get an answer right away, he pinches one of Jeongguk’s abs. 

“Ow— hey! Fine, we handled it,” Jeongguk reluctantly agrees, pressing back into Taehyung and tightening his tail around Taehyung’s body. He whines petulantly, sounding so much like his natural form. 

“And we always will,” Taehyung reminds him gently. “We have, and we will continue to do so.” He presses a soft kiss to Jeongguk’s jawbone. 

Jeongguk grumbles again, ears twitching with clear distaste of where the conversation is going. “I didn’t even think— I took my necklace off last night when we were making love and I didn’t even think about it this morning. I was so excited to bring you something home,” Jeongguk explains, regret holding tight to his tone. He sighs, slumping even further back into Taehyung. 

Taehyung rubs Jeongguk’s stomach soothingly. “It’s fine, pup. Please stop worrying, it’s not good for you.” 

Taehyung really can’t fault Jeongguk for adhering to his nature. Personally, he loves it. He loves when Jeongguk still tries to court him even though they’ve been together for over two hundred years and married six times so far. He loves it when Jeongguk gets protective over him even though he’s fully capable of protecting himself. 

He just loves Jeongguk.

He would never fault Jeongguk for not being around when his magic decides to be a bitch, even if Jeongguk’s presence helps him fight it off. 

And he knows Jeongguk would never fault him if his feral side started to take over and he wasn’t around right away to help soothe him. 

They both have strong urges that the other helps to relieve, but ultimately it’s their own individual issue to handle. And if worst comes to worst, they’ve come to the conclusion that it won’t be either of their faults and they were just born that way. 

“I’m fine,” Taehyung continues when Jeongguk doesn’t say anything, clearly still lost in his own thoughts. “So there’s no reason to fret over me now, okay? It hasn’t finished yet so it’ll continue throughout the day. Just don’t venture too far from me. Besides, you still have the— uh, meat to prepare,” Taehyung reminds him, pulling back to fully look at Jeongguk. 

“The— oh, shit! You’re right!” Jeongguk untangles himself from Taehyung and practically throws the spatula down as he rushes out of the kitchen, tail waving frantically behind him. Taehyung can see the fur falling from it and he tuts. He waves his hand and the fur slides across the floor behind their couch.

He whistles, rocking on his feet. He’ll clean it up later.

(Yeah, they have to deal with wolf hair too.)

“At least put some boxers on!” Taehyung calls after Jeongguk with a laugh. He watches Jeongguk pivot from the door and bolt to their bedroom, ass on full display and bouncing. He rushes back out a few seconds later with a pair of black boxers on, heading straight for the door.

He throws it open and Taehyung flinches when his jars rattle again, eyes closing as he doesn’t want to witness one of his babies falling. He waits for the sound of one breaking but luckily it doesn’t come this time. 

Jeongguk comes back a few minutes later with the animal in hand, skinned and ready to be eaten. They had agreed that Jeongguk would do any preparations outside and away from the house years and years ago. Mainly to keep the smell out and the mess minimal, but also because Taehyung didn’t— and still doesn’t— want to be near it. 

“Gureum and Soonshim are fed the morsel bits,” Jeongguk says idly as he starts to prep the skillet. 

“We still have to take out some cooked food for them,” Taehyung replies, images of the two owls they feed daily coming to mind.

The owls started coming around a few years prior and had been eating the discarded parts of the animals Jeongguk took care of. One day, Jeongguk had sat by the morsels in his natural form as a way to let the owls know they were friendly, thus beginning the feeding of their not-so-pet owls.

Taehyung starts to plate up their servings, though he’s still not satisfied with how their previous conversation ended. He can tell it’s still bothering Jeongguk by the way his tail lashes mindlessly as he cooks. 

“And if you need the reassurance,” Taehyung starts, moving behind Jeongguk again and hugging him. “You know you can always search the bond,” he murmurs against Jeongguk’s bare shoulder before pressing a kiss to the warm skin.

Taehyung instantly feels Jeongguk prodding at his feelings. He closes his eyes and lets Jeongguk assess how fine he actually is. 

As much as they love each other, they don’t usually check on each other’s emotions through the bond. Most of the time, the raw emotions flow through automatically. But if they were to focus on the effort and search, they can feel deeper through the other’s unfiltered emotions. They don’t often soul search because they trust each other and it’s another way to give the other their privacy.

After a moment of soul searching, Jeongguk sighs reluctantly. “Alright, fine. I just should've—”

Taehyung’s hand comes up to pinch Jeongguk’s lips together. “Don’t even,” he warns. “It’s fine, okay? Now, let’s eat breakfast.” Taehyung reaches up to pinch Jeongguk’s cheek and manages to move away just in time to avoid the swat of Jeongguk’s tail.

When Jeongguk pulls the meat off the flame, the servings are somewhere between bloody and not burnt to a crisp.

Jeongguk adds the meat to their plates; something like blue rare for him and well done for Taehyung. It’s quite a contrast, but his feral side absolutely adores raw meat.

(The compromise this time? The outside of the meat is cooked for Jeongguk. He may or may not peel it off anyway.)

He also sets aside the rest to give Gureum and Soonshim whenever they’re finished eating.

“So,” Taehyung says once most of his food has been devoured. Jeongguk has been finished for about ten minutes now, always eating faster and having a bigger appetite than most humans. “Hoseok hyung texted me this morning.”

Jeongguk’s ears perk up at the mention of the forest elf. His tail swishes behind him, tip visible above the table. “Are they back?”

“I’m not sure, but I assume so. He said to let him know when I check the mailbox,” Taehyung tells him, shrugging as he scoops a small bite of rice into his mouth.

Jeongguk stands up then, tail lashing excitedly. “Let’s go check it, then! I would’ve this morning but—” he cuts himself off, face falling into a frown. “Are you done?” Jeongguk asks, observing Taehyung as he idly picks at the leftover food on his plate.

Taehyung nods, standing up and adjusting his boxers. He follows Jeongguk through their home (more like trails behind his excited pup) and catches the door before it rattles his jars again. He tsks his tongue, fingers gently grabbing Jeongguk’s tail before he bolts down the stone pathway.

Jeongguk yelps and turns with a confused look on his face. Taehyung doesn't say anything, just taps his bare fingers on the edge of the door, lips pursed and face void of emotion.

Jeongguk looks between his face and the door a few times before it clicks. “Oh shit— I banged your jars this morning, didn’t I?”

Taehyung smiles in answer. “Yup, but it’s okay. If they broke, we would've rebottled them, just like always.” He pushes himself forward then, cuffing Jeongguk over his wolf ear before walking past him and out onto their lawn, t-shirt flowing with the afternoon breeze.

“Least I banged you last night,” Jeongguk mumbles under his breath, clearly thinking he’s cheeky. “What I’m allowed to bang,” he continues, following behind Taehyung.

As he crosses the threshold of the door, his foot catches on the sill and he stumbles forward. His tail lashes to help him catch his balance, growls of annoyance quickly rumbling in his chest. “Today is just not my day,” he grumbles, brows furrowing together.

Taehyung doesn’t turn around, he just chuckles softly as he hears Jeongguk’s growling. “How many times have you tripped over that?”

He doesn’t receive an answer but he can hear Jeongguk coming up behind him. He expects Jeongguk to hug him or tease him, but neither happens.

Instead, Jeongguk smacks his ass as he goes by. He laughs with his head held high, clearly proud of himself.

“Hey!” Taehyung reaches for Jeongguk but he’s too fast, easily darting away from Taehyung’s outstretched hand. “See who bangs who next time,” Taehyung mutters like he’s annoyed, though there’s no bite behind his words.

Jeongguk continues down the stone pathway like nothing happened, his smugness on show with the way his shoulders are set and how his tail is held high.

Taehyung hums, watching him until he’s almost at the mailbox. Then, Taehyung smirks, waving a pointer finger in a circle.

Jeongguk stumbles again, falling forward and catching himself on the mailbox. He whips around, red eyes immediately finding Taehyung who is now looking away, whistling as he observes a black dahlia.

“Not fair!” Jeongguk calls, tail lashing behind him. He opens the mailbox, pulling out a few envelopes and a small package.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about!” Taehyung yells back, not taking his hand away from the flower. It’s one of his favorites, representing inner strength, creativity, and dignity. He shields himself from the light rain with his magic, forming an invisible umbrella over his head.

“I think our new dream catchers came in!” Jeongguk calls to him again, waving the package around. He makes his way back to Taehyung after swatting playfully at a passing butterfly. It’s a magical little thing, preferring to be out during rain rather than sun. “C’mon.” Jeongguk pushes against Taehyung, invading his little dry bubble. 

They waddle their way to the porch, Taehyung refusing to widen the umbrella because he wants Jeongguk close to him. Taehyung plops down onto the swing and takes the package when Jeongguk offers it to him.

And Jeongguk— being the little shit that he is— shakes out his shaggy hair, water droplets spraying onto the porch and Taehyung.

“Hey!” Taehyung flinches, closing his eyes and shielding his package with his body. He tries to swat at Jeongguk’s thigh, mock anger replaced with laughter as Jeongguk easily dodges his hand but takes a seat beside him on their porch swing anyway. His tail falls subconsciously onto Taehyung’s lap, resting across his upper thigh as his own feet tuck under himself.

It’s drizzling now, a foggy haze wrapping around the tree trunks. The air hasn’t warmed up much, though it’s becoming the after rain sticky and muggy weather— Taehyung’s least favorite type of weather.

“The cou—” Jeongguk starts, but cuts himself off almost immediately; inhaling, pausing, then inhaling again.

Taehyung hovers his finger over the edge of the package and looks over at Jeongguk, who sneezes immediately. Taehyung waits with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he takes in Jeongguk’s twisted face.

His nose is scrunched cutely, lips pulled up to reveal his canines. He inhales again then sneezes, ears twitching rapidly as he settles, slouching over and exhaling a groan.

“Bless you, bless you.” Taehyung pats Jeongguk’s thigh in consolidation. “Is it your rhinitis? Wanna go in?”

Rhinitis is an issue that animal hybrids tend to deal with due to their heightened sense of smell and shifting abilities. Older hybrids typically have allergies that bother them more than younger generations. Ferals, in particular, are even more inclined to have it as they have evolved differently than more domesticated hybrids.

Jeongguk shakes his head, breathing in grossly through his nose. “No, ‘m fine. Open the package.” He tilts his head to the brown box still sitting on Taehyung’s lap.

Taehyung doesn't waste any time tearing into the package, excited for the dream catchers from his dreamweaver friend, Bogum.

“The courier brought— mailman brought a lot today,” Jeongguk says idly, looking through the little pile of envelopes on his lap. Sometimes they get caught up using older terminology, as do most supernatural beings who have a longer lifespan.

Taehyung hums for Jeongguk to keep talking, signaling that he’s listening as he slides open the bubble wrap with a sharp nail. “There’s a letter from Hoseok, a bill, bill, sales coupons,” Jeongguk continues reading out until he stops at the last envelope, crisp and tan in his hand.

Taehyung freezes at the same time Jeongguk does. He doesn’t need to ask, he doesn’t need to look to know why Jeongguk stopped, he can feel it loud and clear through their bond.

“It’s— uh—” Jeongguk stutters, clearly unsure of how to approach the subject with Taehyung, especially after a magicsode.

“Yeah, I can— feel. It’s— triggered it,” Taehyung pushes out through gritted teeth. 

Before he knows it, the box in his hands is pulled away and he’s being manhandled into another position. He’s admittedly still a bit weak but he knew this was coming sometime today.

His breathing turns ragged as he curls into Jeongguk, reaching for Jeongguk’s hand and squeezing it tight before succumbing to darkness yet again.

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

When Taehyung wakes up, it’s to a raindrop hitting him on the cheek and a mouth full of black fur. The wolf is wrapped around Taehyung’s tiny frame as best it can be. (Just like he still does to this day.) The animal seems to be asleep but its ears are up and alert, breathing shallow.

Taehyung can’t see past the wolf’s body, so he sighs and rolls onto his back, half propped up by the beech tree behind him. The thick branches and leaves twisting and twining together block most of his overhead view of the sky. It’s foggy, a low-lying mist starting to cling to the tree trunks as rain drips down through the leaves.

He lays there and takes the situation in until the root digging into his leg gets too uncomfortable to bear. He’s sure there’s a bug crawling up his hanbok pants, too. 

Taehyung isn’t afraid like he was the night before. He has a friend now, he’ll be able to make it home. He wants to make it home.

He pushes himself up onto his elbow and rubs at his eyes, grimacing when he feels the sleep crusted around his lashes. He frowns; he must’ve cried himself to sleep. He wipes the sleep onto his baji and glances around. 

He instantly wishes he hadn’t.

It looks like a war scene in front of him. The ground is torn up and messy, evidence of just how brutal the fight actually was. A tree is dented, now crooked where it stands. Multiple are missing bark, shrubs are busted and broken.

And the blood.

So much blood.

The goblin’s— if Taehyung can even call them that anymore— are torn to literal pieces. Limbs are scattered throughout the clearing, tattered fabric of clothing clinging on for dear life. They’re—

Taehyung can’t even look. He feels sick to his empty stomach.

He can’t believe the small and dare he say, friendly wolf keeping him warm did that.

He takes a step back, little mind not ready to handle something so carnal. His kkotsin catches on a root and he falls onto his back, gasping for air. Another root digs into his shoulder and he winches, groaning softly in pain. 

The wolf shoves its snout in his face then, causing Taehyung to squeak in surprise.

When did it wake up? 

Taehyung’s ears are ringing from the sudden startle. His eyes dart between the wolf and the scene behind him, unsure where to focus. He can’t focus, his eyes are blurry and he thinks he’s crying.

He scrambles to sit up against the tree, bark scraping through the thin, outer robe of his hanbok. His fingers jam into the rough dirt, nails grating in deeper and collecting dirt underneath. Everything feels amplified— the sounds, the bark, the blood.

Taehyung feels funny, like he’s shaking but from the inside. Is it suddenly harder to breathe?

He hears a weird sound on top of the ringing but he can’t pinpoint it. It’s like a whimper, almost. It’s definitely coming from in front of him, though. Maybe, the wolf?

The wolf. 

His blurry eyes focus back in on the animal and its dark face, so close to his own. 

It’s eyes are still red. Such a deep, dark crimson staring back at him with an overwhelming feeling of concern. Its stare is so intense, Taehyung feels the need to look away. To hide his young, pure soul from the werewolf.

But, isn’t the wolf just like him?

Cast out and on its own, doing whatever it needs to do to survive? Lost and alone, trying to survive in a world of evil? On the brink of death at an age so young?

Taehyung gazes back into those scarlet eyes that seem to be trying to capture his soul. He knows there’s a human in there, somewhere behind those telling eyes. 

The thought makes his whole body shiver. 

The wolf must take his actions as a sign that he’s upset because it shoves its face into Taehyung’s, whining even louder. It nuzzles against Taehyung harshly, rubbing its muzzle against his cheek.

Taehyung makes a muffled noise of surprise, coughing over a wet giggle despite the situation. He momentarily forgets where they are and what is right in front of him. His hands come up to push the wolf back by its shoulders, dodging the warm tongue that keeps lapping at his face.

“H-hey,” Taehyung tries to speak, breath catching and causing him to cough again. His throat is sore and as dry as it has ever been. “Easy, ‘m fi-ne,” he manages to push out, unable to raise his voice over the incessant whining.

The wolf finally backs off and sits on its haunches when it’s sure he’s okay. It makes sure to position itself just right between Taehyung and the gruesome scene behind it. It is perhaps a little too close to Taehyung that it makes him go cross-eyed, causing Taehyung to laugh again and lean back against the tree.

Taehyung can see a little better now that the sun has risen a little higher, though the mist makes it hard to see more than twenty feet in front of him. His focus remains on the wolf though, his father’s voice ringing in the back of his mind. 

“Don’t take your eyes off feral hybrids, Taehyung. You never know when they can snap.”

It’s then that Taehyung is able to make out a few gashes along the wolf’s flank, fur dark and matted together. When he looks back at the wolf’s face, he sees a smaller one on the left side of its snout, right on the cheek. The wound looks deep, still oozing sanguine reflecting in the pale sunlight .

“You’re hurt,” Taehyung rasps quietly. He reaches a tentative, shaky hand towards the wolf’s muzzle, eyes darting between those crimson eyes and relaxed mouth. He hesitates, but when the wolf’s ears pull back and its head lowers gently into Taehyung’s outstretched hand, his fingers meet fur and he finds he doesn’t want to pull away.

Taehyung lets out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding and swipes his thumb ever so gently over the cut. Thick red collects on his finger with tiny scabs dotting the liquid. More is already starting to ooze out of the wound. Taehyung frowns. 

“It’s going to need a poultice,” he says quietly, the pad of his thumb sweeping over the wound again. “Maybe some gukhwa cha too. My eom— eomma makes it for me when— when I get hurt.” The thought of his mother— of his parents makes Taehyung’s lower lip wobble and his vision blur again.

The wolf dips his head, tongue falling out to lick over Taehyung’s fingers, over his thumb to clean the blood off. A sob catches in Taehyung’s throat. The gentleness— the tender attention the wolf is giving him is suddenly too much.

Tears are slipping from Taehyung’s eyes in rivulets, tracing the apples of his cheeks like his mother would when he was upset. They fall slowly, as if they know he shouldn't be crying. He can’t help it, he feels so confused and so overwhelmed.

Just yesterday he was playing outside with his brother, their mother watching them while working in the garden.

Now he’s sat on a putrid forest floor surrounded by gruesome creatures— dead or not— with a feral werewolf loving on him.

He’s not even sure why he’s crying. They’re safe for now and are, for the most part, unscathed. He’s hungry, having not eaten since breakfast the morning before. His stomach growls just to taunt him.

The wolf whines again, nudging its head under Taehyung’s arm and, similar to the night before, tries to push him.

“Up?” Taehyung asks through his tears. When the wolf doesn’t move back, his hand finds purchase on the wolf’s head. He pushes himself up with the wolf’s help and stands on wobbly legs. He braces his hand on the rough bark behind him, then tries to brush off his hanbok. 

He still isn’t feeling the best due to lack of food and water, his eyes blurry from unshed tears. His head is starting to hurt. When he tries to take a step, it’s small and weak and his knees almost give out.

The wolf is right there to catch him, moving faster than Taehyung’s eyes can keep track of.

Taehyung closes his eyes, thinking this is the time that he falls or that the wolf has finally turned on him. Maybe the wolf was waiting for an opportunity when Taehyung wasn’t paying attention. Maybe it was waiting for him to be able to put up some kind of fight, the wolf’s dignity at stake, its ego too high to harm something already so weak.

Except, he falls face first into that fluffy, black fur.

With an oof. 

Taehyung groans, tiny body slow at recovering from the shock of thinking he’s falling, then not actually falling all the way, only to be jostled by a now moving wolf.

Maybe the wolf is actually bigger than he thought. 

… That doesn't make him feel any better.

Taehyung clears his throat, little fingers gripping tight into the thick fur of the wolf’s shoulders. “Where a-are we goin’?” 

A small yip comes from below him, the wolf’s head jumping back with the noise. He doesn’t look back at Taehyung, just continues to weave his way through the thickets.

Taehyung’s lips purse, eyebrows knitting together to create a masterful pout. “I may be a witch in training, but— but I don’t speak wolf,” he mutters, sighing. 

Escaping the forest may be harder than he thought.

The wolf doesn’t say or do anything in reply and Taehyung thinks he has gotten away with his snide remark. Until the wolf wiggles its backside enough to give Taehyung a scare, legs and hips slipping dangerously close to falling off.

“Hey!” Taehyung gasps, voice scratching. His knees lock tighter around the wolf’s sides. “Not funny!” He pulls on the fur under his fingers in his tiny tantrum, hanbok sleeves falling over his fists.

The wolf just snorts and lets Taehyung carry on. Taehyung readjusts again, making sure to keep his thighs tighter around the wolf, mindful of the wolf’s wounds. He watches the dark forest pass by them, occasionally flinching when a distant sound spooks him. When that happens, the wolf’s tail finds his leg and strokes up and down, soothing him.

Taehyung has never liked silence, always finding it too boring. He finds it hard to focus when it’s quiet, always needing some form of noise whether it’s the stream by his home or the sound of his mother humming as she prepares dinner. His mind moves too fast sometimes even for him to catch up. But, he doesn’t have anything to do now except survive. He can’t wait to go home and hug his parents, ask them what happened and why.

And Seokjin. He must be worried sick about him.

Taehyung is unaware he’s crying again until the wolf makes an upset noise, body jerking as it shows its obvious dislike. It tries to look at him but can only glare out of the corner of its eye. His tail is back on Taehyung's leg once more, an unhappy huff coming a second later.

“Sorry,” Taehyung sniffles, wiping at his eyes with one hand. “I jus’ miss my family.”

The wolf whines, head nodding a few times in understanding. It grumbles, something Taehyung would say is akin to an I know.

Taehyung sighs, watching the remaining tears fall onto the wolf's black coat and disappear into the thick outer layer of fur. Everything is finally starting to settle in on him and it’s a lot for his five-year-old mind to handle. So, he does what every kid does and changes the subject.

“Can you understan’ me?”

The wolf nods again, accompanying the movement with a soft huff. His pawsteps are quiet as he leads them through the mist-covered forest.

“Can we play a game?”

The wolf huffs in the same manner and Taehyung takes that as a yes.

“One huff for yes, two f’ no, ‘kay?” Taehyung asks, throat still sore. He never gets to take the time to know anyone, they all run away from him before he can even get close. He’s going to take his chance now even if it’s a feral werewolf that’s supposed to be vicious and attacking him.

A bird caws in the distance, the call echoing around the forest. Taehyung jumps and grips the wolf’s fur tighter to where he swears it hurts, the wolf just huffs once for yes.

Taehyung takes a moment to collect himself and figure out what question he wants to ask first. “You’re a feral werewolf.” He says it like a statement. He knows it’s true but he wants to make sure, wants to hear it from the hybrid itself.

The wolf huffs softly, ears pulling in closer to its head. Its tail pulls away from Taehyung’s leg and he turns to watch it tuck between the wolf’s legs. Taehyung frowns.

“It’s okay,” he consoles, patting the wolf’s shoulder a few times before tangling his fingers in the fur again. “You’re nice to me. No one is ever nice t’ me.”

Another whine comes from the wolf, this one from deeper within its chest. Taehyung can almost feel the jolt of anguish that radiates from the wolf.

Taehyung feels a sadness settling inside his chest, twisting its way around his heart and squeezing like the snake it is. “‘S fine.” He ignores the pit that he can feel opening just that much further. “Are you a boy or a girl?” Taehyung has an idea but he just wants to be sure so he knows how to address the hybrid.

The wolf hesitates, shaking its head gently from side to side. Its ears twitch, tail brushing over Taehyung’s calf. He’s glad; he really needs the comfort from its tail.

“Oh— uh, one noise for boy, two for girl.” Taehyung soothes over the coarse fur in a small, silent apology.

The wolf huffs once, clearly satisfied Taehyung understood him. Taehyung can feel the fluffy black tail wagging softly behind him, tickling his leg where his baji rise up and expose his ankle.

Taehyung perks up at the wolf’s answer. “Hey, cool!” He readjusts his legs and his heel digs into the wolf’s side a little too hard, causing the wolf to flinch slightly. “Ah, sorry, are you hurting?”

The wolf shakes its head, huffing twice. He straightens his body as if to prove to Taehyung that he isn’t. He holds his head high and Taehyung thinks the wolf may actually have a bit of an ego.

“If you need to rest, that’s okay—”

The wolf shakes his head rapidly, making a noise that isn’t quite a growl but is definitely not happy. He speeds up as if to say no, we can’t stop.

“Okay,” Taehyung tells him, reaching a tentative hand up to scratch behind the wolf’s ear. It twitches but his steady pace doesn’t falter. He just tilts his head up into Taehyung’s touch, body rumbling softly underneath him.

Taehyung hums, fingers slowing to a calm rub. The wolf must like that, if its content rumbling tells Taehyung anything. He figures that since the wolf is still part dog (canine, he reprimands his past self), he should keep in mind how he was taught to treat them. At least until he’s able to communicate with the wolf properly.

Really, how different can a normal dog and a feral werewolf hybrid be?

Taehyung hums, keeping his eyes on the wolf as he asks his next question. “Can you shift into a human?”

The wolf slows down into a walk, a low whine bubbling up. His head lowers slightly, ears pressing flat against his head again but he huffs once nonetheless.

“That’s cool,” Taehyung says with the most awe he can muster for their situation. “Maybe we can be friends ‘n you can— you can show me,” he adds, meaning every word.

Sure, it may be a feral werewolf he’s clinging to the back of and talking to, but it’s the only human— the only creature that hasn’t run away from him with panic etched into their features.

The wolf doesn’t respond right away, instead focusing on climbing carefully over a fallen tree. The fog has gotten thicker despite the trees seeming to thin in the slightest. When the wolf jumps down he lands hard and clumsy, rocking Taehyung forward and throwing them both off balance.

“Sorry,” Taehyung mutters with a mouthful of scruff fur. The wolf yips quietly, shaking his head to say it’s alright.

Despite just waking up and being carried on a wolf’s back through Gamangnara Forest, Taehyung thinks his position is quite comfortable. He decides to follow the wolf’s example and stays quiet as well, letting the natural silence filter between them and the sounds of the forest echo around them.

When Taehyung is quiet, his mind is loud with thoughts and questions. He wonders what the wolf looks like in its human form, if he’s actually friendly. If the wolf is around his height or taller like Seokjin. How old the wolf is. If it likes strawberries as much as he does. If they can be friends when they make it out of Gamangnara Forest.

If they make it out.

“Do you know where we’re going?” Taehyung asks suddenly, dread starting to pool in his stomach with the sudden onslaught of thoughts about the possible bitter end. Of being stuck there like his village seemed to want.

He doesn’t lift his head— he doesn’t want to see the rotten trees or what looks like bones littering the forest floor. He doesn’t want any more nightmares.

The wolf doesn’t answer him and Taehyung didn’t know what he was expecting. He’s on a feral werewolf’s back in the depths of one of the most dangerous forests in Korea. For all he knows, the wolf could be taking him back to its pack to be tortured or eaten or something his five-year-old mind isn’t developed enough to conjure up yet.

His overactive imagination gets the best of him yet again.

Tears start to well in his eyes and he tries his absolute best to will them away. He remembers Seokjin telling him it’s okay to cry and the overwhelming fondness that he may never feel again makes him cough as he tries to hold the sob back. 

“Please don’t eat me,” Taehyung whispers it so, so quietly. His tears fall into the black fur, barely dampening the thick outer coat. His hanbok sleeves slips over his tiny hands again, covering them entirely. 

He doesn’t even expect the wolf to hear him but the wolf surprises him yet again.

It huffs twice, growling with an offended, upset tone. He glances back at Taehyung and Taehyung thinks he can see hurt in its crimson eyes. The wolf whines, softening immediately and brushing his tail along Taehyung’s leg. 

Taehyung doesn’t say anything more, choosing to let the tense silence settle over them again. The forest is strangely quiet and Taehyung thinks all the bad creatures must be going to bed now that the sun is out. But he knows better, he was already taught about Gamangnara Forest and the creatures it harbors. 

Taehyung takes a moment to observe the wolf. It’s not like he has anything better to do.

The wolf’s paws are sure over the dense forest floor, easily dodging gnarled tree roots and fallen limbs alike. His ears are pointed forward, alert for anything that may be coming their way. Taehyung can feel the breeze from the wolf’s tail when it brushes over his leg again.

He sighs, focusing back on the passing scenery. It would be some kind of beautiful in an ominous sort of way if he didn’t know what kind of true evils lurked deep within. 

Taehyung blinks, the trees all starting to look the same and blur together. The fog is almost calming, helping him imagine he’s just in a dream. His eyes are starting to feel heavy, harder to open.

Maybe he can just rest his eyes for a little bit. Closing his eyes has always made trips with his parents go by faster and if it’s the last comfortable sleep he can get before suffering the fate of whatever the wolf wants to do with him, he’ll take it. He makes sure to keep his grip tight and weight center before his eyes slip shut, the rhythmic sound of the wolf’s paws against fallen leaves lulling him into a cozy headspace.

Taehyung guesses he dozed off because when he lifts his head again, the wolf has stopped alongside a small stream. He peeks between the pointy ears, taking in the landscape before them.

If he didn’t know where they were, he would think the place is beautiful. Dare he say breathtaking, even. 

It’s nothing special, really. The trees thin out the closer they get to the slow-moving stream, the dark foliage still thick to the edge of the water. A few rocks line the ground sloping down, the water murky and haunting in a way that makes Taehyung shiver and shrink further into his hanbok.

His eyes are instantly drawn to the stream. It’s as if the water is calling to him, wanting to capture him and drag him deep. The stream is too shallow for a humren to be there, but it still feels as if they’re present. Watching. Calling. Waiting.

Taehyung shivers again, suddenly feeling a lot less safe. The wolf whines softly then gently lowers his backside, a silent gesture for Taehyung to get off.

Taehyung slides off the wolf’s back with a small oof, stumbling when his feet hit the ground. “‘M fine,” he says, holding his hand out to stop the wolf from helping him.

The wolf makes a noise like he wants to argue, but leans down to stretch his back and legs instead. He growls as he does, the satisfied noise echoing around the small clearing. Taehyung does the same, arching his back to stretch his own aching limbs. The wolf sits down beside him, panting softly.

“Just tired,” Taehyung continues with a sigh. He really just wants his bed. “‘N thirsty.” He looks to the stream, wariness settling in the pit of his stomach. His throat is still sore no matter how many times he swallows.

The stream is appealing— all sparkly and dappled by the bare minimum sunlight peeking through the trees. He’s positive the water is cool and would quench his thirst but he’s still hesitant to move. He’s unsure if it’s even healthy to drink from. He doesn’t remember learning about the water of Gamangnara Forest. 

The wolf yips quietly, nodding his head towards the stream as if he can read Taehyung’s thoughts.

Taehyung just stares at him, then looks to the stream again. “Is it safe t’ drink?” Taehyung asks softly, as if to not disturb the dreary life around them. He looks from the stream to the wolf, hope clawing its way up his dry throat.

The wolf doesn’t answer, just moves to nudge his arm and push him towards the stream.

Taehyung is wary but allows the wolf to push him. If the wolf wanted to hurt him, he thinks it would’ve already. “‘M trusting you,” he mumbles.

He doesn’t receive a reply, just a tail brushing over his hair before the wolf sits beside him, lowering its head and lapping at the water. His necklace dangles over the surface, threatening to touch.

Up close, the stream is surprisingly clear, running over smooth, submerged rocks. There are no fish or creatures in sight and Taehyung isn’t sure if that’s a good or bad sign.

Taehyung bites his lip before he decides. Fine. He’s been okay so far, right?

He trusts the wolf, right? 

He kneels down and dips his hands in, cupping them to lift up some water. He knows he shouldn’t drink water without boiling it first, but his magic isn’t strong enough to light a fire yet.

He sips tentatively at the water, slurping it softly. It’s cool on his tongue, refreshing as it slides down his throat. He waits a moment before swallowing the rest that hasn’t slipped between his fingers.

“It’s just water,” Taehyung says idly, dipping his hands in and drinking some more. Slowly, so he doesn’t cause himself to get sick again. A couple months ago he had been playing too long outside in the heat and chugged too much water. He still remembers his mother scolding him softly while brushing his hair away from his sweaty face, explaining to him why he shouldn’t do that. 

Once he’s had enough water to satisfy himself, he moves back and sits on a rock clean of moss. The wolf follows him, laying down and resting his head on his paws. Taehyung watches as the wolf’s eyes close, hiding the crimson from the grim forest.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the eerily calm atmosphere .

The stream bubbles quietly, easily relaxing Taehyung and his new companion . He knows he shouldn’t let his guard down, but it’s hard not to when everything is so serene. The wolf seems keen on protecting him, so maybe— just maybe— everything will be okay.

Taehyung elects to ignore the bone colored objects scattered around them and focuses on the stream and trees instead. The trees feel like they’re waving at him, leaves swaying softly in the barely noticeable breeze. The sunrise filters through the treetops, light dappling the stream and giving the water an ethereal glow.

If he wasn’t aware of the horrors lurking in Gamangnara Forest, he would love to take a nap here. It’s early, the morning breeze mixed with the wolf’s presence enough to lull him back into the hazy headspace.

But, everything seems calm now, right? Maybe the evils did go to bed for the day. Maybe they’re like vampires and burn in sunlight.

Taehyung takes comfort in the thought, basking in the moment and just breathing. If they don’t make it out today, then he wants to relax as long as he can before nightfall. 

As much of a kid as Taehyung is, the witch inside of him shines just as bright. His soul is entwined with nature, with the earth. So much so that anything dealing with nature is automatically beautiful to him, even in a place like this.

Taehyung’s eyes are starting to droop again when he feels a twisting in his gut. It’s uncomfortable at first and he lets it be, wanting to continue relaxing. It goes away after a few seconds and he relaxes, pulling his knees up to his chest.

He thinks he hears some kind of bird in the distance. It sounds like a crow with a broken caw, probably looks like something from Taehyung’s nightmares. He glances to his side at the wolf who is still resting peacefully, ears up and listening. Well, if the wolf doesn’t move, neither is he.

He rests his chin on his knees, tightening his arms around his legs and closes his eyes again. The bubbling of the stream filters back to his ears, instantly relaxing him. They shouldn’t rest for long, but right now Taehyung will take what he can get.

It’s quiet for about a minute, their breathing and the stream the only thing Taehyung can hear. The leaves rustle overhead from the wind, brushing softly against each other.

Taehyung can’t help but let his thoughts drift back to his family again. They have to be worried, right? Surely they just won’t leave him out here, right?

Do they even know where he is?

Then the twisting happens again, violent enough to pull him from his thoughts. It coils around and sends a pang of pain through his stomach this time.

He opens his eyes and sighs, straightening his legs out and grimacing at the lingering pain in his abdomen. The wolf turns to him, ears perked up and head tilted to the side in question.  

Then, Taehyung’s stomach growls.

Loud and clear for both of them to hear. It seems to be amplified, echoing around the quiet clearing. 

He smiles sheepishly at the wolf, shoulders hunched up and ears warming. “Haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

The wolf huffs, short snorts escaping his nose as he shakes his head. If animals could laugh, Taehyung guesses that’s what it would sound like.

Taehyung isn’t sure if he should feel offended or not. 

The wolf flicks his tail before getting up and looking around. Once he seems to find what he’s looking for, he trots over to a bush Taehyung hadn’t noticed earlier. 

He watches as the wolf sniffs at the bush, tail slowly speeding up when he leans forward and pulls a blue-colored berry off with his front teeth, chewing it slowly. 

He sniffs at the bush a few more times, then stands straight up like he’s just noticed something. He turns to Taehyung and barks, calling to him.

“I’m comin’,” Taehyung grumbles, standing up and making his way to the bush. He can see the little blue fruits as he gets closer and he feels himself perk up. “Oh, hey— Blueberries!” he exclaims, leaning down to examine the berries closer. “Right? We can eat them?”

The wolf huffs once and a smile makes its way to Taehyung’s face at the fact that the wolf is still using their only way of communication.

Taehyung reaches down and plucks a few ripe berries from the bush before turning and bouncing towards the stream. He dips his hands in and lets the water flow between the berries and his fingers, cleaning them off.

He shakes his hands out the best he can, stray droplets splattering his hanbok. He pops a berry into his mouth and chews, moaning outwardly at the taste.

“Wow—” he mumbles, popping another berry into his mouth. “These are really yummy!” He holds out his hand to the wolf, offering his small handful to him. 

The wolf looks at him with round, red eyes before dipping his head and licking a few off Taehyung’s palm. His tongue is warm against Taehyung’s skin, gentle as he avoids using his teeth. He chews with his tail wagging.

“Strawberries are m’ favorite,” Taehyung starts, shoving more berries into his mouth, “but I’ll eat anythin’ right now.” His fingers are starting to stain purple but he really doesn’t care. He hands some to the wolf again, giggling when the wolf licks his fingers clean.

And so it continues like that. Taehyung picks some berries, cleans them, then shares them between the wolf and himself. 

Taehyung doesn’t know when they’ll be able to eat again, so once his stomach isn’t twisting with hunger pains he makes a few little leaf bags of berries to take with them.

He finds some sturdy leaves nearby and ties them together with some loose vines, then puts some clean berries inside and closes the flap. (He uses a tiny bit of magic too, but shh.)

They finally settle back down when the sun has fully risen, shining brightly above the forest. Below the treetops is a different story; the forest is still dark and dreary and deadly. The light tries to push through the leaves and it succeeds in bits and pieces, almost like hope breaking through. The fog has lifted and the rain has finally stopped.

They’re sitting back down and relaxing again, Taehyung’s head resting on the wolf’s back. Once the leaf packs were finished, Taehyung had insisted on patching up the wound on the wolf’s cheek with moss and whatever else he could make work from the little area they've settled in. Now they’re just resting before setting off again soon.

Suddenly the wolf perks up, ears angled in the direction of the stream.

Taehyung startles with the sudden movement, his heart dropping as he sits up with wide eyes. “What?” he whispers, eyes darting between the wolf and where his crimson eyes are focused.

A shiver runs down Taehyung’s spine when he remembers where exactly they are. He was getting too complacent, the stream calming his soul a little too much.

The wolf says nothing, just stands slowly with his posture composed and ready to fight.

“We— we should go,” Taehyung whimpers, grabbing the berry packs and tugging gently on the wolf’s tail. When he doesn’t budge, Taehyung tugs harder. “P-please. I don’t want—”

The wolf turns then, bending down to allow Taehyung onto his back. He doesn’t hesitate once Taehyung is settled, taking off in a run the same way they were heading earlier in the morning.

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

The paper is smooth where Taehyung holds it between shaking fingers, folded thrice and bearing the seal of the Preternatural Council across the top.

He’s sideways between Jeongguk’s legs, shoulder against Jeongguk’s chest and head tucked under Jeongguk’s chin. Jeongguk’s arms are wrapped tight around his torso, tail wrapped loosely around the wrist that holds the paper.

It’s silent as their eyes dart back and forth as they read the black, handwritten letters across the white page.

Preternatural Council

25F, LS Yongsan Tower, 92, Hangang-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea

2-287-2769

༻ ⌯⌯⌯ ༺

Kim Taehyung and Familiar Jeon Jeongguk,

The council hopes you two are well.

As you know, the Preternatural Council only contacts those of high status when there is an absolute need. Other than our quarterly meetings, we only ask for the supernatural beings of the highest status to gather if the issue at hand is one of utmost importance.

We received word of a newly transformed gumiho a few weeks ago. He is currently in our custody, held in the best conditions for his species.

As you are well aware, the gumiho species and individual gumiho are very old. This is the first time one has transformed in two hundred years . You, your familiar, your brother, and Min Junghwa are the only ones alive who have seen another transformation in their lifetime. Your assistance and cooperation will be most necessary.

We are calling on you, High Witch Kim Taehyung, for council duty to help decide the best course of action for the gumiho to be integrated into society.

Your familiar, Jeon Jeongguk, is of course welcome to accompany you the whole time.

Your brother, Kim Seokjin, and mentor, Min Junghwa will also be invited.

Please arrive in Seoul on September 25th, a month from today. This is during a half-moon per your and Jeongguk’s request. Your apartment has been cleaned and is ready for you if you wish to arrive earlier and enjoy the city.

We hope to see you both soon.

Best Regards,

❈ Preternatural Council ❈

They're both silent for a few minutes as they take in the contents of the letter.

A gumiho? Taehyung can’t believe it.

Taehyung can feel Jeongguk prodding at the bond, checking on him like he always does. Jeongguk grumbles softly when he can’t find anything to indicate how Taehyung is feeling, arms tightening where they’re wrapped around his waist.

If Taehyung is honest, he isn’t sure how he’s feeling. He doesn’t hate the Preternatural Council, they take care of all things dealing with magic and the law. He just knows a lot of the members are indifferent to him because of his status as one of the most powerful witches alive. 

Not to mention the fact that he and Jeongguk are immortal and no one on the council is strong enough to reverse the spell.

Going into the heart of Seoul is both a good and bad experience. Times have developed enough to where people don’t cower and run away when they sense Taehyung’s magic and see a feral wolf beside him with a chain connecting them. They get dirty looks by those brave enough, but overall most people bow or move out of the way and treat him like a normal witch.

Jeongguk, on the other hand, is a different story.

First and foremost, his feral side starts to drive at him harder the longer they’re in the city or around large crowds. Jeongguk in his human form is better during large gatherings than his natural form is, but both strongly dislike them. He can’t help the little growls that leave him when someone looks at Taehyung— his Master— wrong.

Taehyung is the only one who has been able to soothe Jeongguk’s feral urges in those moments. Junghwa— the only other person to handle Jeongguk— had tried various times but to no avail. Even Taehyung needs a chain infused with magic to help him.

Jeongguk understands why people are afraid of his kind, feral or not. Wolves are powerful, wolves are scary, and wolves are strong. He’ll be the first to admit his appearance is not one that attracts ogles of affection, but rather confused glances and grimaces.

He knows his eyes are a deep shade of red that make most people turn their heads in fear; he can sense it. He knows his wolf form is bigger than most are used to. He’s old, older than everyone in the town besides Taehyung and his older brother.

He hasn’t evolved to be smaller or to shift easier as his later kind have. In his human form his wolf features are a lot more sharp than those of the hybrids born later. His eyes resemble his natural form exactly, the slope of his jaw is sharp, his nails grow black and pointed and are tougher than a human’s. His ears and tail are bigger and fur fluffier. His survival and fighting skills are much more sharp as well.

He is, however, smaller and more evolved than his ancestors, the bulgae.

Jeongguk forgives everyone for their questioning stares. He understands, even if it hurts a little. (He knows they would all love to cuddle up with him, anyway.)

He would probably be a little afraid of himself, too.

(He is.)

Overall, Taehyung doesn’t know how to feel. He’s excited, of course. He gets to meet another gumiho up close. He gets to visit the city again, even if it isn’t his or Jeongguk’s favorite place to be. They get to see Junghwa again.

But.

His emotions of worry spike, drawing Jeongguk to speak.

“Hyung? What’re you thinking?” Jeongguk asks softly, voice quiet beside Taehyung’s ear. His tail rubs soothingly over Taehyung’s wrist. “I can hear the gears turning in your head.”

Taehyung swallows and places the paper down on the empty space beside them. “I…” he starts, looking out over their lawn. The crimson maple trees stand out with their wet, red leaves shining in the sun. The coleuses around their base look exceptionally pretty today, Taehyung notes.

Taehyung’s hands fidget in their spot on his lap with the thought of dealing with hateful glares and the anxiety that comes with it.

But a gumiho?

Seeing one transform is almost a once in a lifetime experience for most supernatural beings, even those who live longer like Junghwa.

The idea of meeting another one has him excited already. 

Jeongguk nudges him again. “Pay attention to me,” he pouts, giving Taehyung a soft kiss on his cheek. Jeongguk nuzzles at his neck, rubbing his cheek and nose into the skin. 

Taehyung huffs softly at Jeongguk’s antics, trying to pull away to look at him. “What’re you scenting me for?” Taehyung asks, laughing when Jeongguk pulls him closer on his lap and continues to shove his face into his neck. Taehyung manages to get one of his arms around Jeongguk and tilts his head to give Jeongguk more room despite his soft chortles of reproach.

Jeongguk will scent him for a number of reasons but if that reason isn’t obvious, they've made it a bit of a rule to ask why. Jeongguk is also good at getting his attention away from things, whether those things be good (his work) or bad (something that sets him off).

Jeongguk mumbles something into his neck, warm breath caressing his skin. He continues his nuzzling, obviously not keen on stopping anytime soon.

“I can’t hear you, pup,” Taehyung chides quietly, matching the tone of the calm forest atmosphere. He reaches up and tugs gently on Jeongguk’s wolf ear, cupping the back of Jeongguk’s head as he pulls back reluctantly. 

“Comforting you,” Jeongguk tells him, eyes holding all the emotion Taehyung feels through their bond. Being able to feel the intensity of someone’s emotions is something truly otherworldly, something Taehyung will never get used to. “‘N your magic was spiking again,” Jeongguk adds quietly, shoving his face back into Taehyung’s neck. He hums in satisfaction when Taehyung shivers as he presses a kiss to his pulse point, but then pulls away far enough to add, “Not today.” 

Taehyung nods knowingly; no sex unless he needs it. Sometimes Jeongguk is able to sense when his magic is ready to be a bitch again before even he can get a grasp on it.

Taehyung lets Jeongguk continue his scenting as he runs his fingers through Jeongguk’s thick tail fur in his own form of comfort. “We obviously have to go,” Taehyung starts with a sigh. It’s not that he doesn’t want to go, it’s just a bit of a hassle. 

“We don’ hve to,” Jeongguk mumbles into Taehyung’s chest where he's now nuzzling below his chin. He whines softly when Taehyung prods at the bond, flicking his wolf’s nose.

Taehyung chuckles, fingers gently tugging Jeongguk’s tail. “Yes, we do, silly.” Taehyung soothes his tail right after, narrowly avoiding Jeongguk’s head bumping into his chin as he jerks up.

Oh, Jeongguk is pouting.

“Hey,” Taehyung pouts back. “Don’t even— you know we have to go, pup. Aren’t you excited to see a gumiho again? You and Yugyeom got along well last time.”

“Well— yeah, but,” Jeongguk pushes his bottom lip out even further. “I have to wear clothes in the city,” he whines. He lowers his head and looks up at Taehyung with wide, pleading red eyes. Jeongguk is practically oozing his begging into the bond, the want of not wearing clothes slowly getting to Taehyung.

His puppy dog eyes almost get to Taehyung.

Almost.

The same butterfly from earlier flutters and lands on Jeongguk’s head, sensing his softening aura. Yeah, he’s really not as scary as people think he is. (Though, he can be if he needs to be.)

“If you don’t want to wear clothes, you don’t have to. You don’t have to come with me,” Taehyung reminds him, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He tilts his head back slightly as if to say you know that. 

Jeongguk huffs, oblivious to the colorful insect currently residing in his fluffy hair. “That's the dumbest thing you’ve suggested since you suggested getting a dog.”

Taehyung deadpans. “So you don’t want a friend to play with?”

Jeongguk gawks at him, mouth open and eyes squinted. “You’re not serious?”

“We can get one that isn’t a hybrid so it isn’t competition for you. And that way I can cuddle with it any time— Oof—”

Jeongguk plops down fully, rolling to face Taehyung’s stomach and looking up at him with the biggest, pure crimson puppy dog eyes Taehyung has seen in a while. The butterfly scatters, flying up and hovering around them. “You can cuddle with me any time!” Jeongguk whines, drawing out the last syllable.

Taehyung shushes the hybrid, running his fingers through Jeongguk’s locks and scratching at the base of his ear. “Relax, I’m just messing with you.” He continues scratching Jeongguk’s scalp for a few seconds until Jeongguk visibly relaxes, then he adds, “We can get a cat instead.” 

“Tae!” Jeongguk yelps, voice raising and muffling as he pushes even closer into Taehyung’s thigh. “No cats either! They stink!” 

Taehyung snorts, shaking his head at Jeongguk’s antics once again. “Are you going to tell Kunpimook that? Jooheon? Hoseok hyung’s sister?” Taehyung asks through laughs, listing the first few cat hybrids he can think of. 

“No, but—” Jeongguk pauses, then pouts up at him. “I might eat it,” he whispers softly, eyes wide in disbelief. 

Taehyung can feel his wolf getting excited at the prospect of chasing a poor, innocent kitty around. He’ll admit the visual is kind of funny, but they’d never put a cat through that. “Hey,” Taehyung soothes. “I wouldn't let that happen. I would charm the cat and keep an eye on you.”

Jeongguk just sighs, groaning into the meat of Taehyung’s thigh. His wolf tackles Taehyung’s soul, sending love and affection through the bond.

Taehyung lets the silence stretch for a few minutes, enjoying the rain and warmth from Jeongguk. Then,

“So we can’t get a cat?”

Jeongguk just groans, loud and obnoxious.

“But—” Taehyung chuckles, steering the conversation back to earlier. watching Jeongguk’s tail flick as the butterfly settles on it, the hybrid still unaware of the magical insect. “You don’t have to go with me to Seoul—”

“If you go, I go,” Jeongguk states firmly, attitude shifting in the blink of an eye, gaze settling back on Taehyung. His ears stand at attention, eyes deepening to a piercing crimson, the color they get when Jeongguk is serious.

Taehyung nods knowingly. “And like I said, we obviously have to go. I’d like to see Jin hyung and Junghwa again. And seeing a gumiho? A newly transformed one?” Taehyung wiggles in his seat, fingers tightening in Jeongguk’s hair. “The prospect of my magicsode is a bit hindering, but I’m excited.”

“I think it’ll be fun,” Jeongguk agrees, tail wagging slowly. The butterfly— clearly having enough of its moving, furry ground— finally flies off to one of the many flowers littering their lawn. “How’re you feeling?” Jeongguk asks for what must be the fifth time in an hour.

“Fine, a little tired,” Taehyung answers honestly. He picks up the letter again and sighs. He can feel the magic energy radiating from the paper, used to keep anyone but Taehyung or Jeongguk from opening it. Taehyung’s nose wrinkles as he starts to feel overwhelmed again.

Jeongguk notices right away, reaching to take the paper from Taehyung. “Hey.” He cups Taehyung’s jaw with his tail and tickles his bare ear. “Let’s go lay on the futon? We can say hi to Gureum and Soonshim.”

“They still need to be fed!” Taehyung gasps, gently pushing Jeongguk off his lap and standing up. “Can you bring the things?” Taehyung calls over his shoulder as he rushes inside, foregoing the actual names of the items.

Yeah, Jeongguk answers through their bond, gathering the letter and the rest of the mail before stacking them on the package. He lifts one of the cardboard flaps and peeks in at the contents. He grumbles unintelligibly when he can only see Taehyung’s dream catcher.

Taehyung makes sure the door doesn’t slam into the wall (or this time, Jeongguk would have his ass) before making his way into the kitchen and grabbing the plate of meat.

Your dream catcher is pretty, Jeongguk tells him as he walks in a few seconds later, shutting the door with his heel.

I haven’t even seen it yet! Taehyung whines, a pout forming on his lips. When he meets Jeongguk in their living room, he makes a grabby hand for the box. “Trade me.”

Jeongguk huffs playfully, taking the plate of meat from Taehyung. He picks a piece up between his black nails and sniffs it, nose wrinkling in distaste. He plops it into his mouth anyway, chewing with scrunched up lips, tongue twisting.

“I don’t know why you insist on trying cooked meat when you know you don't like it,” Taehyung laughs, leading them out onto their back porch. He places the box on the futon before taking the plate from Jeongguk and heading over to the railing. He sits it down and picks up a piece to hold over the edge.

The Talwen script catches his eyes again and as quick as any thoughts of it come, they go. 

Jeongguk comes up beside him and shrugs. “I don’t know, to see if my tastes have changed?” He picks up another piece and mirrors Taehyung’s position.

Taehyung hums, clearly not buying Jeongguk’s excuse. One of the few tastes of Jeongguk’s that hasn’t changed over the years is his penchant for raw meat. They’ve long since accepted the fact that his feral side won’t ever disappear. 

The smell of chlorine wafts up from their pool, mixing with the wet smell of forest. It fills Taehyung’s nose, reminding him just how okay with everything he’s become despite what life has thrown at them. This is his home with Jeongguk and he wouldn’t change it for anything..

“Hey, Gureum and Soonshim are still here,” Jeongguk confirms, pointing into the treetops. His tail rests around Taehyung’s lower back, their shoulders brushing. The briefest of touches never fails to cause butterflies to erupt in Taehyung’s stomach.

Taehyung follows Jeongguk’s pointing and sure enough, there they are. Two animals glide through the branches and circle the same area, clearly waiting for something.

“Of course they are,” Taehyung laughs, waving the meat around to get the owl’s attention. “They’re waiting for the rest of their meal.”

“We got distracted, but— you know,” Jeongguk starts, changing the subject as a thought pops into his head. Taehyung can feel his red eyes on him, watching with a small smile. “Baby owls look like dust balls.”

“They— what?” Taehyung turns to Jeongguk with a confused look, laughing nonetheless. Sometimes Jeongguk likes to surprise him with not-so-legitimate animal facts. “And voles are just fat rats, what’s your point?” 

Jeongguk laughs along with him, shrugging. “Don’t know, just— wanted to make you laugh.” 

“You never fail with that.” Taehyung pats Jeongguk’s arm and leans into him again, resuming his waving of the meat. “You— oh, look, here comes Soonshim!” he exclaims, whisper-yelling and bouncing on his toes. 

The white and black owl swoops in and lands on the wooden railing beside Taehyung, tiny feet splashing in the little puddle. “Hey, Soonshim,” Taehyung coos softly, holding out his free hand for Soonshim to nuzzle into.

Soonshim is a white and black Ural owl that started visiting a few months after Gureum had. His kind isn’t native to South Korea, though Soonshim doesn't seem to care. As far as Taehyung can tell, he likes it here.

(Come for the land, stay for the food.)

Gureum flies down and lands beside Jeongguk a few seconds later, quickly snatching the meat from his open palm. He gobbles it down before bumbling closer and nuzzling under Jeongguk’s chin, causing Jeongguk to chuckle and his tail to wag slowly.

Gureum, being a native Himalayan owl, is a mix of beautiful brown, yellow, and white barring feathers. His all black eyes had actually bothered Jeongguk when they first met, but now they’re close as can be.

Literally. Gureum is now sitting on Jeongguk’s shoulder while Jeongguk feeds him.

Both owls are primarily nocturnal given their all black eye structure, but come out to visit Taehyung and Jeongguk during the day for food. Jeongguk is also able to communicate with them to an extent, often using it to his advantage to play pranks on Taehyung.

“Sorry we’re so late today,” Taehyung coos softly, holding out another piece of meat for Soonshim. “My magic was acting up again,” he sighs, smiling when Soonshim waddles closer and nuzzles into his hair. “I’m fine," Taehyung chuckles, laughter filtering between his words. “You’re as bad as Gukkie.”

“Hey.” Jeongguk flicks Taehyung’s ass with his tail. “Owls have great senses. They’re wise, remember? And if Soonshim is cuddling you, then you’re not fine.” 

Taehyung just huffs, electing to not reply. Maybe Jeongguk is right, though Taehyung doesn’t have to admit it. Jeongguk already knows. 

They take their time feeding the owls until the meat is gone, even in the rain. His hair is starting to stick to his forehead and Jeongguk’s ears keep twitching when rain droplets hit them.

“They're all the pet I need,” Jeongguk hums softly once they're finished, free hand settling on Taehyung’s lower back underneath his (it actually is Jeongguk’s) white t-shirt. Both owls make a noise similar to agreement, heads nodding before they get one last nuzzle in and fly off.

“If you say so, Gukkie,” Taehyung replies offhandedly. He laces their fingers together and tugs, retreating towards the futon sitting dry under the porch roof. Their bare feet pad quietly across the wet wood, the water squishing softly underneath. 

Taehyung sits down onto their futon, straddling the seat and replacing the box with the plate. Jeongguk shakes his hair out just like he had earlier, splattering Taehyung with droplets once again. Though, this time Taehyung doesn’t flinch, just turns to place a chaste kiss on Jeongguk’s lips when he sits behind him.

Taehyung is excited; he has dream catchers to open.

“Oh,” Taehyung exhales in awe, gently pulling out his dream catcher. 

Jeongguk was right; it is pretty. As much as Jeongguk hates how touchy Bogum gets, he has to admit Bogum’s handmade designs are gorgeous. He can’t wait to see his own. 

Taehyung holds his hand under the hanging green feathers and twine which are held together by a singular gold bead. The hoop is made from multiple twigs that twist together perfectly. More twigs form a tree on the right side with actual, small leaves spanning across the top. Three miniature dreamcatchers hang beside the tree along with multiple small dragonflies. A small black wolf figure sits at the base of the tree, a little ladybug beside it.

“It’s gorgeous,” Taehyung breathes. “I love it.” His eyes continue to roam over it, unsure where to focus. He can feel the magic infused into it, used to keep the flora alive. It pulses in time with his own, resonating with him. The flora can also be replanted in the future if desired.

“Yeah,” Jeongguk matches his tone, voice quiet beside his ear. His arms tighten where they’re wrapped around Taehyung’s waist again. “Can I see mine now?”

“Impatient,” Taehyung tuts, but sets his aside and reaches back into the box to pull out Jeongguk’s. He rummages through the bubble wrap with his brows furrowed until his fingers brush something soft. He pulls it out with a little aha.

Jeongguk’s is a three tier dreamcatcher, black hoop with black and orange beads scattered throughout the web and congregating in the center. From the bottom hangs one hoop on each side, then two hoops in the center, all matching the main hoop. Orange and black feathers flow freely from the bottom of each small hoop. 

Jeongguk doesn’t say anything for a moment, just reaches forward and touches over the main hoop, twists a bead around the twine.

His dreamcatcher is also pulsing with interwoven magic, though Taehyung can feel it’s different than his own. It seems to call for Jeongguk. 

“Can you feel that?” Taehyung asks softly, twisting to let Jeongguk have more room.

One of the owls hoots in the distance, the only noise other than the rain.

“I can,” Jeongguk replies. His hand follows the main hoop down to one of the bottom ones. “It’s different from yours though?” he says, confusion lacing his tone. Jeongguk has learned his own fair share of magic over the years he and Taehyung have spent together. Each being harnesses magic but how well they develop it is up to them.

Taehyung nods. “It is. I’m guessing Bogum hyung did that because of our varying levels of magic. There should be a paper in here…” Taehyung trails off, rummaging through the bubble wrap again before pulling out a small piece of paper with another quiet aha. He takes a moment to read over the handwritten letter, holding it to the side so Jeongguk can also read it. “Yeah,” he nods again, "that’s exactly why he did it.”

Thank you for giving me free reign over your new dreamcatchers! I had fun making them into personalized styles and infusing levels of magic that are best suited to both of you! If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Bogum ☿️⍲

Jeongguk hums, taking his dreamcatcher from Taehyung. “It’s so pretty,” Jeongguk says, voice airy and completely focused on the dreamcatcher. The magic seems to connect with him automatically, the dreamcatcher pulsing a soft orangish red before settling.

“Seems Bogum hyung did well,” Taehyung voices quietly, peaceful tone matching the subdued atmosphere of the forest. The rain echoes all around them, making it one of the more perfect moments they’ve spent outside together. They’re some of Taehyung’s favorites.

“Guess so,” Jeongguk mumbles, tail lashing side to side— once, twice before settling against Taehyung’s thigh again. 

Taehyung snorts, patting Jeongguk’s tail in hopes of calming his jealousy that’s practically pouring through their bond. Just like with his words, Jeongguk has never been good with hiding his jealousy either. “What, did you think a seasoned dreamweaver wouldn’t do well?”

Jeongguk doesn't answer, just lets a growl rumble in his chest.

Taehyung hums playfully. “What was that?” 

“He did a good job, they’re pretty,” Jeongguk reiterates. “But you’re still prettier,” he grunts, clearly avoiding his jealousy before placing the dreamcatcher down on top of Taehyung’s. Despite his attitude, Taehyung can hear the cheeky smile loud and clear in Jeongguk’s voice. Jeongguk presses a kiss to his cheek then nuzzles into his neck, inhaling.

“Ah, there's my pup,” Taehyung chuckles, squeezing Jeongguk’s thigh. “We told Bogum hyung to make what he felt represents us,” Taehyung says softly, fingers threading through the orange and green feathers beside him. “And he achieved that. Wow,” he adds offhandedly, still marveling at the beauty of their dreamcatchers.

They didn’t tell Bogum as no one else knows about their overwhelming urges, but they hope that having a few more dreamcatchers hanging around will somehow dampen the effects of Taehyung’s magic. If they are more personal and infused with magic, then maybe that would somehow make the dreamcatchers even stronger. It’s always worth a try.

A dreamweaver is able to manipulate the light and dark magic in the realm of dreams, typically enhancing the light while extinguishing the dark. Dreams are a tangible entity for them as they are taught to meld and mold them while awake or asleep.

When a dreamweaver constructs a dreamcatcher, they can be infused with their magic to match the level of the owners, thus a constant pull to the owner’s dreams is created and the manipulation can begin. 

As dreamcatchers were born from Native American dreamweaver traditions, the practice of infusing them with said magic has expanded across the world and has proven to be of great help for most people.

Whether or not it will help Taehyung’s unyielding dark magic is still out in the open, though.

Taehyung feels Jeongguk shuffling behind him followed by papers rustling. It’s then Taehyung realizes Jeongguk must’ve brought the mail with him. A few moments later, Jeongguk speaks.

“Why does Hoseok hyung still prefer to send letters when he can get an answer in a few minutes with a text?”

Taehyung snorts, twisting to see what Jeongguk is holding. If Hoseok can get away with doing something old or out of style, he will. Hoseok was born in the 1800s and that time period is conveniently his favorite. “What’s it say?” Taehyung asks, laughter quieting down as Jeongguk holds the letter out for both of them to read.

There’s a very thin sheen of magic coating the letter, tiny pulses of blue and green scrolling over the paper like credits to a movie. Hoseok’s handwriting is pretty and his use of little drawn emote faces brings a smile to Taehyung’s face. The emotes have always been endearing to Taehyung, warming his heart as he pictures Hoseok making the exact faces he draws so well.

High Boy Taehyungie & Pupper Jeonggukkie,

(∩^o^)⊃━☆゜.* ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

Hi മ◡മ I hope you and Jeonggukkie are doing well and enjoying whatever it is you two do in that little, wonderful forest abode you have there! Yoongi hyung and I are currently in our hotel room in Jeju! This year’s festival is bigger than last. New people, new shops, lots of yummy food! I wish you guys were here though (⋟﹏⋞) I’ll get you to come one year, mark my words Taetae! (｀∀´)Ψ

Anyway, I’m writing because (you know I love different and unique things) when we get back, I have some herbs to drop off for you! Special delivery, surprise, my treat, blah blah blah. You’re not paying for them and you’re going to make up some new potions and shit, okay? Okay, cool.  ٩(^ᴗ^)۶

Yoongi hyung found some fancy water herbs here in one of the more secluded ponds and you and Jeonggukkie are the first to know… other than the people here ヽ(´Д`;)ﾉ BUT! Neither South Korea or the world know yet so that’s a bonus, right? （´υ｀）

There are also some new flowers and forest herbs I’m sure you’ll love to experiment with! I nabbed you a few spellbooks as well, I think you’ll like them a lot. Yoongi hyung bought Jeonggukkie a ring and a nice, hand drawn photo of himself in his natural form. We’ll bring them a few days after we get back! Meaning about a day after you receive this letter! (ᗒᗨᗕ)

See you two soon uwu (＾ω＾) 

Love your Hoseokie hyung ｡^‿^｡ Yoongi hyung ( ˘ ､ ˘ )

“Oh,” Taehyung breathes just as Jeongguk’s body wiggles and he all but barks out, “So they’re coming tomorrow?”

The hope is clear in Jeongguk’s voice, his wolf practically tackling Taehyung in his excitement. His tail is wagging faster, beating against the cushion of the futon. His arms tighten around Taehyung, barely managing to contain his anticipation.

“Sounds like it, pup,” Taehyung replies, placing the letter down and leaning back into Jeongguk’s jittery embrace. “I’ll text Hoseok hyung later ‘n tell him his letter came ‘n we’re expecting him. Though, it kind of sounds like he knew his letter would come today.” 

Taehyung knows he’s starting to mumble, but he’s trying his damnedest to stay awake just a little longer. His eyes are starting to feel heavy with the warmth of Jeongguk wrapped around him and the distant sound of raindrops hitting the leaves.

Jeongguk leans back as well, fluttering tail settling on Taehyung’s thigh as he gets comfortable with Taehyung in his arms. He hums in agreement, nodding before his chin hooks over Taehyung’s shoulder. “I can’t wait to see them,” he sighs. “I’ve missed them.”

“You always miss them— No, you only miss when Yoongi hyung pets you,” Taehyung huffs the accusation playfully, nudging Jeongguk’s side with his elbow. Even if Jeongguk denies it, his actions show how in love he is when Yoongi pets him while he’s in his natural form.

A disagreeing grumble sounds from Jeongguk’s chest and vibrates against Taehyung’s back. “No! That’s not—”

“No use denyin’ it,” Taehyung interrupts him, fingers settling around Jeongguk’s flicking tail, rubbing to calm the flustered fur. “We all know you love Yoongi hyung’s pets the best,” he sighs wistfully, head falling back on Jeongguk’s shoulder like the thought is too much for him to handle.

“Second best to yours,” Jeongguk mumbles into Taehyung’s hair, inhaling slowly as if to savor the moment. He presses a kiss to Taehyung’s temple and pulls him closer.

Taehyung has long learned to associate Jeongguk’s random touches and sniffing with affection. Or attributes the sniffles with Jeongguk’s rhinitis. Taehyung is still learning which sniffle is which.

The wind blows softly, ruffling Taehyung’s blonde hair and causing Jeongguk’s wolf ear to twitch. The atmosphere is not helping with Taehyung’s exhaustion. He really wants to fall asleep, though he’s still afraid to sometimes even if he knows what’s next is probably the best part of his dream. Or is it his past reality?

Taehyung hums, a soft sound from within his chest as he closes his eyes, head turned towards Jeongguk’s neck. “Hope so. ‘M excited to mess with the new herbs.”

“Been a while for new ones,” Jeongguk murmurs, pressing another kiss to Taehyung’s forehead. “Can’t wait to see what you come up with. Maybe another aphrodisiac or something.”

They both laugh quietly at the memory of Jeongguk accidentally drinking a bright blue potion he mistook for his Gatorade. The effects didn't last long as the potion was meant for someone not as strong or as in tune with their body and magic, but it’s something they decided to experiment more with in the bedroom.

(Consent while sober is important, so Jeongguk had to settle with riding a dildo mold of his own cock while Taehyung watched.)

Once they calm down again, a nice, peaceful quiet settles over them like a blanket. Taehyung is warm with Jeongguk wrapped around him as usual, being the clingy pup he is. The rain is lulling him into a cozy headspace, the wildlife in the forest still lively despite the weather. A content, lazy smile tugs at Taehyung’s lips.

This. This is what he loves.

He and Jeongguk have long come to terms with the fact that they’re cursed with immortality and have foregone searching for a spell or another powerful being to reverse it.

The witch who cursed them was one of the very few more powerful than Taehyung was prophesied to be at the time. She had used some form of ancient magic to seal their fate, one that Taehyung understands now that he’s older.

He had studied it restlessly during a phase of wanting to find a cure. They would argue that was their darkest time together.

If they had never returned to Taehyung’s home village then he, Jeongguk, and Seokjin would have never been cursed.

They don't regret returning, though. Taehyung was able to make peace with most of the village then. But more importantly, he was able to reassure his parents he would be okay, even after they’re long gone. He had Seokjin and Jeongguk, and even Junghwa for a little longer.

Taehyung won’t ever forget some of the few people who always loved him unconditionally. How could he?

He was terrified Seokjin would hate him for it, for him ending up as collateral damage due to his and Jeongguk’s doing. For having the Talwen script on his back and for being related to Taehyung.

Taehyung tried to avoid Seokjin for days; he wasn’t ready to face rejection from his only brother. The only other person who would be living forever with him and Jeongguk.

Taehyung always swears Seokjin is an angel in disguise. Along with his parents, Jeongguk, and Junghwa, Seokjin is the only other support system Taehyung had growing up.

With Seokjin’s prophecy, Taehyung was sure Seokjin would grow to resent him, even if Seokjin had proved otherwise before Taehyung was left in the forest.

A lot can change over fifteen years.

When Seokjin finally cornered Taehyung in their hanok, Taehyung fell to his knees and broke down with wet slurs of sorry’s and please, hyung, don’t hate me’s. Seokjin just hugged him as he cried and cried with Jeongguk wrapped around their backs.

But, they’ve outgrown feeling resentful towards the witch and have learned to grow with the times. It’s beautiful in a bittersweet way.

After all, their immortality brings them infinite moments such as these.

It’s quiet and Taehyung is finally dozing off, head nestled into Jeongguk’s neck, breath warming over his scent gland. He feels the pull of his magic, wanting to finish off the dream and he’s finally ready. Until—

Until Jeongguk notices his head drooping down onto his chest more often than not. “Are you tired?”

“Mmm,” Taehyung mumbles, pushing his face further into Jeongguk’s neck. Maybe he isn’t ready to sleep yet. “No.”

Jeongguk frowns against Taehyung’s hair, his wolf curling around Taehyung’s already sleeping soul. “C’mon, get comfortable,” he says as he pulls Taehyung gently, shifting them into a better position.

“If we sleep, the dream’ll finish up,” Taehyung mumbles as they move around. He noses along Jeongguk’s scent gland, trying his best to mimic how wolves scent.

Jeongguk always smells good, like a forest in summer mixed with Mugunghwa. He’s one of Taehyung’s favorite scents. Home.

“That’s fine,” Jeongguk hums, pulling Taehyung even closer and arching his neck to give Taehyung more room. “Love you, hyung,” he whispers, tail wrapping around Taehyung’s thigh.

Taehyung exhales. He feels so fucking peaceful despite the shenanigans of the morning. If he’s honest, his body is exhausted. His magic has been prodding at him to finish the dream and right now feels like the perfect time to.

He snuggles further into Jeongguk’s arms and curls up in his lap, head nestled under Jeongguk’s chin. Jeongguk’s higher body temperature will keep them warm even with the rain. 

Taehyung presses a kiss against Jeongguk’s heated skin one more time before laying his head down and murmuring, “Love you too, Gukkie.”

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

Taehyung isn’t sure how long the wolf runs for. The wind whips through his hair and keeps him pressed close to the wolf, fingers gripping the wolf’s necklace and the berry packs. 

He tightens his hold when the wolf leaps over fallen logs and presses his face deeper into the wolf's fur when he pushes through thickets. He can feel where water from the leaves has soaked through his hanbok, causing the fabric to stick to his skin uncomfortably.

By the time the wolf slows down and allows Taehyung to slide off, his own legs are asleep and the sun is past its peak, starting its descent into evening.

The wolf is panting loudly, chest heaving up and down. His tongue lolls over the side of his mouth, hiding his teeth. His necklace hugs his body still. 

“Are we stopping?” Taehyung asks, stretching his legs. He makes a happy little noise when he raises his arms above his head, leaning back to stretch more.

The wolf huffs once, mimicking Taehyung and arching his back like a cat. His claws dig into the dirt and moss, pulling some up between his toes as his claws scrape the ground.

“I can walk now, so maybe we can make it out soon,” Taehyung sighs, looking around them. The trees are starting to thin and more light is streaming through the leaves. He takes that as a good sign.

He inhales again, the rotten scents from earlier starting to fade and be replaced by more earthy, flowery scents. Dare Taehyung say it’s the smell of the yuchae flower fields in the Daegu countryside.

The thought excites him, gives him a little more hope. 

When Taehyung turns to the wolf, he sees him sniffing around a few small mushrooms growing at the base of a tree. His tail sways slowly from side to side, then stiffens.

Taehyung is worried something is wrong and he goes to speak but is interrupted by the wolf sneezing. He giggles, covering his mouth with his hand. “Bless you!”

His tail speeds up when Taehyung speaks and he yips in reply but doesn’t turn, just goes back to sniffing around the tree.

Taehyung watches him for a little while longer. The wolf moves to another tree and sniffs at it as well, then paws at a nearby bush and swipes at a strange-looking dragonfly when it flies by. 

A smile makes its way to Taehyung’s lips. It’s safe to say he’s already enamored by the gentle creature. 

“Hey,” Taehyung finally calls out. The poor wolf jumps, clearly caught off guard. “What’s your name?” he asks, holding out a small stick for the wolf to take. He hopes the wolf understands what he wants him to do. 

The wolf shakes his fur out and his tail starts to wag as he trots over and takes the stick from Taehyung. He finds a clear patch of dirt and starts to drag the stick through it, strokes precise like he’s practiced the action before. 

Taehyung watches with awe as a name starts to take place, dust particles scattering despite the earlier rain. 

When the wolf is done, he sits with the stick clutched between his teeth, tail sweeping along the mossy ground behind him. He’s smiling, Taehyung can tell by the way his eyes are curved and how his mouth is pulled up, causing his nose to scrunch cutely. 

전 정국

“Jeon Jeongguk?” Taehyung questions once he moves beside the wolf, peering down at the characters scratched into the earth. 

The wolf— Jeongguk barks happily, dropping the stick and pushing against Taehyung’s body. The wolf's excitement shows through his tail, happy panting, and the way he’s circling around as Taehyung pets him.

Taehyung runs his hands over Jeongguk’s fur as he bumps into his legs while making content, happy sounds as he continues his circles. The more Jeongguk bumps into Taehyung, the more Taehyung feels like he’s going to fall over from Jeongguk’s surprising strength.

Taehyung laughs, petting over Jeongguk’s sides. “I’ll call you Jeongguk, then. You— Oh!” he exclaims suddenly, realizing he hasn’t introduced himself yet. His mother would laugh and scold him gently if she were here. “My name is Kim Taehyung.”

Jeongguk barks again, almost a high-pitched whine before licking Taehyung’s hand and turning towards the way they’ve been heading all day. He picks up the berry pouches gently before starting to walk again, tail waving as if it’s beckoning Taehyung to follow.

“Time to go?” Taehyung asks, jogging as fast as his little legs will let him to catch up with Jeongguk. “I think we can make it out before it’s dark," Taehyung tells Jeongguk once he reaches his side.

Jeongguk huffs once in agreement, tail brushing against Taehyung as they go. Sounds like the plan.

They continue to walk in silence, Jeongguk’s ears perked up and listening for any signs of danger. Taehyung keeps his arms wrapped around himself and sticks close to Jeongguk’s side, jumping with every new sound, every rustle of leaves.

They eventually come across what looks like a normal baby snake, but Jeongguk just growls at it and it slithers off.

Taehyung allows his thoughts to wander as the sunlight finally dapples the mossy, overgrown forest floor. He doesn’t need to focus on the forest right now, he has Jeongguk for that. 

Right? 

The thought leads him to question what will happen once they reach the edge of Gamangnara Forest. 

Will Jeongguk leave him once they escape? What if Jeongguk doesn’t want anything to do with him once they exit the forest? Will he lose his only friend? They haven’t even known each other for a full day yet. 

The thought makes Taehyung upset and a frown tug at his lips. His pace slows unintentionally and Jeongguk notices. Of course he does, he notices everything that deals with Taehyung down to every tiny detail and it confuses Taehyung even more.

Jeongguk whines and noses at Taehyung’s hand, careful of the berries still clutched in his mouth. He snuffles at Taehyung’s hand and when he exhales, he makes Taehyung’s hand wet.

Taehyung sighs, stopping and looking down at the ground. “Are you just helping me out of the forest? Or are you going to stay with me after?” he asks, scuffing his kkotsin against some moss. He’s never been a fan of confrontation and he doesn’t want to upset Jeongguk, but he wants to know.

Jeongguk moves closer like he’s asking Taehyung to look at him. Taehyung peeks up at him and to this day he wishes he hadn’t.

Jeongguk’s ears are pulled back and his red eyes seem to have lost some shine. The sight causes Taehyung’s stomach to ache. Jeongguk whines again and Taehyung feels even worse. “‘M sorry, I’ve just never had a— a friend before so please don’t leave me.” He can feel his lower lip wobbling as his eyes find the ground again. Tears are starting to well in his eyes no matter how hard he tries to will them away. 

He doesn’t know what he was expecting, but when Jeongguk doesn’t make any more noise and instead moves out of his peripheral vision, Taehyung says one last thing through his sniffles. “I don’t want you to go.”

Taehyung hears some scuffling but he doesn’t look up; he’s worried Jeongguk is doing just that— leaving him while he’s most vulnerable. 

Jeongguk took him this far, didn’t he? The edge of the forest is so close Taehyung can practically taste the fresh, Daegu farmland air. It would make sense for Jeongguk to leave him now. 

A tear slips down his cheek as he stays still, taking in the reality of his situation. Traversing through Gamangnara Forest with a feral werewolf really shouldn’t have been as pleasant as it was for him. He got too comfortable again. He should've known.

Taehyung really enjoyed finally having a friend.

He may have to stop and sleep in someone’s barn for the night, or at least find out where he is. For all he knows, they could be on the other side of the forest near Busan and he’s been imagining the smells of Daegu. He reminds himself that Busan has yuchae flower fields, too.

They didn’t travel nearly as far to be near Busan, but his five year old self doesn’t know that. His current self is laughing softly at sulking Taehyung. His favorite part of the dream is coming up, too.

Taehyung is about to wipe at his tears, but suddenly a pair of arms engulf him and he’s being hugged by a naked boy his size.

“I’m not going to leave you, Kim Taehyung.”

Jeongguk’s voice is rougher than Taehyung thought it would be. He smells of the forest and something so distinctly canine that Taehyung can’t help but let out a sob— whether it’s from the soothing smell or the fact that he thought he’d never have a hug again, he still isn't sure.

Taehyung wraps his arms around Jeongguk and cries into his shoulder, hugging him tighter. He doesn’t know what he wants to do, so he just cries and cries, holding Jeongguk tighter and tighter.

Jeongguk lets him, for however long he needs to. 

Taehyung would be lying if he said Jeongguk being in his human form doesn’t make him feel more at ease. He thinks that’s part of his crying session now— that and just being with another human and not in the stomach of some horrible creature. 

“We should go now,” Jeongguk breaks the silence sometime later, after Taehyung’s sobs have quieted down and his body feels exhausted. “It’s getting late.”

Taehyung doesn’t let go of him yet but peers up through his lashes to the sky. Sure enough, it looks like the sun is about to set. The light shining through the trees is now a mix of dark amber and russet, reminding Taehyung of blood.

He goes to pull away but stops, clinging to Jeongguk even tighter. He’s only ever had his family to hug so this? This is something completely new. And he gets to see what Jeongguk looks like? He doesn’t know if he’s ready for that. What if it makes him want Jeongguk to stay even more—

“Come on.” Jeongguk pulls away slowly, fingers and something sharp gripping Taehyung’s wrists and unwrapping Taehyung’s arms from around his neck. He takes a step back to look Taehyung in the eyes, his own shining softly in the light. They’re the same crimson red Taehyung has already grown so used to seeking comfort in.

Taehyung still doesn’t move. Instead, he takes in Jeongguk’s appearance.

His hair is longer than Taehyung has seen on someone his age before and there are little black wolf ears poking out between the strands, twitching whenever Jeongguk hears a noise. His eyes are still wolf-like in shape, skin smudged with dirt in various places. Small cuts litter his torso, though they’ve already started to heal. 

Jeongguk’s tail is hanging behind him, just as fluffy as his wolf form. It’s swinging slowly as Jeongguk realizes what Taehyung is doing.

“This is me,” Jeongguk says shyly, shrugging as he meets Taehyung’s eyes. 

His small canines peek out from under his lips when he speaks and Taehyung finds it adorable. There’s nothing scary about Jeongguk. Taehyung feels bad even thinking this wolf could hurt him. 

But what catches Taehyung’s eye is the wound on Jeongguk’s cheek, now absent of the moss he placed over it by the stream. 

“That’s going to scar,” Taehyung says absentmindedly, reaching up to wipe some dirt away so the wound is somewhat cleaner. “You got it protecting me,” he adds on sadly, a frown making its way to his lips.

“It's okay,” Jeongguk replies, smiling softly and leaning into Taehyung’s touch. His tail wags slowly behind him, clearly still enjoying the attention that Taehyung kind of always wants to give him. 

“Thank you for saving me,” Taehyung says then, finally remembering his manners. He reaches up and scratches gently behind Jeongguk’s wolf ear. He receives a low, happy rumble from Jeongguk in return, eyes closed with a lazy smile on his lips.

“We should go now,” Jeongguk urges again, though he’s still leaning into Taehyung’s hand. It’s clear neither one of them want to move but they need to if they want to make it out before nightfall.

Taehyung nods and, as Jeongguk picks up the berry pouches, he starts to take off his durumagi. He goes to hand it to Jeongguk, but the hybrid just stares at him.

“What? You’re naked,” Taehyung states. He shakes his hand to try and get Jeongguk to take the black garment again.

Jeongguk just blinks at him, crimson eyes wide. They remind Taehyung of his wolf form just as much as they do of a bunny. “I’ve never... worn clothes before,” Jeongguk admits.

Taehyung’s lips fall open and he gasps softly. “Oh, okay. Well— hold your arms out, like this,” Taehyung instructs, holding his arms up in front of him.

Jeongguk mimics him, silent but watching intently. His ears are perked up and his tail is swaying in anticipation. 

Taehyung slips the sleeves over Jeongguk’s arms and situates the durumagi correctly over his chest before tying it in front. “There, now you won’t get cold!“ He removes Jeongguk’s necklace from under the collar, laying it on the outside of the garment. “That’s how my eomma used to help me!” he says, smile quickly dropping into a frown.

To his surprise, Jeongguk bows to him. “Thank you, Taehyung-ssi. We should go now,” Jeongguk says, turning and heading the same way.

“Wait!” Taehyung calls after him. “Can I do something else?” he asks, fingers twisting in front of him. “It won’t take long, promise.”

Jeongguk looks at him for a second, eyes searching his face before he relents. “Be quick, okay? We need to be out of here by nightfall.”

Taehyung nods quickly and grabs Jeongguk’s hand, a sudden burst of energy surging through his tiny body. He can feel Jeongguk’s nails digging into his hand again. He pulls Jeongguk to a fallen tree and sits him down, then moves behind him.

"Do you shift into your human form a lot?” Taehyung asks him, running his fingers through Jeongguk’s hair. It’s knotty and sticking together like it hasn’t been cleaned in a few days. He pulls the hair stuck under Jeongguk’s necklace free before trying to gather the black strands up. 

Jeongguk tenses, his ears twitching before they flatten to his head. He doesn’t answer right away, just lets Taehyung mess with his hair.

“It’s, um, complicated,” Jeongguk finally says once Taehyung has gathered his hair into a messy ponytail. He grunts when Taehyung runs his fingers through a particularly stubborn knot. “And my wolf form is called my natural form.”

Taehyung hums, reaching down for one of the ties he kept with him when he made the berry pouches. “That’s okay, eomma tells me not to force people to tell me things. You can tell me when you’re ready,” he assures Jeongguk.

Jeongguk’s ears lose some of the tension they were holding, tail tip twitching softly. “Thank you.”

His answers are short but Taehyung thinks he understands. If Jeongguk hasn't worn clothes before, then it’s possible he hasn't ever spoken to another human in this form, either.

(Taehyung later finds out this is true. He was the first human Jeongguk shifted in front of and spoke to.

And if Taehyung cried after finding that out? Well, that’s nobody's business but theirs and Junghwa’s. When he found them, he thought Taehyung was hurt from how hard he was crying.)

Taehyung smiles to himself, pulling the tie around and managing to twist Jeongguk’s hair into a messy topknot . “This is how men who have longer hair wear it,” Taehyung tells him once he’s finished.

He observes his work and he doesn’t think it looks all that bad… aside from the hairs sticking out here and there and the piece he missed behind Jeongguk’s ear.

“Thank you, I’m sure it looks nice,” Jeongguk compliments him, bowing again once he stands. He holds his head awkwardly like he’s afraid his bun will fall apart. 

“Stop,” Taehyung whines, pushing Jeongguk’s shoulder up. “Treat me as a friend, Jeonggukkie, please.”

“Okay, I’ll try,” Jeongguk replies, picking up the berry packs again and heading off, neck held stiff. Taehyung follows quickly while giggling, matching Jeongguk’s pace.

They walk for a little while longer, chatting about whatever comes to mind. It’s mainly Taehyung explaining things to Jeongguk. He listens well, seeming to be taking in all the information Taehyung tells him. His ears stay alert, though, tail brushing against the underside of the durumagi restlessly, like it wants out.

Taehyung wonders if the durumagi is too restricting for Jeongguk. He probably should’ve asked before giving Jeongguk his clothes, but surely Jeongguk would’ve gotten cold? 

Taehyung can’t just let Jeongguk walk around naked, right? 

They’re nearing the edge of the forest now, a faint yellow glow separating the dark undergrowth of Gamangnara and lush flora of the outside. The path is barely there, overgrown with bushes and twists around thick trees before straightening out.

The perfect path to trip like main characters never fail to do in scary movies. 

As they continue walking, Taehyung can see that the yellow glow is like a bubble, encompassing the length and height of the forest. It pulsates as they get closer, sensing their magic. 

There’s a small hanok far in the distance, peeking over the hills. It’s the only one— the only thing in sight for miles. Taehyung finally thinks they’re saved. Hopefully the person living there is nice and will nurse his new wolf hybrid friend back to health and help them get back to his village.

A thought suddenly occurs to Taehyung, one that has his heart breaking.

“What if we can’t get out?”

Jeongguk looks at him, ears twitching in question. He shakes his head, pointing with a tiny claw to the hills. “We can—”

“No,” Taehyung interrupts him. “The forest has the barrier that helps keep the bad creatures in.” He frowns again, speeding up to reach the barrier. “C’mon,” Taehyung calls over his shoulder with a wave of his hand.

Jeongguk had looked bewildered and young Taehyung hadn’t understood why. Present Taehyung can recall Jeongguk telling him later that he didn't understand the concept of magic back then.

A sudden rustling in the bushes has them stopping in their tracks. Jeongguk grabs Taehyung’s wrist and yanks him behind his body. Jeongguk is crouched, poised and ready to attack or defend.

A figure emerges from the bushes then, dressed in a hanbok with a walking stick in hand, a small white orb perched at the top. His hair is a mixture between blonde and black in no specific pattern.

It’s not a creature Taehyung recognizes and that has his hair standing on end. He shrinks back behind Jeongguk, hiding his body the best he can. 

Perhaps it’s not a creature at all, but a normal man. 

Taehyung isn’t sure what’s more concerning— the fact that it’s not a horrible creature that’s supposed to be in Gamangnara Forest or the fact that this man managed to track them down without being harmed. 

Something feels off. 

“Ah, there you two are,” the man laughs, a hearty sound from his chest. “Finally found you.”

Taehyung is confused— not scared, just confused. He definitely doesn't know this man, but by the sound of it the man knows them. Was looking for them, too. 

“I don’t know you, Mister!” Taehyung calls over Jeongguk’s shoulder. He feels Jeongguk’s tail wrap around his leg, keeping him close. “My eomma tells me not to talk to strangers. I’m sorry, but we have to go.” 

Jeongguk moves with Taehyung, keeping his body between them and angled towards the man. 

“Oh,” the man laughs again. “Don’t worry Taehyung-ah. I won’t hurt either of you.” He takes a step closer. “See that hanok? All the way over there?” The man gestures vaguely in the direction of the hanok in the distance. “That’s my home. I wanted to offer you a place to sleep for the night.” 

Taehyung stops, wrapping his hands around Jeongguk’s biceps to halt him too. He squints at the man, a face current Taehyung can’t help but laugh at. How he ever thought his five year old self could intimidate someone is beyond him. “How do you know my name?”

“Ah, I told you! I was looking for you and Jeongguk-ah!” The man stays where he is, just tilts his head back in observance. He shifts his walking stick to his other hand. “We should go before nightfall. Don’t want to be stuck out here, do we?”

Taehyung isn’t sure what to do. The man seems nice enough, but his mother has told him countless times not to trust strangers. Especially those who seem like they can do no harm. 

Wasn’t that what got him into this situation in the first place?

Precisely. But he has Jeongguk now, doesn’t he? Jeongguk will take care of him. 

Taehyung leans closer so he can whisper into Jeongguk’s ear, chest pressing against his bare back and fingers gripping so tight around Jeongguk’s biceps that his skin turns white. “Should we go?”

Jeongguk’s wolf ear twitches when Taehyung’s breath ghosts over it. He doesn’t answer right away, but his body does relax into Taehyung the longer Taehyung touches him.

“I think so,” Jeongguk finally answers with a small nod. “He doesn’t, um— feel? Like a bad person.”

The man seems to ignore them and starts walking towards the edge of the forest, body passing elegantly through the trees despite his older age. He doesn’t stray any closer to them, instead moving by and in front of them on the path. “Coming, you two?”

Taehyung and Jeongguk share a look before Taehyung shrugs and takes Jeongguk’s hand, his sharp nails barely bothering Taehyung now. He pulls Jeongguk forward so they can follow the man, keeping their distance just in case. 

Taehyung swallows when they approach the barrier. Jeongguk squeezes his hand and gives him a confident smile. 

“It’ll be okay.” 

Taehyung shares another look with Jeongguk, one that fills him with confidence and determination. One that says he will— they will be okay. He has Jeongguk with him now, he can do anything. 

Taehyung goes to take a step through the yellow barrier but stops when it separates right before his foot hits it. He gasps, quickly stepping back and bumping into Jeongguk. 

“What?” Jeongguk asks with a growl, clearly ready to attack whatever startled him. 

Taehyung shakes his head, swallowing. “It’s— uh, nothing. Come on, we shouldn’t stray too far from him.” 

Taehyung tugs Jeongguk with him again and not stopping as the barrier separates, creating a hole big enough for both of them to walk through. 

Once they're standing on the other side on the nice, soft green grass, Taehyung feels tears welling in his eyes again— happy tears, this time. 

Jeongguk reaches a hand up but hesitates, unsure what to do to comfort him. Taehyung gently pushes his hand down with a soft smile. “‘M fine, just. Happy.” 

Jeongguk gives him a strange look. “Crying because you’re happy?” he questions, clearly confused. 

Taehyung nods, turning back to the barrier. “Yeah. Humans cry for different reasons,” he explains. “This time I’m happy we’re out of there. I didn’t think—” he sniffs, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his hanbok. “I didn’t think we’d get out.” 

He gets a soft grown in response, something Jeongguk does when he doesn’t have anything to reply with but still wants Taehyung to know he’s listening. 

Taehyung stares at the pulsating yellow border for a moment, just thinking. He’s never seen magic such as it, or anything near as strong as it feels, either. 

Why did it part for him?

He huffs, clearly not in the right headspace to think of the possibilities yet. Doesn’t mean he can’t physically try to figure it out. 

He presses his lips together in determination, takes a deep breath, and lets go of Jeongguk’s hand. He takes the few steps needed to be in front of the border and hesitates for only a moment before sticking his hand through. 

Or, trying to. 

The barrier doesn’t spread for him this time. It only lets Taehyung’s fingertips spread out over it until his palm is flat against the glimmering yellow bubble. 

“Tae—”

Jeongguk’s grip is back on his other hand and stronger than it should be at his age as he tries to tug Taehyung back. 

Taehyung pulls against him, keeping just up to his wrist inside. “It’s okay, I’m just playing with it.”

He’s curious about it. It’s the strongest form of magic he’s ever seen and if the prophecy is right, he’ll be strong like it one day.

Young Taehyung didn’t know its keeper was right behind them, keeping his distance with his hanbok waving in the wind as he watched them. The orb on his staff glows a soft white in the dimming sun. 

Taehyung waves his hand over the barrier and feels nothing from the magic. It just wiggles and flows around his fingers like water. He can’t push his hand any further into it either, an invisible force keeping him out. 

Jeongguk moves up beside him, ears and tail twitching in interest. “Does it hurt?”

“Nope. Taehyung shakes his head, waving his hand against the barrier for emphasis. “Try it.”

After a moment of hesitation and some coaxing from Taehyung, Jeongguk places his free hand on the barrier closer to Taehyung's.

Except, Jeongguk’s hand slips through. 

Taehyung gasps, his hand tightening around Jeongguk’s as he pulls them both back and away from the barrier. He stumbles over his own feet and Jeongguk’s tail but he’ll be damned if either of them go into that putrid place ever again.

“I’m fine,” Jeongguk assures him once they regain their balance. Jeongguk looks from his hand to the barrier as if the magic has worn off on him. “Why did I not stop?”

“I don’t know, maybe—”

“It’s because the barrier sees you as inherently evil, therefore it thinks you belong in there,” the man finally speaks again, voice loud to cover the distance between them. Taehyung jumps, forgetting the man was even there, standing on the hill and watching them almost fondly. 

They both turn to him, mouths open and ready to ask questions but are cut off by him continuing. “Taehyung-ah’s magic hasn’t developed enough for the barrier to sense its malevolence yet, but since you’re a feral hybrid, Jeongguk-ah, it can sense what you are.”

Taehyung replays the man’s words in his head, confirming his suspicions that the man knows about the prophecy. How else would he know their names and where to find them?

Taehyung tucks that information away so he’ll remember it for later. They shouldn’t get close to the man no matter how nice he seems. 

“With all do respect, Mister, nobody asked you!” Taehyung calls back sweetly. He really had no ill intent behind those words— he was just too preoccupied with making sure Jeongguk was okay and that they were far enough away from the barrier that creatures couldn’t grab them. It was nice to finally have an answer to one of his many questions, though.

The man had scolded him later for it anyway.

He turns away now, however, scoffing and hiking up to the top of the hill to enjoy the wind and sun. 

Taehyung turns away from him and when his eyes land back on Jeongguk, his breath is taken away. 

The setting sun is hitting Jeongguk’s face just right to where he looks like he’s glowing. The orange reflects off his crimson eyes and makes them look like they’re a deep yellow, like the color of the ocean when the sun sets over it. Like the color of the yuchae flowers in the nearby field when bathed in the evening light. 

“We should go,” Jeongguk tells him, pulling Taehyung towards the man again. This time, Taehyung doesn’t relent. He lets Jeongguk lead him, trusting that everything will be okay. Just like Taehyung will continue to do from that day onward.

Young Taehyung didn’t know it, but that was when the beginning of their life-long bond was solidified. 

When the man senses them finally moving again, he casts a glance over his shoulder at the two and smiles, teeth too pointy for a normal human. His laugh is one Taehyung can remember so vividly. 

“Where are my manners? My name is Min Junghwa.” 

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

“Jeongguk!” Taehyung’s tone is firm as he calls for his boyfriend. Jeongguk comes scurrying from Taehyung’s atelier but stops when he sees Taehyung’s posture, padding quietly the rest of the way. He’s mastered the art of making no noise with his claws while roaming their home in his natural form. 

Taehyung’s hands are on his waist, hip cocked to one side with a frown on his face. “Why are there nose prints on the door?”

Jeongguk looks from Taehyung to the door and instantly lowers his head, whining softly. His fluffy tail hangs between his legs, matching his defeated posture. 

“C’mon, tell me,” Taehyung probes, lifting an eyebrow. He taps his foot impatiently as he watches Jeongguk sulk to the glass door. Jeongguk looks from Taehyung to the door and back to Taehyung, necklace glinting in the sun.

Then, Jeongguk gently licks the door in an attempt to rid it of his nose prints.

Taehyung can’t hold back his snort as he watches Jeongguk’s poor attempt to clean the door. “Okay, okay, st-op!” Taehyung huffs, dropping to his ass and opening his arms for Jeongguk to come to him. 

Jeongguk barks happily, shoving his way into Taehyung’s arms and trying to lay across his thighs. Knew it would work. You can’t resist me!

“Oh, now you talk to me, huh?” Taehyung rubs his hands through Jeongguk’s thick fur, wiggling around his muscle.

Duh, you’re not mad now, Jeongguk laughs through the bond, voice accompanied by an underlying growl.

Taehyung stops petting him and just stares. “Who said I’m not?” He lets some anger seep into the bond, though he knows Jeongguk knows him better than that by now. Still, he can try.

Jeongguk stares back with those crimson eyes that always feel like they’re searching Taehyung’s soul. He holds Taehyung’s gaze, unrelenting. 

Then Jeongguk’s tongue darts out to lick at Taehyung's cheeks.

Taehyung groans, trying to avoid the assault of Jeongguk’s rough tongue. Jeongguk in his human form may be messy, but Jeongguk in his natural form is even worse. “You’re getting me all wet, Guk-ah!” Taehyung wails, trying to push the giant fluff ball off of him. When he doesn’t succeed, he lays on his back, giving up with a huff.

Jeongguk continues to lick at his face, his laughter filtering through their bond and Taehyung feels elated, dirty door long forgotten.

When Jeongguk relaxes his licking, he plops his body down and successfully pushes an oof out of Taehyung.

“You’re heavy,” Taehyung exhales, whining and weakly attempting to move Jeongguk again. He pushes against Jeongguk’s muscular body, barely budging him an inch. 

Taehyung tries, he really does. If he doesn’t use magic, he can’t move Jeongguk’s deadweight no matter how hard he tries.

He gives one last heave all while Jeongguk is still laughing at him, tail beating against the dark hardwood floor. He lets a defeated sound slip out, fingers ending up scratching behind Jeongguk’s ears instead.

Jeongguk shifts, settling lengthwise on Taehyung’s body and with a final lick to Taehyung’s chin, he rests his head on Taehyung’s chest, sighing happily. You love me.

“Of course I love you,” Taehyung replies, leaning up to press a kiss to Jeongguk’s wet nose. “Always have, always will. You’re just a heavy ball of fur.”

Jeongguk snorts, coating the side of Taehyung’s cheek with his nose spray. Taehyung groans in displeasure, but lets Jeongguk cuddle closer anyway. His necklace digs uncomfortably into Taehyung’s chest as he settles. 

They lay there for a while, basking in the warm sunlight streaming through the dirty door. It’s peaceful, calm enough for Taehyung to close his eyes and rest.

It’s the day after Taehyung’s magicsode, the day Hoseok and Yoongi are supposed to come over. He and Jeongguk already prepped everything they needed to, including three gallons of omija cha. 

(One is reserved for Hoseok to drink today, the other is for him to take home. )

Taehyung is excited to receive whatever herbs Yoongi had found in Jeju. He has been itching to mess with new potions and spells and having new herbs is going to make it so much better.

For Taehyung, not for Jeongguk. Taehyung tends to disappear into his atelier for hours on end when he’s onto something. Those are the times when Jeongguk orders them takeout and sleeps in his wolf bed in the corner of the atelier.

“Are you going to move anytime soon?” Taehyung breaks the silence when his ass starts to feel numb.

Jeongguk just growls, snuggling closer to Taehyung. His tail finds its way to Taehyung’s leg, successfully wiggling its way around his calf.

“Taehyungie!”

Taehyung lets out another breathy oof when Jeongguk launches himself off of him, paws digging into his stomach. Taehyung’s head falls back against the hardwood floor with a thud.

He hears the door handle being hit by claws and the door pushed open a second later. He turns his head and sees Jeongguk bursting through the door and practically tackling Hoseok and Yoongi.

Taehyung decides to lay there for a while, or at least until his friends come inside. A soft smile tugs at his lips as he embraces the calm before the storm.

As much as he loves his friends and being around others, his soul longs for quiet after his eventful early life. He aches for the serene sounds of the wilderness and Jeongguk no matter where they are.

“Taehyung-ah, why are you on the floor?” Yoongi asks him when he opens the door, a basket of herbs under his arm. Jeongguk trots in beside him, panting happily with his head and tail held high. He’s happy members of his pack are around again. 

When Taehyung finally gets a good look at Yoongi, the first thing he notices is Yoongi looks good.

He’s dressed in all black as usual, tight jeans with a t-shirt tucked in and glasses. He always dyes his hair before they go to a forest convention, but this time he must’ve let his natural hair color be. It fades from black roots to blonde tips, a striking contrast to his blue eyes due to his species.

Yoongi's hair is also due to his mixed species heritage— hyades and dragon. Taehyung has always found mixed species to be interesting and Yoongi has been the subject of many experiments, pokings, and proddings. 

Taehyung groans, sitting up. “Because of him,” he pouts, pointing to the furball in question. 

You love me! Jeongguk laughs through the bond, prancing around him with his head and tail held high before taking a seat beside him. His tail wags across the wooden floor, hitting Taehyung in the back. 

“On second thought, I don’t want to know,” Yoongi says, placing the basket down and holding the door open for Hoseok. 

“Taehyungie!” Hoseok exclaims, placing his bag down and immediately laying on the floor beside Taehyung. “Back to chaos, just how I like!”

Taehyung looks down at Hoseok to see his lovely heart shaped smile shining right back at him. His green eyes shine in the golden sunlight, reflecting his species of forest elf.

God, Taehyung really has missed his hyung's. “Hi, hyung,” Taehyung says, leaning down to hug Hoseok. 

Jeongguk, being the little shit he is, moves to lay across Taehyung and Hoseok’s legs. 

“Now I understand why you were on the floor,” Hoseok comments, nodding like he’s confirming his own suspicions. He hugs Taehyung back and runs his free hand over Jeongguk’s ears, flopping them back and forth. 

“Yeah, this one was being a big baby again,” Taehyung replies, shifting so he can pet Jeongguk and keep an arm under Hoseok’s neck.

Taehyung doesn’t mind having his arms on display anymore. He’s gotten used to the stares he gets, or having to explain Talwen to those curious enough to ask about the ancient language. 

Jeongguk says nothing, just puts his full weight on the two and lets his tongue loll out the side of his mouth like the little shit he is. 

(There’s nothing little about him. He’s big. Between the size of a normal wolf and a Twilight wolf.)

Yoongi picks up the herb basket and Hoseok’s bag and carries them to the couch, sitting down with a sigh. “Jeongguk-ah!” Yoongi calls sweetly, opening his arms for the wolf to come to him. 

Jeongguk’s head pops up and when he realizes what Yoongi means, he yips happily and crosses the cabin, leaping over the coffee table and onto the couch beside Yoongi. He nuzzles into Yoongi’s arms, instantly sitting on his hyung and licking his face. 

“I don’t know, Tae. I think they’re both big babies,” Hoseok comments, sitting up and watching the two get comfortable on the couch. 

Taehyung nods. “I agree. Jeongguk wouldn’t settle down last night, he couldn’t wait to see you guys again.”

“You say that like you could wait, Mr. Forty Texts Asking About The Trip.”

Taehyung’s mouth opens and closes a few times as he debates how to reply. He soon realizes he doesn’t have a comeback and gives in. “Fine,” he huffs, standing up and offering his hands for Hoseok to take. “Show me what you bought.” 

That lights a fire under Hoseok’s ass.

He lets Taehyung help him up, then he leads the way into the kitchen. He digs into his bag first and pulls out three smaller, black bags made of velvet. 

Taehyung gasps softly. He can feel the magic radiating from them already.

“These,” Hoseok places the bags on the table, stacked on top of each other, “are yours.” 

Taehyung eyes him warily before taking the first bag and untying the string. He knows Hoseok mentioned spellbooks in his letter and those are what’s in the bag, but why are there three of them?

He pulls the book out gently and is instantly reminded of how well Hoseok knows him. The purple velvet cover is soft under his fingertips, intricate silver pieces rough as they line the edges, purple gems dressing each one. Another purple gem sits in the center with a similar silver decoration around it. It’s held together by a simple, silver lock.

He holds it with a featherlight grip, running his fingers over the accents softly. It looks like something he would’ve owned in the 1800’s. It brings back memories, a wave of nostalgia of his and Jeongguk’s time in Italy washing over him as his heart flutters at the still vivid images.

The fact that the book isn’t rejecting him as he flips through the empty pages is also a prominent thought, so he takes it as a double win.

“Don’t say anything until you’re done!” Hoseok rushes out when Taehyung turns with his mouth open.

Taehyung glares at him but obeys, turning back to the items on the table. He places the book down gently on top of its bag and reaches for the next bag. He opens it slowly, pulling out another gorgeous spellbook of the same thickness.

The cover is more intricate than the first, reminding him more of the witch inside him. It's a hardback with little flowers etched into the background. A small tree with no leaves sprouts from the bottom, a red gem at the base acting as the heart of it. There’s a star at the top of the tree with a snake coiling behind it. Two trees with leaves at the base line the edges of the book. Moons and a moth trinket along with others decorate the remaining space.

Taehyung observes the book the same way he had the first— delicately. He traces over the trinkets before flipping through it; unique spells, elixir recipes, hexes and other incantations staring back at him in a variety of different colored ink.

Taehyung turns to Hoseok again, rendered almost speechless. “Where did you even find these? Who made them?” he asks, still in disbelief.

The magic feels familiar, as if the books were made with his style in mind. He feels them tugging at him, binding themselves to his magic, wanting to be his books. 

Hoseok shrugs nonchalantly, like he didn't just buy Taehyung two— possibly three— spellbooks that represent him perfectly. “That gumiho from before I was born was there selling them. Said he knew we’d be there and made ‘em special.”

Taehyung smiles softly, the fact that Yugyeom is still looking out for them even when they’re not around warming his heart. Gumiho are loyal creatures, the canine in them tying them to whoever the first few people they see after transforming are. With Yugyeom, it happened to be Taehyung and Jeongguk.

He places the book down on its respective bag. He doesn’t know what to expect for the last book, but if the first two are anything to go by, it’ll be something breathtaking.

“Last one!” Hoseok claps his hands together, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He’s clearly excited and Taehyung realizes again just how much he missed his hyung and the joy he brings. “This one is my favorite.”

When Taehyung pulls the third book out, he gasps.

“Hyung…” He’s at a loss for words, unable to string together a coherent sentence. He can feel the magic in this one is stronger, radiating with him almost perfectly. “It’s beautiful.”

The cover is the most intricate of the three. It's rough, fall colored leather with leaf patterns embossed into it. Branches with dark red and yellow leaves twist out from the top left corner and curl past a red gem. Smaller gems and leaf trinkets litter the rest of the cover. That’s not what immediately catches Taehyung’s eye, though. 

The center charm is what stands out to Taehyung the most, causing his breath to hitch in his throat and tears to well in his eyes.

On a hill of rocks stands a black wolf with an amber stone below it. It looks exactly like Jeongguk, down to his crimson eyes and the fluffy detail of his tail.

Taehyung distantly feels Jeongguk prodding at their bond, asking him if he’s okay. Taehyung brushes him off, telling Jeongguk he’s alright. He's sure Jeongguk is perked up on Yoongi’s lap, looking their way while Yoongi tries to soothe him.

His familiar always keeps tabs on him and he’s forever grateful. 

“He said it was made specifically for you,” Hoseok interrupts their moment. “Yu— Yugyeom? Saved it until he saw us,” Hoseok adds as Taehyung continues to take in the cover, eyes still glassy. 

Taehyung hums, fingers lingering over the wolf charm. He then sets the book down beside the other two before turning to Hoseok. His heart is beating even faster now and he swears it has swelled two sizes too big because Hoseok is so lovely and thoughtful that he can barely stand it. 

“Now before you beat me up,” Hoseok starts, standing a few feet away from Taehyung with his hands up. “Let me explain.”

“Explain... why there are three spellbooks here? You know that’s too many, hyung.”

“Yes! No! I mean— I couldn’t decide, okay?” Hoseok laughs nervously, running a hand through his blonde hair. “I really felt like these fit you and I just couldn’t choose. So I got you three!”

“Hyung…” Taehyung trails off, running his fingertips over the covers again. Delicately, as if the books would fall apart from his touch, reject his magic and refuse to open for him. “You really didn’t have to,” Taehyung says softly, looking back to Hoseok. “They must’ve been expensive.”

Hoseok shrugs, replacing his bag with the basket of herbs. “Maybe, but it’s worth it. You’ve had your current spellbook for a while now, haven’t you?”

An image of Taehyung’s current spellbook pops into his head— blue gem, skeleton hands, and fancy cover in all its glory. “Yeah, Jeongguk got it for me sometime last year.”

“And I know how you are with things like that. You’ll limit your work because you don’t want to use up the pages, or not have another one that means a lot to you. So,” Hoseok gestures to the books on the table. “I present to you: three more!’

Fondness surges through Taehyung as he embraces Hoseok again. “Thank you, hyung. Really, you didn’t have to.” He isn’t sure if Hoseok can tell, but his words hold another meaning as well.

Taehyung is also thanking him for accepting him even when Hoseok knew of Taehyung and Jeongguk. Hoseok still approached them that day in Hanyang despite everything. Hoseok has stuck with them through thick and thin and when he introduced them to Yoongi, he did the same.

Taehyung can’t ever thank them enough.

When Taehyung lets go and meets Jeongguk’s eyes from the couch, he knows Jeongguk is thinking the same thing. 

Love you. 

“Yoongi-yah!” Hoseok turns then, waving for his boyfriend to come to the kitchen. “Come tell Taetae about the herbs!”

Jeongguk jumps from his place on Yoongi’s lap first, crossing the cabin in a few short strides. Yoongi lays there for a second like a deflated starfish, groaning when he finally stands up.

One of his bones pop when he takes a step and Hoseok laughs at him. “C’mon, old man.”

“I’m literally three years older than you,” Yoongi grumbles but there’s no bite to his words. He places his hand on Hoseok’s lower back when he reaches the table, as loving as ever.

“One of these days you’re going to learn not to wear black when we visit them,” Hoseok chides, brushing his hand over Yoongi’s stomach. Jeongguk’s hair goes flying, hovering slowly down to the floor. 

Yoongi grunts something unintelligible, then reaches for the herb basket. “I think you’re gonna love these, Tae. They’re interesting.”

Taehyung raises an eyebrow, hand settling between Jeongguk’s ears. He isn’t sure if he likes the sound of that or not. Last time they brought something interesting, the axolotl bit his finger. “Interesting, how?” 

Jeongguk sits beside him, form big enough to easily see the table (and perfect to steal dinner when Taehyung isn’t looking). He pants loudly, eyes on Yoongi as he pulls out green-blue colored leaves, some roots, and other similar plants and flowers encased in their respective environment bubbles.

Taehyung can feel the magic infused within them already. “They feel promising,” he comments, reaching for one of the orangish-red leaves. His fingers slip through the light green forest bubble with ease and are instantly warmer. The herb is rough under his fingertips, the tip shaped almost like a claw.

Yoongi places the last of the herbs on the table, water and forest transport bubbles alike scattering the surface. The plants wave in their confined spaces, happy as can be. 

Taehyung can’t help but be curious. His hand slips into a blue transport bubble, water cool as it encompasses his hand.

“I hope so,” Yoongi replies, lining the bubbles up as if he’s giving a presentation. “If anyone can make shit happen, it’s you.”

Yoongi takes the time to explain each herb in detail. How he found them while exploring under the water, how the fish were friendly and welcoming, how a baby gyarados nibbled on his toe.

Taehyung can imagine how cool it must’ve been for Yoongi to find the herbs. He explores in an air bubble, mainly walking on the bottom of ponds and lakes. Taehyung makes a note to remind himself to ask Yoongi to take him again sometime soon. Maybe after the Preternatural Council meeting. 

“They don’t react to anything I do, but they definitely have magical ability,” Yoongi concludes, sitting the last flower down. The petals are a beautiful light pink with darker tips and a yellow center. It’s another species of lotus, Taehyung guesses.

Taehyung nods in agreement. “Yeah, I can feel it.” He sits down in the chair beside Jeongguk and pats his thighs. Jeongguk moves immediately, placing his head onto them and sighing happily.

“It’s weird— it’s like they were calling for me,” Yoongi continues, resting his head on the palm of his hand as he recalls his traversing on muddy riverbeds. “But now they don’t want anything to do with me.”

He emphasizes his point by trying to pick up an orange and yellow flower. The flower closes up, returning to its budding state. When he moves his hand away, it opens back up. 

Hoseok titters from his place beside Yoongi, hiding his mouth when Yoongi glares at him. Jeongguk snorts from his place beside Taehyung and manages to wet Taehyung’s hand. 

“They could be magic-specific, or just need to adjust to their environment,” Taehyung comments offhandedly, humming to himself. He’s deep in thought, already itching to dive into experimenting.

Or they just genuinely hate him.

Taehyung snorts violently, not expecting a comment from Jeongguk. He laughs into Jeongguk’s forehead while covering the wolf’s ears as if that would help keep his thoughts in their bond.

“What did Jeonggukkie say?” Hoseok asks, confused but tone light like he wants to laugh along too. He sits his tea glass down and leans forward in anticipation, Yoongi’s hand refusing to move from his nape. 

Taehyung shakes his head, pressing his lips together as he sits up and regains his composure. “He didn't say anything,” Taehyung says, trying his best to keep a straight face but failing, more laughter bubbling through his lips.

Jeongguk just sits up like the good boy he is, tail wagging and tongue lolling.

“That’s a lie and we all know it,” Yoongi butts in, inclining his head forward with a challenging smirk on his face. Taehyung knows not to mess with him but honestly? He can’t help it.

Taehyung shakes his head, leaning back in his chair and pretending to zip his lips. He tosses the imaginary key to Jeongguk and he catches it, swallowing and licking his lips animatedly.

Yoongi just hums, tilting his head to the side. “Fine.” He shrugs, leaning back in his chair and mimicking Taehyung’s position with his arms crossed.

Hoseok keeps looking between the three, clearly excited to see what’s going to happen. He’s having a hard time keeping a straight face but Taehyung thinks nothing of it.

“Fine,” Yoongi says again, shrugging. He blinks, eyes flashing a brighter blue and settling so fast Taehyung thinks he imagined it, but he knows better. Wait a second. 

“C’mon, Tae! Your bond is so cool, tell us what Jeonggukkie said!” Hoseok whines, drawing Taehyung’s attention away from Yoongi. He pushes out his lower lip and widens his eyes, activating his emoji face that no one— not even Taehyung— can refuse. “Please?” 

Jeongguk continues to pant, tail wagging behind him as he watches the interaction. He shares a knowing look with Yoongi before turning back to Taehyung.

Taehyung shakes his head again, turning away to avoid the deadly gaze. He’s intent on keeping Jeongguk’s comment between them until later. “He didn’t say anyth- ing!” Taehyung’s voice raises an octave as he finishes his sentence. He leaps from his chair with wide eyes, arching his upper body forward to try and get away from the ice cubes dropping down the back of his shirt.

Hoseok bursts out laughing, body curling forward with so much force that he falls onto the floor. Yoongi just sits there like he did nothing wrong, though the sly smirk tugging at his lips tells Taehyung otherwise.

The ice cubes drop to the floor as Taehyung holds the hem of his shirt away from his body. He glares at Yoongi. “You’re mean.” 

Yoongi shrugs, glancing from Hoseok to Jeongguk. “I wasn't the only one in on it.”

The words take a moment to register in Taehyung’s chaotic mind but when they do, he pouts. He turns to Jeongguk and his suspicions are confirmed. Jeongguk has one of the most smug looks on his face that Taehyung has ever seen him wear. “You knew?“

Jeongguk wags his tail even harder, growling playfully. Maybe. 

“I try to protect your furry ass and you betray me? You wanna sleep outside tonight?” Taehyung scolds without bite and Jeongguk just licks his face.

They both know full well that neither of them are sleeping anywhere but beside each other. They never go to bed while still angry with the other.

“Wow, everyone is conspiring against me,” Taehyung huffs, sitting down and crossing his arms. He makes sure he’s flush against the backrest of the chair, making sure his magic holds his shirt— and any other clothing opening— tight to his body.

Jeongguk barks in agreement. Was it cold, hyung?

“You be quiet.” Taehyung looks pointedly at Jeongguk. “Go nibble on your kibble.”

Jeongguk’s face falls comically, mouth agape. Taehyung almost can’t hold back his snort but he manages to keep a straight face. If you try to give me kibble one more time—

Taehyung turns his nose up to Jeongguk and pretends to pout even more. He turns his attention to Yoongi and Hoseok who have finally recovered. Some.

Hoseok is still sitting on the floor with an arm on the seat of the chair and his head resting on his forearm. “But, Taetae, your bond is cool,” Hoseok emphasizes, clearly smitten with what he thinks is the best joke ever.

To help Hoseok out, Yoongi manifests another ice cube in front of Taehyung’s face. “It would be waterful to know what Jeongguk said?” 

Taehyung goes cross-eyed trying to look at the ice cube before he leans back and blows on it, successfully pushing it across the table to Yoongi’s face.

They push the ice cube back and forth a few times with their magic, Hoseok and Jeongguk watching like a tennis match. Yoongi finally relents, hovering the ice cube over Taehyung’s warm tea. 

Taehyung squints at him. “You wouldn’t.”

Yoongi just smiles at him. 

Plunk.

The ice cube drops into Taehyung’s glass and clinks against the sides before successfully freezing his entire cup of omija cha.

Taehyung stares down at his glass for a moment, silently mourning his tea. This specific batch was made by Jeongguk and that automatically means it’s sweeter because he loves to fuel Taehyung’s sweet tooth.

If Taehyung were one of the anime characters he loves so dearly, he’d have a little ghost of his soul hanging from his nose right about now.

When the glass starts to fill with even more pink-colored ice, Taehyung looks up and squints at Yoongi again. “I let you bring strange herbs into my home and this—” Taehyung points back and forth between his glass and the melting ice cubes on the tile floor, “—is how you repay me?” 

Yoongi laughs now, leaning forward and beginning to collect the herbs. “Well, if you don’t want them here…”

Taehyung squints even harder at him but doesn’t respond. This. The bickering and joking around is what he’s missed so much, even if his poker face is getting increasingly difficult to keep.

Yoongi continues to collect the herbs by pairs, placing them back in the wicker basket neatly. The bubbles jiggle and bounce in Yoongi’s hands as if they don’t want to go. 

Taehyung watches with bated breath, counts each herb and flower bundle Yoongi places in the basket. Seventeen in total.

Yoongi places the last bubble into the basket then stands. He holds his hand down which Hoseok accepts, standing along with him. They get one step before Taehyung throws in the towel.

“Jeongguk said ‘Or maybe the herbs just hate him' ,” Taehyung rushes out before they round the corner. “I mean, that one leaf— the orange one? It completely shriveled away from you.”

Hoseok bursts into laughter again, arms over his stomach as he cackles out his agreement. Jeongguk slithers off the chair and hides behind Taehyung.

It’s a bit of a comical sight; Jeongguk is bigger than Taehyung in both his human and natural form, so his fluffy fur sticks out on both sides of the chair. He yelps when he peeks around the chair and there’s an ice cube directly in front of his face.

He trips over his own paws, claws clacking on the tile as he struggles to back away from the ice cube. He keeps his red eyes in the floating piece of ice, ready to snap at it if it gets closer. 

(Last time he tried such a thing, Yoongi made his tongue stick to an ice block.)

Hoseok and Taehyung’s laughter fill the room as Yoongi points a finger at Jeongguk’s ruffled form, the ice cube splitting into smaller pieces.

“See if you get any more pets today, Jeon Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk whines so loud, Taehyung thinks his ears are going to fall off. 

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

It takes three weeks for Taehyung to become fully frustrated with the herbs Hoseok and Yoongi delivered to him.

The first week went by just fine. Taehyung spent most of his time in his atelier working with the new herbs. After he replanted them in similar respective environments, they quickly took to their new homes, sprouting new stems and buds right away.

Taehyung had spent that night filling out one of his new spell books with drawings of the plants and their anatomy. He made notes about the growth process and how they reacted to him and reacted to being relocated.

During the beginning of the next week he studied their qualities under a microscope, carefully dissecting them and comparing them to known herbs. They seemed to do just fine then, too.

All seemed to be going well up until he tried to actually brew with them.

Most of them worked fine. He was able to compare known properties and recipes with the new species and experiment with his magic dummy (a projection-like being he can summon that reacts like a specific creature would) to test the results of potions and spells.

It’s during the third week before they have to leave for the council that everything seems to start going wrong.

Taehyung slept like shit the night before, woke up with Jeongguk’s tail in his mouth, and stubbed his toe in the bathroom. He should've taken that as a forewarning for how his day would go.

His breakfast ended up burning, Jeongguk knocked over one of his herb jars by accident, and there was a spider on the floor. Jeongguk took care of it by scooping it onto a piece of cardboard and taking it outside, but Taehyung was already put off for the rest of the day.

He really hates spiders.

Especially big ones. 

Who think their home is free real estate. 

(It’s not.)

When Taehyung finally enters his atelier later than usual, he realizes he’s out of half his potion stock. Bottles, bases, herbs, flowers, everything. He’s worked with the new herbs so much, has tried so many things over the last few weeks that he didn’t realize how his supply has diminished.

To make matters worse, the herbs didn't seem to want to respond to any potion or spell he tried. The lotus wouldn’t open up for him no matter what spell or special water he used. The herb he nicknamed dragon claw shriveled away from him this time, just as it had Yoongi.

He knows three weeks isn’t nearly enough time to have a grasp of newly discovered herbs and flowers, but it’s really getting to him today. He wanted to have more done to present to the council. 

Taehyung is currently sitting on his plush stool with the lotus floating on a small water bubble in front of him. The lotus has become his favorite flower out of everything Yoongi brought. He believes it has a calming effect when added to potions so they aren’t as harsh on the user, which is why he has it out now— to try and relax himself.

He’s felt his black magic prodding at him all day, crackling in the air around him. He’s successfully ignored it without the help of Jeongguk. When Jeongguk had noticed, Taehyung insisted he was fine and that Jeongguk should go back to playing Overwatch.

So that’s where they were now; Jeongguk in their living room playing video games and Taehyung being stubborn in his atelier. 

Taehyung sighs, letting the water bubble float through the glass door and back to their outdoor pond. He places his head in his hands and rubs his face a bit too hard, leaving small red marks in his finger’s wake.

Deciding to make himself suffer even more, he retrieves another sprig of the dragon claw. “Alright, you,” he says, placing the orange leaves on his desk and staring at them with his hands on his hips. “Work with me, yeah?”

The leaves just sit there, almost taunting him. Taehyung’s lips purse and he squints at the leaves. This isn’t going to go well, he knows. 

He then takes one of his base potions and gets to work at chopping the dragon claw up in various ways. It doesn’t shrivel this time, just lays there and accepts Taehyung’s magic.

Taehyung finally gets the leaf into the potion, stirring it with a glass stir rod until it’s fully dissolved. The potion turns a bright orange color, almost like orange soda.

Taehyung hums, observing the potion from all sides and angles. He goes to write down his findings, but when he reaches for his pen, his elbow bumps into the glass and falls to the floor.

Realistically, it shouldn’t have. The potion should've stayed still, tilted, fell over and maybe spilled a little on the wooden desk or his spellbook.

But no, the glass that held the potion started to glow a vibrant orange and extend into some small dragon wings, float to the edge of the desk, and fall. 

Taunting. 

The glass breaking echoes throughout the cabin, a loud noise in the otherwise quaint home. Taehyung just stares at the orange liquid coating the dark floor as it slowly oozes out.

Then—

“Fuck!” He slams his pen down alongside his fist. “What the fuck?” he growls out, the jars on his desk rattling.

Taehyung stands up violently, the stool struggling to stay upright and falling over too. “You finally start working for me then you decide to fuck it all up?” he curses, shaky hands gesturing wildly as he steps around the glass towards the open glass door. “God dammit!”

“Taehyung?”

Jeongguk’s voice is soft from his position at the door. Taehyung doesn’t even know how long he’s been lingering there. He didn’t sense Jeongguk’s presence, too wrapped up in his work. Now, it’s almost overwhelming. 

“Not now, Jeongguk-ah,” Taehyung seethes through his teeth, forehead resting on his forearm propped up by the edge of the door.

The Talwen on his arm glares at him and it makes his stomach churn with pure disgust. He turns his head away, resting his temple on his arm instead. 

Jeongguk doesn’t say anything, just hesitates by the entrance, unsure if he should enter or even speak again. He hates to disrupt Taehyung but he’s felt Taehyung’s magic spiking all morning. It’s why he’s been playing video games all day and sticking close rather than being outside doing whatever his wolf heart's content.

“It’s fine, just go back to gaming,” Taehyung pushes out through gritted teeth. “I just— dropped a potion bottle, that’s all. It slipped.” He turns to retrieve another base potion from his shelf but his hands are shaking so much that when he picks it up, it slips through his fingers and clatters to the floor, shattering the clear liquid everywhere.

“Motherfucker!” Taehyung hisses, not even thinking as he kicks the door frame so hard that his jars vibrate in their spots along the wall.

His hands immediately fly to his head as the pressure of his magic comes crashing down on him all at once. “Shit—” he groans, cutting his tantrum off as he feels the pull get stronger.

Taehyung falls to his knees just as Jeongguk reaches his side, making sure they hit the floor as softly as they can. Jeongguk sweeps some glass away from them with his tail and adjusts so Taehyung is sitting between his legs. 

“Why is everything going wrong today?” Taehyung cries, anguish and hatred surging through his body, fueling his anger and the dark part of his soul delectably. “‘M trying my best!”

He feels Jeongguk’s arms around him, holding him tight and trying to ground him. Jeongguk’s words are muffled, far away from him. He tries to shake his head to clear it but the action just makes things worse, blurring his vision. His hands start to tremble even more and when he looks down at them, his fingertips are starting to glow black.

“Fuck— it hurts,” Taehyung hisses, fingernails gripping into what he thinks is Jeongguk’s bicep. Black spots dot his vision, threatening to take over if he doesn’t get a grip. 

Jeongguk is still talking but the words are lost on him. Fighting his dark magic when he’s angry is so much harder and it won’t be over when he’s in control again, but that’s easier to handle. He doesn't need to worry about it now, he just needs to reign everything back in.

Taehyung can’t focus, he can’t breathe. He should’ve seen this coming with how shitty his day was going. The realization makes him even more upset and his magic takes the chance while he’s weak.

It tries to slither its way closer, forcing darkness upon Taehyung. It feels like it’s gripping his shoulders, laughing maniacally because Taehyung can’t escape.

But, he’s strong, right? Jeongguk always tells him so and he trusts Jeongguk with his life and so much more.

“Gukkie,” Taehyung pleads, pushing back against the dark magic as best he can. His magic wants to fucking suffocate him, turn him evil like it’s supposed to. 

Jeongguk’s words finally penetrate his ears. “I need you to breathe, Tae,” Jeongguk begs, gripping his jaw and forcing Taehyung to focus on his face. “C’mon, focus on me, yeah?”

“B-breathe,” Taehyung sobs out, forcing the pressure away. He feels nauseous. “Breathe…” He tries to inhale but chokes on a sob, coughing violently. His magic starts to ebb away, easing up the more he focuses on Jeongguk.

On his bright red eyes. On his worried face. On his glowing pendant. On his touch. On their bond and how his wolf is barking and snapping, fighting with Taehyung against the black cloud closing in. 

Tears finally slip from Taehyung’s eyes as he realizes that maybe he can do this. His hands grip at his hair as a physical way to help the pressure pushing against him. 

“Yeah,” Jeongguk soothes, rubbing Taehyung’s chest and trying to straighten him up to open his lungs more. “Breathe with me, Master. In.” Jeongguk inhales deeply, exaggerating to keep Taehyung’s attention on him. “And out.” Jeongguk holds him through it just like always.

Taehyung follows along the best he can, inhaling and exhaling shaky breaths against Jeongguk’s bare chest, making sure to keep his wide eyes focused on Jeongguk’s crimson ones. Jeongguk wipes a careful thumb along his cheek, clearing his tears away. 

Taehyung’s chest starts to loosen and air starts to enter his lungs easier. He takes deep breaths and continues to focus on Jeongguk. Only Jeongguk. 

Finally able to breathe on his own, he relaxes into Jeongguk and closes his eyes. He rests his head against Jeongguk’s chest right over his heart, letting it lull him into a better headspace.

Taehyung isn’t sure how long they sit there but when he finally opens his eyes, the floor is almost dry. He slowly pulls his hands away from his hair, wincing when he feels just how tight he had been holding it. He sits there for however long trying to collect his thoughts and get his bearings. 

Jeongguk is still with him, occasionally whispering sweet nothings to him and kissing his temple or forehead— whatever he can reach. 

Taehyung knows he’s truly alright when he finally relaxes fully into Jeongguk, slumping over into him. He knows his body, knows what he needs to do to keep himself under control. He’s still angry, sure, but his magic is quelled for a while yet again. 

He’s safe. They’re safe. 

“How’re you feeling, Master?” Jeongguk asks softly, pulling him from his thoughts. Jeongguk’s tail traces along Taehyung’s arm and it’s such a welcomed touch that he sighs, slumping even further into Jeongguk. It’s another reminder of just how amazing Jeongguk is to him.

Taehyung immediately groans when his magic tries to strike again. The magic still pulses around them almost like a storm cloud hovering in the room, waiting to strike with Zeus’s wrath. “‘S not enough,” he rasps out, nails scraping gently along Jeongguk’s chest.

Jeongguk hums, tightening his arms around his waist. “Are you sure?”

“You can feel it,” Taehyung grumbles. He knows they both can; his magic won’t calm down fully on its own unless it’s quite literally fucked out of him. “But I need t’ work.”

Taehyung pulls away and tries to stand up on shaky legs. He gets one foot under himself before his legs give out and he falls down into Jeongguk’s arms.

“We can wait if you—”

Taehyung shakes his head. “N-no, ‘M fine, just— help me?”

Jeongguk’s lips press together but he says nothing. He grips Taehyung’s hand and wraps his other around Taehyung’s waist, slowly standing with him. Jeongguk guides him up but Taehyung can see he’s still tense with the way his tail lashes behind him, swaying slow and precise.

Taehyung wobbles and grips Jeongguk’s hand tighter. “See?” he boasts, meeting Jeongguk’s wide gaze. Jeongguk’s eyes are a deep red, the color they get when he’s worried. His hair is tied into a loose bun, strands falling around his face. “Fine.” Taehyung pats Jeongguk’s bare chest before trying to step away.

Jeongguk catches him again when his legs give out, sinking them down to the hardwood as Taehyung grumbles under his breath. He maneuvers Taehyung so he’s sitting sideways between his legs, calves thrown over his thighs.

Taehyung knows he can’t fight his weakness right now, so he does what he knows best. Pouts and explains to Jeongguk.

“I wanted to present my findings to the council when we go,” Taehyung sighs, resting his head on Jeongguk’s shoulder. “I need to keep up with the research, figure out why that bitch—” he spits, pointing at the broken dragon claw bottle, “— hates everyone who touches it. I just need to— to work,” he explains, twitching when his magic threatens to invade again.

Jeongguk places a soft kiss to his temple as he listens. “They’re new herbs. Nobody expects you to have them fully figured out yet,” Jeongguk tells him. His voice is quiet, satoori accent coming out and helping to calm Taehyung. 

Taehyung knows it's true. He always puts too much pressure on himself before council meetings. “I know, but—”

“No but’s,” Jeongguk interrupts him, patting his thigh lovingly. “They’ll be surprised by the progress you’ve already made, Master.”

Master.

Taehyung isn't sure, but he doesn’t think the title is helping anymore. He shakes his head, groaning with the motion. “N-no, I need to— They can’t know— I’m— My magic—” he stammers, his thoughts still moving too fast for him to make sense of them. He struggles to get up again, arms giving out before he can push himself up.

Jeongguk shushes him, pulling his limp body closer. “They won’t know, won’t ever find out, promise. I’ll be there with you, yeah? Right there with you doing my job, Master.”

Taehyung shrinks into himself with the use of the title again. He shakes his head, trying to clear the unwanted fog. “Tae.”

“Tae,” Jeongguk confirms, understanding immediately. “Taehyung. Tae hyungie. Taetae. Hyung,” Jeongguk chants the words in his ear, lips pressed so close that Taehyung can feel the plush skin of them as they move. “You’re mine, baby,” Jeongguk coos gently, hand rubbing a soothing circle over Taehyung’s back.

“Yours,” Taehyung agrees, nodding and pressing featherlight kisses along Jeongguk’s bare shoulder. He trails them along his heated skin to his collarbone, leaving his lips pressed there.

The words are grounding. The act of something intimate between them during times like these always help due to their bond. Their souls connect on a deeper level than just the surface, almost like they’re bonding for the first time again. 

“Not gonna let anyone or anything harm you,” Jeongguk continues to whisper, knowing exactly what Taehyung needs to hear. Despite that, the words are always true. He rocks them back and forth as Taehyung’s magic continues to retreat.

Jeongguk’s arms are so comforting around him. He continues to hold him until his tremors finally cease and his head is no longer hurting. Until the room cools off along with the outside. Until both of their legs are numb. Jeongguk always knows what he needs, always.

“How are you feeling?” Jeongguk finally asks sometime later. The sun has started to go down outside, the evening breeze filtering through the open glass door. Taehyung thinks he may have dozed off a little as well— a common theme between them. He can’t help it, Jeongguk is so warm. 

Taehyung takes a moment to assess himself. He feels a lot better than earlier, that’s for sure. His anger has simmered down and his magic has all but disappeared. It’s dispersed enough to where it most likely won’t affect him anymore today, but it’s still hanging over his head, reminding him of its presence. Always watching. Waiting.

He doesn’t feel nearly as weak, either. He pushes himself away from Jeongguk’s chest so he’s sitting on his own except for Jeongguk’s hands around his waist.

While Jeongguk waits, he reaches up to tuck a stray piece of Taehyung’s hair behind his ear, then cups his jaw.

Taehyung leans into the touch, lashes fluttering as his eyes struggle to stay open. “A lot better. Thank you, Gukkie,” he hums softly, reaching up and wrapping his arms around Jeongguk’s neck. “Will you kiss me?”

Jeongguk’s eyes search his face and Taehyung knows exactly what he’s doing. Jeongguk is trying to gauge how he’s truly feeling and where this will lead. Taehyung feels him prodding at the bond, Jeongguk’s wolf poking his soul with its nose. Taehyung can’t help but giggle.

“Just one kiss, okay?”

Taehyung smiles before leaning in and pressing their lips together. He groans instantly, cupping Jeongguk’s nape and pulling them closer together. Just the touch has Taehyung reeling. His soul feels happier. 

It’s slow the way their lips meet. It’s wet how Jeongguk licks across his bottom lip. It’s teasing how Taehyung sucks on Jeongguk’s tongue.

Jeongguk’s fingers tighten around his waist, giving Taehyung the grounding he needs. Jeongguk’s hold is what truly keeps Taehyung together. 

When Jeongguk tries to lean back to break the kiss, Taehyung follows him, keeping their lips locked. 

You said one, Jeongguk complains through the bond, though he doesn’t bother trying to pull away. 

“Still th’ same ‘ne,” Taehyung mutters, keeping his lips pressed against Jeongguk’s. His fingers thread under Jeongguk’s loose bun and tug lightly, causing Jeongguk’s back to arch. 

“Mph, Tae ” Jeongguk whines quietly, pressing against Taehyung. “We need to talk, baby,” he whispers, finally managing to pull away from Taehyung.

Taehyung pouts, stealing a quick peck from Jeongguk before he relents. He knows they do, but fuck, he just wants Jeongguk right now. 

“You’re feeling okay, right?” Jeongguk asks, running his fingers through Taehyung’s overgrown fringe. 

“I am, you can feel it,” Taehyung assures. It’s true; he knows Jeongguk is able to feel how he’s feeling, sometimes even better and faster than he can. 

“I can,” Jeongguk confirms with a nod. “I can still feel your magic’s presence, too.”

It’s Taehyung’s turn to nod. “I know.” He leans down and presses a kiss to Jeongguk’s shoulder, cupping the other side of Jeongguk’s jaw when he arches his neck to give him more room. “‘S here to stay if we wait and let it go the hard way.”

Jeongguk’s hands make their way around Taehyung’s lithe waist and pull him even closer, groaning softly when Taehyung’s side brushes against his clothed cock. “I need to know if you’re all here, Tae.” 

Taehyung doesn't hesitate to nod. “Yeah, yeah, ‘M good, just— want you.” He kisses along Jeongguk’s neck again and down to his shoulder, latching on and sucking to create a small red mark. Taehyung wants more, wants to go farther but with their current position, they can’t. 

He huffs petulantly, letting go of Jeongguk’s skin and licking over it before pulling back. 

“Wanna move?” Jeongguk asks, trying to gently push Taehyung back to help him up if he wants to move.

That sounds like the worst idea in the world right now to Taehyung. “No,” he shakes his head. He can already feel Jeongguk’s touch helping to rid the rest of the lingering dark magic. He just wants to touch Jeongguk, wants to be closer to Jeongguk, wants Jeongguk to—

“We need to go through the process first,” Jeongguk urges, one hand coming down to rub Taehyung’s thigh. “Then we can do whatever you want, alright?” Jeongguk asks him, gently grabbing his chin and holding his head still.

Taehyung holds Jeongguk’s gaze for a second, eyes searching his face and memorizing every inch like he doesn’t see it daily. Like he hasn't seen it daily for over three hundred years.

“‘Kay, but— kiss me again?”

And who is Jeongguk to say no to Taehyung? Especially when his eyes are so wide and pretty and looking at him with so much want and lust. 

Taehyung captures Jeongguk’s lips in a kiss much harsher than the first, shoving his tongue between Jeongguk’s lips right away. Their tongues twist together, teeth clashing as Taehyung presses against Jeongguk again, trying so, so hard to get closer, to feel Jeongguk beneath him. 

Jeongguk kisses him back with just as much fervor. He grips Taehyung’s waist tight, fingers making their way under his loose t-shirt and thumbing over the belly button piercing Taehyung always has in. 

They kiss until Taehyung’s chest hurts, until his lips are red and swollen. He doesn’t really need air, he can use magic to avoid that, right?

But, he wasn’t raised like that. 

Spit connects their lips when Taehyung pulls away, panting into Jeongguk’s mouth. He rests his forehead against Jeongguk’s, eyes closed. 

Taehyung’s neck hurts from being held to the side at such an awkward angle. He should’ve taken Jeongguk up on the option to move earlier. 

He knows Jeongguk can sense his discomfort, so when the hybrid pats his thighs and tells him to get comfortable he doesn’t hesitate. 

He twists, lifting a leg and throwing it over Jeongguk’s thigh so he’s fully straddling him now. “Fuck, Jeonggukkie,” Taehyung breathes against Jeongguk’s scent gland. The close contact feels so much better. 

“Tae—”

“Jeonggukkie, please,” Taehyung moans softly, situating his crotch directly over Jeongguk’s.

Sometimes, Jeongguk is a weak man and Taehyung knows this. He may or may not use it to his advantage often.

Jeongguk lets Taehyung have his fun, get a few rolls of his hips in before he tightens his arms, successfully stilling Taehyung in his lap. “You wanna tell me what happened?”

Taehyung whines against Jeongguk’s neck at the loss of pleasure. His hips kick with the thought of being restricted by Jeongguk and god, Jeongguk better hurry the fuck up. 

“Today has just sucked,” Taehyung huffs against Jeongguk’s heated skin. “Just got too angry again. ‘M sorry,” Taehyung apologizes, pulling back to look at Jeongguk. “It just completely slipped my mind from being so focused on the new herbs.”

Jeongguk shakes his head, hand coming up to tuck the same piece of hair from earlier behind Taehyung’s ear again. “Don’t apologize, it’s alright.” He leans in to peck Taehyung’s lips before thumbing over his cheekbone. “We handled it.” 

Taehyung leans into his hand, covering it with his own. His heart flutters with the words, the meaning always heavy. “We handled it.” He presses a kiss to Jeongguk’s palm before moving Jeongguk’s hand back to his thigh. “Now you have something else to handle, baby.”

By this point, Taehyung knows Jeongguk is aware he’s almost back to normal. Sure, his magic is still being a bitch and just chilling, but Taehyung has always been a bit of an exhibitionist anyway. 

“Are you feeling alright?” Jeongguk asks one more time, just to be sure. His fingers squeeze Taehyung’s thigh lightly, toying with the hem of his shorts. 

Taehyung nods, sucking in a breath when Jeongguk’s hands slip under his shorts and just rest there. “Yeah, ‘M alright.” 

And it’s true. Taehyung is completely coherent right now. He knows what he needs and he wants Jeongguk to give it to him. 

If Jeongguk doesn’t, his magic will vanish eventually, but when they’ve experimented with it previously it’s taken a full day for his magic to completely subside. Taehyung doesn’t have time to deal with that right now. He doesn’t want to deal with it when he can kill two birds with one stone.

Get fucked and get rid of his dark magic.

“What’s your color?” Jeongguk questions, thumb rubbing circles on the inside of his thigh. “Explain the system to me,” he continues, going through their usual routine of checking consent after something like a magicsode. 

Taehyung swears his heart grows ten sizes every time Jeongguk handles him like this, with so much care. Each time Taehyung feels himself fall impossibly deeper in love. 

“I’m green,” Taehyung doesn’t hesitate to answer. “Green means everything is good. Yellow means slow down and check. Red means stop.”

“Good.” Jeongguk’s voice drops an octave and sends a shiver down Taehyung’s spine. That’s what Jeongguk was looking for and now that he has verbal confirmation—

“Jeongguk, please,” Taehyung whines, rolling his hips against Jeongguk’s thigh and moaning when he finally gets some relief. 

“You want this?” Jeongguk groans at the sight before him. “God, you’re so beautiful like this.”

“I do, I want it, want you,” Taehyung breathes out, continuing his motions on Jeongguk’s muscular thigh. He leans in to kiss Jeongguk again because he misses those plush lips against his, but is stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

“And you’re sure?” Jeongguk asks one last time.

Taehyung huffs, leaning back and resting his ass on Jeongguk’s thighs. “I will get myself off right here if you don’t fuck—”

Suddenly Taehyung is face down on the hardwood floor with Jeongguk’s bulge against the swell of his ass. “You’ll what?” Jeongguk challenges, gathering Taehyung’s wrists together over the small of his back.

Taehyung struggles even though he knows full well he can’t move. Jeongguk is stronger than him and loves to use it against him any chance he gets because he knows Taehyung has a thing for being manhandled.

It’s also a bad idea to struggle because it ruts his cock directly against the floor and causes him to moan loudly. It’s rough, the sensitive skin of his cock against the floor, only separated by his thin shorts and boxers. Who is he to deny a little bit of pain, though?  

Full-blown lust floods their bond instantly, Taehyung tingling all over from the juxtaposition of senses. Their sex was good before they bonded from what Taehyung can remember, but after they bonded? It’s something Taehyung still can’t explain except with the term otherworldly.

Jeongguk’s hips jerk in tandem with the burst of arousal. “Always sound so pretty for me. Tell me what you want, hyung, and I’ll give it to you.”

Taehyung hadn't thought that far ahead yet. What does he want? 

There are a lot of things they haven’t done for a while but most of them he’s too impatient to deal with right now. He obviously wants Jeongguk to fuck him but that can come later.

He thinks about Jeongguk’s face and how it tinges with red when he has his cock in his mouth. How Jeongguk’s crimson eyes brim with tears and his wolf ears are always up at attention, always looking out for Taehyung. 

He thinks about Jeongguk’s hands and how they feel around his cock. How they set such a good pace, smear his precum around and play with his balls all the while. 

Or when Jeongguk is between his legs, fingers lubed up with strawberry lube and working him open, so slowly. 

He has so many options to choose from. He could ride Jeongguk’s abs or his thigh, or—

Nope. He thinks he wants Jeongguk’s mouth on him. Yeah, that sounds pretty good right about now. 

Taehyung is reminded of just how impatient Jeongguk can be when he realizes what Jeongguk is doing. He rocks them both against the floor with the strength of his movements, holding Taehyung flush against him. 

“Love my ass that much, Gukkie? Gotta rut your big cock against it?” Taehyung taunts. He arches his back as much as he can under Jeongguk’s weight, giving him as much room as he needs.

Jeongguk is as much of a comforting weight on top of him as he is when he’s holding him as he did earlier. His skin is warm even through Taehyung’s thin t-shirt. 

“You’re just taking too long to make up your mind,” Jeongguk grunts out, hips stilling with his clothed cock nestled between Taehyung’s ass cheeks. “What’re you thinking?”

Taehyung’s stomach twists with anticipation as he voices his want out loud. 

“Want you to eat me out. In front of the window.”

Jeongguk doesn’t answer right away but his head drops to Taehyung’s back, forehead pressing between his shoulder blades. A low growl rumbles in his chest and it has Taehyung shivering against him, rocking his hips back again. 

Taehyung can feel him trying to keep his composure together and that stirs the want swirling inside his gut even more. 

“Can you clear the floor?” Jeongguk asks after a few seconds, voice thick with pure want. Taehyung can just imagine how his eyes are blown wide right now, a bright red crimson. “Or is it too—”

A gust of wind from outside blows in and swirls the glass and whatever liquid is still on the floor up into a small bubble. It floats over to his trash can and deposits itself inside with a loud crash. 

“You’re so fucking hot when you use magic like that,” Jeongguk growls in his ear. His cock twitches from its spot between Taehyung’s cheeks before he starts to move. “Flip over and face the door.”

Taehyung listens immediately, flipping around when Jeongguk lets go of his hands to sit back onto his knees. 

Taehyung lays directly in front of Jeongguk, face even with his boxer-clad cock. He looks up with the most innocent face he can muster, eyes wide and lips pouting. 

Their eyes meet and it’s like something explodes between them. Their souls twist together, binding themselves even closer together. Taehyung feels elated, like he’s flying or high on the best weed. Or both. 

“You’re already a sight,” Taehyung breathes out, taking in Jeongguk’s appearance. His eyes are wide and shining, lips parted and canines peeking out. His skin shines with a thin sheen of sweat already, his higher body temperature not helping. 

“So are you,” Jeongguk growls while hooking a finger under Taehyung’s chin and forcing him to look up. The angle is a bit uncomfortable but he’ll manage. “Can’t believe you’re looking like that in front of me.”

“Like what?” Taehyung hums, widening his eyes to improve his innocent appearance.

“Innocent. Like you’re not about to have my tongue in your ass, then my knot.” Jeongguk slips the tip of his thumb into Taehyung’s mouth when his lips fall open at the lewd comment. 

Taehyung whines around the digit, sucking it in further. He runs his tongue around the tip of it, coating it in saliva. He almost wishes it was Jeongguk’s thick cock stretching his throat out and challenging his gag reflex, but he'll take what he can get. 

Jeongguk’s tail swishes rapidly, gaze scorching Taehyung’s features. “So pretty, hyung,” he praises with an underlying growl. 

That’s all Jeongguk does, really. Growl when they’re intimate. It’s when they’re the most bare with their walls down that his feral side shows itself just a little more. That he’s truly free to be himself without being in his natural form. 

Jeongguk’s need to please shows in the way he always puts Taehyung first, whether it be his safety or his pleasure. How he makes sure Taehyung is one hundred perfect on board with whatever they want to do. 

His possessiveness shows in the marks he leaves behind on Taehyung’s hips or between his legs. It shows in his words, his mantras of you’re mine and all yours. 

His love shows in the mating bite on Taehyung’s neck he kisses every day. It shows with the pendant he wears to keep Taehyung’s magic at bay. 

It shows with the way he hasn’t left after three hundred years, still bearing the ancient runic curse on his skin. 

All of this combines into some of the many reasons Taehyung loves Jeongguk so much. He wouldn’t trade his life for anything. 

Taehyung doesn’t want to remove Jeongguk’s thumb from between his lips but he knows his snarky comment will be worth it. He turns his head to the side and lets the digit slip from his lips. Spit smears along his cheek as Jeongguk doesn't bother to move his thumb away but instead rubs it over the flesh. He looks up at Jeongguk with the most innocent look he can muster. 

“Would look prettier from behind.”

Jeongguk’s hand stills on his cheek and his eyes flash, an ear twitches. His tongue pokes into his cheek and Taehyung knows he’s got him. When Jeongguk speaks, his voice is low and his satoori is prominent. “You’re right.”

He says nothing more as he climbs over Taehyung and settles over his calves. He hooks his fingers into Taehyung’s scanty shorts and boxers, pulling them both down in one go. Slowly, so his ass is revealed one inch at a time. 

It makes Taehyung want to squirm. As often as they’ve done something like this, he still gets embarrassed. It feels like Jeongguk is going to pick him apart, piece by piece. 

“Beautiful,” Jeongguk mumbles, running his hands over the plump flesh of Taehyung’s ass. He traces over the bottom of the Talwen at the base of Taehyung’s spine, a match to his own. “Always so beautiful.” 

If there’s anything Taehyung adores about Jeongguk, it’s how much he loves his ass. He’ll use it as a pillow on the couch, pat it like bongos when he’s bored, and worship the hell out of it in the bedroom. 

Jeongguk’s hands return to his ass and squeeze hard, easily dimpling the honey skin. He grips a nice hand full, kneading Taehyung’s ass like a kitten would a blanket. He takes his time playing with it, teasing as he often does. 

Taehyung moans softly, trying to push his ass back further into Jeongguk’s hands. He’s always loved Jeongguk’s hands on him and will seek him out anytime for physical touch.

When Jeongguk has had his fill, he pulls Taehyung’s cheeks apart, exposing his fluttering hole. “So pink and pretty, hyung. All for me, hmm?” Jeongguk grunts, keeping Taehyung’s hips still when he tries to squirm. 

“Jeonggukkie, please,” Taehyung begs when Jeongguk does nothing but stare. He can feel Jeongguk’s eyes boring into him, his gaze always so intense when they’re intimate. 

Taehyung feels him shift before he hears the sound of spitting and feels something sliding down over his hole a second later. “F-fuck,” he shivers, fingernails scraping against the wooden floor trying to find purchase.

“Hold yourself open for me,” Jeongguk demands, reaching for Taehyung’s fumbling hands and placing them on his ass. Taehyung lifts himself onto his elbows and knees, spreading his cheeks as wide as his dignity will let him. 

“Perfect.” Jeongguk hooks his arms under Taehyung’s thighs and pulls him closer. So close that Taehyung can feel his warm breath ghosting over his hole. His stomach clenches in anticipation, heart leaping at the praise.

“‘M bein’ good, Gukkie. Please.” He jiggles his cheeks more, hoping he looks enticing enough for Jeongguk to eat. “Please touch me.”

Jeongguk hums like he’s contemplating it, like he doesn't want to eat Taehyung’s ass for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. “Since you asked so nicely.” He doesn’t take long to give in when Taehyung spreads his cheeks even further, so far that it’s starting to sting.

His hole flutters with the stretch and he moans when Jeongguk spits on his puckered hole again. Jeongguk kisses each cheek, nipping and scraping his canines over the plump flesh. He sucks some skin into his mouth, leaving tiny red marks in his wake before diving in.

He places a kiss to Taehyung’s balls first, licking a thick strip up over his perineum and over his hole. He presses his tongue flat and continues licking over the muscle, coaxing breathy sighs from Taehyung with each wet sound. 

Taehyung’s stomach clenches in anticipation every time Jeongguk’s tongue swipes over his hole. He knows Jeongguk’s tongue will slip into him at any moment and it only adds to his arousal. His cock is hard between his legs, already leaking without even being touched. 

Jeongguk moves on from licking and continues to work his tongue around Taehyung’s hole instead, circling the tight muscle with the tip and dipping it inside. His fingers grip the flesh right below Taehyung’s ass cheeks. It’s almost painful the way his black nails and fingertips dig into his thighs, but it’s so good, so grounding. 

Taehyung is already so wet that he feels spit dripping down over his balls, but Jeongguk spits again anyway. He spreads it around with his tongue and sucks at his rim, lapping at the mess he’s making. 

“Fuck, Guk,” Taehyung moans, already feeling lightheaded. His hands slip off his cheeks and hit the floor, quickly scrambling to hold himself up. 

Jeongguk makes a disapproving noise but doesn’t relent. He pulls Taehyung closer and wraps his arms around his legs more so he can reach Taehyung’s cheeks to spread him. 

He finally breaches Taehyung’s rim, slipping his tongue past the tight ring of muscle. It flutters around his tongue as Taehyung moans, broken and raw. “Finally,” Taehyung sighs breathlessly, relaxing into the floor and letting Jeongguk have his way with him. 

Happy little noises fill the room as Jeongguk continues thrusting his tongue into Taehyung. Spit dribbles down his chin and coats Taehyung’s thighs and the floor beneath them. 

Jeongguk has always been a messy eater. 

Taehyung is sure his cock is leaking steadily by now. He struggles to push himself up and look beneath him, but when he does, he half moans, half laughs.

His cock is hard and a string of precum connects the tip to the floor where a little pool of cum and spit has started to form. His thighs glisten in the setting sun, leftover marks dark in the dimming light. 

“What?” Jeongguk asks with a rough voice, pulling back. Taehyung can hear him licking his lips clean and he feels his cock twitch with the visual. 

Taehyung whines at the loss of contact, arching his back lower. “Just— ‘m a mess,” he chuckles, resting his forehead on the floor and inhaling, catching his breath. 

Jeongguk grunts, nipping at his cheek again. “My mess.” He massages Taehyung’s cheeks again before licking a fat stripe over his hole and going back to opening him up with his tongue. 

Taehyung moans with the sudden intrusion, pushing his ass back on Jeongguk’s face. His cheek is smushed into the floor as he tries his best to fuck himself on Jeongguk’s tongue, the sound of skin smacking along with slick sounds resonating around the room. 

A gust of wind blows in through the open door and over Taehyung’s warm skin, the difference in temperature causing him to shiver. It reminds him that yes, they’re in view of the outside world. He tries to focus on the glass that gives them a perfect view of their backyard but god, Jeongguk is ravishing him. 

There’s just something so obscene about being on his knees, being eaten out with his cock drooling that gets to him. The clear view to their backyard has his head spinning even more than the obnoxious sounds Jeongguk is creating. 

One of Jeongguk’s hands releases his cheek and makes its way between his legs, palming the tip of his cock. He smears the cum around there, easing his movements.

“O-oh,” Taehyung gasps, not expecting the sudden stimulation. His hips twitch into Jeongguk’s hand, then back onto Jeongguk’s tongue. He doesn’t know which he wants more of and he almost feels embarrassed with how he's seeking his pleasure out. 

His cheek jiggles against Jeongguk’s face with their movements, something Taehyung knows Jeongguk loves— practically being smothered by his ass. His knees are starting to ache and he’ll probably have bruises on them tomorrow. 

Jeongguk’s palm fully encases the tip of Taehyung’s cock, the precum squelching as he twists his hand around, then down. He continues to work his hand over Taehyung’s cock, pulling moan after breathy moan from him. 

“Guk,” Taehyung pants out. “So good.” He pushes his hips back even harder, any thoughts of his magic long gone by now and replaced with Jeongguk instead. 

Jeongguk finally pulls away and rests his cheek against Taehyung’s ass, chest heaving in time with Taehyung’s own. His breath is warm where it hits Taehyung’s skin but cool where it flows over his drenched rim.  

His hand keeps working at Taehyung’s cock, stroking him up and down at a pace much too slow for Taehyung to cum, but quick enough to bring him to the edge. 

“Fuck,” Taehyung hisses when Jeongguk’s thumb runs over his slit. His hips jerk away from the sensation when his lower stomach starts to tighten. “Gonna cum if you keep that up.”

Jeongguk hums, moving his hand down to work at Taehyung’s base and fondle his balls instead. “You can cum more than once,” he says it so calmly, shrugging like they’re discussing what to have for dinner. 

“God— Jeongguk,” Taehyung moans into his elbow and thrusts into Jeongguk’s fist, hips moving on their own accord. “Just— ngh— Fuck me already.”

Jeongguk— stubborn as always— doesn’t answer, just goes back to eating Taehyung out like his ass is his dessert. His hand speeds up on Taehyung’s cock and his tongue runs along his walls with fervor. 

“Guk— ” Taehyung’s legs are starting to shake now, thigh muscles tensing and threatening to close around Jeongguk’s arm between his legs. “Please. Wanna cum on your cock.”

Jeongguk gives a few final laps over his run before he pulls away with a lewd pop. “Sound so pretty when you beg,” Jeongguk growls, scraping his nails down the back of Taehyung’s thighs before helping him flip over. 

When Taehyung meets Jeongguk’s eyes his own cock twitches. Jeongguk’s cheeks and chin are an absolute glistening mess of his own spit, lips red and swollen. He swipes his tongue over them, shamelessly collecting and tasting. More loose strands have fallen out of his bun. 

His eyes are a dark crimson, a color reserved only for Taehyung. They’re filled with love and lust and something more carnal, more animalistic as they roam hungrily over Taehyung. 

Having Jeongguk’s eyes on him always makes him feel more vulnerable. Whether it be because at heart, Jeongguk is still a feral werewolf, or because their souls are literally entwined. Whatever it is, it excites Taehyung even more. 

Taehyung can’t help but lean in and kiss him, smearing spit over both their faces. Jeongguk’s mouth is warm when he slips his tongue past his lips, grazing it over his canines.

He makes his way into Jeongguk’s lap again, sweaty bodies pressing together. “You’re so hard,” Taehyung mutters into his mouth, grinding down onto Jeongguk. His clothed cock brushes against Taehyung’s own leaking cock and immediately gives them both some much needed pleasure. 

Jeongguk groans, hands finding purchase around Taehyung’s waist and holding him down, the pressure on their cocks borderline painful.

Taehyung’s hips jerk with the sensation, cock rutting against Jeongguk’s abs. “Jeongguk, I swear—”

“Mmm?” Jeongguk hums, nosing along Taehyung’s neck and kissing over his mating mark. One of his hands slips to Taehyung’s stomach, toying with his belly button piercing before slipping lower. He rubs the pads of his fingers against the head of Taehyung’s cock, smearing the bead of precum around the tip.

“Fuck. Me.” Taehyung punctuates each word with thrusts of his hips. He lets his arousal pool into the bond, wanting Jeongguk to really feel just how bad he wants him. 

If Jeongguk doesn’t do something soon, Taehyung will rut against Jeongguk’s abs until he cums, right there in front of that stupid window. He’ll bind Jeongguk with his magic so he can’t move and get off—

Jeongguk chuckles from deep within his chest before biting down on the mating mark. “Alright, hyung. Since you asked so nicely,” he mutters, licking over the newly formed red mark to soothe it. He helps Taehyung wrap his legs around his waist and grips his thighs tight. “Hold on.”

Sometimes Taehyung really loves Jeongguk’s enhanced speed and strength.

Before Taehyung knows it, he’s flat on his back with Jeongguk’s lubed up fingers prodding at his hole. 

“Ready?” Jeongguk asks from between his legs, looking up at him with those sinfully red eyes. His lips are still swollen and Taehyung really just wants to kiss them. He just wants to keep Jeongguk close.  

“Yes, please— oh,” Taehyung moans when Jeongguk finally inserts a finger, meeting almost no resistance. His back arches off the bed, hips pushing down to try and get Jeongguk’s finger deeper. 

Jeongguk spends just the right amount of time stretching Taehyung open. One finger, two, three. He runs the pads along Taehyung’s walls and massages that little bundle of nerves inside of him while kissing the inside of his thighs. 

He keeps kissing and licking along Taehyung’s thighs until he gets to his groin, then presses featherlight kisses over his balls and perineum before continuing to the other leg. He thrusts his fingers at a pace much too slow for Taehyung’s liking, taking his time to take Taehyung apart piece by piece in the best possible way. 

He doesn’t stop until Taehyung is wailing and pulling his fingers out by his wrist, two short thrusts away from cumming. 

Taehyung’s cock pulses angry and red, leaking onto his belly and smearing precum against his piercing. He whines long and soft, trying to get his bearings.

Taehyung’s legs close around Jeongguk’s head as he quivers, grip so tight around Jeongguk’s wrist that his skin turns white. His chest is heaving and his fingers find purchase in Jeongguk’s long hair— not pulling, just grounding. 

He feels Jeongguk’s warm breath against his leg along with the brush of his eyelashes and wolf ear. When he looks down he finds Jeongguk looking back at him with the most loving expression, deep red eyes shining in the fairy lights.

From his angle, Taehyung can see the Talwen spanning the entirety of Jeongguk’s back, black and ugly. He can’t help but still feel an ounce of guilt over them. 

“I love you,” Taehyung whispers through ragged breaths. He runs his fingers through Jeongguk’s hair before his hand slips down to cup his cheek, thumb running over Jeongguk’s scar. He’s so fond. 

Jeongguk places a kiss to his thigh, letting his lips linger for a moment before resting his head there. “I love you too.”

Jeongguk then pulls away, sitting back while licking his fingers clean of lube and leftover spit. He lets Taehyung catch his breath and come down from his almost-high as he catches his own. 

Well— kind of. 

He crawls up Taehyung’s body and captures Taehyung’s breaths with his own, kissing him hard. Taehyung’s chest heaves but he’ll gladly go without oxygen if it means kissing Jeongguk like this.

“Ready?” Jeongguk mumbles into his mouth, nails digging into his hips. He grabs the discarded lube bottle and goes to pour some on his own hand, but Taehyung slips his between the bottle and Jeongguk’s palm just in time. 

Jeongguk shakes his head, keeping his lips attached to Taehyung’s and pouring the lube onto his hand anyway. His tail finds its way to Taehyung’s calf, wrapping around a few times as it always does. 

“Yeah, please,” Taehyung pants, sucking on Jeongguk’s tongue one last time before pulling back with a slick pop. “Need you.” Taehyung maneuvers a hand between them and wraps his long fingers around Jeongguk’s cock, coating it with lube. 

Jeongguk tsks but his hips betray him and kick into Taehyung’s fist. “Can’t wait, can you?” he teases, letting Taehyung line his cock up with his waiting hole. 

“Nope, been too long— oh,” Taehyung cries out, shuddering with relief when he slips the tip of Jeongguk’s cock in. His muscles contract around the intrusion, squeezing and wanting to take as much as he can right away. 

“It’s been,” Jeongguk huffs, pushing all the way in when Taehyung’s muscles relax enough, “two days. Fuck, you’re still so tight.”

“No,” Taehyung retorts, arching his back and gasping. He gently pinches Jeongguk’s nipple with his wet hand. “You’re just too big.”

Jeongguk grunts, keeping his hips still. “You love my cock.”

Little whimpers continue to escape Taehyung as he adjusts to Jeongguk’s size, torso heaving with the sheer emotions he’s experiencing. He wraps his arms around Jeongguk’s neck and pulls until their chests are pressed together. 

“Alright?” Jeongguk asks, leaning over him while keeping his bottom half as still as he can. He cages Taehyung in with his forearms around his head. 

Taehyung nods the best he can, leaning in to Jeongguk’s nuzzling. “Yeah, ‘s good. Perfect.” The roughness of that one small action already has him spiraling. 

He feels Jeongguk’s cock twitch with the praise and he can’t help but huff out a laugh against Jeongguk’s cheek. “Perfect, Gukkie. Ta-taking care of hyung so well.” He plays with Jeongguk’s bun before combing the loose strands out, moving them away from his face and tucking them behind his ear. “Beautiful, baby.”

“No, you,” Jeongguk retorts immediately, laughing along with Taehyung at his cheesy attempt at memeing. His hips still kick at the praise though, cutting Taehyung’s laugh off with a choked moan. “What do you need?”

Taehyung wraps his legs around Jeongguk’s waist to bring him closer. “Hard, Jeonggukkie, please. Want it to hurt, ’m ready,” he begs, digging his heels into Jeongguk’s lower back to encourage him. He arches his back and spreads his legs wider to try and get Jeongguk’s cock even deeper. 

“Anything for you,” Jeongguk grunts, thrusting slowly a few times for them to properly adjust. He angles away from Taehyung’s prostate for the time being, focusing on opening Taehyung up. His tail stays around Taehyung’s leg, sliding up to wrap around his thigh instead. 

“Faster,” Taehyung pants into Jeongguk’s mouth. He holds the back of Jeongguk’s head, keeping their foreheads pressed together and lips ghosting over each other. 

It hurts so good already, Taehyung is already feeling lost in pleasure, fingers tingling and toes curling and cock drooling. 

Jeongguk swallows every grunt and whimper Taehyung lets out, holds Taehyung’s shoulders down so he can thrust even harder, deeper. His thighs slap against Taehyung’s own and mix with the squelching of lube. 

Taehyung’s eyes are screwed shut, focusing only on the pressure Jeongguk is giving him. His cock is so big, always filling him so well. It’s just what he needed after the terrible day he’s had. 

“Look at me,” Jeongguk demands softly, running a gentle thumb over Taehyung’s eyelashes. 

Taehyung opens his eyes and meet Jeongguk’s own, red and so, so loving. He clenches around Jeongguk’s cock, the visual of Jeongguk over him almost too much. 

Jeongguk keeps his hand cupping Taehyung’s face as he changes his angle and hits Taehyung's prostate head on. The sudden change has tears pooling at the corners of Taehyung’s eyes, the pleasure intensified by their souls fusing even tighter. 

Taehyung’s hips buck down and he cries out, loud and long into Jeongguk’s mouth. “Oh — fuck, there, please,” Taehyung babbles, feeling nothing but heat pooling in his lower stomach as Jeongguk obeys, hips moving faster, eager to please. 

It’s hot and gross in their bedroom with no space between them, breaths shared and sweat mingling, but it’s them. That’s all that matters. That’s all that Taehyung wants. Needs. 

Jeongguk continues to abuse his prostate, thrusts fast and precise. His cock is dragging deliciously along Taehyung’s walls as he grunts softly every time Taehyung clenches around him. 

“Need to— wanna—” Taehyung pushes out with each thrust, body bouncing with their movements. The headboard rocks gently against the wall, vines swaying and fairy lights shaking. 

Knowing exactly what Taehyung needs, Jeongguk attaches his lips to Taehyung’s mating bite, gently nibbling at the scarred flesh. They both know that’s one of the fastest ways to get Taehyung to cum. He’s so pent up, it works. 

Taehyung can’t move because of how Jeongguk has him caged in and the realization makes him feel even more protected. “Gonna cum,” he pants, rocking his hips the best he can to meet Jeongguk’s thrusts. 

Jeongguk connects their lips in a rough kiss, more teeth than tongue. He reaches between them and fists Taehyung’s leaking cock only a few times before Taehyung is moaning his name and cumming all over his stomach. 

“Sound so pretty moaning my name,” Jeongguk growls out, lapping at Taehyung’s neck, sucking here and there to create a blossom of marks around the mating mark. 

Taehyung continues to whine, voice punctuated with each of Jeongguk’s thrusts. The hand on his cock doesn’t relent and it’s only a few more tugs later when Jeongguk’s knot starts to swell and catch on his rim. 

“Fuck,” Taehyung gasps, arching his back so Jeongguk can get deeper. “Fill me, please. Wah-want your knot.”

Jeongguk hooks his arms under Taehyung’s shoulders and pulls him down with every thrust. “Gonna cum,” Jeongguk pushes out through gritted teeth, hips starting to lose their pacing. 

“Cum in me, do it for Master,” Taehyung begs, clenching around Jeongguk one final time and pushing him over the edge. 

Jeongguk stills as he pushes his knot past Taehyung’s swollen rim, cumming inside him and locking them together. He groans into Taehyung’s neck, burying his face there and tightening his arms around Taehyung. 

Taehyung mutters breathy praises into Jeongguk’s neck between his own whines, holding him tight to quell his own pain. His back arches with the sudden thick intrusion, nails scraping over Jeongguk’s sweaty back and leaving red marks in their path. His legs spread even more, trying to ease the pain and let Jeongguk get closer. 

As many times as he’s taken Jeongguk’s knot and as many plugs as they’ve used to train him, he feels like he should be used to the stretch by now. He sighs shakily and tries his best to relax, still feeling like he’s being split in two. 

Taehyung can feel the warmth filling him and the knot sitting snugly inside him, shuddering as his body gets used to the sensation. Jeongguk’s hips jerk a few more times and with another low groan, the last of his cum coats Taehyung’s insides, cock twitching. 

Taehyung shivers under Jeongguk as he rides out the waves of his orgasm, breathing heavy and ragged against Taehyung’s neck. He rests there for a moment before gently flipping them over, keeping his hips as still as possible as to not jostle Taehyung too much.

Taehyung’s chest is still heaving as he lays on top of Jeongguk, his mess between them making things even stickier. Jeongguk’s tail unravels from his thigh, leaving a swirl of red in its wake. It lays across his lower back, circling his ass and slowly stroking over the base of his spine where his back dimples sit. 

“Good?” Jeongguk rasps, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

Taehyung hums, eyes closed and focused on the slight pain in his ass. Jeongguk’s knot pulses comfortably inside him, the warm feeling something he still isn’t able to explain. “Great, thank you, Gukkie.”

He feels a tingling in the bond and then Jeongguk states, “Your magic is gone.”

He nods slowly, the post-coital haze setting in. “Been gone.” He nuzzles into Jeongguk’s neck, kissing where his mating mark sits. “You know that.”

Jeongguk chuckles softly in agreement, the movement shifting Taehyung and causing him to clench around Jeongguk’s knot. They moan in tandem, Taehyung’s knees squeezing tighter around Jeongguk’s waist. 

“Mm, stay still,” Taehyung mumbles into his chest, nuzzling against his tattoo. 

“No, you.”

Taehyung gently smacks Jeongguk’s bicep before entwining their hands, his own runic letters on his arm staring back at him as a reminder of what could’ve been but will never be. Not on their watch. 

“Hey, sit up for a second?” Jeongguk asks after they’ve caught their breath and he’s no longer shivering from the aftershocks of his orgasm.

Taehyung makes a questioning noise but moves to sit up anyway, groaning at his protesting muscles. Jeongguk helps by pushing at his shoulders and steadying his waist once he’s seated fully on his cock again. 

Taehyung sighs, adjusting to the new angle while Jeongguk practically devours him with his eyes. 

“What?” Taehyung asks, cocking his head to the side. Jeongguk’s cock is a comfortable weight inside him, knot pressing into all the right places and the shaft rubbing against his prostate.

“Nothing,” Jeongguk says, eyes roaming down Taehyung’s torso and over his messy stomach. “Just,” he continues idly, eyes stopping near Taehyung’s soft cock. His hands rub up and down Taehyung’s sides, nails grazing his skin ever so slightly. 

Taehyung tries his best to not twitch but he can’t help it, he’s always been ticklish. His hips shift and they both let out similar noises before Jeongguk grips his hips to still him, muttering a soft sorry.

Jeongguk’s eyes don’t roam back up his body like he expected them to. In fact, they stay where they stopped and just stare. “Beautiful.”

Taehyung is confused for a moment before realization settles in. When he looks down, his suspicions are confirmed.

His little belly bulge. 

Taehyung isn’t sure how he forgot— Jeongguk is always obsessed with it whenever he can see it. He loves how deep his cock reaches inside Taehyung and how his belly inflates when he’s stuffed full. 

Being an older werewolf hybrid, Jeongguk still produces a knot in his human form whereas the more evolved of his species only do so in their natural form. It was scary to Taehyung at first, the concept of taking that inside him.

They worked up to it slowly since toys weren’t really a thing back when they got together. They experimented with some fruits and vegetables and with the help of Taehyung’s magic, eased him into taking a knot. 

The first time Taehyung successfully took it? He came so much he passed out and they learned more about his size kink. 

“Carrying my pups,” Jeongguk murmurs softly, hand pressing down over Taehyung’s messy lower belly. He has a faraway look in his eyes, one Taehyung knows he always gets when kids are mentioned. 

Taehyung squirms, the pressure still a foreign feeling. “Your pups,” he nods in agreement. They aren’t able to have any children, but they adopted a child once.

However, that’s a story for another day. 

Jeongguk’s hand presses down lower, where the tip of his cock also shows. Jeongguk is always so gentle when it comes to handling Taehyung like this it almost makes him want to cry.

“Are you thinking about Beomgyu?” Taehyung asks softly, covering Jeongguk’s hand and entwining their fingers again. He feels Jeongguk’s tail twitch against his lower back at the mention of their son. 

Jeongguk nods, looking up at Taehyung. His eyes are a soft red, reflecting the sadness Taehyung can feel through their bond. “Yeah, can’t help it. Just miss him.”

“Don’t think about our son while you’re inside me,” Taehyung jokes, thumb rubbing circles on the back of Jeongguk’s hand. “He’s alright,” he continues, leaning down and nosing at Jeongguk’s cheek before pressing a kiss there. “Wherever he may be.”

Jeongguk’s laughter is a welcomed feeling under him, just as his arms are as they circle his waist and hold him tighter. 

They lay there for a while, Jeongguk’s knot slowly deflating as Taehyung tries his best to keep calm. He loves being filled and Jeongguk satisfies him so well. 

After about fifteen minutes, Taehyung feels Jeongguk’s knot start to slip out from the angle. He adjusts his hips, causing Jeongguk to jolt from his dozing state. 

Taehyung looks down at him, eyes playful. “Wanna go for round two?”

“Tae,” Jeongguk grunts out like the answer is obvious. The hand on Taehyung’s waist finds its way down to where they’re connected and prods gently at his filled hole. He slips a finger in alongside his cock, teasing. 

Taehyung gasps softly, pushing back on the sudden intrusion. “Stop, gonna let it out,” he mutters, still embarrassed about how much he likes keeping any bit of Jeongguk inside of him. 

“I’ll just give you more,” Jeongguk replies, kissing his forehead and removing his finger. He adjusts his cock while his hand is down there, jostling Taehyung so his cock sits more snug. 

“Gukkie Jr. is still hard,” Taehyung observes with the new angle, rocking his hips down again. “So is Taehyung Jr.,” he adds, gently slapping his now hard cock against Jeongguk’s sticky abdomen. 

Jeongguk groans, pressing his head back into the pillow. “Why do you always refer to our dicks like that?”

Taehyung shrugs, laughing. “I don’t know.” He lifts himself up once and sits back down slowly. “Gukkie Jr. is hard.” he says again, barely rocking his hips. 

“And I have the stamina of at least three more rounds.”

“So that’s a yes?” Taehyung asks with a smirk, mirth swimming in his eyes.

Jeongguk doesn’t answer out loud though his eyes twinkle with mischief. He grips Taehyung’s hips to hold him in place and thrusts his own up.

Needless to say, it’s a long night.

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

Contrary to popular belief, Taehyung does not own a broom. He owns a car.

A metallic, dark cherry red Bugatti Chiron to be exact.

(They’ve had money saved up for years and Jeongguk finally managed to get him to splurge a couple years ago. “Live a little,” Jeongguk had said. “It’ll be fun,” he said.

It's not fun. Jeongguk's wolf hair still gets everywhere and cleaning a luxury car is a bitch.)

The drive into Seoul isn’t long, maybe an hour or so on the country roads from outside Chuncheon. It’s beautiful during all seasons of the year, Taehyung is never able to choose a favorite.

In spring and summer, the trees are in full bloom. Bright greens and yellows line the road and rise above each other, stretching into the sky. The drive is even more gorgeous in the fall with the oranges and reds and fallen leaves. They don’t go many places during the winter, but it’s always peaceful when they do. The snow dampens a lot of the noise and produces an ethereal feeling.

Taehyung spends the drive with the windows down and the music up, one hand gripping the steering wheel and the other arm propped on his door if not holding Jeongguk’s hand. He’s wearing his favorite pair of round, black sunglasses. They contrast well with his blonde hair, grown out of its cut like always.

Jeongguk is still very much in touch with his feral, animalistic side which includes hanging his head out of the car to feel the wind in his hair. This time he elected to make the trip in his human form despite being forced to wear clothes the whole time. He’ll eventually take them off, Taehyung knows.

They arrive in the city late at night to avoid most of the traffic and people. The council building is in the heart of downtown Seoul and so is the building reserved for the council members.

Jeongguk is already twitching in his seat, having quieted down when they crossed into the busier section of the city. He’s flooding the bond with anxiety and what Taehyung knows all too well as his feral impulses.

When Jeongguk is around people, his instincts kick in and it’s hard for him to focus. His fight or flight reactions act up and he gets overwhelmed quickly. He can sense people with bad intentions and his instincts tell him to growl and protect. Too much of that mindset at one time can set his progress back and repress him to his werewolf side. Then he’s a danger to everyone including Taehyung.

Taehyung helps calm him through their bond and with his magic, though it took him a long time to fully learn how to handle Jeongguk and bring him back down.

Taehyung can see Jeongguk’s eyes glowing out of the corner of his own, his wolf ears twitching every time someone looks their way.

Taehyung reaches over and laces their fingers together, resting their hands on the center console. Jeongguk’s nails instantly dig into the back of his hand and create crescents. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk answers, though his voice is strained, rough around the edges. “I’ll be fine.”

Taehyung presses his lips together to form a line. “How’re you feeling?”

Jeongguk takes his time answering. He’s not the best with words, always having a hard time expressing how he feels. “It’s a lot,” he finally sighs out. “But I’m excited to meet the gumiho and to see Jin hyung again.”

Taehyung can hear the worry thick in his voice, can feel it through their bond. “It’ll be alright, pup,” Taehyung assures. When he stops at the next red light, he reaches up to ruffle Jeongguk’s hair between his ears.

The rest of the drive is silent except for the soft jazz playing from the radio, Taehyung’s choice this time. The nightlife of Seoul has always interested Taehyung, though he isn’t one for clubs. Too many people.

On the other hand, fried food and ramen are a go-to. 

The neon lights of bars, clubs, and late night ramen shops light up the city streets. The colors all blur together as Taehyung drives, focusing solely on the road and Jeongguk.

“Are you alright?” Jeongguk asks him as the apartment building comes into sight. His ears are poised forward, twitching with each loud sound of the city.

Taehyung nods, squeezing Jeongguk’s hand as he turns into the parking lot. “‘M fine, Guk-ah.” He pulls into a parking spot and they sit there for a moment, taking in the situation.

People pass by and those brave enough turn their direction when they sense the amount of magic radiating from their car. A growl rumbles in Jeongguk’s chest every time someone looks longer than a few seconds, tail lashing beside him.

Taehyung finally sighs, thumb stilling from where it was rubbing over Jeongguk’s knuckles soothingly. “Well, we’re here. Ready?” he asks, taking a deep breath as he unlocks the car doors.

Jeongguk nods once. “Yeah… yeah, let’s go.” He reaches for the door handle but is stopped by Taehyung’s grip on his forearm. He turns and looks at Taehyung, crimson eyes questioning.

Instead of saying something, Taehyung flicks his fingers under Jeongguk’s chin teasingly. A low, playful growl rumbles in Jeongguk’s chest as he does the same thing back.

They share a laugh before Taehyung cups Jeongguk’s nape and pulls him in for a kiss. It bleeds support, strengthening their already inseparable bond. Jeongguk’s wolf curls around Taehyung’s soul and it’s the most content they’ve felt since they left. 

Jeongguk hums softly, not really kissing but just letting their lips rest together and feel each other. They’ll most likely cuddle naked together later; intimate skin on skin contact helps both of them relax.

“Alright, pup,” Taehyung mumbles against Jeongguk’s lips. He squeezes Jeongguk’s hand once more before letting go and leaning back, reaching for the door handle. “Let’s go.” 

Jeongguk keeps Taehyung together behind the scenes while Taehyung keeps Jeongguk from falling apart any other time.

“We’ll handle it.”

“We’ll handle it.”

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

They spend the next few days before the first council meeting in their apartment, cuddling and enjoying the high class room service. They lounge together in the jacuzzi tub and perhaps do some dirty things in more than one place. 

Taehyung takes some time to perfect a few more potions and notes while Jeongguk spends most of his time in his natural form.

They discussed it the night before leaving and decided that it would be best for Jeongguk to be in his human form for this meeting. He’ll be able to communicate better and will be less likely to have any feral urges. If he does, he’ll be easier to control. 

They spend the last few days of peace together practically attached at the hip. No one bothers them and they don’t bother anyone. 

On the morning of the meeting, Taehyung wakes up wrapped in Jeongguk’s embrace. Jeongguk is warmer than usual, sweaty all over and almost burning up.

Taehyung doesn’t dare move away, though. He knows Jeongguk is struggling to keep his urges at bay even in his sleep. His body is working hard with his limited magic from the pendant around his neck. 

Taehyung lays there waiting for Jeongguk to wake up. It’s one of his favorite things to do— watch Jeongguk sleep and observe him like he doesn’t wake up next to him every morning. 

Jeongguk’s long hair is splayed out on the pillow. It’s messier than usual due to Taehyung running his fingers through it so much the night before as they cuddled. His face is soft, relaxed in the way it gets only when he sleeps. 

Taehyung’s eyes trace along the slope of Jeongguk’s nose to his lips. Plush and parted slightly, little puffs of breath escape from between them. If Taehyung looks hard enough, he can see his canines peeking out.

Taehyung has the urge to kiss the mole under his lip but— with sheer will power— refuses because he doesn’t want to wake Jeongguk. 

Instead, he thumbs at Jeongguk’s plush bottom lip, running the pad over the rough skin. Jeongguk has long grown accustomed to sleeping beside Taehyung, so he no longer jerks awake growling when Taehyung touches him. 

Then Taehyung’s eyes fall to the scar on Jeongguk’s cheek. He still feels bad every time he sees it, even three hundred years later. 

Jeongguk got it while protecting him, how can he not feel something when he looks at it. 

Jeongguk’s wolf stirs then, alerting Taehyung that Jeongguk will be awake momentarily. He probably felt the disturbance and upset that surged through Taehyung when thinking about the scar. 

His fingers tangle into the messy hair at Jeongguk’s nape as he cups his neck. While he waits for Jeongguk to wake, he gently runs his thumb along his jaw, silently hoping to soothe him. 

A few minutes later, Jeongguk’s eyes crack open slowly to reveal dim red orbs. He groans softly, head arching the slightest bit to press further into Taehyung’s touch. 

He doesn’t speak for a few minutes, not until he opens his eyes again and they’re almost back to their normal crimson. “Mornin’,” Jeongguk croaks out, sliding a hand up to hold Taehyung’s.

“Morning, love,” Taehyung replies just as soft. A small smile makes its way to his face as Jeongguk brings his hand to his lips and kisses his knuckles. 

He lets his hand linger there, brushing his knuckles over Jeongguk’s lips then cheekbone. He wipes away some sleep from under Jeongguk’s eye with the pad of his thumb. 

Jeongguk groans again, tightening his legs around Taehyung’s and pulling him closer with an arm around his waist. His tail tightens around Taehyung’s waist as well, tucking his lower back. 

They lay there for a few minutes like that, just basking in each other’s company and enjoying the last of their quiet time together. 

“Are you feeling alright, love?” Taehyung asks once Jeongguk’s wolf is awake enough and frolicking playfully with his own soul. 

Jeongguk barely nods. “Mm.” His hand reaches out and his fingers brush over Taehyung’s bare chest, directly over the tattoo of his own name. It’s such a practiced movement, he doesn’t even need to open his eyes to find it. 

Taehyung chuckles softly, running his fingers through Jeongguk’s messy locks and tugging gently at his wolf ear. “We should get ready, you know.”

“Five more minutes,” Jeongguk grumbles in Taehyung’s hair, snuggling impossibly closer. 

And who is Taehyung to say no to more morning cuddles? 

✧☽ ✩ ☾✧

Jeongguk is pacing in front of the floor to ceiling window when Taehyung exits the bathroom. Jeongguk’s hair is a mess and a torn black shirt lays in bits on the floor beside him. Taehyung recognizes it as the one Jeongguk was supposed to wear to the meeting and his heart tugs as he realizes what kind of day it will be. 

He was hoping it wouldn’t be a rough day for Jeongguk but this tells him otherwise. 

Jeongguk looks at him when he senses his presence. “I don’t think I can do clothes today, Tae,” he practically pleads, ears flat to his head. His tail swishes sporadically like he isn’t controlling its movements for once. 

“That’s fine. Wanna tell me what’s up?” Taehyung asks, walking over and feeling Jeongguk’s forehead with the back of his hand.

Jeongguk shakes his head when Taehyung pulls his hand away, pressing the heels of his own palms into his eyes. “‘S just too much— too restricting,” he grits out, voice rumbling. The growl continues on after he finishes, trailing off into a soft whine. 

“Alright, that’s alright,” Taehyung soothes him, scratching gently behind his black wolf ears. “You don’t have to wear a shirt, you know that.”

Jeongguk whines quietly at his words, knowing what's coming next. 

“But you have to wear pants, baby. Are you able to? If not, you can—”

“No,” Jeongguk interrupts him, tail lashing even faster. “Pants are fine. A shirt just—” he stops when he can’t find the words and instead waves his hands around his torso. 

Taehyung knows what he means. 

“That’s fine,” Taehyung soothes, wrapping his arms around Jeongguk and pulling him in for a hug. 

Feral hybrids not wearing clothes isn’t something new to them or people in the city, though Taehyung knows the residents of Seoul view it differently than they do. 

He and Jeongguk know why a feral hybrid would choose to not wear clothes. Their natural instinct is to not want to be restricted. Clothes are too tight for them, making them feel trapped and uncomfortable. 

Normal citizens see it as a sign of lost composure, showing that they’re not as human as they try to be. Want to be.

Which is bullshit, in Taehyung’s opinion. He’ll be talking about it in his next book.  

As they finish getting ready, Jeongguk keeps pouring nervous energy into their bond. Taehyung tries to reassure him, pressing gentle kisses to his forehead and cheek whenever he can. 

“Why're you so nervous today, pup?” Taehyung asks while slipping his dress boots on. He feels Jeongguk’s tail drape over his neck as the hybrid finally stops his pacing and comes to stand beside him. 

“A gumiho is a big deal. I just don’t want to fuck up,” Jeongguk answers, sighing as he sits on the bed beside Taehyung, falling onto his back and spreading out like a starfish. 

“You’re not gonna fuck up,” Taehyung replies, fixing his black jeans over the top of his boots. 

Jeongguk just huffs and Taehyung knows that’s his wolf speaking, turning its head and stalking away with its tail held high. 

Taehyung lays down beside Jeongguk, propping himself up on his elbow. His other hand finds its way to Jeongguk’s bare chest, muscles firm under his fingers. “You’re not going to fuck up,” he says more firmly, meeting Jeongguk’s crimson eyes. 

Jeongguk takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and nodding. “I won’t.”

“You won’t.”

“I won’t.”

“And if shit hits the fan, we’ll handle it.”

Jeongguk hesitates, but when Taehyung pats right over his heart as encouragement, he repeats the words. “We’ll handle it.”

Taehyung lets the words— the promise hang between them for a few minutes as they soak up the last of their alone time for a good while. He traces over the muscles of Jeongguk’s chest, quietly marveling and fueling his muscle kink.

He follows the lines of the multiple scars littering Jeongguk’s torso, silently thinking about the memory associated with each. He avoids the longest one, the memory still too fresh even if it’s one of Jeongguk’s oldest scars. 

Taehyung is hesitant when he speaks up again. “Do you want the collar?”

He feels Jeongguk stiffen slightly under his touch. “Gumiho are…” Jeongguk trails off but Taehyung knows exactly what he’s trying to say. 

“Yeah, they are.”

“Probably, then. Would be the best option,” Jeongguk agrees, nodding his head and pressing a kiss to the top of Taehyung’s head. 

✧☽ ✩ ☾✧

The morning sun is bright as they step out of the apartment and onto the sidewalk. It's unusually warm for a spring day but Taehyung takes that as a good sign.

Nature speaks, one just has to listen. 

Taehyung is almost too warm in his black and blue checkered overcoat and black jeans but he sucks it up. He has to keep his witch aesthetic up even if his dangling moon earring is a bit irritating. 

Jeongguk is beside him clad in only black pants, boots, and the collar around his neck. No shirt, no shoes and with his Talwen on display. He’s fidgeting already, hand tight around Taehyung’s and steps uneven. 

Taehyung hates when Jeongguk gets this bad, hates the looks they receive when out in public because of how feral Jeongguk looks. Jeongguk knows his body and Taehyung trusts him, so if Jeongguk wants the collar on, it’s for good reason. 

The collar is made out of pure silver that Taehyung forged himself years and years ago. It’s infused with his magic just like Jeongguk’s pendant, only the collar helps hold Jeongguk back and control his urges. The pendant is what helps their bond and mainly keeps Taehyung under control. 

When Taehyung is in control, Jeongguk usually is too. 

The chain hanging from Taehyung’s belt loops is made from the same silver. It’s there just in case Taehyung needs to hold Jeongguk back properly. 

It’s a heavy weight against his thigh, jingling as they head to the council building. People move out of their path and whisper as they pass by. Most keep their glares turned away but those who don’t get Jeongguk’s own glare and canines back. 

Taehyung keeps his head held high, ignoring everyone and keeping his focus solely on Jeongguk through their bond. He keeps his hand secure around Jeongguk’s, even if the hybrid’s black nails dig into the back of his own. 

How’re you doing? Taehyung asks when they reach the intersection in front of the council building. It’s a fairly busy place during most of the day and being in downtown Seoul, it’s a popular tourist destination. 

Alright. Just a lot of shitty people today, Jeongguk answers, voice low and gravely. He twitches when a spriggan walks by them, muttering something under their breath. 

Taehyung tightens his hand around Jeongguk’s, gently pulling him in a different direction. Hey— leave it, it’s fine. 

Yeah, but— Jeongguk starts with a snarl. His tail flicks angrily, eyes flashing a bright red as his head follows the spriggan. They’re bad.  

Taehyung is about to reply to Jeongguk when a little girl runs up to them, stopping in front of Jeongguk. He laces his fingers tighter with Jeongguk’s, whispering a spell of strength just in case. Not because he doesn’t trust Jeongguk, but because Jeongguk had asked him to as a precaution. 

It feels like time stops around them as collective gasps are heard and even a small scream. A crowd gathers quickly, some pretending not to watch while others already have their phones out.

Taehyung scoffs internally because Jeongguk’s wolf is oblivious, yipping around at the new soul nearby. He’s not worried about what people think or how he’s going to eat the child, he just wants to see what she wants. It’s rare people approach them and Jeongguk’s happiness shows by the way his tail is wagging. 

(Jeongguk has only killed livestock once during a brutal winter when food was extremely scarce. In his defense, it was sick and didn’t have long to live.) 

Jeongguk has always been good with children and Taehyung wanted to cry every time he saw how soft he was with Beomgyu. Some of Taehyung’s favorite stories of Jeongguk’s home are ones where he used to be his pack’s pups favorite babysitter.

Taehyung has no doubts that this little girl is safe with him, even if it’s only because of her little ears and tail. 

And the little girl? He doesn’t need Jeongguk to tell him that she is good, he can sense it himself. Her aura is one of the purest he’s felt in a long time. 

“Excuse me sirs,” the girl says, peering up through dark lashes at the both of them. Her little ears are twitching on top of her head, tail wagging behind her. There's no way she’s any older than eight. 

“Can I help you, sweetheart?” Taehyung asks, crouching down to her level. Jeongguk’s appearance must not scare her, to which Taehyung is grateful. 

Her eyes are wide as she looks at Taehyung, shoulder length hair blowing in the wind. She doesn’t hesitate to voice her thoughts. “You’re strong,” she gasps, reaching out to touch Taehyung’s shoulder. She runs her little fingers over the black jewels bedazzling half of his coat. “Your magic feels cool.”

Taehyung laughs softly, partially amazed. He wonders where the little girl’s mother or father are, but he tosses the thought out the window. He wants to have this little moment with her, wants her to have a positive experience with a feral and himself. 

“Yeah,” he answers after a moment. His heart warms as her sleek tail seems to subconsciously entwine with Jeongguk’s fluffy one, almost engulfed by His long fur. He squeezes Jeongguk’s hand, almost overwhelmed with emotion. “Yeah, I am.”

“That’s cool,” she marvels, then looks from Taehyung up to Jeongguk, then back to Taehyung. “Why do you have a feral werewolf as a familiar?”

That’s not what Taehyung was expecting from her. He was definitely not ready for that question. 

Her eomma is searching for her, Jeongguk tells him. 

When Taehyung looks up to him, he sees Jeongguk’s ears are angled in the direction the little girl came from. 

“Are you two bonded?” she asks then, switching questions. Her lips are parted and her eyes are wide in awe as her eyes find the mating mark on Taehyung’s neck. 

Taehyung is stumped. She’s smart for her age and he strangely feels proud of her. “Yeah, we are. How did you know?”

“Your mark,” she answers, unbothered. “Eomma always tells me those who are bonded are in love.” 

Taehyung nods. At least her parents sound somewhat sensible. “That’s right, sweetheart. We're in love. Have been for a long time now,” he tells her, squeezing Jeongguk’s hand again.

“You trust him,” she states, rocking back and forth on her heels. “I can feel the magic the chain has, it keeps him stable,” she explains, gesturing to Jeongguk. “And it’s not hooked to him.”

Taehyung thinks he may cry. “I do trust him. With my life and more. He protects me if I ever need it. We know you’re no threat, you’re too cute to be.”

“No, you feel my magic too,” she sing-songs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t know a feral werewolf and a witch could bond. How does it work?” 

“Well,” Taehyung hesitates, unsure if it’s his place to educate her. He reasons with himself that it’s probably best coming from him and not someone else. “You know how strong I am? It’s because of my magic that we can bond.”

She nods like she understands. If Taehyung is honest, he doesn’t doubt she does. “But why is he a feral?” she questions again, clearly wanting an answer. 

“Because we get along, little one,” Taehyung answers, soft smile making its way to his lips. “We complete each other’s missing pieces like a puzzle.”

Jeongguk nods then, crouching down beside Taehyung. Her tail stays entwined with his and it makes Taehyung’s chest warm. Jeongguk smiles softly at her when he sees he caught her attention. 

“Woah!” she exclaims, stepping closer to Jeongguk and leaning in. “Your fangs are pretty!”

Taehyung can’t help the laugh that leaves him. Jeongguk’s wolf hasn’t settled down either, clearly already enamored by the little girl. 

The crowd collectively gasps again when she moves closer. One brave soul steps forward to intervene but Taehyung sends a piercing glare his way, casting a weak forcefield up to stop him. The guy could easily get through but he gets the hint and steps back again. 

Jeongguk shakes his head gently. “They’re canines, love,” he informs her, pulling his upper lip up to let her see. 

She leans in closer to get a good look at them, gasping when she sees the full size. Jeongguk has always taken good care of his teeth, never liking grime or anything stuck between them. 

Taehyung can hear camera shutters going off around them but he honestly doesn’t give a fuck. Hopefully this will shed some golden light on their relationship and ferals in general. Ferals are more widely accepted now but still have stereotypes following them that aren’t true anymore.

“Do you think mine will look like that when I grow up?” she asks, baring her little canines for Jeongguk to see. 

Jeongguk pretends to be scared of her, red eyes widening and gasping. “If you eat your vegetables and drink your milk, they’ll grow.” 

“Does banana milk count?”

“Of course!” Jeongguk gasps like he can't believe she would ask such a question. “Is it your favorite?”

“Yeah!” she nods enthusiastically, bouncing on her toes. “I have it every morning!”

“Me too!” Jeongguk laughs, holding out his palm for a high five. 

She slaps his hand, then gasps again. “Woah— your nails are different than mine.” She holds her hand out so he can see them. 

Where Jeongguk’s nails are black and pointed, hers are clear and round like a normal human. It’s a perfect comparison of how his species have evolved over time. 

“Why is that? How old are you?” she asks in rapid succession, tail finally letting go of Jeongguk’s and lashing behind her in curiosity. 

“We’re both very old,” Jeongguk tells her softly, his wolf licking Taehyung’s soul. 

Taehyung isn’t sure she could grasp the concept of immortality even if she’s proven she understands more than a child her age normally would. 

“I know that,” she groans out, rolling her eyes. “But how old?”

Taehyung goes to respond but is interrupted by a woman calling out. “Jieun!” The woman pushes through the crowd of people and lifts Jieun up when she reaches them, stepping back from Taehyung and Jeongguk. They stand up as well, increasing the distance between them. 

Jieun resembles the woman who Taehyung assumes to be her mother. Their ears are the same shade of light brown and they have the same facial structure. 

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Kim. Jieun here is just drawn to powerful magic,” she explains, panting for breath. She bows as deep as she can with a child on her hip. “Sorry, Mr. Jeon.” She turns and bows to Jeongguk. “If you’ll excuse us.”

The woman hurriedly walks away with Jieun waving to them over her shoulder.

They stand there in silence for a moment, hands clasped and trying to grasp what just happened. The crowd quickly disperses, not wanting to be caught staring. 

“Maybe someday we can raise another kid.” Taehyung is the first to break the silence. There’s nothing harmful in his tone, sometimes he just wishes they could have their own without feeling the dread that comes along with it. 

Jeongguk nods, squeezing his hand and leading them across the street. “Maybe someday.”

He and Jeongguk have talked about adopting again but they can’t get over the fact that they’re immortal and their child won’t be. They both think it would hurt too much to go through it again.

Losing Beomgyu was already too much for them, even if he’s off in the world and on his own, somewhere far away from them for his own safety. 

Once they’re across the street, the council building stands in front of them, tall and proud. It’s old and large with the words “PRETERNATURAL COUNCIL” engraved over the main entrance. 

The gothic revival architecture has always had Taehyung in awe. A tower rises from the center with multiple windows lining the outside. Beautiful twisting accents decorate the tan walls, spanning every side. 

The inside is even more immaculate with its foyer and winding marble staircases. Taehyung can’t even begin to describe the architecture as they head to their waiting room, he just stares in awe like every time they come. 

✧☽ ✩ ☾✧

“Taehyungie!” Seokjin bursts into the small room he and Jeongguk have to themselves, arms wide and ready for a hug. “I’m so happy to see you, Taehyungie,” Seokjin whispers into his ear as he engulfs Taehyung into a big hug. 

“‘M happy to see you too, hyung,” Taehyung whispers back, tightening his hold around his older brother. He tucks his face into Seokjin's neck, enjoying his warmth. He ignores the Talwen crawling up his nape and peeking out from under the collar of his top. 

Taehyung will be the first to admit they don’t see each other nearly enough since Seokjin is usually busy with council work. Born a witch just as powerful as Taehyung but prophesied for great things, he’s always running around and busy. 

When they were younger, Taehyung used to tell Seokjin that he was upset he didn’t get to do the jobs Seokjin did. Seokjin traveled and was accepted by many despite being Taehyung’s older brother. People respected him because of the ancient prophecy that they failed to understand. 

But now? Seokjin can have all the glory. 

Taehyung pulls back and Seokjin grips his shoulders to keep him still, looking him over. 

“Have you lost weight?” 

Taehyung shakes his head, smiling softly. “No, you always ask me that. Jeongguk feeds me well,” Taehyung tells him, laughing when Jeongguk’s tail removes itself from his thigh and wags. 

“He better be,” Seokjin warns playfully, pulling Jeongguk in for a hug too. When they part, Taehyung is finally able to get a good look at his brother. 

Seokjin looks as good as ever. Taehyung swears that if Seokjin could age, he still wouldn’t.

Seokjin is dressed in his typical fashion, something like royalty. He wears a purple, long sleeve with intricate gold designs and a matching purple velvet sash over his shoulder and tucked under his belt. He’s donning a headpiece this time, a purple gem in the center to match. 

Taehyung goes to say something, but Jeongguk spins around at the same time a voice speaks, interrupting them. 

“Ah, there’s my boys.”

Taehyung turns just in time to see Jeongguk crushing Junghwa in a hug. His tail is wagging and it looks like he can barely contain his excitement. His wolf is jumping and dancing around Taehyung’s soul, happy as can be. 

“Taehyung,” Junghwa greets warmly when he finally manages to pry Jeongguk off him. He opens his arms and Taehyung is instantly hit with nostalgia.

Junghwa has always had comfort associated with his presence. He is warm and welcoming with his usual scent of forest, squishy in all the right places just as a father figure should be. He is one of the three people Taehyung would associate with home. 

Junghwa looks the same as always, just aged. His beard has grown longer and is a lighter shade of gray, nearly as white as his hair. His green robe is trimmed with gold, matching the yeouiju at the top of his staff. His eyes are still the same green with a slit pupil, matching his dragon form. 

Taehyung is well aware dragons don’t live forever and that he and Jeongguk should spend as much time with Junghwa as they can, but Junghwa insists on traveling and visiting sacred places from his younger days. Moreso now than ever since he and Jeongguk are older and capable of fending for themselves.

Taehyung notices he leans heavier on his staff but says nothing, knowing he’ll get some kind of riddle as an answer. He huffs quietly anyway, Junghwa’s antics never getting old. 

“Glad to see you two are well,” Junghwa says once greetings are exchanged. “Although, what was that little stunt outside of the building earlier?”

✧☽ ✩ ☾✧

“You ready?” Taehyung asks Jeongguk once they enter the long hallway leading to the council room. The voices of the other creatures down the hall echo off the gothic architecture, Jeongguk’s ear twitching every time a voice stands out over the others. 

The hallway is large and decorated with the same impressive architecture as the outside. The council building is made up mainly of solid marble and stone, built to resist any impending doom or heavy weather.

Seokjin and Junghwa had left them alone once everyone was caught up with each other. Seokjin is aware they need alone time together while Junghwa knows everything. Seokjin never pushes for them to explain but Taehyung is sure he knows something is up. 

Jeongguk turns to Taehyung without answering, but his face and actions say it all. His ears are flat to his head, tail hanging low and against his legs. Nerves and anxiety are flooding the bond along with growls from Jeongguk’s feral side. 

He’s nervous and having a tough time, Taehyung knows. He frowns, pulling Jeongguk closer by his hand. “It’s alright, pup.”

Jeongguk still says nothing, just shivers and wraps his arms around Taehyung’s neck and tail around his waist. 

Taehyung coos softly, running his fingers through the hair at the base of Jeongguk’s wolf ear. It twitches against his fingers, even more sensitive than usual. “We talked about this. You’ll be okay, and if it gets too much you focus on me, alright?”

The only sound is Jeongguk’s heavy breathing against his ear and the faraway voices of the other council members. Taehyung can feel Jeongguk trying to regain control over his feral side, the fighting between the two loud and intimidating. 

His feral wolf is snapping at his tame one, trying to fight its way out of the bonds Jeongguk has put on him. He’s ferocious, saliva flying and teeth bared at his tame side who looks just as terrifying, fighting for both Jeongguk and Taehyung.

“Only you. Only master,” Jeongguk eventually says, breath warm over Taehyung’s neck. He speaks slow like he’s calculating every word. 

Through the bond, Jeongguk’s voice says the same thing, only it echoes over and over and is shrouded by a deeper, almost demonic voice. It sends a tingle down Taehyung’s spine. 

“My eyes are always on you, so eyes on me, love,” Taehyung continues, pulling back and tilting Jeongguk's chin up with his thumb and forefinger. He looks into Jeongguk’s crimson eyes and holds his gaze until his wolf calms down. 

“Eyes on you. I love you,” Jeongguk rumbles, blinking a few times to clear his head. He leans in to place a chaste but meaningful kiss to Taehyung’s lips, then rests their foreheads together. 

Taehyung smiles, rubbing a hand over Jeongguk’s nape and soothing the irritated skin underneath the collar with his cool fingertips. “Are you ready?”

Jeongguk hesitates but nods, swallowing audibly. “Yeah. Eyes on you.”

Taehyung takes Jeongguk’s hand again before leading the way down the hall. Jeongguk stays close to him, tail wrapped around Taehyung’s forearm. 

The walk down the hallway feels like it takes forever, Taehyung’s black dress boots echoing with each step. Jeongguk’s hand squeezes his, indenting the back of his hands with crescents. 

Taehyung nods to a few people who acknowledge him when they pass but otherwise keeps to himself. As they reach the open doors, Taehyung takes a deep breath. 

Ready?

Yes, Master.

Jeongguk’s voice is deep and laced with his satoori but it sounds and feels stable enough for Taehyung to believe him. 

Taehyung leads the way through the thick wooden doors and is instantly hit with a wave of auras. It’s a bit overwhelming to be back so soon, but he has Jeongguk to focus on. 

His familiar is already growling through the bond, hand squeezing like it's pulsating as he struggles to remain calm. 

Those who are new gasp when they enter and pass by. He knows they didn’t believe the rumors and now they’re finally seeing the strongest witch with a feral werewolf. He can feel the shift in the atmosphere, uncomfortable and anxious. 

Taehyung ignores them; if they want to speak they can come to him. 

Nobody does, however. That’s usually how the beginning of these meetings go— Taehyung and Jeongguk enter near the start time and hope nobody wants to talk to them. Namjoon, Seokjin, and Junghwa are usually too busy to entertain them so they head to their seats and keep to themselves. 

“Welcome everyone,” Namjoon starts after some time, standing from his chair and moving to the front of the room. Everyone quiets down, either due to their respect for Namjoon or wanting to get the meeting over with. “Thank you all for coming on such short notice.” 

The council room is a three-tier circular room with wooden tables and chairs lining the three layers that lead down to the center. The center is where visuals are projected by magic or the person(s) in question are held.

The most powerful beings from their respective species are gathered to discuss the newest transformed gumiho. However, knowing how the council is, they’ll end up discussing other topics far into the evening.

Taehyung sighs with the thought, already wishing he were back home, maybe having a swim. 

Jeongguk pats his thigh under the table, soothing him. Relax, Tae.

I am, he mutters, turning to Jeongguk with a pout. You’re the one whose tail is swaying like you’re gonna pounce. 

I missed Yugyeom. haven’t had the chance to talk to him yet. Jeongguk shrugs, waving when Yugyeom looks their way. His nine tails wave as well, beautiful as ever. 

Junghwa is seated on Taehyung’s left, paying attention to Namjoon and seeming to not notice Jeongguk’s anxious movements but Taehyung knows better. Junghwa knows everything. 

“We’ll skip the formalities today as we have an urgent matter that needs to be discussed immediately,” Namjoon continues, fairy wings carrying him to the center of the room. 

His outfit is similar to Seokjin’s with the intricate gold patterns, but a burnt orange is the base color rather than purple. His overcoat is held together loosely by the belt around his slim waist, forming a deep v-neck. It shows off his thin orange and yellow shirt underneath, hard chest peeking out through the slit in the middle. The look compliments his blonde hair and brings out the orange-yellow iridescence of his wings. 

“We’ve called this meeting because we have discovered a newly transformed gumiho. Before we bring him in, I would like to explain to you a few things about the gumiho species. Yugyeom-ssi,” Namjoon turns to the last gumiho who transformed, “would you please come down here?” 

The gumiho stands from his chair and heads to the center of the room. His nine tails flow behind him beautifully, each one impeccably groomed and a range of black and red. His hair is wine red, matching his ears and right eye, the left one black. A certain way the light hits his hair and fur, more red shines through. 

A few of the council members gasp at Yugyeom’s beauty as he makes his way to the center of the room. Aside from their unique appearance, gumiho are also known to be gorgeous.

Their history is brutal— seducing others to rip their heart or liver out and eat it. To avoid anything of the sort happening again, the council tries their best to take them in and teach them. 

An incubus shifts in their seat when Yugyeom walks by, clearly affected. Those sitting beside them give them a look. 

“The gumiho are a special species because they spend their whole lives as a fox. Only when they turn a thousand years old are they finally able to shift into their human form,” Namjoon explains, Yugyeom nodding along in confirmation. “It’s extremely hard to integrate into society after living your life differently for that long, yes?”

“That is correct,” Yugyeom confirms. “Without the help of the council when I transformed, I’m not sure if I would’ve ever gotten the hang of using my human form,” he confesses, laughing lightheartedly. His tails wiggle with him, expressing his true joy. 

“We were lucky that the newly transformed gumiho came to us before he transformed. His name is Park Jimin and he’s just as unique as Yugyeom-ssi. Now,” Namjoon continues, gesturing to Yugyeom, “gumiho have a thirst for knowledge and possess what is called a yeowoo guseul. This is a marble that houses their knowledge. Care to show us?” 

Yugyeom nods, waving a hand beside him. “As this is what provides me with my knowledge of all things, I cannot remove it unless I intend to absorb knowledge or give it to someone. So I will show you with a little hologram.”

A smaller version of Yugyeom appears on the table in front of each member of the council. “Like Namjoon-ssi said, it’s just a marble that gives us our power.” The marble appears beside his hologram, a mixture of red and black just like the rest of him. 

Jeongguk swipes a cupped hand through the hologram, nails piercing the static figure of Yugyeom. His tail lashes playfully but the comical way his face falls when he realizes he can’t actually play with it almost has Taehyung snorting in the otherwise quiet room.

The hologram for Jeongguk is different, sticking its tongue out playfully at him instead of following along with the presentation. Jeongguk looks from it to Yugyeom who smiles their way, inconspicuous overall but so obvious to them. 

Jeongguk looks back at the hologram just as tiny Yugyeom leaps for his tail that’s resting on the table. He watches, twitching his tail as tiny Yugyeom plays with it.

Jeongguk gawks at the display, often still amazed by the simplest of magic. 

“We can absorb and give knowledge with the yeowoo guseul by kissing someone else. If they swallow it, they gain knowledge. When Jimin comes up, I’m sure he’ll be just like I was.” His eyes find Taehyung and Jeongguk again, smiling softly from the memory. “Confused, overwhelmed, and unsure where to start. That is why it can be dangerous for both gumiho and other species.”

Tiny Yugyeom waves at Jeongguk and Taehyung before the holograms disappear and everyone claps, whispering among themselves. 

Taehyung is always amazed by other creatures and how they learn. He can feel wary gazes on him but ignores it in favor of clapping along with everyone. 

“Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get Jimin up here,” Namjoon says, then turns to Taehyung and Jeongguk. “Taehyung-ssi? Would you mind coming down here as a precaution?”

Namjoon is one of the most down-to-earth people Taehyung has ever met. He’s never been discriminatory to Taehyung or Jeongguk, never looked at them wrong, and was the one to persuade the rest of the council to accept them both as members. 

Namjoon had presented more than enough evidence that Taehyung was not inherently evil as the prophecy states. Back when the oracle had presented the prophecy they hadn’t understood the last part of it, thus subjecting Taehyung to the life he continues living.

Namjoon had presented a possible theory that makes sense and has helped change the minds of a lot of people. They’re forever grateful. 

Taehyung pats Jeongguk’s thigh before moving to the center of the room. The chain jingles against his leg, loud and repulsive in the otherwise quiet room, echoing and making Taehyung wince internally. 

Jeongguk’s wolf licks his soul in an attempt to comfort him. In return, he pats Jeongguk’s head. He already feels too far away from Jeongguk for comfort. 

This is always the worst part. Taehyung hates presenting in front of the council. Even just standing like this has him on edge. He wishes he and Jeongguk were back home, maybe basking in the sun or playing video games. 

He can feel the judgment radiating from the council members, the anxiety a feral werewolf not being beside his Master brings even if they’ve proved time and time again they are harmless. 

Despite Jeongguk’s scar-covered appearance and messy, unkempt hair, if you’re nice to him, he’ll be nice to you. 

People don’t understand how they help each other, which is fine. They may never know because Taehyung doesn’t want anyone to know. 

He has a reputation of a strong witch with no qualms or issues he has to keep up. If he doesn’t, it could be trouble for both himself and Jeongguk. One slip up from him and what they’ve worked towards for years could be ripped from them just like that. 

Taehyung just wishes the judgment would stop. 

“And here we have Park Jimin,” Namjoon announces, pulling Taehyung from his thoughts. A staff member leads the newcomer into the room through a door off to the side.

Taehyung is immediately taken by the gumiho.

Jimin has orange hair with matching ears, two golden rings through both. His tails are the same color and are waving almost sporadically, unsure how to act in such an unfamiliar environment. He’s dressed in a maroon shawl with an orange design and black pants— something comfortable for what will be an overwhelming day for him. 

Jimin looks around with wide, blue eyes as he tries to take everything in all at once.

Taehyung recognizes the same look on Jimin’s face as he had seen on Yugyeom’s all those years ago. Lost but curious, like a baby animal would be. 

The council is quiet as Jimin is led to the center of the room to stand beside Namjoon and across from himself. 

Jimin stops and two of his tails instantly move to Namjoon’s arm, stroking and feeling. Taehyung assumes Jimin can sense the high level of magic Namjoon radiates.

“Hello, Jimin-ssi. Do you remember who I am?” Namjoon asks, holding his arm out so Jimin’s tails can continue examining it. 

Jimin looks up at him with the same look on his face, orange ears twitching. Taehyung can faintly hear the gold jewelry clinging together. “Namjoon-ah,” he answers, voice higher than Taehyung expected it to be.

It’s not so high that it’s uncomfortable to his ears. It floats around the large room almost like a melody. Almost comforting. 

The question seems to pull Jimin’s focus from where it had been wandering and his bright eyes immediately fly to Taehyung. 

Taehyung’s heart leaps into his throat, the scenario playing out in his head in a millisecond. 

Before he can act, it’s already happening. 

Jimin lunges for him, arms outstretched and mouth open, ready to give Taehyung his orb. He can see it sitting on the tip of Jimin's tongue, bright orange just like his hair. 

Jimin moves fast, slender legs carrying him across the room in no time. A distant banging and guttural scream match Jimin’s footsteps but Taehyung's senses are honed in on the gumiho, not wanting to harm him.

Jimin gets his fingers wrapped around Taehyung’s biceps before Jeongguk intervenes, arms partially shifted into his natural form. 

“Jeongguk!” Taehyung yells at the same time his chain unhooks itself from his belt loop and flies to Jeongguk’s collar, instantly clipping and pulling taut. 

He uses his magic to propel himself backwards, pulling a struggling, spitting Jeongguk with him. The chain tightens around his hand, digging into his skin and causing him to wince. 

Jeongguk chokes as the collar digs into his throat but doesn’t stop, partially shifted legs digging into the floor and claws leaning scratch marks. 

Taehyung forces more magic into the chain as Jeongguk continues to try and launch himself at Jimin, eyes blazing red and unfocused. Jeongguk pulls violently, barking strangled and incoherent words as the collar continues to restrain him. 

Jeongguk’s wolf is angry, angrier than Taehyung has seen him in a long time. He’s snapping, wriggling against the invisible force holding him back. The bond is filled with Jeongguk’s incoherent thoughts. 

MyMasterMyMaster. NoonetouchMaster. Mustprotect. NoonekissesMaster. NoonehurtsMaster. Protect. 

Jeongguk! Taehyung wails into the bond, the thoughts almost as incoherent as Jeongguk’s. Listen to me! I’m right here, hyung is here. I’m fine. Everything is fine. He pulls harder on the chain when Jeongguk’s body goes lax for a split second, using it for leverage to get closer to Jeongguk. That’s just Jimin’s species. It’s fine. We’re fine.  

Taehyung knows the collar and chain have to be hurting Jeongguk by now. Silver is naturally harmful to werewolves, it’s why they chose it. He’s just glad it weakens Jeongguk enough to the point where he can’t shift and have his full abilities or they could’ve had a bloodbath and a new fox rug.

Jeongguk finally staggers enough when Taehyung manages to get a hand on his shoulder. His eyes are a blazing, deep crimson similar to the color of blood. His canines have elongated as well as his claws, black as night. 

Taehyung keeps his grip tight on the chain as he runs his fingers through Jeongguk’s knotty, messy hair. He keeps his arm around Jeongguk’s shoulders, his heaving chest matching Jeongguk’s as he mutters incantations into Jeongguk’s ear. 

Jeongguk’s tail is lashing, ears flat to his head. A continuous growl vibrates in his chest, the sound as inhuman as can be. 

“Are you okay, Taehyung-ssi?” Seokjin asks him after a moment, pulling them out of their little bubble. He approaches Taehyung slowly, almost asking if it’s okay to move. 

The gumiho is still where he was stopped by multiple types of magic from the other council members, colorful translucent rings and ribbons circling his body. He’s not pulling at the magic and trying to escape, just silently observing their interaction with a slightly agape mouth.

Taehyung turns to his brother and bows. “Yes, I’m sorry that got out of hand but Jeongguk thought Jimin-ssi was going to harm me.” He turns to Namjoon next. “If you’ll allow it, can we continue this interaction?”

Namjoon doesn’t question him, just raises his voice for the council to hear. “All in favor of continuing the interaction, say I.” There’s an edge to his tone, like he’s ready to argue if anyone dares to oppose. 

Namjoon understands species well and knows what just transpired was an accident of sorts. 

A chorus of I rings throughout the room.

“Those opposed, say nay.”

The room is silent. 

“You know I’m no harm,” Jimin speaks up for the first time then, directing it to Jeongguk. His voice is soft and melodic still, showing no signs of being nervous or scared. “You’re acting on pure instinct. Pure love.” 

Jeongguk growls from deep within his chest, refusing to speak. 

Jeonggukkie, you need to come back, Taehyung tells him. Come to Master. 

Jeongguk’s tail is the first thing to react, wrapping around Taehyung’s wrist of the arm that’s holding the chain. 

“It’s interesting. I want to know more about love,” Jimin declares, shawl swaying from how he tries to walk but is held back by the magic. “Can you teach me?”

“Love isn’t something that’s taught,” Taehyung tells him, shaking his head. He slips an arm around Jeongguk’s, the skin sticky and heated. He pulls Jeongguk closer nevertheless. “It’s something that’s learned over time.”

Jimin stares at him, absorbing the information. His tails twist behind him, fanning out almost like a peacock. “Okay,” he nods, satisfied. 

Jimin then turns to Junghwa who has made his way onto the center floor, just in case. Namjoon has made preparations for most situations that may arise during meetings. This one is unfortunately near the top of the list. 

“You’re powerful too. You hold a lot of knowledge with your yeouiju,” Jimin points out, eyes focused on the white orb that sits atop Junghwa’s staff. 

“That’s what happens when you’re a dragon as old as me,” Junghwa replies, eyes flashing a bright blue-green before settling. 

Jimin makes a noise of understanding, easily slipping from the magic binding him. He walks towards Junghwa and opens his mouth, orange orb sitting and ready. 

“Jimin!” Taehyung yells just as Junghwa holds up a hand, stopping Jimin in his tracks. “You can’t just go around trying to kiss people!”

Junghwa is laughing, a deep, hearty laugh from his belly. Taehyung didn’t know how much he missed the sound until now. It makes him warm despite the situation. 

The council laughs along with them, the tension finally dispersing. Even Jeongguk seems to relax into Taehyung’s touch the tiniest bit with Junghwa’s voice. He’s still half transformed, ears twitching and canines protruding from under his lips. His hyper fixation keeps him focused on Jimin but his growling has stopped. 

Jimin cocks his head to the side. “You love him too.” He points to Junghwa, looking back and forth between the two. “Differently…” he trails off, cocking his head to the side, confusion written on his face. 

Taehyung nods, the excitement from how amazing it is to witness such a thing finally settling in. “Yeah, I love Junghwa-ssi differently than I love Jeonggukkie.” The nickname slips out before Taehyung can stop it though he can’t find it in himself to care. It helps ground Jeongguk just as well as his touch does. 

“Jeonggukkie. That’s cute. I’ll use it, too.” Jimin nods like he’s confirming it to memory. “I am sorry, Jeonggukkie. I will not try to absorb from Taehyung-ah anymore.” He bows to Jeongguk, his tails finally settling as their thirst for knowledge starts to fill. 

“Alright,” Namjoon interjects, clapping his hands. He turns to the older gumiho who has moved off to the side to leave room for the interaction. “Yugyeom, how would you propose we handle Jimin? What is the best course of action to help him integrate into modern society?” 

Yugyeom hums thoughtfully, hands clasped in front of him. “Well, as to not overwhelm him I would suggest having him move into a space away from the city. Then as he gets used to human life and switching between his human form and his natural form, he can ease himself into society as he feels comfortable.”

“Sounds like a good plan. Any objections?”

The council remains silent. That’s when Taehyung decides to speak up. 

“Namjoon-ssi, if I may suggest a place Jimin-ssi can stay.”

Namjoon nods, turning towards him and Jeongguk.

“Where we used to live on the outskirts of Daegu, we use that home as a vacation home now. He could stay there until he feels ready to move.”

Jeongguk turns to him then, confusion on his face. Why?

We’re here to help, Gukkie. It’ll be okay.

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

Taehyung curls further into Jeongguk’s bare chest, basking in his post orgasmic haze. He kisses over Jeongguk’s heart, letting his lips linger. 

“Hey, Tae?” Jeongguk breaks the silence. 

Taehyung hums, keeping his eyes closed as he tries to doze. 

“I never said sorry for yesterday. I didn’t mean to snap at Jimin like that. I just— you know how I get. It was so sudden and—”

Taehyung raises a sleepy hand, fumbling around Jeongguk’s face until he finds his lips. He presses his fingers down to silence him. “Shh, pup. It’s alright. You and Jimin are already getting along, anyway.”

“I know,” Jeongguk sighs. “But it was still uncalled for.”

Taehyung hums in thought. “You both reacted how your species would. Don’t worry about it, baby. Sleep now.” Taehyung pats his chest, pulling the covers up and tangling their legs together. 

It’s silent and Taehyung is just about to doze off when—

“Hey, Tae?”

Taehyung huffs, groaning softly before replying. “Yeah, Guk-ah?”

“We handled it.”

A tired smile pulls at Taehyung’s lips. “We handled it.”

✧･ﾟ☽ ✩ ☾˚⋅✧

... unless controlled by one of their own.