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“Seriously? A lock of hair?”
“Oh come on, you know this Crushing spell isn’t going to work if I don’t have something of his!”
“I was kidding when I said to try it out!”
But since that day Taehyung discovered an ancient text on classic magical alchemy, you were all but hooked on trying at least one spell out. The reason why he had the spellbook was valid, Taehyung is a trusted student in the research department, and he has regular access to the forbidden texts. While he can’t take them out of the library, he can surely drag you along with a cloaking spell to let you explore the forbidden goods.
“Can’t I just take his wallet or something? Or his Airpods?”
“What? No, I need something attached to his body! Like hair, saliva, heck I’ll even take—”
“Gross, do not finish that sentence! Half my friends have Airpods that are literally glued to their ears 24/7! That’s basically attached!”
“Did they have Airpods during the ninth century,” when Taehyung glowers at you, and you glare right back, unmovable. “Didn’t think so. Hair or nothing.”
“Fine,” he throws his hands up in the air, getting up to dust off his knees. His burnt orange khakis are an uncomfortable mix of soot and chalk dust, and he dreads having to stone the stains out. He leads you to the exit of the forbidden section, placing his hands over the entrance and muttering an incantation at a level far lower than a whisper. You won’t even attempt to figure out the spell because it’s so high-leveled, Taehyung spent weeks learning it after he was given permission.
Looking from side-to-side, he checks that there’s no one in the vicinity as he ushers you out, pushing you over to another ancient section, one that’s not forbidden. This particular corner of the library isn’t popular, given that many witches and wizards are focused on modern magics since that’s the main mode of learning mainstream courses.
Once it feels safe to speak, you gesture widely around the older sections of the library. “Y’know, I heard the film club films library porn in here.”
“Ewh, gross! Of course you’d know that.”
You shrug loftily, “Horticulture? Ancient demon rituals? I think that’s a pretty sexy section.”
“Speaking of rituals,” Taehyung reaches over to tap your notes, your little cheat sheet for spells and charms that you practiced outside of class, “which one of my friends are you going to curse—”
“Charm,” you reply sharply.
“Same thing when it’s you.”
You clutch your powder blue notebook tighter around your hip, as if it really is fused and nestled to your body. Today you’ve copied the Crushing spell—making sure to list all the ingredients, procedures, and copy the transmutation circle down to a T. Most modern spells do not require transmutation circles unless you’re performing constructional alchemy, so it’s a real treat for you to try out the classic chalk-and-match charm.
Over who you wanted to choose as your little experiment for the Crushing spell is also something you need to tackle. You’ve narrowed it down to Taehyung’s roommates, six people who take up the penthouse of your current apartment complex. There is the human Kim Namjoon, a botanical research TA in your medicinal herbs class. He’s soft and tall and has dimples so deep you could fill a lake in them. Unfortunately you have a brain. Your brain isn't as big as Namjoon’s but it's big enough to know if you put a Crushing spell on him and he finds out, your degree is done for.
“Hm, what do you think about Hoseok?” you ask breezily, pulling up his Instagram profile. You take note of his sunny smile and colorful aesthetic.
Hoseok is also a good candidate because he’s super trusting. His smile is sweet and kind, which makes you want to take advantage of that kindness but have so far refrained for the sake of Taehyung’s sanity. Hoseok’s a fellow wizard who’s always down to help when his friends need it. You turn to Taehyung to voice that possibility but someone else beats you to it.
“Heyo, Tae!”
Your conversation ends and the light bleeds into the middle of the library in the form of Jeon Jungkook, hand-in-hand with Jeon Somi. You must look crazed, hiding in the shadows of the ancient sections pretending to busy yourself with your phone. Taehyung steps up to his roommate easily, engaging in light conversation. You decide to stay behind and eavesdrop, you are not friends with Jungkook by any means, knowing him simply through Taehyung’s social media and a handful of classes.
Somi’s a cute thing, tall and pretty with honey-charmed hair and matches with Jungkook well. You don’t know if they’re together-together, as in official put-a-ring-on-it and the whole nine yards. But they show up at parties as each other’s dates, kiss in-between classes and occasionally study in the library. To your minimal social knowledge, Somi and Jungkook have been together since you’ve known them. They are always partnered alphabetically in labs purely because of their last name. Out of proximity, they’ve ended up together.
It’s one of the main reasons as to why you don’t believe in a ‘one true love’. Love is based on work and effort, out of convenience. That’s why you needed Jungkook. You two don’t know each other, therefore leaving your little experiment clean and safe to apply. If the Crushing spell is successful, the infatuation does not need to be worked on and he’ll fall in love with you with no strings attached. He’ll forget as fast as he fell.
You blink like a deer, looking at Taehyung who has finished his meaningless conversation and is waving goodbye. The young researcher shoves his hands in his pockets, looking at you questionably, “So, you were saying something about Hoseok?”
Jungkook and Somi are going to another wing of the library, Somi’s hands latched on Jungkook’s bicep. Hoseok’s an easy choice to make. But Jungkook? Handsome, popular, and potentially unattainable. That’s a challenge. He’s barely an acquaintance to you, therefore making him the clear candidate by proxy. With no attachment whatsoever you can safely execute your spell without any broken friendship to salvage.
You stretch out your pointer and thumb in a squeezing gesture, aiming the space right between the back of Jungkook’s pretty little head.
“I want him.”
Taehyung is unsurprised, glaring at the retreating couple. Of course you want Jungkook, because you’re a demoness in a witch’s body and you’re forever unsatisfied. “I don’t know if you noticed, but the beautiful girl who has the nation wrapped around her finger and her fingers wrapped around Jungkook? That’s his girlfriend.”
You look up at him as if to say ... and? Taehyung rolls his eyes, shoving you away to walk ahead of you. You grab the sleeve of his long coat like a petulant toddler, following him outside. “And if you listened to Somi you would’ve heard she’s leading the Divination club on a retreat! She’ll be gone for a few days, unsuspectingly mapping out the stars. The Crushing spell will fade before she comes back and we can move on with our lives knowing that I’m well on my way to mastering ancient spells! Besides,” you add, “we don’t really know if they’re together together. You said so yourself Jungkook speaks very little of her when you’re alone and it’s been years.”
“For the sake of using dangerous ancient spells on humans, let’s just say Somi is his girlfriend so you don’t break his brain.” He slaps a hand on his face, his palms going down the skin achingly slow.
“Please, I just need to know if I can pull it off,” you pout, tugging at his sleeve.
“What’s in it for me?”
“I’ll buy you coffee?”
“In exchange for changing my friend’s life for three days?” Taehyung cries, before frowning at you in defeat. There’s no way he’ll be able to convince you otherwise, “there’s a reason why the forbidden section is forbidden.”
“Because the information there is sensitive and can start another Great War?”
“No,” he flicks your forehead, “because closet romantics like you want to play with love potions.”
- .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
“Okay, Tae,” you jab out your hand, the other one gripping your bulletproof silver chalk holder, “the hair.” You can feel the regret steaming from Taehyung’s aura, and it only makes you more annoyed. His aura feels muddy and full of fifteen different senses that are wholly negative. “Tae! You promised!”
He only grumbles in response, bemoaning how they’re on a lease and you’re ruining their hardwood with your transmutation circle. Since he takes forever to go to his room and retrieve the most important ingredient, you make use of your time by running over the chalk outline once more. Scrubbing between the corners of the aged wood, you take great effort in making sure your transmutation circle is solid and there are no stray spaces. This will be your first ancient spell, it has to be perfect.
“C’mon,” you whine, glaring at Taehyung’s crossed arms from the kitchen counter, “the spell is best effective when done right after the circle is completed, and you said Jungkook gets back from the gym at this time so we need to hurry!”
“Of all people,” Taehyung practically shoves the plastic bag in your hand, “you had to choose Jungkook, the definition of nondescript. He’s one of a handful of humans on this campus, he has enough attention already!”
“Well, I guess today’s the day I’m giving it,” you mean nothing by it. Jungkook’s a smart cookie and deserves his notoriety, but Taehyung mentioned once he’s the type of guy that prefers his space, so long ago you decided against actively befriending him. “How did you manage to get his hair anyway?”
Taehyung shrugs, “Levitation spell.”
“You levitated scissors near Jungkook’s head?” you’re almost horrified, and nearly drop your chalk if not for the array surrounding you, “bad-ass, but good thing Yoongi’s a healer.”
Carefully opening the small sandwich bag, you plop the lock of plain black hair into the middle of your circle, strands separating and floating against the other herbs and powders that went with the spell. Making sure not to disrupt the circle you reach over to your matchbox, lighting it and dropping the little piece of wood in the middle of your circle.
The circle speaks, your symbols glowing and your concoction burning a passionate purple as the spell works its way to the center. You’re sweating bullets, watching carefully as the Crushing spell does its thing. The smell of burning wood and ash fill your senses, and you notice Taehyung scurrying to open a window as the blackrose incense reaches the ceiling.
Finally, the circle splits, the middle of your circle spreading and breaking the incantation. There’s a flash of violet and it forces you to close your eyes. When you open them, the only thing that’s left is a charred up circle and a teaspoon amount of violet powder.
“Tae, gimmie his coffee,” you expect a hot paper cup but instead your hand is hit with something wet and cold. You stare incredulously at the blush liquid, “you ordered him a Pink Drink?”
“It’s his usual,” he shrugs, “what can I say, he loves his strawberries.”
“Cute,” you say, carefully scooping up the powder and spreading the contents into a ring. The powder slips between the ice cubes, turning the drink into a pale lavender for a few seconds before returning to its original pink.
The door alarm clicks open, alerting that someone’s come home.
“Quick,” you almost slosh the liquids onto Taehyung’s lap, “put the cap back on!”
You calm your breathing and take out an old towel, effectively scrubbing off the excess chalk and ashes. It’s then that Jungkook walks into the living room, a breath of fresh air as he smiles at the two of you, unsuspecting. You busy yourself, quietly acknowledging him as he puts away his gym bag and reaches you across the couch.
“Oo, magic,” he crouches down so he can see the remnants of the circle, swiping a hand over the chalk particles. “What kind of spell are you doing, Camille?”
He knows your name? You blank, only able to focus between his pretty smile and bulging arms from his thin muscle tee. Jungkook’s eyes look like an excited two-year old, eagerly awaiting what new thing he could learn from his magical roommate’s friend.
“Some stupid charm,” Taehyung chirps, shoving the Pink Drink in Jungkook’s face, “thirsty?”
“Awh, you bought my favorite,” with all the trust in his heart Jungkook doesn’t hesitate to take the drink from Taehyung’s grasp, "thanks man."
“Actually, this one’s on Camille,” Taehyung drolls, sipping on his own Pink Drink. The ice clicks against eachother as Taehyung downs his beverage in a matter of seconds.
“Really?” his hickory brown eyes go wide again, pretty and awed, “that’s so sweet of you, I owe you a drink next time around.”
Your face betrays you, feeling slippery and hot as you glare accusingly at your friend. “It’s nothing, really. I owed Tae, anyway,” you mumble, feeling uncharacteristically shy as you resume your cleaning.
Jungkook dosen’t say anything to that, focusing on the way you re-draw your transmutation circle by swiping the leftover chalk with warm water and soap. Your lines are impeccable, the perfect circle curving at equal angles with iridescent bubbles, like you were always meant to do this.
“Don’t forget the crevices!” Taehyung barks, pronuncing it as crev- asses just to bother you further.
“It would go by faster if you helped,” you snap back, scrubbing harder.
Jungkook sips on his drink, watching the two of you bicker. After a couple of seconds he shakes his drink, twisting the green plastic straw around the liquid, “Did you guys add something in this? It tastes a little different,” you freeze up, avoiding Taehyung’s stare as Jungkook darts between you two, “is it vanilla? Or nutmeg?” and he breaks into a smile when no one answers, “it’s vanilla, isn’t it?”
Tacking on a smile you blurt, “You’ve got a good tongue.”
You’ve got a good tongue? You absolute nutcase. You’re so glad he’s just consumed a Crushing spell because you wouldn’t be able to forgive yourself if he remembered that for the rest of his life. Taehyung snorts behind you, hauling you up unceremoniously by the armpits and stuffing your bag into your stomach. Jungkook’s face turns into something twisted and you can’t read the smile he quirks at you, the pretty upturn of his lips getting you hot and annoyed. You try not to grimace when his smile increases because you stare a little too long, and he manages to finish the whole beverage under your gaze.
“Geez, those fumes got to your head huh?” Taehyung’s practically shoving you out the door, your socks skidding against the polished floors. It forces you to leave Jungkook standing in drying water and the smell of lavender soap. “Well, Kook. You enjoy that with your good tongue . We gotta study, bye!”
You flinch when the door slams behind you, simultaneously relieved and confused at yourself now that Jungkook’s out of your sight. “I see why you haven’t tried to talk to him for four years,” Taehyung hums.
“And why do you think so?”
“Because, ya basic ,” he teases, getting all up in your face, “and you can’t help but have a crush on the little human,”
“Little human,” you scoff, hugging yourself defensively. Is Taehyung not aware of the biceps that were practically shoved in your face in that too-tight muscle shirt? Nothing about that is small. You and him move towards the elevator, you stomping away while Taehyung floats behind you, “so, what are we studying together? Chemical alchemy?”
“Actually,” Taehyung’s finger lingers on the button to the ground floor, “I’m gonna go study with Yoongi today, it’s for another project.”
“Oh, okay,” you shrug, vaguely picturing the disgruntled blond who works in the campus apothecary, “I guess I’ll just rest up then and work on some homework at my place. Who knows what’s gonna happen tomorrow.”
Taehyung’s hand reaches for you when you get too distracted in your thoughts, leading you out of the elevator once it dings back open and into the lobby where you part ways. You live on the bottom floor among the peasants while Taehyung and his other roommates have snagged the high-quality penthouse.
“Hey,” Taehyung calls for your name, and reaches out to brush your hair.
You blink at him, shaking the thoughts from your current place of interest. Taehyung’s eyes are blown like galaxies, hung with stars and shining. The lobby was always known for being achingly blinding, enchanted with permanently glowing light fixtures.
He husks against your neck, and you hear him shudder a strange mixture of a laugh and a scoff, running his long fingers through your strands. “Got dried soap in your hair,” he says, taking care to remove the pebbly bubbles from the tips of your hair, “you smell good.”
You don’t hesitate to push him away, and he looks at you like a kicked puppy but gives you the space you need. “Weirdo,” you say, sticking out your tongue.
He chuckles, “Can’t help it, you look cute when you’re all flustered like that.”
God, was he flirting? You thought he got over this freshman year when he accidentally spelled your notebooks in French instead of a dirty paragraph about whatever you were wearing at the night before’s shindig. “Sorry, but you got competition,” you retort smartly, lifting your nose, “starting tomorrow, Jeon Jungkook is going to be in love with me.”
And with that you turn on your heel, leaving Taehyung in the lobby.
- .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
You twitch like faeants have penetrated your skin, squirming in your seat as you glare at the empty one next to yours. Taehyung is always twenty minutes early to Forensic Studies, preferring to sip at your morning tea and go over last week’s notes in case there’s a pop quiz.
You: where u at?
Taehyung: sick, yoongi caught a bug
You: boo hoo :( do u want me to stop by and drop over some soup or whatevs in the apothecary?
Taehyung: nah, yoongs got it. I’ll see u in a few, tho
With a frown you turn your phone over and place it to the corner of your lab desk, careful not to touch the items that Professor Song hexed for today’s lab. Some of the more violent items are locked in place, and you don’t want to jolt if you accidentally brush against them.
It’s quiet when he sits down next to you, contrasting Taehyung's boisterous appearance when he flings his bag under the desk like second nature. But Jungkook is sweet and gentle, taking the stool next to yours and bending his head to match your height.
“Mornin’,” he chirps, flashing you a smile, “need a lab partner?”
Oh, yes. The Crushing spell should be in full swing, his blood purple and flush with affection for you. You’re shameless, sending him a blinding smile that Jungkook returns equally as pretty. Did he whiten? “Not if you stay here,” you’re absolutely saccharine, eating up his words like sugar and honey as you lean forward to meet him in the middle.
“I’m a far better partner than Taehyung, I promise,” Jungkook drawls, tonguing his cheek as he looks at you appreciatively, “I will not cause another moondust burn, I felt really bad when you had to take that chemical shower in October.”
You grimace a little, remembering how small and stupid you felt when you forced yourself in the lab’s designated shower when Taehyung accidentally blew moondust all over your face. You couldn’t think, just needing to make sure that it wouldn’t melt through your neck and stop you from breathing. It was embarrassing, especially because you had to rip off your clothes to get to your neck, leaving you clad in a bra until Professor Song put up a misting spell.
This Crushing spell premeditated after effects are rather mature for your liking. It isn’t puppy love, filled with blasé compliments and empty flirting. The spell is using Jungkook’s previous knowledge to bait you, pulling at emotions from memory and twisting it in a way to turn them all about you. Ancient magic is seriously no joke.
“God that was awful, I felt so naked,” you roll your eyes, trying to will the memory to the back of your brain.
“Yeah,” Jungkook bites his lip, “I didn’t like it when everyone saw you all exposed like that.”
The clearness of his words are startlingly smooth, rendering you speechless. Jungkook pays you no mind, now fixated on the setup of today’s lab. Your heart betrays you, stuttering as you watch Jungkook’s eyes light up at the shield Professor Song has to preserve today’s crime simulation. From what you’re gathering, it looks like you and Jungkook are about to solve a traditional country murder.
“Oh, is that a hatchet?”
“Jungkook, don’t!” your hand flies to his, clutching his larger fingers in your smaller ones. You look at him like a child scolded for touching the cookie jar. “The aura on it is azure, what does that mean?”
“Means,” his eyes flicker innocently to your hand held in his, “uh, means I’ll get electrocuted?”
“Right,” you drop his hand, “good thing it wasn’t a scarlet aura today.”
Jungkook swallows, muttering a thanks as he exerts patience. Scarlet aura means his hands would turn grey for the rest of the week. Professor Song interrupts the both of you, releasing the azure aura and instructing you to use the featured weapons and artifacts to solve today’s crime. It’s a back-to-back murder on a pair of twins, right before Christmas in the middle of the Irish countryside.
“So,” Jungkook pipes up, eyes twitching to touch the clues on the table, “I can take notes while you scourge the evidence for clues?”
“What?” You pull out your iPad, opening a fresh document so you can take notes. “You can find the evidence, I’ll take notes. You’re the one who wants to play Detective Conan today.”
He blushes, the tops of his hands brushing to the edge of the table. “It’s just that, Somi always takes care of the clues. Since she’s a witch she can levitate them. It’s just easier for me to take notes so I don’t mess up any evidence.”
Your brow furrows, unable to believe what’s coming out of his mouth right now. That kind of teamwork sounds uncomfortably childish, almost elitist. Immediately opening your drawer, you pull out a pair of rubber gloves. “You’re not going to contaminate them. Nothing’s wrong with doing it the old-fashioned way,” you shove the gloves onto Jungkook, “doesn’t matter if you have magic or not. The magic’s in your brain,” and you tap your temple for good measure.
He stares at you for a whole five seconds, before busting out laughing. “That’s so cheesy.”
You glower, “Well, at least you’re happy.”
He continues to stare at you, eyes glowing and reduced to crescents. It’s almost annoying how simultaneously cute and handsome he is, shamelessly looking at you as if you’ve recited the Mystical Commandments in ten different languages.
“Jungkook?” you squirm, pointing your pen at his gloves, “the lab?”
“Oh, right,” Jungkook shakes his head, snapping on the gloves and starting the simulator. He dives for the hatchet first, the object of choice he’s been enamoured with since the very beginning. “It’s coated in dried blood,” he starts, weighing it in his palm, “but there’s a pearlescent sheen to it, either purple or dark green. That could mean that there was ivy or brugmansia poisoning involved…”
Perking up at Jungkook’s obvious intelligence, you copy his findings with rapt attention. The two of you work gracefully, with him prattling off appropriate conclusions while you help fill in the gaps in his theories. That’s not to say that Jungkook didn’t hesitate to tack on a flirty gesture or get particularly close when he looked over your iPad. That’s not to say you don’t mind because it’s a rarity in itself that a man as ideal as Jungkook pays attention to you.
After a successful class Jungkook takes your bag and leads you out into the courtyard, into the direction of a bubble tea shop. “I still owe you for the last time you treated me,” he says, not accepting no for an answer.
With a wry smile you inhale the sweet scent of brown sugar and fresh mango. The Jasmine Dragon is a campus favorite, one of the very few places that make a mean Vietnamese coffee. The attention is refreshing, you have to admit. You’ve always known Jungkook to be good company, given Taehyung’s stories and his overall reputation on campus. It’s one thing to listen to the stories and hear from a third-party, but to experience it firsthand is to put it simply, nice.
“Can we get a matcha cake?” you pop your head over his shoulder, which is barely possible considering his height. Your eyes glow towards the lit display case, revealing your favorite treat.
He chuckles, “We can share a matcha cake.”
“The one with strawberries?”
“The one with strawberries.”
Pleased, you find a booth for the two of you in the corner of the cafe. You manage to snag the one at the very front, instead of chairs it’s a little inlet covered in pillows and turtleduck plushies. After you pull out your iPad, figuring you and Jungkook could study a little before next week’s exam. Your eyes linger on Jungkook, who pulls out his wallet from his back pocket (a very nice back pocket, bless those skinny jeans ) and pays for your drinks and cake. Carefully carrying a wooden tray, his eyes light up when he notices how patient your gaze is and how your eyes are only focused on him.
“Excited to see me?” he teases, gently putting the tray down, “didn’t peg you to be the kind of girl who misses someone after five minutes.”
“Yes,” and your eyes immediately tack to the pretty slice of matcha cake. You bring the cake closer to you, staring at it lovingly, “I’ve missed you so much!” and you dig your fork into the biggest strawberry, making an exaggerated moan that gets Jungkook’s brow twitching.
“You’re welcome,” Jungkook replies dryly, resting his hand on his elbow as he watches you devour the confection.
Studying becomes close to non-existent as you two fight for the last strawberry and slurp your drinks to the final few tapiocas. Jungkook is sweet under the spell, vying for your attention and asking you plenty of questions about you. Attempting to balance the conversation you ask some questions about him too, genuinely curious about him. This is a hybrid university, full of humans and magic-wielders alike. He enrolled simply because he’s always been fascinated with magic, wanting to work as close to the source as possible. He’s currently undecided, but isn’t too concerned. You comment on how he would make a good detective, and he replies that he would only do it if you would be his auror in crime.
“Interesting, interesting,” the sing-songing comes from another one of Taehyung’s roommates, Park Jimin. “A pair I didn’t expect,”
That gets you slinking shyly in your seat, sipping slowly at the remnants of your tea. You and Jungkook definitely isn’t a pair you’d expect either, considering you and Jungkook have been circling around each other’s friend groups for years without a full conversation. Until today, under the influence of the Crushing spell.
“Jimin,” Jungkook half-warns, pressing your shoulders together, “don’t make her uncomfortable, we’re on a date here.”
“Oh, a date ,” Jimin cooes, giving you two the wiggly brows before he falls in line to get his own confections.
You elbow Jungkook, “Who said this was a date?”
He throws you a cheeky grin and a wink, “Oh c’mon, it was just to get him to go away,” he elbows you back, “unless you want it to be a date.”
You nearly choke on your last tapioca ball, which only makes it worse when Jungkook’s large hands nestle themselves on your back. He rubs soothing, warm circles into your skin, and all of a sudden you feel like a baby being coddled. This guy will be the death of you.
The next day is just as sweet. Taehyung returns to forensics, but since Somi is still on her retreat Taehyung has to third-wheel with you and Jungkook. Yes, Taehyung decides to be the third wheel because it’s obvious how gross Jungkook and you are.
He doesn’t really mind, you two are capable students and it leaves him with barely anything to do.
“Still feeling a little under the weather, Tae?” you comment absentmindedly, jotting down things in your iPad.
While Taehyung insists his sickness was due to something he ate with Yoongi the other day, he still looks tired. His eyes are bloodshot and his usual wavy tousled locks are frizzed, as if he didn’t wash his hair in awhile. You’re not one to pry, so you can only hope your friend is taking care of himself.
“Yeah,” Taehyung’s voice is gravely, and his head is low so he doesn’t bother to make eye contact with you, “glad I’m working with the Dreamteam.”
“We are, aren’t we?” Jungkook says smugly, taking off his rubber gloves with a crack and disposing them in the bin. He’s really taken to being the handler, preferring to be more hands-on and have more authority over the projects than he’s ever had before.
“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” Taehyung looks a little miffed that Jungkook can so easily insert himself into your group, but you’re not worried. The spell will be over soon enough and you and Taehyung will go back to being A-class procrastinators with a combined braincell.
Jungkook bumps his hip with yours, breaking you from your reverie. His smile is infectious, and he leans down so your faces are almost touching. You breathe in his scent, a mix of fabric softener and his own blend. “Tae’s just jealous we work so well together,” Jungkook whispers, giving the side-eyes with an unamused Taehyung.
“I can hear you, show-off.”
You giggle, shoving him lightly on the shoulder. “Just get back to work, Detective,” and he replies with a high-pitched “yes ma’am!” and resumes cleaning up your lab station. You remind yourself that this sweetness will soon be over, but decide to relish in its flavor for as long as you can.
- .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
But five days of this soon pass and you realize that there is something wrong with your Crushing spell.
There doesn’t seem to be a fade or loss of memory when the spell should’ve seeped from Jungkook’s body. Maybe you matured the moondust for too long, prolonging the spell? After the spell is supposed to have ended, Jungkook still insists on you being partners.
The day Somi returned he explained to you that he said that he and Somi should take a break from being partners, and it’s good to spice things up a bit. Taehyung was obviously sour about it, but complied for the sake of your little experiment. A little part of you felt happy that Jungkook wanted to intervene however, he is a good partner with an observant eye.
Maybe a little too observant. With every passing day he manages to stare a little longer with those puppy eyes. You feel yourself growing comfortable with the starry gaze and the way his eyes linger on you like you’re his favorite thing in the world. It scares you.
Which brings you to now, sprawled on Taehyung’s hardwood floors once again while your notes surround you like a circle. Taehyung is hardly paying attention, catching up on a cellphone game and furiously tapping to reach an all-time score.
“Jungkook, that fucker,” he mutters to himself.
“Right!” you cry, eyes not knowing where to look as you dart back and forth between your ring of papers.
“Always gotta get the high score,” Taehyung glowers when his game ends, throwing his phone to the side.
“What? No, I’m talking about the spell!”
“And I’m talking about his competitive hard-ass,” Taehyung retorts, pulling up his legs in a criss-cross.
You want to pull your hair out, “It’s so weird! There’s nothing I could’ve done to make the spell go wrong as far as I know,” you’ve looked over your notes ten times over before and after completing the Crushing spell. If there was ever a hair out of place, you would’ve noticed it from the very beginning.
“Hm, why do you think something’s wrong?”
“Because,” you splutter, “because for some reason with every passing day his feelings are growing stronger!”
“Maybe you miscalculated,” Taehyung says slowly, “maybe he’s harbored a secret crush on you for months and you’ve just amplified his feelings.”
You scoff, loudly. Running a hand through your hair, you shake it out of its usual hairstyle. “He has Somi, there’s no way he’d have feelings for me,” you hug your knees to your chest, feeling the weight on your shoulders as you feel trapped by all your papers. What if you’re a homewrecker? You didn’t mean for the spell to last this long, you were sure no harm could be done but if you ruin their relationship you don’t know if you could forgive yourself.
Taehyung calls your name, slow and soft. “Um, I have to tell you something—”
There’s an audible shout coming from the hallway, causing you both to freeze in place. Taehyung looks the most surprised, considering it’s his home and usually knows who’s in and out regularly. You two look at each other with a shrug and wide eyes, waiting to see the live-in drama unfold.
It’s Jungkook and Somi, wrapped up in their own anger as they barrel out the bedroom. Somi is fixing her shirt, face flushed and hair messy as she throws her caramel tresses into a floppy bun. Jungkook is equally pink, running a hand through his hair and trying to usher her out as quickly as possible.
He freezes at the sight of you, as if he’s been the recipient of an icing spell and he’s rooted to the ground. “H-hey,” he looks nervous now, anger dissipated, “I-I didn’t know you’d be here.”
Somi scoffs at his blubbering, giving you a pointed look before slipping on her sneakers and slamming the door to make her getaway. Five seconds ago you would’ve begged to the ancient order on your hands and knees to get Jungkook back to his senses, but seeing Jungkook and Somi together has you seeing green. You do not like it. Not only did this spell do a number on Jungkook, but it certainly did a number on you.
“Nevermind,” you whisper, small enough that only Taehyung can barely hear, “the spell’s faded.”
And Taehyung and Jungkook watch as you take your time to fold all your notes neatly in your folder, making sure all traces of the Crushing spell are eradicated from the apartment. The air is thick, gazes burning between you two like a line of fire. Placing all your stuff in your backpack, you tell Taehyung you’ll talk to him later. You don’t make eye contact with Jungkook, for fear his expression or yours would stop you in your tracks as you shove your feet in your slip-ons and dash out the door.
Relief seeps into your bones when the elevator doors close, effectively shutting you away from the situation. Your nails pick at a loose strand of your sweater, busying your mind from what just happened. You and Taehyung were in his living room arguing about Jungkook, while Jungkook was off with Somi in his room most-likely doing the devil’s dance.
You feel heat creep up to the back of your neck, recollecting how flustered Jungkook looked when he caught sight of you. But isn’t this what you wanted? The spell proved successful, more than successful actually because the effects ended up fading and things are going to go back to normal.
This is what you get when you go all hare-brained and selfish to try new things—your emotions get in the way and you end up hurting yourself. The Crushing spell is the epitome of a backhanded spell, leaving you with a crush of your own that no amount of magic can dissolve.
The elevator doors open to your floor, revealing the last person you expected.
Jungkook is on his hands and knees, huffing and puffing. Hair is sticking to his forehead, he’s sweating a ridiculous amount, the moisture rimming around his neck and biceps. You catch yourself before you end up checking him out, seeing him mutter a small “made it” before standing up straight to meet your curious gaze.
“Did you just run all the way down here?” you ask.
“Ah, y-yeah,” he lifts his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow, revealing a very pretty set of abs and a hairline leading to—
“Why?” You are looking respectfully.
“Uh,” he definitely didn’t think this one through, which is surprising because cool and collected Jeon Jungkook always thought things through. “I just wanted to say that Somi and I didn’t sleep together,” he winces, “at least, not anymore.”
You press your lips together, feeling your blood curdle and your back straighten at his admonition. “Okay,” you reply slowly, eyes darting between the hallways in case anyone is listening, “and why are you telling me this?”
You don’t understand the crestfallen expression that fills his visage, shoulders drooping and his coral lips tilted into a frown. “What, why wouldn’t I?” he sounds terribly genuine, confused even, “I thought… we had something.”
“Wait, you think you like me?” you reply incredulously. Your heart is beating out of your chest, your stomach brewing as if thousands of nymphs are partying in your body, “You don’t like me.”
Jungkook’s brows furrow together, following you down the hallway. “How can you say that?” now he sounds annoyed, angry even. “Who are you to tell me what I feel and don’t feel?”
Exasperated, you search through your bag for your key. You just want to jam your key in, lock the door, and eat cookie dough. “Because! Your feelings aren’t real!”
“What?” now he’s just puzzled, “what are you talking about?”
Ignoring his pleading look, you cry out when you can’t find your key. Finally you just decide to spell your room open, murmuring an incantation only reserved for you. Your display of magic stops Jungkook momentarily, the knob sparkling a sunset orange hue. But you’re not done yet. With two fingers, you brush against all the corners and seams of the door, leaving behind a faint yellow glow.
“I’ve put a silencing spell on the door,” you say, head down, “so please, leave me alone. I’m sorry.”
You don’t even bother to give him a goodbye as you slam the door in his face. Slowly, your body rests against the door, inching closer and closer to the floor until you’re hugging your knees to your chest. You’ve royally fucked up this time. You don’t even know how you’re going to face Jungkook in the future. You can’t imagine how disgusted he’ll be, how afraid he’ll be when he finds out you’ve spelled him. How can you tell him that the things he’s feeling aren't real, when your romantic feelings towards Jungkook are nothing but terrifyingly real?
- .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Taehyung shows up at your apartment two days later, with a mint organza bag and a sad smile.
You’re also a little worse for wear, wearing an old college sweater with too many holes and a thin pair of boxers. Nevertheless Taehyung has seen you at your worst and best, and you open the door a little wider to let him in. His eyes linger at the open door for a few seconds until it’s slammed shut, before proffering the bag in your hands. In them are a dozen butter cookies, soft and topped with stardust.
“Bogum made them,” Taehyung mumbled, following you to your couch, “I frosted them. See the sprinkles? They’re your favorite color.”
“Um, thanks?”
“They’re ‘I’m sorry’ cookies.”
“What? I’m the one who should be sorry,” you retort, ripping open the bag to divide the cookies between you two. “I shouldn’t have made you help me spell Jungkook, I got myself into this mess.”
You can’t even imagine how uncomfortable you made the two of them now. If they were close before, Jungkook must’ve asked Taehyung a million questions about what was up with you.
“Yeah… you shouldn’t have tried to spell Jungkook,” Taehyung barely chews on his cookie his voice smaller than usual, “but it wasn’t Jungkook you spelled.”
“What do you mean?” you pause, cookie lingering by your lips.
“I mean that the hair you used wasn’t Jungkook’s, it was mine. And I was the one who drank your Crushing spell.”
A hypothetical truck hits you, slamming you straight on the head. That explains the heavy flirting in the lobby the other day.
“So you’re telling me you lied,” your voice is paper thin, but sharp enough to slice the thickest of skulls (aka, Taehyung’s). You raise your fist.
“I didn’t think you’d find out!” he shrieks, holding his body together. “No way was I going to let my friends consume any ancient spells! It’d be on my head if anyone found out you used a spell from the forbidden section!”
“Why wouldn’t I find out!”
“Because Jungkook has a crush on you, obviously!”
Your hand falls to your lap, realization melting in your body. So that means that everything that happened this past week, the chemistry, the feelings, were all genuine?
“But why would he have a crush on me?” you ask, knowing how little you’ve talked the past year.
“Beats me,” Taehyung snorts, “because having a crush on you was awful. I had to think about you for hours at a time, could barely focus. Yoongi barely got the antidote right before I started really peaking. I can’t imagine Jungkook wanting to voluntarily like you—hey!”
You steal the cookie from his grasp, shoving it into your mouth. “Great to know you think I’m a real catch.”
Taehyung puts his hands between you two, giving you the puppy eyes. “Are you mad at me?”
“Yes—no, not really,” you sigh, scratching your head. “I’m sorry this happened, my selfishness really got us into trouble. I don’t even know how to explain all of this to Jungkook. I bet he wouldn’t like me anymore if he found out I was trying to spell him.”
“Ah, I highly doubt that,” Taehyung gets up quickly, patting your shoulder. It’s a little jarring how fast he puts on his jacket and puts on his shoes, throwing you a quick hug that you barely grasp, “We both messed up together. I lied, you tried drugging Kook. No hard feelings. Next time you wanna do a spell, stay away from the romance section. And don’t forget to give him a call, he misses ya!”
You flinch when the door slams shut, Taehyung gone just as fast as he came. It’s a bit of a whirlwind, as if your mind’s a tornado and you’re stuck in the middle of it. The main concern is Jungkook, who you’ve severely hurt, and has no idea about any of this. You feel terribly guilty for putting him into this mess, a silly witch playing with old spells.
“Guess I should give Jungkook a call,” you mutter to yourself, reaching for your phone.
“Nah, I’m right here.”
You scream, brandishing a knife from the counter at the sudden voice. Popping up from the couch is a bodiless Jungkook, smiling brightly at you. His head is floating in the air like it’s nothing, hobbling around the couch like a puppet show. Fluffy black strands bounce and float in the air as his head flies around. It’s a terrible conglomeration of a nightmare and a dream, Jungkook’s here, but not entirely here.
“What the hell, Kook!” you cry, dropping your knife in the sink and running up to him, “where’s the rest of your body?”
“What? Oh,” in a flash, something falls in his lap and reveals the rest of him.
Your hands fist in the fine fabric, noting the millions of little mirror-like gemstones adorning the thin material, “An invisibility cloak,” you murmur, shifting your hand underneath to watch it disappear in an instant, “where did you get one of these?”
“Tae owed me,” Jungkook shrugged, “and before you say anything, I'm sorry for eavesdropping. I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me anymore but since Taehyung basically explained everything,” he gives you a sheepish grin, “I guess it’s just more convenient that I’m already here?”
“So, you’re not mad?” you say in a small, unsure voice. You feel your throat start to close up, insecure and worried that Jungkook will turn you away. But you try to convince yourself that he’s here now and if he really wanted to go, he would’ve left with Taehyung.
“No, not really,” he replies, “if I were in your position, I would’ve done the same thing. You just, y’know…”
“Need to know if you can do it on the first try?”
“Exactly,” he snaps his fingers, knowing you’d get it.
“And you… really like me?”
Jungkook softens at that, sinking further into the couch as he reaches over to take your hand in his, “Why wouldn’t I like you? You treat me like an equal, not just the ‘shiny little human’ they’re impressed by. You’re so smart, ambitious, one of the most talented witches I’ve ever met. Not to mention you look adorable with cake stuffed in your mouth.”
Butter me up, why don’t ya.
“Somi and I have—had, this weird thing going on for awhile,” he looks over your decorated house, all the bottled essences in one sealed boudoir next to some dried plants in another dresser. “We accepted we were emotionally unavailable for each other for a while, but kept the benefits for obvious reasons,” he looks embarrassed admitting this. You personally could care less, it’s not like you had any serious bounds to him before this week. “But it was just convenient being with her, y’know?”
“Yeah, you don’t have to work for anything,” you agree.
“Right,” he squeezes your hand in his, “ever since your presentation on human and magical technology, I always thought you were someone worth fighting for. But Taehyung said you were shy and I’m shy and—” Jungkook shakes his head, there’s no use giving excuses now, “but I want to work for you. I want to work with you,” he turns his head to yours, a little uncertainty in his chocolate brown eyes, “if you want to, that is. No spells attached.”
“I want to,” you whisper, giving him a tentative smile. You squeeze your hand back, and while Jungkook declares no spells, you feel magic igniting between your fingertips.
- .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
bonus.
“Aaaand, done!” the two of you click the “confirm” button at the same time, successfully sending in your applications to the Auror Academy, a graduate program that would help you two become successful law enforcement. After Professor Song’s endless encouragement and a prettily sealed recommendation letter, the both of you decided to take the plunge and enroll.
“You really think we could be partners in crime?” Jungkook asks, shoving his laptop away to lay on the grass beside you. Hundreds of students are out, basking in the sun just like you are. The semester is over and now you have the whole summer to prepare for the next chapter in your life.
“There’s tons of couples that work together. My aunts work in special crimes together,” you note, thinking about how the two of them go on cool missions together, “we could be an undercover married couple. Innocent newlyweds by day, deadly detectives by night. We’d sleep in an inconspicuous white-picketed house, but have daggers holstered to our thighs at all times.”
“That’s so hot,” Jungkook grins, stretching his arms out to show off how cut he’s gotten.
“Really,” you smirk, trailing a finger down his chest, “show me how hot that makes you.”
A challenging grin evades Jungkook’s face, and he darts up to pin you to the picnic blanket, causing you to thud against the grass and nearly crush your matcha cake that’s been sitting innocently by your basket. In seconds his lips are on yours, tasting like sweet cream and strawberries. You shriek when his lips dive to your neck, immediately finding the soft spot that has you feeling all light and jelly-like.
“Could really use the invisibility cloak right now,” he mutters into your neck, sending wet kisses against your jawline.
“I could always put a glamour over us, that’d be kinda sexy.” and you see the idea flash in Jungkook’s eyes, the thought of having hundreds of students walk by while he ravishes you, unsuspecting under a glamour. You, his smart witch, a temptress.
“I love you,” he sighs into your mouth, the world above him sparkling into oblivion.