↳ Index [Chapter 07 - Medicine]
Warnings: she is a nervous bean, Tae & Koo are hurt my poor boys :(, healing magic heheh, they're all so right for each other <3
Wordcount: 7.8k
a/n: dude. all my author notes are "i love them" but it is, in fact, the truth <3
“Jungkook, no!” you call after him, but too late.
He leaped off the edge, expecting to land gently like he would in the real world, but instead he almost face plants the ground.
All you can hear is a dull impact followed by a genuinely surprised, “oof” and “ouchies my knees.”
“Kookie”, you are by the edge instantly. As are Yoongi and Taehyung.
The latter, in his worry, leaps off the edge as well, calling out Jungkook’s name.
“Tae no!” you scream, but too late.
He lands just as harshly as Jungkook, twisting his ankle and falling to his bum harshly.
“Aua, ah, ouch”, he gets out, holding his own ankle while next to him, Jungkook rubs his knees and whines about them being in pain.
“You fucking idiots, goddamn it”, you mumble under your breath, “stay where you are, we’re coming down. Yoongi, use the ladder.”
“I was planning to”, he says, following you down the safe way, “you two are idiots. Why did you jump down like that?”
“I forgot that I’m human in here”, Jungkook whines.
“As did I”, Taehyung whines, “ah, my ankle hurts unbearably.”
“My knees hurt too. Aua, it hurts so bad”, Jungkook whines and lets out a sob of pain.
“God, you two”, you say, kneeling down between them. Yoongi joins your side, touching Jungkook under his knees while you turn your attention to Taehyung.
“Where does it hurt?”
“My ankle. There”, Taehyung says and points at it.
You press down on it, resulting in sharp pain to shoot through his lower leg. He flinches away.
“There?”
“Yes. Ah, fuck”, he gets out and drops his head in the dirt as he writhes in pain, “I think I ripped the tendon, it hurts so much”, he gets out through gritted teeth, throwing his hand over his eyes as he whimpers in agony.
“No my darling, this is so awful oh god”, you say and run your hand over his ankle softly, “I’ll try to move it. Okay?”
“Do you have to?”
“I’ll be gentle. I need to see if it’s broken.”
“Alright, oh god”, Taehyung says and tenses his jaw.
“Okay, take a deep breath. One, two, three.”
You can move his foot, but Taehyung flinches away after just a few seconds.
“Ah.”
“Hurts?”
“Yes.”
“Shit. Oh god, Tae”, you say and look at Yoongi, “Yoongi, what do we do?”
Yoongi, who was busy assessing Jungkook’s situation, looks at Taehyung. His face carries seriousness.
“Can you move your foot?” he asks.
“Barely”, Taehyung says, showcasing the tiniest of movement.
“Mhm. Yeah, you guys really fucked it”, he decides, “what were you thinking jumping off like this? You could have fucking killed yourselves.”
“We didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Yeah well, look at where this still got you.”
“I only jumped off because I was so worried about Kook and I forgot that I am basically useless in here”, Taehyung defends himself, sitting up which results in more pain to shoot through his leg, “ah”, he tenses up, pulling a face of agony.
“Okay, let’s not fight right now”, you say, sending Yoongi a look.
The latter nods his head, looking at Jungkook instead because your serious eyes flustered him. He rubs his hand over Jungkook’s left knee.
“We gotta get you guys inside. I know a healing spell, but I don’t know if Agatha has the ingredients for it.”
“Okay, what do we gotta do?”
“Do you remember the spell I showed you before?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s use it to lift them”, Yoongi says and changes his position next to Jungkook, “can I show her what I mean?”
“Yeah, what do I have to do?”
“Put your arms around my shoulders.”
Jungkook follows.
“Good. Stay like this and I’ll put my right arm under your legs now. Ready?”
“Yeah.”
Yoongi moves slowly in order not to hurt his knees even more. His left arm he drapes around Jungkook’s waist.
“See? Like this. Make sure you give his body general support and then imagine how the magic takes his weight off your arms. You still gotta do the carrying, but with the magic, he won’t feel heavy. Like this”, Yoongi says and stands up with Jungkook in his arms.
“Woah”, Jungkook gasps, looking at Yoongi with big eyes, “that feels funny.”
“Yeah, like you’re floating. Does it hurt your knees?”
“No. Not at all. Woah this is impressive, wow.”
Yoongi turns to you. To an untrained eye it looks as if he was carrying Jungkook bridal style. Quite frankly, even to a trained eye it looks like that. But judging from Jungkook’s genuinely comfortable expression, no strain was put on his knees right now.
“Like this. Try it yourself.”
“Okay, okay I’ll try. Oh god, I’m nervous. I’ve only done this twice before”, you babble, reaching for Taehyung.
“Your hands are trembling”, he says, holding them gently.
“I’m nervous. I don’t wanna hurt you.”
“You won’t. I trust you.”
“Well, at least one of us has to. Right?” you say, laughing nervously.
“It’s okay princess, you can’t hurt him with the spell. He’ll just feel heavy if it’s not done right”, Yoongi assures you.
“Take your time, baby”, Jungkook reassures you.
“I really trust you”, Taehyung encourages you.
Their sweet words calm down your racing heart. You can’t hurt Taehyung. Even if you mess up, the outcome won’t be awful. It feels so healing to your broken inner child to have partners who make such a little deal out of small mistakes.
You take a deep breath and close in on Taehyung.
“Okay, I’ll try it”, you say.
“That’s my girl. You’re doing so well”, Yoongi praises.
Taehyung smiles and wraps his arms around you. His encouraging smile doesn’t fall as you place your arms in the right position and neither as you close your eyes to try and visualise the spell working.
“Okay, I think I got it”, you say and try to lift Taehyung. You fail miserably, grunting embarrassingly, “sorry, that was a weird sound. Ah god, sorry. Sorry.”
“It’s alright, just try again”, Taehyung assures you.
“Sorry, fuck, sorry”, you stutter and try to lift him again, “ah! No that was a fail. Sorry, wait.”
“Hey, it’s okay”, Yoongi soothes you. He squats down and puts Jungkook on the ground softly. He rubs your back and Jungkook does the same, “don’t panic, my love. You’re doing okay.”
“I’m just scared. I, I don’t wanna hurt him.”
“You won’t. Trust me”, Yoongi promises and rubs the nape of your neck gently, “trust yourself, princess love.”
“We all trust in your abilities. So if you can’t trust yourself yet, trust us. We know that you can do it”, Jungkook says.
“Come, let’s try again. I’ll even make myself lighter”, Taehyung says, making you laugh softly.
“Yeah okay, I’ll try again. God sorry, I’m a nervous mess”, you say and close your eyes.
It doesn’t feel different at first until suddenly it does. Taehyung practically feels as if he was lifting off the ground all on his own.
“Darling”, Taehyung gasps, “darling, you’re doing it!”
“I’m doing it. I’m doing it?”
“You are, keep going”, Yoongi encourages you, standing up with Jungkook in his arms. The spell comes as easy to him as breathing does. He doesn’t even have to concentrate on visualising it and he knows that one day, you will get there as well.
“Wow, look at you! You’re doing it!” Jungkook cheers you on.
You are standing, Taehyung is in your arms and it feels easy to do. You turn around.
“I’m doing it!” you squeak, beaming at Yoongi and Jungkook.
“You are, wow you’re so awesome!”
“Good job, princess. Now try to keep that connection to the feeling and we’ll carry them inside.”
“Okay, okay. I can do that.”
“That’s my girl. You make me so proud”, Yoongi praises and turns so he could lead the way. You follow him with light steps, giggling happily.
“Can you feel that, Tae? You’re like air in my arms.”
“It feels most peculiar. As if I am floating”, he says and rests his head on your shoulder, “you are so impressive, my darling.”
“Yeah, I guess I am”, you snicker, “sorry for panicking. This was embarrassing.”
“Don’t apologise. I would have panicked as well if our roles were reversed.”
“I think you did really awesome”, Jungkook says, “don’t you agree, Yoongi?”
“Yeah, you don’t gotta be embarrassed. You did well.”
“Thank you, guys. God”, you say and do a little skip of happiness. It feels so healing to be with them.
You put Jungkook and Taehyung on the spacious sofa, making sure that their legs are properly supported.
“Now what do we gotta do?”
“We’re gonna make an oil which will speed up the healing. Then we’re gonna spread it on their wounds in a certain pattern and chant a spell as we do it. The oil will serve as a catalyst so the healing magic can soak their fibers.”
“Does all healing magic need oils to work?”
“The kind I learned yes, but there is another form of healing as well. Nilrem always called it Mending and said that only a very few witches were able to master it.”
“What’s Mending?”
“You manipulate the body through your magic. You shift bones back into place, reconnect muscle tissues and so on. It’s basically manipulating the body into its smallest fibers.”
“That sounds kinda nasty.”
“It is. Nilrem always said that these Menders can feel the body change under their spells.”
“Ew okay, really nasty.’
“Mhm yeah. Now can you get me some lavender, buckhorn, nettles and pine bark from outside? We’ll need it for the oil.”
“Of course. How much?”
“A handful of everything should be enough.”
“Your hand or mine?”
He glances at you.
“What? An important question. Your hand fits like three times more than mine.”
“Your hand will be enough.”
“Okay, okay. Coming right up.”
Yoongi puts some oil on the stove while you are outside. He looks at the two patients while it heats up.
“How are you two doing?”
They look at him over their shoulders.
“It hurts.”
“Could be better.”
“Mhm, you’ll feel better soon. The spell is very strong. One of my friends broke her leg once and we applied the spell on it. Next day she could walk again.”
“Wow, really?”
“Yeah. It’ll work, I know it will”, he says and turns away to stir the oil. He prepares some tea afterwards, letting it steep and carrying it to them before you are back.
“What’s this?”
“Tea. It’ll calm you down.”
“Calm us down?”
“The spell is gonna be”, he exhales deeply, “it’s not gonna be pleasant for you. It’ll help, but it’s a bitch during the process.”
“Oh god, really?”
“Yeah.”
“Why are you saying this, hyung? Now I am frightened.”
“Sorry, I just thought that it’s best to let you know so you know what’s gonna happen. Here, drink this tea, it’ll help.”
“Thank you.”
“Heavens, I hope it will. I already suffered enough pain in the past.”
“I’m back and I got everything”, you enter the cottage, hurrying to the stove, “what should I do with it? Oh my god you guys, I burned my hands so many times on the stupid nettles. They’re so sensitive now.”
“Oh no, poor girl.”
“Yeah right. Should I put everything into the oil already?”
Yoongi hurries to you, looking into the pot. The oil is beginning to boil. He lowers the heat.
“Yes, put all of it in there.”
“Okay, okay.”
“Next we’re gonna add two cinnamon sticks, three peppercorns and dried dandelion roots.”
“Does everything have meaning in this recipe?”
“Cinnamon and pepper is for warmth, lavender for calming, nettles support blood circulation and buckhorn is there to prevent inflammation. I’ll show you something with it. Show me your hands.”
You show them to him. Yoongi takes a few leaves of the buckhorn and chews on them. Once they are just a little mushy, he places them on your hands, rubbing it over the nettle burns.
“It contains tannins which cancel out the nettle poison. You’ll feel better soon.”
“Thank you”, you whisper, finding yourself so utterly mesmerised by him.
He knows so much. It makes you so attracted to him.
“There we go, all better”, he says and throws the chewed leaves away, “the pine bark and roots are there to support the magic. Roots are nourishment for the plant and keep it grounded. If the roots are strong, the plant is strong. So roots serve as a strengthening element for magic spells. Bark keeps trees protected and in the spell we’ll do, it will make sure to keep the magic protected from outside influences. If they shower and wash off the oil, the bark will keep the magic sealed inside their body and therefore keep its healing going.”
“I see. I understand everything perfectly. Thank you for explaining it to me.”
“Of course. One day, you’ll be able to do it all on our own.”
“Yeah, hopefully.”
“I’m sure of it. You’re intelligent and talented, you’ll be a very good witch”, he says encouragingly, rubbing your lower back.
“Thank you”, you whisper, feeling shy.
“Mhm. Now we gotta wait for a bit. How are you doing, boys?”
“Nervous.”
“Frightened.”
“Why?” you ask.
“The spell is gonna hurt, I kinda told them already.”
“Really? Noo, is there no alternative?”
“Sadly not, no.”
“Gosh, this sucks”, you pout.
“Hm yeah.”
You break away from Yoongi, hurrying to the others. You rub their shoulders in hopes of calming them down.
“We’ll be quick and it’ll be better afterwards. Promise.”
“I know, we trust you. It’s just scary because it’ll hurt.”
“Gosh, I know baby”, you give Jungkook a back hug, kissing his cheek and squishing your cheek against it afterwards, “mhm my baby, I’m glad nothing worse happened to you.”
“Me too, yeah.”
You back hug Taehyung as well, snuggling your cheek against his’.
“You too, darling. I’m so glad nothing awful happened.”
“Me too. It was foolish of us to jump.”
“Yeah, muscle memory can be traitorous sometimes.”
“It truly can be.”
“Princess, do you wanna come here for a second?”
“Yes, of course. What do you need?”
“I just wanna show you what to do to turn the oil from normal into magical.”
“Show me.”
“Once the herbs look like this, you have to stir the oil three times into clockwise direction and speak the word Elictis as you do it. It’ll activate the magic in it.”
“Do I have to channel the oil as I do it?”
“No, yourself. I’ll do it tonight because you’re not stable enough yet.”
“Yes, okay. Good idea. I bet my worry and nervousness would mess up the magic.”
“Definitely. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to do it one day.”
“I know, thank you my love.”
“You could start with them already as I do it. The oil’s still gotta cook for another five minutes.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Good. Get the injured limp exposed. Hear me, boys? We have to take off your pants if that’s okay.”
“It’s fine with me.”
“I do not mind either. Ah, it is difficult to do by myself.”
“Wait, Tae. I’ll help you”, you say and hurry to him.
You help him and Jungkook, then it is already time for the oil to be finished. Yoongi shows you how to harden it with the help of magic, earning himself a row of impressed gasps.
Afterwards you start work on your patients, rubbing the oil on the wounded parts whilst whispering the correct word. It is needless to say that it wasn’t a comfortable experience for neither Jungkook nor Taehyung and that there was a time where you needed to take a break for Taehyung’s sake.
He is sniffling, pouting with teary eyes.
“It hurts, please stop”, he pleads.
“Gosh Tae, I’m sorry”, you say, moving in to kiss his tears away, “I’m sorry, it’s so awful I know.”
“Do we still have to do this for long?” Jungkook asks with worry in his eyes. He is hurting too, but seeing Taehyung cry hurts more.
“It’s gonna be over soon”, Yoongi assure him, “try to hold each other and power through it. I’m sorry Tae, I know it’s bad but you’ll feel better afterwards.”
“Take my hand, okay?” Jungkook says, intertwining fingers with him. Taehyung looks at him, “we’ll do it together”, Jungkook assures him with a smile.
“Are you ready, darling?” you ask him, already situated by his foot again.
“I guess”, Taehyung says and looks away.
“Begin again”, Yoongi says and concentrates on Jungkook’s knees.
The pain starts again, Jungkook swallows down his own complaint for Taehyung’s sake. The latter squeezes his eye shut and bares his teeth, tightening his hand around Jungkook’s. Like this, the two men power through the last few moments of the spell. They are sweaty and exhausted afterwards, needing to drink water.
“You did really well”, Yoongi praises them as he washes his hands.
“Seriously, we’re so proud of you”, you agree, drying your hands after having washed them.
You return to them, wiping their foreheads with a paper towel.
“I’m tired”, Taehyung confesses.
“That’s part of the spell. You exerted your bodies a lot. It’s best to sleep it off”, Yoongi explains and picks up Jungkook, “let’s get you comfortable.”
You pick up Taehyung, following Yoongi upstairs to put the two patients under the sheets. You tug him in while Yoongi makes sure that Jungkook is comfortable. You are talking to Taehyung, but your conversation is so quiet that Yoongi and Jungkook can talk comfortably as well.
“I watched you be brave for Tae’s sake. How are you doing? Honestly.”
“It hurt so much, I wanted to make noises.”
“I figured”, Yoongi smoothes his messy hair out of his face, “don’t hold back next time. You’re allowed to show discomfort too, kiddo.”
“I know”, Jungkook whispers and closes his eyes when Yoongi leans down to kiss his forehead. He smoothes his hand down his temple, kissing his left cheek next.
“You were so brave. Hyung’s proud of you”, Yoongi whispers, straightening up so he could give Jungkook a fond eye smile.
Jungkook retorts it with a fluttering heart.
“Now try to sleep”, Yoongi caresses his cheek, “you’ll feel a lot better afterwards.”
“Okay hyung”, Jungkook whispers and closes his eyes.
Yoongi tugs one last strand of hair behind his ear then steps back. Taehyung is slumbering already after you calmed him down. You are by the door, waiting for Yoongi. You look shaken by the situation and so Yoongi places his arm over your shoulders.
“Are you okay?”
“I don’t know”, you confess quietly, trembling just a little.
“Let’s take a walk”, he says, leading you outside, “you did really well, my princess.”
“I feel so bad. We really hurt them.”
“I know, the spell’s a bitch. But they’ll feel a lot better tomorrow.”
“I don’t like causing you guys pain. It upsets me so much”, you confess and gulp down a sob.
“I know, princess, I know”, he whispers, pulling you close to kiss your temple, “come on, let’s take a walk for a bit. Yeah?”
“Yes, please.”
You take the main road today, walking along the gravel path. Yoongi keeps his arm around you because you can’t seem to let him go. He doesn’t mind, giving your arm and waist little caresses whenever he can.
“This trip ended so badly, didn’t it?” you ask.
“No it didn’t. They’ll feel better tomorrow, I promise.”
“Oh god, I’m still shaky. Look”, you say, showing him your trembling hands.
Yoongi pulls you closer, “you did well. It was your first healing spell and it was upsetting, but you kept your calm.”
“Technically the first healing spell was when I healed you.”
“Exactly and you fucking scorched your hands to the bone doing that. I know it was hard to see them in pain, but it had to be done. You did really well, princess.”
“Thanks, yeah”, you say and take a deep breath. You release it shakily, touching your own forehead, “oh god, why am I shaking so much?”
Yoongi furrows his brows in worry. It upsets him that he can’t offer you comfort in the ways he could in the real world. Outside this realm, he could calm down your anxiety by touching your temple, but in here he is bound to his human abilities. His weak, limited human abilities. But then. He isn’t truly human, is he? Yoongi remembers the spells of old. The spells he learned from Nilrem, which will cause him just a little discomfort but bring comfort to you. He stops you and pulls you close to kiss your temple, listening to the deep sigh of relaxation you let out because of it. You lean into his affection, touching his arm. Yoongi can sense your anxiety because he is currently taking it on for you. He breathes through it. He knows this exact anxiety all too well.
“You know, when I was still a witch”, he speaks softly, “Nilrem also taught us how to heal people. It sounded really great and exciting in theory and I couldn’t wait to heal my first person.”
You look at him, listening to his story intently.
“It was a boy. He wasn’t much older than seven. He played outside with his friends and fell out of tree, which resulted in a broken arm and fractured collarbone. His friends carried him to our hut and begged us to heal him.”
“So you were practicing magic in public back then?”
“Of course we were. Being a witch was seen as a really noble thing and people came to us for help.”
“I see, wow that sounds so cool.”
“It was. This day, Nilrem wasn’t in town because he needed to do something in the mountains. Don’t ask me what, he never told us anything. Only Namjoon, I and two other Creators were present when the boys came and because I was the one, who had mastered the spell the best, I had to step in and heal him. I was also the oldest present, so maybe that could have been a factor too.”
“How old were you?”
“About seventeen.”
“You were so young, oh god.”
“I really was and I was so nervous. The theory sounded great, but actually doing it? I was scared.”
“I can imagine.”
“I was aware that I was helping him, but the screams as I did it fucking haunted me.”
“Oh no, Yoongi…”
“I managed to heal him and he left feeling exhausted but good, but the first thing I had to do after he left was throw up into a pot as I sobbed because I was so fucking upset about it. As I healed him, I could feel his body changing under my hands and could sense his pain and hearing a child scream in pain for way too long is awful.”
“No, my poor Yoongi. I’m so sorry you had to go through this”, you get out.
“It was upsetting, but I knew that I did the right thing because a few days later, the boy and his friends came back with wooden figures they made for me as a thank you.”
“Aw, this is so cute, gosh”, you say, having to smile.
“It was. They were really adorable little kids and the stupid punk fell out of a tree again not long after. Thankfully he didn’t break anything again.”
“Oh gosh, boys will be boys no matter what time period”, you laugh.
“Yeah, seriously”, he agrees fondly, rubbing your back, “but the reason why I told you this story is because I want you to know that being upset after your first healing spell is normal. Healing magic is very upsetting as you are doing it. It’s not easy to know that you are hurting them even if it’s for a good cause. I understand your feelings and I’m here for you.”
You hug him as tightly as possible. He is such a comforting person. He really is.
“Thank you for being there for me and, and with me. I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”
“You’d still do fucking great.”
“No, no I don’t think I would”, you gaze at him, “you’re really important to me.”
He blushes, smiling softly before pulling you in to kiss your forehead, “you’re important to me too, my love.”
“Oh god Yoongi”, you stop just so you can rest your head against his chest, pressing your ear to it as tightly as possible. You hug him as you do, counting the heartbeats in his chest.
You inhale deeply, exhaling through your nose.
“You love me, don’t you?”
“I love you so much, princess”, Yoongi speaks softly. His voice tickles your ear. To hear it together with his pulse calms you down immensely, “why do you ask?”
“I just wanted to hear it”, you say, looking at his face, “it’s nice to hear it together with your heartbeat.”
He smiles, “you’re cute���, he says and takes your hand to lead you along the path again.
It won’t be long anymore until the sun sets. The colours of the trees are changing already. The golden light will be here very soon.
“Do you still like being human?”
“Yeah, it’s nice. I like it.”
“I’m happy you do. You seem really happy here.”
“I guess I am”, he shies away, “I like how normal I am and that I have limits.”
“That’s nice. Do you like your magic?”
“Yeah, I do. I missed it”, he says, lifting his hand to create a flower. He inspects it, “I didn’t know how much I missed it, but I did. It’s nice”, he says, giving the flower to you.
“You’re so cute”, you say, sticking the flower into your hair for safe keeping, “I want to be like you one day.”
“You will. You’re very talented. I think you and Kook have this in common. You’re both insanely quick learners.”
“Yeah, that’s true”, you agree, “I’m so happy to be a witch. When I first met you guys and you did all the world saving while I was nothing but a useless burden, I felt so upset about my own limits.”
“You were never a useless burden. Don’t say that.”
“Yeah well, I felt like it. You did all the fighting, all the talking, all the saving and I had to hide away because I was so vulnerable. I understood why I had to keep low, but it made me feel useless and like a burden.”
“I’m sorry I made you feel this way. It was never my intention. I just wanted to keep you safe.”
“You didn’t make me feel this way. Gosh, don’t worry my love”, you assure him with a fond smile, giving his hand a little squeeze, “I knew why you did it, which made me feel so useless. It wasn’t you, but my own limits.”
“Oh, my princess…”
“It’s not a sad story, it really isn’t.”
“Are you sure? Cause right now, I worry a lot.”
You chuckle, “you worry all the time, my love. I don’t know if that’s such a good measurement to base it on.”
“Oh yeah”, he does a funny you-caught- me-face to lighten the situation, “you’re right.”
You laugh. Yoongi smiles.
“You’re cute, my love and I guess what I want to say is that I’m happy that I found my powers. Once I learned control and I can actually use my magic, I can help as well. I can fight and I can save people and heal them and I don’t have to feel so inferior to any danger I ever meet.”
“I like hearing that”, his voice is even softer than it already was, “it brings me a lot of peace of mind as well. You’ll be able to protect yourself. It will lessen a lot of the worry for me.”
“Knowing you, you’ll still worry way too much”, you tease him, which earns you a soft bite to your shoulder, “ah, hey!”
“Stop teasing me, I bite”, he warns, biting you again.
“Yoongi, stop”, you giggle, chasing him despite your complaints.
He chuckles deeply, straightening up.
“Gosh, you silly cat, you”, you say, nudging his arm before cuddling into him. You look up at the sky, “I think it’s gonna be dark soon.”
“Yeah. Wanna start making dinner?”
“We could do that, yeah.”
Your grandparents return when dinner is almost finished. You tell them about what happened and how you handled the difficult spell to which they praise you. Taehyung and Jungkook don’t join you for dinner, but your grandmother makes up for it by preparing her healing porridge for them. It is already a little later when she finishes, asking you if you perhaps wanted to bring them upstairs.
You agree to it because they are currently watching a sports event on television and you don’t enjoy these kinds of shows. Yoongi seems really happy however, sitting between your grandparents with a pair of hand-knitted socks on his feet and a bowl of porridge on his tummy.
You knock on the door.
“It’s open!” Jungkook calls out.
With the help of your elbow, you open the door.
“I come bearing gifts. How are my two brave warriors doing?” you say, carrying a tray of food. Warm sweet porridge and mugs of tea fill the room with a cozy scent instantly.
Taehyung and Jungkook are where you left them. Tugged into your small childhood bed with their heads nestled in soft pillows and one blanket covering them both.
“I napped and then I napped again”, Jungkook says with his eyes slightly glassy from sleep. He is basically cocooned in the pillows while Taehyung uses them to sit up.
“I finished a book and started a new one”, Taehyung says.
“That sounds like a productive afternoon. I brought you guys a little snack. Something warm to heal your terrible wounds”, you add a teasing tone on your last few words, ending it with a little grin.
Jungkook and Taehyung pout. You can’t stifle your giggle, sending them a teasing look.
“You know nothing of our pain”, Taehyung says, “we are terribly hurt.”
“Of course you are. Poor boys”, you say and click your tongue, “don’t worry. Grandma’s porridge will heal you in no time. She always made it for me whenever I was feeling bad and it always made me feel better.”
You place the tray on the bedside table.
“And I’ve got tea for a good night’s sleep. Moo made sure to give us the yummiest milk for the food and she says it’s to make sure you guys heal.”
“That’s so nice of Moo, wow”, Jungkook gushes and sits up a little, “and the porridge smells so yummy.”
“It is really yummy. Yoongi is downstairs eating a serving. He said it’s delicious.”
“Then it can only be yummy”, Jungkook says and smiles cutely.
You retort it and hand him his bowl.
“Careful it’s-”
“Ah hot”, he gasps, pulling his hands away.
“Hot. Wait, I’ll put it there. Okay?” you say and put the bowl in the little valley his thighs build. The blanket shields away the heat.
“Yes that’s nice. So warm”, he says and accepts the spoon, “thank you, baby.”
“Eat a lot”, you tell him and pick up Taehyung’s bowl, “careful darling, it’s hot. I’ll put it there as well”, you say as you place his bowl in the valley between his thighs.
“Thank you so much”, he says and accepts the spoon.
You watch them both take a bite. Their eyes light up in sync, a choir of gasps follows.
“So yummy!”
“This is delicious, wow!”
You smile, “I’m happy to hear that. It’ll heal you in no time.”
“Oh yes most definitely. I can already feel my body recovering”, Taehyung says as he enjoys the sweet porridge.
“I love how sweet it is. Is that honey?” Jungkook asks.
“Yes, it’s honey from the bees. And some cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and a little bit of ginger. My grandma makes the best porridge.”
“She really does. I love it. Are there raisins in there too?”
“No we used cranberries because you don’t like raisins.”
“Thank you so much”, Jungkook looks at you with sparkling eyes, “this just made my heart flutter. I could feel it.”
“You’re cute”, you say and pick up the last bowl, “do you have space for me?”
“Yes of course, come here”, Taehyung says with a full mouth.
The two men scoot their legs slightly to the side to make a small space for you between them. You crawl over Taehyung’s lap as carefully as possible and wiggle yourself into your little nest. After some scooting and moving to get all three of you comfortable, you are seated. You are sitting cross-legged with the bowl of porridge in the little nook your legs naturally form. You are facing Taehyung and Jungkook, who both seem happy to have you in bed with them.
“I hope you don’t mind that I’m here now.”
“Of course not. I am so happy to have you here”, Taehyung says and caresses your knee gently.
“Me too”, Jungkook agrees, “did you fight with Yoongi?”
“No of course not. Why?”
“Because you said that he’s downstairs eating alone.”
“We didn’t fight. He’s watching telly with grandma and grandpa. It’s basketball, I don’t wanna watch basketball tonight”, you confess and giggle mischievously, “they’re having a blast though. They know all the technical terms and everything.”
Taehyung and Jungkook chuckle fondly.
“And I wanna spend time with you guys”, you say and smile cutely.
“You are adorable”, Taehyung says and grins before shoving another spoonful of porridge into his mouth. He enjoys it with a deep hum and a smack of his lips, “delicious.”
“Yeah, it’s delicious”, you say and smile, poking your spoon into the porridge, “can I tell you guys something?”
“Of course”, Taehyung says to which Jungkook nods his head.
“I’m so happy that I discovered my powers. I never thought it possible that I could ever eat grandma’s porridge again or sit in my bedroom, let alone talk to her and spend time with her. But because I’m a witch, I can be with my grandparents again and I know it’s technically not the real world, but it feels real to me. It makes me really happy.”
Taehyung and Jungkook smile fondly. And while Jungkook touches your hand gently, caressing your knuckles, Taehyung reaches out and caresses your cheek.
“And I can visit them with you guys”, you say and smile, “when they were still actually alive, I always told them that one day I will bring my husband here and then we can eat raspberry pie together. They both died before I could fulfil this dream, but because I’m a witch, I can finally fulfil it.”
“So we’re your husbands?” Jungkook jokes, making you giggle.
You shake your head, “we don’t need human contracts to show our love do we? It’s just a silly piece of paper either way. We are so much more than our names on paper.”
“I like this”, Jungkook says.
Taehyung sits up and guides your head to him with two of his fingers under your chin. You find no time to focus your eyes on him because then he is already kissing you, stealing your senses from you. Your eyes fall closed, your right hand touches his chest. His heart is racing uncontrollably. You deepen the touch just to get more of this feeling. He tastes sweet like the porridge you both enjoy. His lips are so soft.
He pulls back, tracing your lips with his thumb.
“I like this too”, he whispers.
You let out a small giggle, nudging his cheek with your nose.
“Mhm”, he hums and pecks your lips one last time before sitting back. You and he share a deep gaze, sharing in the happiness you both experience.
“And it’s great that your grandparents don’t think us weird, isn’t it?” Jungkook asks.
You look at him. Taehyung does the same.
“Yes right?” you agree, scooting closer as you do, “I didn’t think that they would be so chill about me being poly, but they didn’t even question it. Well, at least not in a judgmental way.”
“I was quite surprised myself”, Taehyung says, “but they must have seen how happy it makes you.”
“Yeah. They are probably just happy that you feel good”, Jungkook says, “they love you a lot.”
You fluster, reaching out to nudge both of them.
“You cuties.”
“I also must talk about what you said.”
“What did I say?”
“That you sometimes think about kissing a woman.”
“Ah”, your cheeks heat up, “oh god, this is actually so embarrassing”, you confess, hiding your hand behind your hands.
“What? No, it isn’t” Jungkook gasps.
“What? Why?” Taehyung gasps.
“I don’t know. I guess I’m just weird about it”, you confess, “it’s not because I don’t wanna accept it, but more that I don’t wanna come off as fake.”
“Why would you come off as fake? It’s only natural to want to experiment when you’re getting to know yourself better.”
“Did you guys know that you’re queer instantly?”
“Of course not. I thought that I was hetero for a long time until I began experimenting with Hobi and later actually exploring with Yoongi”, Jungkook says.
“I believed to be gay for a very long until I experimented with a group of women, men and enbies and I realised that gender didn’t matter to me.”
“So you had to experiment as well? Did it feel weird at first?”
“Definitely. I grew up very conservative. You know how I wasn’t even allowed to kiss my girlfriend?”
“Yeah officially and you still snuck away to fuck in the car?”
“Oh Kookie, how scandalous”, Taehyung teases while Jungkook laughs.
“Exactly. You can imagine how weird it felt at first to kiss a man and how confused I was when I actually liked it. It can be weird at first, but you have to remember that those weird feelings often stem from learned shame and guilt and not because it’s a wrong thing to do.”
“Exactly. Sometimes it can however also mean that it is simply not your taste. Which is also a very valid reaction to have and it is a natural part of experimenting”, Taehyung says to which Jungkook agrees.
“I see. Yeah. Thanks guys, you both are such happy and proud queers, so getting advice from you really helps me”, you say and smile shyly, “I think I wanna kiss a girl. And maybe, I don’t know, maybe try even more with her. Yeah, oh god my face is so hot”, you say and snicker.
Jungkook and Taehyung snicker as well.
“This sounds like a good time, baby.”
“It indeed does. Also, if you need help on how to properly eat out a woman, I can offer my services.”
“Oh god, Tae, don’t go there”, you whine, feeling so hot all of a sudden that you are scared they might see the flames you feel under your skin.
Taehyung chuckles, “I am merely saying. I also know a few very lovely ladies, who are very willing to teach an inexperienced woman. So I can give them a call if you want me to.”
“I appreciate the effort, but I think I’ll try to take it really slow for now. I’m not really good with strangers.”
“I respect this completely. Shall you change your mind, I will be here.” He lifts his finger dramatically. “There are also other ways. Magical ways. Ways to switch genitals for just a night.”
“What?” Jungkook gasps with big eyes.
“You’re joking.”
“I am not. I may not know a lot about magic, but sex magic? Oh, I have too many books in my collection. Some spells are truly remarkable.”
“Damn, that’s lowkey hot to imagine”, Jungkook confesses.
“Guys don’t go there, oh my god”, you whine, laughing with them as you giggle over the endless possibilities. You take a deep breath afterwards, releasing it in a happy sigh. “Thank you, seriously”, you say and study their faces, “god you guys, you are so good for me. Seriously.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just that I have quite some trauma and I feel very embarrassed very easily even if I hide it most of the time. But you are all very calm and patient and that means a lot to me.”
Jungkook takes your hand, looking at you fondly.
“I’m honestly still so embarrassed about not being able to do the spell at first”, you confess, “it’s already bad enough to be a loser in front of one boyfriend and I got three to embarrass myself in front of”, you joke.
“You’re not a loser, my darling. I think you did very well for your first time.”
“Yeah seriously, I couldn’t do what you can do. You even managed to send us to another realm.”
“Exactly. Because of you, we were able to meet your grandparents.”
“Thanks, boys. I’m happy yeah”, you look outside, “yeah, really happy”, you whisper, studying the night with melancholic eyes.
“Are you sure?”
You avert your eyes from the outside world, meeting their gazes. They seem curious and maybe a little worried.
“Yeah”, you assure them.
“Are you certain?”
“You suddenly look sad.”
“No, I guess”, you study the world outside, “I guess, I’m just melancholic in a sense.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Jungkook asks.
“I guess, it’s just so weird to think that I’m actually able to see my grandparents again. Death is so final. You have your loved ones with you, thinking that they’re gonna be with you forever until one day they’re suddenly gone. It feels unreal at first because it can’t be real that they’re just gone for good, then it starts to feel urgent. Like you think that they’re on a really long journey you want them to return from because somehow in your mind you still haven’t accepted the fact that they won’t return. Then it starts to seep in and you begin to realise that there was no journey and there won’t be a return and it starts to hurt more than it already did. What am I even saying? Sorry, I don’t know why I said that.”
“Don’t apologise. Keep going.”
“I guess…I guess what I wanted to say with my stupid monologue about grief is that death is final, grief won’t ever get smaller but instead you learn to grown around it. You learn to grow with the knowledge that there was never a journey and there won’t ever be a return and that you just have to live with the fact that you can’t see them anymore”, you say and take a deep breath, “I think I learned to live with the fact that I won’t see my grandparents again, so it makes all of this feel like an unbelievable acid trip.”
“I can imagine.”
“And I thought that the things which would hurt me most to relive again are bigger moments, but it’s the smallest details that really got to me.”
“Tell us about them.”
“That my grandpa calls me his forest strider for example or that he fills the silence by calling my his girl”, you say, “when he wasn’t with me anymore, I kept clinging to the memory of his voice as he said these words and when I heard him call me like that again, I felt such a deep sting in my chest. You guys have no idea.”
“I know exactly how you felt. When I heard Jimin’s voice again for the first time after I thought I had lost him, I felt overwhelmed as well.”
“It feels so overwhelming, doesn’t it?”
“It truly does.”
“And the thing I missed most about my grandma is seeing her move her arm without problems. It sounds so silly, it really does. But during the last few years where I saw her, my grandma had problems with her right arm. She said it was from an injury in the garden, but maybe she got hurt fighting bad vampires.”
“Maybe”, Jungkook agrees, nodding his head, “poor Agatha.”
“Yes truly, it is awful to imagine.”
“It is”, you agree, “but in here, she can move her arm again and it means so much to me. You know, when she was still alive I often had dreams about her where she could move her arm again. Sometimes I was part of the dream and sometimes I stood next to it as I watched the scenes unfold. They weren’t bad dreams, but I still woke up crying each time. They left me so brokenhearted and even if my grandma was otherwise fine, I started to miss the version of her of when she was still healthy.”
“I understand these feelings. My grandpa had a stroke which left his left side paralysed. In the span of one day he went from being an able-bodied man to someone who needed help to walk. I was in my early teens when it happened and I also had many dreams where he was okay again”, Jungkook says.
“I feel so reassured knowing that you understand what I felt”, you say and scoot closer so you could rest your head on his chest, “I always felt so silly being so upset about my dreams.”
“You aren’t silly. It’s okay to grief something that changed”, Jungkook assures you as he scratches you behind your ear gently. His pulse is calm and steady. It is relaxing you.
You close your eyes halfway and reach out to touch Taehyung’s chest. He intertwines his fingers with you, but only after giving your knuckles a kiss each.
“Seeing my grandma move around freely again was the thing which overwhelmed me most”, you confess and close your eyes, “it’s the smallest details, but they really meant everything to me. It’s so unreal that I can actually experience them again and that time spent here is real in some way or the other. I really want to believe that they will remember us once we leave again and that whenever we come to visit, it will be as if they are still alive and we went to visit them.”
“Yes, I think that this will happen”, Jungkook assures you.
“I believe that we will have many more wonderful times here”, Taehyung agrees.
You smile and take a deep breath of relief.
“I’m so happy again.”
“That’s good to hear”, Taehyung says and rolls to his side. He drapes his arm around you, nuzzling his face into the back of your head. Like this you are cocooned between Jungkook and Taehyung, feeling both their heartbeats and sharing in their warmths.
“Wow, this is so cozy”, you say and giggle, “I might actually fall asleep like this.”
“It wouldn’t be that bad, would it?”
“I guess, it’s just a really tight fit”, you say.
Jungkook and Taehyung snicker, snuggling closer.
“We’ll make it work.”
“Yes, just like we make all of this work.”
“Yeah, I guess we’ll make it work”, you agree and giggle into Jungkook’s chest, “you guys are so cute.”
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