23 | they/them | bts | ffxv | bnha the morning will come again
no darkness, no season is eternal Updates: Magic Shop (Part 7) is up! Masterlist | Latest Magic Shop
Hi, everyone! It’s me, starlight. I’m currently in the middle of Magic Shop Part 7, but I’d like to reach out to my followers for a moment!
I’d like to know if you have any questions for me!
I know you guys don’t really hear from me other than my author’s notes in my works, but that’s because I like to keep my follower’s feeds pretty clear of spam from me that’s not my writing.
So to start off, I’d like to know:
Do you have any criticisms of Magic Shop or any of my other works?
What’s your favorite part or concept of Magic Shop?
Do you have any theories for Magic Shop? (I won’t actually reply to these submissions since I don’t wanna spoil anything, but I’d like to hear what you guys think will happen.)
What are you looking forward to for Magic Shop?
Are there any personal questions you have for me regarding my writing process or just me in general?
Those are just some ideas! If you have anything to say to me, feel free to drop by the “Need Something?” tab on my blog and send me an ask! I love hearing from you guys whether it be a theory or just to gush.
Summary: Underneath the concrete and pavement, between the towering buildings, Seoul is thrumming with magic. Too much magic. It’s become a hot spot for magical beings seeking to feed off of such intense energy. BTS is unaware of such dangers until they come across a witch trying to manage the mischief of other magical creatures while creating her own trouble.
Warnings: None
Author’s Note: Thank you to all the readers who have stuck around and waited patiently for this part to come out. I hope you enjoy!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
(Name) was bored, to put it simply.
The witch was standing directly in front of a small portable heater inside a corner store. (Name), bundled all the way up to her nose, had slipped inside the store and watched the rain gently beat against the glass panes of the store front.
It had been nearly two weeks since (Name) had seen any of the members of BTS. With their handsome faces plastered over a majority of Seoul, it was hard for (Name) to keep her mind off of the seven men.
In fact, (Name) could feel Jin’s eyes, printed on the lifesize water bottle advertisement behind her, burning in the back of her skull.
But the past couple of weeks haven't been as hard as (Name) thought they would be. She was expecting to constantly feel drained by her connections to the idols, yet she felt just the same as before. Maybe even better. (Name) has wanted to research more into the binding spell to learn if it’s side effects, but there wasn’t much information on the current iteration of the spell available.
I’d have to look in the Grand Library if I want more information. (Name) quickly dismissed the idea. There was no way for her to access the information without going through the Keeper, and the last thing she wanted was to be on the High Magic Council’s radar.
The witch would just have to wait and see the results for herself.
“I’m in the mood for some junk food,” (Name) announced under her breath. She rubbed her hands and glanced around the store. “Maybe something hot. Or spicy. Noodles?” she pondered as she left Jaewon to curl around the heater and searched the shelves for some instant ramen. Perhaps if she was lucky, the clerk would let her heat up and eat the noodles in the store.
(Name) may be a witch, but she still had human desires. Such as the desire for unhealthy foods every now and then.
The unimpressed look from Jaewon didn’t go unnoticed, but the witch chose to ignore her familiar.
Do you remember the brand I got last time, Jaewon? The lack of response from the ferret had her rolling her eyes. Of course you don’t.
(Name) decided on a pack with a silly looking chicken on the front and walked up to the store clerk. He was fairly nice and allowed her to make her noodles in the store after she purchased them. The witch thanked the clerk before moving back to the heater to enjoy her spicy noodles beside her familiar.
(Name) was only a few bites into her noodles when a strong tug in the pit of her stomach had her nearly doubling over. Jaewon was immediately on his feet.
At first, (Name) thought it was the noodles upsetting her stomach, but another tug accompanied with an intense heat radiating against her stomach had her thinking otherwise. She hurriedly glanced down at the obsidian dangling against her abdomen.
Fiery streaks of red flashed rapidly within the rich black of the stone. The stone was hot to the touch, almost to the point where (Name) was scared of getting burned even though she knew she wouldn’t. A pulsing between her temples had her pinching the bridge of her nose as gentle yet consistent waves of anger and negativity bombarded her.
The witch hated to admit that her first reaction was one of pure panic. She couldn’t understand what was happening. She wasn’t necessarily in pain. All the sensations she was experiencing were just overwhelming and came seemingly out of nowhere.
These feelings weren’t her own, that much she could tell. They felt foreign within her chest and didn’t settle well in her. But whose were they if not her own?
(Name)’s eyes immediately darted to the Jin cutout.
Oh no. (Name) dumped her noodles in a disposal bin by the door as she rushed out into the downpour outside. Jaewon was quick to stuff himself inside his owner’s scarf and guide her down the slippery streets of southern Seoul towards a towering white building in the distance. She ignored the harsh tugs in her gut and mind to the best of her ability.
It wasn’t possible. Right? There was no way that one of the idols was projecting onto her. It shouldn’t be possible.
Right?
(Name) arrived at BigHit headquarters and made it past the front doors when two men, presumably security, approached her. The witch rolled her eyes and reached into her bag to coil her fist around a handful of powder. Just as one of the men reached for her, (Name) opened her hand to blow the purple dust right into their faces.
The powder spread across the lobby, and a hazy look took over every occupant’s face. Everyone stilled, and (Name) brushed past all the staff.
Lavender works better than blue baby’s breath. (Name) noted as she entered the elevator. Right. Not the time. She stared at the floor numbers and deadpanned.
(Name) had no idea where to go from there. The realization of her actions came crashing onto her at that moment. What was she thinking? Blindly rushing into unfamiliar territory with no real plan?
As the elevator doors slid shut, (Name) groaned and buried her face in her hands. She didn’t notice that the elevator had begun moving.
“They’re gonna think I’m some crazy stalker,” (Name) hissed to Jaewon as he peeked out from his owner’s scarf and eyed the enclosed space. A huff from the ferret earned the familiar a sharp glare through the reflection of the elevator doors. “Well I couldn’t just leave it alone!”
A faint ding scared (Name) into straightening her posture. She watched cautiously as a female employee, likely a desk worker, smiled politely at the witch and took the spot beside her after selecting her floor. (Name) nodded in greeting, and the two women silently waited for the elevator to begin ascending again.
Jaewon batted at (Name) chin with his small paw and startled his owner. The ferret looked expectantly at the stranger, and the echo of an idea came into light.
“Excuse me,” (Name) called softly to the female beside her. The woman smiled politely and nodded in response. The witch wet her lips nervously and conjured, “The front desk wasn’t available to give me directions to the studio floor, so I’m afraid I’m lost.”
Seeming to believe (Name), the female worker said, “Oh, that will be the fourth floor!” Her manicured finger hit the button for the corresponding floor, and another silence floated through the air. “I got lost during my first week, as well!” the stranger chimed with a bashful grin.
(Name) could tell she had said it in hopes to relate to the witch. Of course, the sentiment was lost on the witch. (Name) pressed her lips together and nodded slowly as her eyes wandered the smooth walls of the elevator. Beside her, the stranger continued to reminisce about her starting days. The witch nodded absently and eagerly watched the floor number change.
When the elevator came to a slow stop, (Name) perked up.
“Thank you!” (Name) chirped as she hurriedly slipped into the hallway with the doors not even fully open. The employee awkwardly waved her off, and (Name) rushed down the hall and out of sight.
(Name) slowed to a stop once the elevator doors slid shut and took in her surroundings.
Lost, again.
The witch groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. She could feel Jaewon mocking her silently.
Just as she was going to snap at her familiar, Jaewon effortlessly leapt off of her shoulder and onto the ground. He didn’t look back at (Name) as he leisurely trotted down the connecting hallway to their left. Furrowing her brows, (Name) reluctantly followed the ferret as he expertly navigated the building to arrive at a translucent door towards the end of the hall.
On the door hung a small wooden sign with ‘Rkive’ engraved in English and the name ‘RM’ right below.
(Name) bent down slightly with her arm out for Jaewon to climb back up to her shoulder. Right as Jaewon was scaling his way up her arm, the door swung open, and Namjoon’s tall form bumped into her. He wasn’t forceful or in a rush, but the sheer size of him was enough to send (Name) stumbling back.
With not so quick reflexes, Namjoon reached out to grab hold of her sleeve but missed. Fortunately, (Name) managed to catch herself just before she tripped over her own feet.
Namjoon blurted, “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”
(Name) couldn’t help but stare openly at the blonde idol. His wire-framed glasses caught her attention, but his chiseled features, highlighted by the soft lighting coming from inside the room, stole the show.
That shirt should be illegal. (Name) tried her hardest not to look down, but the way his black shirt clung to his chest was distracting. She had enough control and decency to not look down further, but she knew that the idol was fit through and through.
“(Name)-ssi?” Namjoon seemed to only then realize who it was he had bumped into. (Name) cringed at the sound of recognition in his voice and lowered her gaze to the ground in embarrassment. “I, uh. What are you doing here?” Namjoon kindly greeted, but the confusion and surprise was evident.
“Oh, hi, Namjoon,” (Name) greeted in return and managed to finally look up at Namjoon. She offered him a weak smile and replied, “At the moment? I might be lost.”
Namjoon nodded but didn’t seem convinced. He said, “I believe you. I’m just surprised to see you at BigHit.”
“Right,” (Name) mumbled and rubbed at the base of their neck. She licked at her lips nervously and said, “There was a large staff order on the floor above.” Understanding ignited in Namjoon’s eyes.
“I see!” the idol hummed with a nod. (Name) felt herself visibly relax as she nodded along with a tense smile. “I’ve never known a coffee shop to do delivery. That’s so unique!” Namjoon genuinely exclaimed.
There was a small pause before (Name) slowly fibbed, “It is! It’s not set in stone just yet. Sumi wants to experiment with it first before we offer it as an official service.” Namjoon nodded again.
“I understand. You’d have to hire more people and cover startup delivery costs,” Namjoon noted. (Name) nodded as well in agreement.
“Yeah, we’re leaning towards not doing it,” (Name) said with false disappointment. “We’re just too busy at the shop.”
Namjoon suddenly frowned as he eyed (Name) from head to toe. The witch felt herself burning under his intense gaze, but she realized why he was staring so openly when she felt water run down her temple.
(Name) had totally forgotten that she ran through the rain to rush to BigHit.
Embarrassment warmed (Name)’s cheeks. She probably looked like a wreck in front of the idol. Pulling her cardigan sleeves over her hands, she hurriedly patted her face down as best as she could with her somewhat damp clothes.
“Did you walk all the way here?” Namjoon guessed with concern evident in the furrow of his brows.
(Name) pressed her lips into a firm line before admitting, “Um, yes.” She waved a hand dismissively and said, “I can always call a taxi or wait for Sumi to come pick me up.”
As if sensing the female’s embarrassment, Namjoon offered, “At least let me get you a towel to dry off while you wait.” (Name) was going to refuse, but the heat from her pendant flared up again, causing her to falter. Namjoon turned to glance into the room and huffed, “I don’t think I have any in here. But there are some in the practice studio for sure.”
(Name) wasn’t entirely sure of what to do. On one hand, she wanted nothing more than to get out of there and forget about whatever was happening to her pendant. On the other hand, she wanted to let Namjoon help her and spend time with the idol.
Maybe I’ll run into the others as well. (Name) didn’t have time to decide her next course of action. Namjoon had already closed the door behind him and gently placed his large hand between her shoulder blades so that he could guide her towards the elevators. His hand is so warm and broad.
(Name) and Namjoon stepped into the empty elevator, and the idol selected the sixth floor. Namjoon lowered his hand, and (Name) immediately frowned at its absence and missed the warmth it radiated.
“I see you brought your pet with you,” Namjoon observed as the elevator began to rise. (Name), not used to people noticing Jaewon on her shoulder, tilted her head to the side. He nodded at Jaewon with a questioning smile.
(Name) jumped in realization and answered, “Oh, yeah, I don’t like leaving him alone in my apartment.”
“I see. Do people give you trouble for taking him with you?” Namjoon inquired as he observed Jaewon closely. The ferret didn’t seem perturbed by his stare and curiously gazed back. (Name) wanted to scold her familiar for staring so openly but decided that talking to an animal in front of a world renown idol wasn’t a good idea.
“No, people tend to not notice him,” (Name) replied honestly and peered at Namjoon knowingly.
Everyone but you seven. The witch became lost in thought as Namjoon carefully reached over to scratch the top of Jaewon’s head. (Name) was shocked out of her stupor when Jaewon purred and nudged his head further into Namjoon’s hand.
“I’ve never seen a ferret so well behaved,” Namjoon complimented in awe.
Just as (Name) was going to laugh and argue, Jaewon took the chance to crawl up Namjoon’s arm and curl up around his neck. The familiar looked as smug as a ferret could look.
“Jaewon!” (Name) hissed and reached to grab the ferret. Namjoon laughed, and the witch paused as she was stunned at the melodic sound of his tenor voice.
Namjoon assured, “It’s okay. It’s not often I meet animals that are willing to play with me.” Seeing that the shop owner was still tense, he continued to pet Jaewon and asked, “How long have you had him?”
Hesitantly, (Name) lowered her arm and answered, “I’ve had him since I was fourteen.” Namjoon’s jaw dropped.
“That’s a long time,” the male awed and looked at Jaewon incredulously. (Name) hummed.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were calling me old,” (Name) baited with a playful nudge. Namjoon seemed amused by the witch’s and couldn’t help the tiny smile that adorned his lips.
Namjoon retorted, “It’s a good thing you know better.” (Name)’s smirk faltered, for she expected him to get flustered like the others.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding, and Namjoon stepped out first. (Name) sputtered as she hopped out just as the doors began to shut.
Namjoon motioned for (Name) to join him by the first door on the right. For it being the studio floor, it was oddly quiet. She stepped closer and felt the pulsing heat against her abdomen increase in intensity.
“Some of the others are still practicing,” Namjoon informed as he slowly opened the door.
The faint squeak of the door hinge broke through the stiff silence inside the practice room. (Name) and Namjoon were greeted by none of the idols inside as they entered. Jungkook was shuffling in place, off to the side while Taehyung, Jin, and Jimin were staring tensely at one another towards the middle of the room.
There. The pulsing of (Name)’s pendant seemed to reach the peak of its crescendo once she laid eyes on the three idols standing together.
Before she could consider her next actions, (Name) stepped forward and asked, “Is everything okay here?” The four men seemed to startle in place at the sound of her voice.
“Noona?” Jimin and Jungkook were the first to end the awkward pause that followed (Name) announcing her and Namjoon’s arrival. The witch didn’t immediately answer as she waited for an answer to her question. Jimin and Taehyung seemed to look away guiltily while Jin sighed and crossed his arms.
“We’ll be okay,” Jin replied, not really satisfying (Name). The witch knew from the way Jin didn’t budge that she wasn’t getting anything else out of the four men. Jin frowned and asked, “What happened to you?”
Great. I look like a wet cat in front of a bunch of hot guys. (Name) could feel embarrassment burning the tips of her ears as she looked down at her wet clothes.
Jin clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and marched over to a table to take one of the towels. He unfolded it as he approached (Name) and draped it around her shoulders delicately. (Name) kept her eyes trained on his chest as he began to dry off (Name)’s hair, for she found herself more flustered than she could ever remember.
“Were you just gonna leave her like this, Namjoon?” Jin grunted as he released (Name)’s head and settled the towel around her neck.
Namjoon retorted indignantly, “I brought her here to get a towel!” Jin hummed mockingly. The eldest looked at Namjoon but froze when his eyes locked with Jaewon’s.
“Do you know that there’s a rat on your shoulder?” Jin mumbled dumbfoundedly. The other idols’ interest peaked, and they looked over at Namjoon.
Jaewon was ridiculously calm as he met each and every one of their stares with an even look. (Name) couldn’t help but run a hand down the side of her face in exasperation. She had forgotten that they had no trouble seeing her familiar through the Glamour.
Glamour was the magical barrier protecting the magic world from the mortal world. After years and years of humans encountering magical beings and persecuting them that eventually built up into a large massacre of mortals and magical beings alike, the High Magic Council convened and forged the Glamour to protect the two beings from one another.
Every decade or so, few mortals are gifted with the ability to see past the Glamour. The odd occurrence was usually due to magical heritage or a direct interaction with magic.
Taehyung bounded up to Namjoon to awe over Jaewon, but (Name) was briefly able to wonder how the seven men could see past the Glamour. Jin sighed and offered the witch a strained smile.
“Let’s go see if the styling noonas are still here. Maybe we can dry you off with a blowdryer,” Jin suggested and motioned for (Name) to follow him.
At the idea of running into a staff member when the (Color)-haired female wasn’t supposed to be at BigHit in the first place, (Name) paled. She licked at her lips nervously and offered a weak laugh.
“I’m sure I can just dry off in the restroom if there’s a hand dryer there,” (Name) dismissed. She felt like she was grasping at straws. “I’d hate for the pretty noonas there to see me like this.” Jin suddenly nodded in understanding and adorned a more sympathetic expression.
“I’ll take you there,” Jin said as he stepped outside the practice room with (Name). He gently shut the door behind them and motioned down the hallway.
(Name) let the moment settle before asking, “Was everything really okay in there?” The heat from her pendant had died down significantly, but there was still a faint pulse and occasional flash of red in the inky blackness of the obsidian.
Jin’s happy demeanour faded a little, and he replied, “Every now and then we tend to have disagreements.”
(Name), unconvinced, remarked, “That didn’t look like a fight over the last chip in the bag.” Jin didn’t seem to understand what she was implying, and (Name) clarified, “You all looked really upset.” Jin cringed softly as they started walking.
(Name) knew she was pushing. She knew it was none of her business-well, that wasn’t entirely true. She was bonded to the seven idols, therefore it was her business. They just didn’t know it. She wasn’t being entirely unreasonable.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” (Name) lied as her eyes landed on the door to the women’s restroom. “I’ll be right back. Would you be okay with waiting for me out here? I would hate to get lost again.” Jin seemed conflicted, (Name) didn’t know what for, and nodded.
(Name) quietly thanked the idol and slipped inside the restroom. She quietly peeked into all the stalls and found no one else. She stood before the large mirror above the sinks and took a deep breath. With a long exhale, a warm breeze picked up in the small space. It only took seconds before her clothes were dry.
Now we wait. (Name) adjusted herself, for the strong gust had disheveled her whole appearance. She hopped up onto the counter and swung her legs idly while twisting the rings on her fingers.
“Jin’s just looking out for you, Jimin. You know that.” (Name) nearly fell off the counter in shock when she heard what sounded like Namjoon’s voice in her head. Instinctively, her head turned left and right as she surveyed the empty restroom. Of course, there was no one else in there with her.
“I’m fine!” (Name) jumped again. Jimin’s voice was so clear in her head that it sounded like he was shouting right beside her.
The witch slowly slid off the counter and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Jaewon?” (Name) hissed into the open space. Surprisingly enough, there was no answer from the familiar. “Jaewon?” (Name) called again, unsure this time.
If Jaewon wasn’t transmitting the idols’ conversation, then who was?
“Let’s take a break, Jiminnie! Noona’s here now, so let’s go hang out with her!” (Name) couldn’t help the fondness that spread in her chest at the sound of Taehyung’s deep voice. “We should all hang out with noona!”
“Taehyung, I--”
What sounded like Jungkook interrupted Jimin. “Don’t you wanna see the pretty noona?” (Name) felt her whole face flush. She pressed her palms to her cheeks and ears in hopes of cooling her skin with her jewelry.
No. No, I didn’t hear that. Ignore them. (Name) pursed her lips and rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her palms. She took a deep breath, but she couldn’t help the flutter in her heart rate when Jungkook’s words continued to play in her head.
(Name) couldn’t possibly be crushing on a bunch of pretty boys. It was unfathomable. (Name), the all powerful witch of Seoul, didn’t do crushes.
Okay, so maybe that wasn’t her actual title.
But still! (Name) most definitely did not have a crush.
A knock on the door made (Name) jump right off the counter and nearly fall on her ass. Her rainboots didn’t really help her catch her balance, but she managed to right herself before she collided with the floor.
“(Name)? Everything okay in there?” Jin called through the thick restroom door.
The witch stuttered, “Yes! I’m almost done!” (Name) huffed and stood for a moment before exiting the restroom.
Jin was exactly where she had left him, only he seemed a little worried. (Name) offered a reassuring smile.
“Sorry for taking so long. Thanks for waiting,” (Name) greeted. Jin checked her over, respectively, before offering a small smile and a shake of his head.
“No worries. Did you manage to dry everything off?” Jin inquired politely.
(Name) affirmed with a short nod, “Yup! I’m feeling much better now.” Jin seemed elated at the news. “Sorry to pull you away like this. I’ll be okay now,” (Name) assured.
Jin offered, “Did you need to borrow a phone to call someone?”
“That’s okay, I can call my friend to come pick me up,” (Name) replied. She didn’t want to stick around long enough for the staff to find her and begin questioning her in front of the idols. “I think I’ll head down to the lobby to wait for her.”
A small frown marred Jin’s handsome features as he nodded reluctantly. “Would you like for me to show you the way back?” he offered with a small gesture towards the direction of the elevators. (Name) reluctantly nodded after only a short moment of contemplation.
The witch really should focus on slipping out of the building as quickly and quietly as possible, but a feeling of longing tugged deep in her stomach much like the pull from before. (Name) still couldn’t quite place her finger on the source, but she was beginning to form a few theories.
“If it’s not too much trouble,” (Name) mumbled and twiddled her thumbs. Jin shook his head with the same reassuring look he always had.
“Of course not. Did you want to say goodbye to the others on the way?” Jin offered.
(Name) almost immediately nodded but paused when the thought of the six other idols randomly crossed her mind. Perhaps she could stay for just a little longer? Maybe she could just stop by and say goodbye before she slipped out the building.
(Name) clenched her fist. It was a selfish and risky want, but a tug in her gut had her hesitating. It wasn’t forceful like the pull of magic earlier. The new feeling was churning her stomach ever so slightly. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed full of cotton, and there was an itch in her chest that she just couldn’t reach.
It was dumb enough of me to come here in the first place. They’re fine now, so I’ll just take my leave. (Name) shook her head and gave Jin a strained, polite smile.
“Don’t worry about little ol’ me! You should get back to the others before they start worrying,” (Name) chided lightheartedly.
Jin didn’t seem convinced. He didn’t seem ready to argue, but he continued to linger with a conflicted expression. (Name) was the first to move. She bowed politely, as she’s seen others do, and gave the idol a small wave before shuffling down the hall. The witch, after pressing the button to call the elevator, swayed side to side awkwardly under the eldest man’s gaze.
I just wish I had stayed long enough to figure out what that was. (Name) cursed herself for getting flustered and cold feet because of the seven men. I’ve never encountered such a strange phenomenon.
(Name) was so lost in thought that she almost missed the approaching sounds of thundering footsteps rushing towards her.
“Noona!” Taehyung called joyfully as he skipped down the hallway towards where the witch in question was just about to enter the elevator.
(Name) could feel the hope and happiness rise in her chest as she watched the idols chase after her. Her lips threatened to break into a smile at the sight of all seven band members approaching her.
That tug from earlier returned. It was just as forceful as before, but more welcoming and kind. She was being drawn into the whirlpool that was BTS, and she was drowning in its currents.
When she caught sight of the way Jimin and Taehyung, pulling Jungkook along with them, rushed towards her, she could feel heat warming her whole face. Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok trailed behind with fondness in their eyes as they monitored the maknae line. Excitement bubbled inside her as they drew closer. That was, until, her gaze landed on the way they clutched at each other’s hands and laughed amongst themselves.
Their behavior was no different than the other time (Name) had seen them yet this time, a slight pang struck her in the chest.
Jealousy.
(Name) quickly grew upset with the recurring feeling. What could she possibly want from these seven mortals? She already formed seven bonds with the idols, so there couldn’t be anything else to gain from them. In fact, the witch would consider herself friends with the men, so the earlier thought of companionship was off the table.
“Don’t you wanna see the pretty noona?”
“Oh no,” (Name) whispered to herself. At the reminder of Jimin’s compliment from earlier, everything became a little more clear for the woman.
The bubbly feeling in her chest soured gradually the closer the idols got. A ringing overtook the cheerful calls of her name, and the ugly feeling in her gut was boiling at this point.
“Noona? What are-hey!” Taehyung cried out in surprise when Jaewon leapt off of Jimin’s shoulder into (Name)’s outstretched arms. The soft ping behind her signaled her escape.
Lacking the usual confidence and composure she usually possessed, (Name) excused herself, “My ride’s waiting outside. I need to go.” She brushed off the disheartened and confused stares and rushed past the sliding doors of the elevator. Her eyes were cast downwards until the doors fully shut.
An unnervingly heavy silence weighed down on (Name) the whole way down. Jaewon curiously peeked up at the witch as the woman rushed past the still-catatonic workers in the lobby.
It wasn’t until (Name) was standing outside in the cool air outside of BigHit that she could breathe freely without the eyes of BTS burning into her.
An annoyed thrum from (Name)’s connection to Jaewon had her sighing.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to forget you.”
Hi guys, just a really quick life update. I actually moved out of my house into an apartment with three roommates and while I’m feeling great and adjusting well, it’s hard writing because I don’t have that quiet, isolated space I really need to write. I promise I’m trying my hardest to write, but the atmosphere is just really throwing me off. Hopefully I can pull something together soon.
omg so i have so many questions about magic shop. what kind of witch is y/n? is she based from paganism or wicca or something else? WHAT ABOUT THE DRAGON?!?! can jaewon turn human? ahhhhh so many questions that will probs be answered in the story but i’m so in love !!!
Hi anon!
None of these are really spoilers, so I have no problem answering them. I didn’t base the reader on any specific type of witch. I don’t want to write with a firm set of rules since there are issues that surround the conflicts between witchcraft, indigenous people, and cultural appropriation. Just think as the reader as a completely fictional type of witch. As for the dragon, the reader took care of it! And that’s all that needs to be known. Lastly, Jaewon can not transform in any way shape or form.
Thank you so much for your questions! I’m glad to know that you’re enjoying Magic Shop, and I hope that you stick with the series!
Summary: It wasn’t often (Name)’s and Shouto’s schedules lined up, especially with the two students focusing on their internships. The two understood that not everyone has enough time in the day to spend it with their loved ones, and make do with what they have.
Warnings: Mentions of death, violence
I can’t breathe.
(Name) didn’t know where they were anymore. The young hero in training couldn’t see anything, for the entire area was enveloped in darkness. Cries for help in the distance were muffled by the ringing in their ears.
The cement beneath (Name)’s cheek cooled their burning flesh, but small pebbles and dust dug into them as well. In fact, they could feel dust clouding the air by the burning in their nose and lungs. They struggled to inhale; not only was the dust clogging their throat, but their ribcage felt painfully restricted.
The last thing (Name) could remember was following Thirteen, their mentor, to a distress call and encountering three League of Villains members before it all went black.
Where was Thirteen? Where were the other pro heroes?
Where am I? (Name) let out a wet cough and tried to move their right arm to wipe at their chin but realized they couldn’t feel their right arm or anything below the waist for that matter. They tried to use their shoulder to pull their arm closer, but it was completely pinned as far as they could tell. (Name) blinked harshly to clear the tears welling up in their eyes. Stay calm.
All (Name) had to do was stay calm and listen for someone passing by to call out to. They needed to assess their situation and surroundings but with a majority of their body incapacitated and the darkness surrounding them, they couldn’t get a read on their own status.
A blue flame suddenly ignited a few meters before her and illuminated a small area. The cause was a scarred man with inky black hair.
Dabi. The student felt a feeling of dread build in their chest. Their heart stuttered when they made direct eye contact with the villain. I have to- (Name) tried to move, but they only managed to shift the rubble piled on top of them to further press down on their crushed form. A harsh wheeze slipped past their busted lips.
“Looks like we missed one,” Dabi announced as he approached where (Name) lie prone. The hero in training reached out weakly with their left hand in hopes of creating a pitfall beneath him, but Dabi was quick to plant his heel down on their hand. “Ah ah ah.”
The villain towered over (Name), and the student shuddered at how he probed at them with his cold stare. They cried out with their strained voice as he twisted his foot and leaned more of his weight onto it.
Dabi leaned down slightly at the waist and squinted at (Name). “Say,” he began eerily. (Name) glared up at him. He continued, “Aren’t you one of those UA students?” Confusion wrinkled the space between (Name)’s eyebrows.
“What’s it to you?” (Name) spat. Quite literally. They noticed red flecks splatter against the ground in front of them. Dabi frowned when some got onto his shoe.
“Silly heroes,” a melodic voice mocked as light footsteps echoed through what little space was left in the ruins of the collapsed building. “Always saving others. Never able to save yourself.” (Name) felt dread chill their bones as another villain approached Dabi.
Dabi looked over at his lover and smirked. “Fashionably late. Nice,” he mused as he eased off of (Name)’s hand. It was probably broken.
The stranger huffed and retorted, “Spinner’s the one who took down the whole damn building. It’s not my fault I had trouble getting in.” They huffed and observed (Name) as said student stared back in fear. “Do I have to? They’re pretty young,” the villain mumbled and rubbed at their arm unnervingly.
“Just think of them as a really young and stupid pro,” Dabi advised as he flicked their chin playfully. “Like that wood guy. I don’t know.” Dabi groaned and nudged them closer to (Name). “Hurry up. Kurogiri’s waiting for us to clear the building,” he groaned.
His significant other sighed, “Why can’t you do it?”
“Because of situations like this. You need practice,” Dabi answered smoothly. He jerked his chin and chided, “Get on with it.”
No. (Name) felt her breathing stuttering yet picking up as the villain approached them slowly. They wiggled with all their might and tried to drag themselves out of the rubble with their free arm but to no avail. Please! Tears pooled at the corner of their eyes and streamed down their sullied cheeks.
“Sorry, kid. But you’re the same as them.” A soft song drifted through the air.
Shouto-!
Shouto sighed as Fuyumi continued to probe him about school. He didn’t realize that agreeing to spend ‘quality time’ with his sister would result in being dragged around the mall while she tried to better understand his social life.
“No, I will not be bringing (Name) to the house anytime soon,” Shouto huffed. Fuyumi frowned.
“I’m sure dad would like to meet them-” Shouto grunted.
The younger of the two interrupted, “I’m sure he would not. They’re in the support course.” Fuyumi deflated and looked off to the side. “Are we done here? I’d like to return to my dorm soon.”
“Is (Name) waiting for you?” Fuyumi inquired curiously. When Shouto remained relatively quiet, Fuyumi quietly snickered to herself.
“They’re on patrol with Thirteen,” Shouto answered.
Fuyumi hummed with a knowing smile, “But I bet you wish they weren’t.” Shouto rolled his eyes at his sister’s insinuation.
“I’m happy for them,” Shouto corrected. “They’ve been wanting an internship with Thirteen ever since the sports festival. They’ve worked hard to get it.” A gasp erupted a few paces behind him. He looked back at Fuyumi, covering her gasp with her hand. “What’s wrong, Fuyumi?”
Fuyumi, unable to take her eyes off the big screen across the street, pointed at it shakily and whispered, “Sh-Shouto, look.” Shouto furrowed his brows for a moment but followed her direction.
A whole building had been reduced to a little less than two stories standing. Blue flames danced all over the remains, and rescue heroes were desperately trying to extinguish the fires and escort survivors to emergency vehicles. Others were trying to find any other victims in the rubble.
Thirteen was among those searching the ruins of the building.
Shouto hurriedly surveyed the screen in search of (Name) nearby. His heart plummeted into his stomach when he didn’t immediately see you. All the air rushed out of his lungs as he watched lifeless bodies being pulled from under the rubble.
The student’s hand rushed out beside him to blindly grab his sister’s sleeve.
“Take me there. Now.”
It took Fuyumi a moment to figure out where the accident had occurred, but she figured it out once the news camera panned out and showed a convenience store where her friend worked. They rushed to Fuyumi’s car and sped off into the night.
The site was about 15 minutes out from the mall the Todoroki siblings were at. Fuyumi worriedly glanced over at Shouto, wringing his hands in his lap as his eyes frantically observed the passing scenery.
Shouto launched himself out of the car once Fuyumi slowed down enough as she approached the police tape. She called out to her younger brother, but the high school student charged past the police blockade between him and the disaster. Others tried to reach out and stop him, but he only froze their feet to the pavement and slid closer to where Thirteen was digging with her sidekicks.
“(Name)!” Shouto called as he tried to find his significant other in the thin spread of sidekicks and interns. “(Name)!” He climbed up the rubble to reach where Thirteen stood. He gasped, “Where’s (Name)?”
Thirteen ignored the student’s unpermitted presence and grunted, “We’re trying to clear the rubble to access the first floor.”
Shouto immediately began helping in pushing away rubble. He grabbed at rock and metal alike, and he ignored the cuts and blisters breaking his skin.
“Step back, Todoroki-san,” Thirteen instructed. Shouto reluctantly took a few steps back and watched as the support hero activated her quirk to consume the rest of the rubble with her black hole.
Shouto scrambled into the small opening created and stumbled around the dark space, barely illuminated by the opening he and Thirteen created.
“(Name)? Can you hear me?” Shouto called into the darkness. He pulled his shirt over the lower half of his face to avoid breathing in the soot and dust. He shouted, “(Name)?” With his free hand, he lit the palm of his hand to try and illuminate the area.
The faint light of Shouto’s quirk revealed (Name)’s crumpled frame buried under a mountain of debris. He gasped and rushed forward, his arms dropping to his sides and the flame extinguishing. Sliding to his knees, Shouto frantically shook them by their shoulder.
“Wake up, (Name),” Shouto murmured before turning over his shoulder. “They’re here!” he called as Thirteen and a few paramedics climbed down into the space. “You’re gonna be okay now, (Name),” Shouto sighed as the three adults approached. The two paramedics politely ushered him out of the way so that they could begin assessing (Name)’s condition.
“Nice work, Todoroki-san,” Thirteen applauded. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder in praise and stated, “Let’s get a rescue team down here to start removing the rubble so we can transport-”
The female paramedic interrupted, “Thirteen.” Both the support hero and student turned to the pale-faced paramedics. “They’re gone.”
Shouto felt all his senses suddenly dull. His vision blurred, his hearing became muffled, his mouth went dry. The world seemed to fade away as the paramedic pulled her hand away from (Name)’s pulse point while the male paramedic raised his head from where he was listening for their heartbeat through their back. He shook his head with a grimace.
“Ah,” Shouto gasped but suffocated around the need to heave all the contents of his stomach. Thirteen was shaken as well but reached around Shouto to hold him still as his body lurched forward.
No. The student refused to move when the other pro heroes tried to pull him away from the sight. His heterochromatic eyes were fixated on (Name)’s lifeless form. Shouto fought against the heroes’ grasps and tried to get closer to (Name), but he couldn’t break free.
A cry of anguish ripped Shouto’s vocal chords. He cried out for his significant other as tears drenched his face and shirt collar. Thirteen fell to her knees beside her fallen student and flinched at each scream from Shouto as he was dragged out of the building.
Summary: Underneath the concrete and pavement, between the towering buildings, Seoul is thrumming with magic. Too much magic. It’s become a hot spot for magical beings seeking to feed off of such intense energy. BTS is unaware of such dangers until they come across a witch trying to manage the mischief of other magical creatures while creating her own trouble.
Warnings: Traits of a panic attack
Author’s Note: I would like to apologize to some readers ahead of time. It is heavily implied/stated that the reader was born in America. I’m sorry international readers! I really like giving my readers free reign over their origins and nationality, but this should be the only predetermined factor of the character throughout the story. Other than that, enjoy!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
The sound of wood splintering combined with embers crackling in the air consumed what would otherwise be considered silence. Her nostrils burned at the smell of smoke blanketing the sky.
Is something burning? Why is it so hot?
Sweat drops evaporated as quickly as they fell. Intense heat licked at flushed, sweltering cheeks.
It was almost as if--
(Name) startled awake with a gasp. Her legs kicked at the thick comforter trapping them, and her arms flailed to the side. Her eyes darted around the darkness of her apartment bedroom wildly.
Choked cries crept up (Name)’s throat, but her windpipe constricted painfully and crushed her distress. She could barely relax enough to swallow minimal amounts of air.
The room was too warm. The sheets were suffocating her.
Help.
In an instant, her ferret familiar was curled up around her head, resting on the pillow. A sudden wave of cool calm washed over her whole body in an instant. Her flailing limbs slowly fell to the mattress, and her chest rose and fell with deep, shaky breaths.
(Name) closed her eyes for a few breaths and slowly let them flutter back open.
(Name) hadn’t had that dream in years. Her thoughts drifted to the dragon she dealt with a few days ago. How his flames had her surrounded and suffocated her until—
“I’m home,” (Name) said to herself as she let her eyes drift from one corner of the ceiling to the other. “I’m home.”
A small chuff from above her head startled her further into reality. Jaewon’s narrow face popped into her field of view. (Name) ran a hand down her face and caught the cute tilt of the ferret’s head through the gaps of her fingers.
“I’m alright now,” (Name) said and took a deep breath. She propped herself up into a sitting position. Jaewon leapt up to curl himself around her shoulders just as she tossed her legs over the side of the bed to plant her bare feet on the cool wood of her floor.
(Name) took a minute to rub at her eyes before reluctantly getting to her feet. She dragged her feet across the apartment as she made her way to her small kitchen attached to the living area. Despite her grogginess, (Name) instinctively weaved through the plethora of plants and flowers alike decorating the small kitchen space from planters hanging from the ceiling and resting on the counter.
The witch felt her eyes slipping shut as swiped around her collection of mason jars before grazing a familiar tin lid. She failed to take note of the lightness of the jar and dragged it across the counter lazily.
It wasn’t until she twisted the jar open that she noticed the lack of powder inside.
(Name) frowned. She didn’t remember having so little of the mixture yesterday. Then again, the witch couldn’t remember much from the past few days.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, (Name) deeply sighed. Jaewon gently nudged his head against her cheek. (Name) lazily scratched her familiar’s head.
The witch would have enough for the day, but she would have to make more for the next month. Normally, she would have no problem going into the shop to gather more ingredients, but she was hoping to avoid going out in general after her nightmare.
Maybe I can get Sumi to drop them off for me. (Name) pondered as she dumped the remaining black powder into one of her many coffee mugs. Jaewon slipped off of her body and onto the counter to make his owner’s drink as said witch slipped back into her bedroom to retrieve her phone from her nightstand.
Turning on the nearly outdated flip phone, (Name)’s eyes caught the date on the small display.
“And she’s off for the rest of the week,” (Name) groaned to herself. She didn’t know why she even tried her luck anymore. She flipped her phone shut and took it with her back to the kitchen. On the counter, Jaewon was waiting beside her steaming mug. “Thanks,” (Name) murmured as she wrapped her bare fingers around the ceramic handle. Jaewon chirped before digging around the kitchen for a snack.
Leaving the ferret to his own devices, (Name) wandered into the living room to lazily drape herself on the worn out couch against the wall. The (H/C)-haired witch waved her hand at her spellbook resting on the coffee table, and it floated over to her before fluttering open.
(Name)’s eyes danced across the map, taking note of each red ‘X’ that decorated the page. She downed half of her drink by time Jaewon curled up beside her.
“We still don’t have enough pieces,” (Name) observed as she reached over to stroke the fur on Jaewon’s back. The familiar let out a low rumble. (Name) hummed, “I’d say at least four more.” A deep sigh broke the stillness of the living room.
(Name) didn’t really know where else to check for a magic well. She and Jaewon had been wandering the city for weeks now, and had only come up with one other location. That was when she had stumbled upon that goblin outside the convenience store.
It was also when (Name) had run into the two idols. Taehyung and Namjoon.
The witch couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the men she had been running into recently. Even though their interactions had been brief, they stuck on her mind more than she’d like to admit. They were each just so charming and peculiar in their own ways.
“They’re all so cute, aren’t they?” (Name) prattled as she finished off the rest of her concoction. She allowed her mug to float over onto the coffee table. “All so blissfully unaware and reckless. I mean, did you see him, Jaewon?” The ferret jumped in alarm at the way (Name) bounced in her seat. “ He jumped in front of a goblin! How dumb,” she chuckled.
(Name) rose from the couch and stretched her arms above her head. She moaned at the tension in her shoulders and sighed in relief as she let her arms fall to her sides.
The witch moved back into her bedroom to change out of her pajamas. Once changed, she began to decorate her hands with rings after rings. From emeralds to pearls, jewels littered her fingers, all embedded in bands of silver. Next were her pendants, much fewer than her rings but still plenty to adorn.
Last on was a hefty chunk of obsidian just bigger than the pad of her thumb cradled in a thin swirl of silver.
(Name) let the rock rest in her palm. She relished the warmth that radiated from it with an odd sense of amusement. She eyed the streaks of red that flared within the gem occasionally.
Jaewon nudged his head against (Name)’s jaw and snapped the woman out of her amused trance. She let the obsidian fall against her stomach and rubbed her cheek against the ferret’s head.
(Name) slipped on her sneakers at the door. She draped her bag over her shoulder and summoned her spellbook from the coffee table. It floated into her bag, and she slipped out of her apartment.
Locking the door behind her, (Name) pulled her cardigan closer to her body as a cool breeze rushed past. Jaewon pressed himself closer to (Name)’s neck for warmth. The pair had always been so sensitive to the cold.
I should ask Sonya about teaching me how to write portal runes. (Name) grumbled nonsense and ramblings under her breath as she brushed past civilians rushing past.
The walk from her apartment to the coffee shop wasn’t longer than twenty minutes, but she hated having to travel so out in the open. With everything that’s been happening within the past few weeks, she couldn’t really be bothered to be interrupted anymore by other magical beings. She still had to deal with the goblins lurking around the convenience store, but that was a task for another time. At the moment, she had to focus on just getting to the shop in one piece and gather what she needed.
Jaewon suddenly slipped beneath (Name)’s cardigan and clung to her waist. (Name) was going to peek under the fabric to look at the ferret in confusion, but she was interrupted mid thought.
“(Name)-ssi?” a familiar, masculine voice called out to her. (Name)’s head perked up at the sound of her name.
Namjoon waved at the witch from further up the sidewalk. Taehyung was with him again, also waving at (Name) enthusiastically. Beside the two familiar faces were two black-haired men, politely nodding her way.
“Oh, Namjoon,” (Name) acknowledged as she joined them off to the side. She openly eyed the idols as she greeted dumbly, “Hi.” The two men who hadn’t greeted her gave a short bow. At the exclusion of any honorific after Namjoon’s name, the men shifted uneasily and shared a weird glance, but they all remained quiet about it.
“Hello, my name is Kim Seokjin,” the taller of the two greeted and nudged the other. “This is Jeon Jungkook.”
(Name) stiffly returned the bow and replied, “Nice to meet you, Seokjin. Jungkook.” The (H/C)-haired witch couldn’t help but eye the youngest in contempt. Before she even realized it, (Name) commented to Namjoon, “Do you idols not value your safety or something? Because this pattern’s starting to get old.”
Namjoon chuckled guiltily while Taehyung pouted. Jin and Jungkook shuffled awkwardly off to the side.
“I promise, the staff knows where we are this time. They’re actually just further up the street,” Namjoon explained.
Taehyung chimed, “They said we could go to your coffee shop!” He bounced on his heels. “We wanted more of those sweets Jiminie brought back the other day.” (Name) giggled at Taehyung’s excitement.
“Well what are you all doing over here, then?” (Name) asked with a glance around. Bystanders were eyeing the group of five but quickly broke eye contact to continue passing by. “The store isn’t this way,” she pointed out.
Namjoon rubbed at the tip of his nose, and his eyes darted around to avoid Jin’s burning gaze. Taehyung laughed along with Jungkook at their hyungs’ antics, and the youngest clapped his hands in amusement. (Name) laughed heartily with the two youngest idols.
“Is that so?” Jin inquired in mock disbelief.
Namjoon waved a hand and pleaded, “Wait, wait, Jin-hyung. I could’ve sworn it was this way!” Jin planted his fists on his hips.
“Oh? Who told you that?” Jin ridiculed with absurdity dripping from every word. Namjoon’s eyes wandered to the side as he visibly tried to fib his way out of his situation.
Deciding to help the poor leader out, (Name) cut in, “I was actually on my way to the shop. If you’d like, I can take you there.”
Taehyung cheered in agreement and linked arms with Jungkook. (Name) grinned at the two and motioned with a wave for the rest to follow. Jin gave Namjoon a seething glance but reluctantly allowed the blonde to walk beside him after the others.
As Namjoon had stated, the staff was only a short ways up the road. The idols greeted them with a polite bow and warm smiles, and (Name) awkwardly followed suit. They exchanged a few words about where they were heading, and the staff sent them off with the promise of joining them later.
“How have you been, noona?” Taehyung asked as he playfully jostled Jungkook. (Name) jokingly clicked her tongue.
“Noona this, noona that! You boys are starting to make me feel old!” (Name) teased. Jin and Namjoon giggled to themselves, but they were far from discreet.
Taehyung protested, “But Jimin-ah called you noona!” (Name) shrugged.
“It’s cute when Jimin says it.” (Name) nearly cackled when Taehyung whined. Jungkook playfully elbowed Taehyung in the side.
“Jimin-ssi’s everyone’s favorite,” Jungkook taunted and earned a dirty look from Taehyung. The maknae ignored the scoldings from the two hyungs behind him and cutely tilted his head at (Name). “So noona owns a coffee shop?”
(Name) couldn’t help the way her jaw clenched at the sound of Jungkook’s voice. She just couldn’t shake the irritation that lingered from their first encounter.
Taking a deep breath, the shop owner answered, “Yes. I’m a co owner.” The group of men didn’t seem to catch on to her tense reply. Thankfully, they turned to one another to chat amongst themselves, giving (Name) a moment to calm herself.
A little less than ten minutes later, they had sped through the streets at the sight of small groups of young girls wandering about, the group of five arrived at the employee entrance of Sumi’s and (Name)’s coffee shop.
“It’s still normal business hours, so we’ll have to go through the back entrance for now,” (Name) explained as she took out her key from her bag. As she unlocked the door, she said, “There’s a small break room in the back you can all hang out in.”
(Name) cracked the door open and peeked inside. The coffee shop had its usual traffic in the morning. A line from the counter to the door with only one or two tables not filled with students or office workers.
The part time employees were too preoccupied to greet the owner, but the witch didn’t mind. (Name) ushered the group of men into the building and guided them into the small break room the store had behind her personal room.
There were just enough chairs for each of them, and they all gathered around the single table in the middle of the room.
“Make yourselves at home. I can have your drinks started and bring in some snacks if you’d like. Is there anything you prefer?” (Name) eagerly listened to the men’s eager requests for hot drinks and pastries. “Alright, I’ll be back in a sec.” She slipped out the back room and glanced around before slipping into the back room.
As (Name) gently shut the door, Jaewon slipped out from his hiding spot under the witch’s cardigan and onto her shoulders. (Name) picked up the ferret from off her shoulder and placed him down on the counter.
“How about you stay here for now, Jaewon?” (Name) offered as she began harvesting some leaves and small flowers from her overflowing planters. She could feel Jaewon disagree with her but ignored the familiar. “I don’t want to explain to them why I have a rat running around my coffee shop.”
Jaewon almost grunted as he reluctantly laid on his usual sun spot. (Name) eyed him cautiously and only when she was sure the ferret was going to stay put did she collect the herbs she originally needed before packing them away in her bag.
(Name) left her bag and Jaewon in her private room and caught one of her employees, who greeted her earnestly, on the way out.
The (H/C)-haired owner relayed to the employee the idols’ order before finishing, “Just leave it on the back counter and I’ll come pick it up.” The teen before (Name) nodded before rushing back to work.
(Name) side stepped other employees on her way to the pastry display. She nodded politely at the workers and piled on treat after treat on a plate. Some regulars greeted her as well, but she only spared them a few words alongside a farewell before escaping to the back room once again.
“I come bearing gifts,” (Name) announced playfully but frowned when the men suddenly stopped talking at the sight of the witch. Ignoring the slight pang in her chest, she tried playing off, “Is this a bad time?”
“No, no,” Namjoon hastily assured. He grinned, “We were just talking about you.”
Treading lightly, (Name) hummed, “All good things, I hope.” She placed the plate of pastries down on the table. Taehyung and Jungkook were quick to say their thanks with their mouths already stuffed with treats. (Name) giggled at their eagerness to scarf down bear claws and danishes alike.
“Of course,” Jin affirmed with a kind smile. (Name) let out a teasing, noncommittal hum and sat in the last vacant chair.
(Name) knew there was more to it than that. She could very easily sense it, especially from Jungkook and Taehyung.
Maybe I can slip a moondrop or two into their drinks to get them to talk. They seem like the easiest to coerce. (Name) mused as she watched all four idols begin munching on pastries. She allowed herself to break off a small piece of a bear claw and plop it in her mouth. But that would be too easy.
“Have you ever been to France, noona?” Taehyung asked as he swatted Jungkook’s wandering hands from his plate.
Slightly taken off guard by his seemingly random question, (Name) took a moment before replying, “No, I haven’t. Why do you ask?”
Taehyung hummed, “It’s just that these pastries remind me of the time we traveled to france while we were on tour.”
“Oh, I think Jimin mentioned that last time,” (Name) commented as she leaned against the table with her forearms crossed. “You boys must’ve traveled everywhere at this point,” she chimed as she picked at another pastry.
“Everywhere’s a strong word,” Namjoon retorted.
Jin nodded and added, “But we have been to a lot of different places. We might as well say we’ve been everywhere.”
(Name) hummed and said, “I bet you’ve seen some really gorgeous places.” Jungkook wiped the crumbs from his puffed cheeks, full of food.
“Have you traveled before, noona?” the maknae asked with an intense curiosity prevalent in his wide eyes. (Name) shook her head but seemed to rethink her answer.
“Well, I’m not originally from Korea,” (Name) explained, a collective sound of shock emitted from the four men. “But other than that, no, I haven’t traveled outside the country.”
“But you speak so well, noona,” Taehyung noted with a look of pure disbelief. (Name) was amused at the states of amazement and shock the idols were in, and she took her time to admire each one. Yet, there was a ugly feeling curling in the pit of her stomach as she took in their praises.
(Name) giggled and lied, “I had a very good teacher. Plus, I moved here when I was very young, so I’ve had a lot of time to practice.”
Unconsciously, the witch raised her hand to thumb at the cool stone, resting against the dip in the base of her throat as it hung from a thick, black ribbon choker.
“I never would have guessed you weren’t born here with how fluent you are,” Jin admitted as he cleaned up the table a little once all the pastries had been finished. Again, something gnawed at (Name).
“Well that’s a relief to hear,” (Name) managed to reply, hoping they would drop the subject. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go check on your drinks.
Without really waiting for their answers, (Name) left the break room and peeked over at the back counter. There, waiting, was a small tray with four steaming mugs. (Name) hastily thanked the employees as she went back to the break room with the tray.
(Name) set down each idol’s drink and set the tray off to the side. They each thanked her enthusiastically and took a moment to cool the surface of their drinks before taking a sip. (Name) was content with their content looks and continued to watch them sip at their drinks.
“Where did you live before you came to Korea, (Name)-ssi?” Namjoon asked as he set his cup back on its saucer. (Name) had hoped they would drop the subject.
“I was born in America and moved here when I was about seven,” (Name) answered truthfully, though at the mention of her birthplace, a bitter taste took over the lingering aftertaste of the sweet pastries they had shared.
Taehyung awed, “So young!” (Name) nodded and twisted the rings on her middle finger. The glint of silver caught Taehyung’s eye, and his hand immediately went to the pendant (Name) had gifted him as it hung around his neck. “I saw that you gave Jiminie, Suga-hyung, and Hobi-hyung gifts too, noona!”
(Name) was surprised to hear. She didn’t think the others would have noticed the jewelry, let alone wear them.
“Oh? Did they like them?” (Name) inquired, genuinely curious. Her heart faltered at the idea of the three not liking her jewelry. Perhaps she shouldn’t have listened to Jaewon.
Much to her relief, Taehyung nodded with a smile.
“Jimin and Hobi-hyung really liked theirs! They liked that we matched,” Taehyung answered. “Suga-hyung won’t admit it but I know he liked his,” he added with a small pout.
Amused, (Name) pressed, “Oh? What makes you so sure?” She leaned back in her seat with a playful grin. “He seems like a hard guy to please, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t like it,” she mockingly grieved. Jin laughed with a nod.
“You’re not entirely wrong,” the eldest said. He wrapped his hands, enveloped in his knit sweater, around his mug as he hummed, “Yoongi’s the type of guy to enjoy something that’s well done. He sees value in the things people genuinely care about and work hard on.”
Namjoon caught the way (Name) frowned as she processed Jin’s words. He chuckled at her perplexed expression.
“Meaning Yoongi saw the effort you put into making that ring,” Namjoon briefed.
A blush unexpectedly warmed (Name)’s cheeks. She found herself sputtering, not really knowing how to respond to such direct yet indirect praise.
“You have a lot of jewelry, noona,” Jungkook commented while openly staring at all of the silver and gems decorating her. He asked, “Do people stare at you a lot?”
“I guess. I probably don’t notice most of the time,” (Name) admitted as she absentmindedly clicked her rings against each other. She stared up at the ceiling and thought carefully. “I like jewelry too much to care about others’ opinions.”
Namjoon was quick to smile and replied, “Then you must understand how we feel about music.”
(Name) honestly didn’t think about that. She was so caught up in their conversations that she had momentarily let the fact that she was sitting with four superstar idols slip from her mind. Everything was just too much fun for her to dwell on the fact.
“Yeah,” the witch mumbled, not sure what else to say. Luckily, Taehyung picked up the conversation.
“Now we all have matching jewelry!” the vocal chirped. He earned a dirty look from both Jin and Jungkook.
Jin huffed, “Everyone but us!” Taehyung only giggled maliciously and continued to prod at the eldest and youngest.
“We’re the best of friends!” Taehyung sang as he laughed off the playful shoves he received from the others. (Name) smiled at the exchanges.
The witch had to admit that in all her years, she had never observed a group of distinct individuals interact so intimately with one another. Yes, (Name) could see that there was something more than just friendship between the seven men, but there was even another layer beyond that.
(Name) could see years and years of hardships woven between each and every one of them. A bond that went beyond normal bounds.
I want that.
(Name) had surprised herself with her own thought. She physically startled in her seat, but not enough for the others to question it.
What had she meant by that? She didn’t need any more friends. She had Sumi and the witches from the next town over who occasionally traveled through Seoul.
More importantly, she had Jaewon.
“Right, (Name)-noona?” (Name) snapped out of her trance and blinked owlishly at Taehyung. A quick glance around reminded her that she wasn’t alone.
Think, (Name). Think of something! (Name) swallowed the lump in her throat.
“What?” the female uttered dumbly.
Idiot.
Taehyung didn’t seem to take any offense and happily repeated, “If you gave Jin-hyung and Jungkook a piece of jewelry, then we’d all officially be friends!”
Seven binding spells was a lot. To have a leash on seven souls would tug her in too many directions all at once. (Name) was already pushing it by giving Yoongi, Hoseok, and Jimin their own links. But she couldn’t help but wonder.
Does this mean I can have what they have? It was tempting. To be a part of something so special and intricate. Is it that easy?
(Name) didn’t know what prompted her to agree and produce two necklaces from her bag. Jaewon had probably predicted (Name) would cave and gift the remaining two idols their own jewelry and hid them in her bag while she was preoccupied in the apartment.
Maybe it was her soft spot for Taehyung? Or perhaps it was the pressure of all four men’s gazes?
The rest of their time together passed with (Name) in a daze. She would passively interact with the idols when prompted but otherwise would stick to admiring them and watching their expressions change with each playful and loving interaction.
Namjoon, Jin, Taehyung, and Jungkook came and went just as swiftly as the other times. (Name) sent them off with a passive smile and a small plate of snacks. She bowed to the staff she had greeted earlier, and closed the back door once the whole group had shuffled into their company cars.
The (H/C)-haired witch stood alarmingly still in her personal back room. Jaewon wasn’t concerned though. He knew she was fine. In fact, the female was at her peak when she was silent.
Seven souls tied to her own.
(Name)’s lips split in a sadistic grin.
Tomorrow she would test if she had made a mistake or possibly the best decision ever.
Summary: How does Dabi’s little songbird come to join the League of Villains? Some might think they were kidnapped or blackmailed, but it’s all too possible that (Name) was coerced by the idea of a having human lighter around.
Warnings: Tobacco use, language
Dabi was hiding from Shigaraki and Kurogiri on the rooftop of a shadier than usual night club. The patrons at the club had been too preoccupied with a group of tipsy women making a scene to notice him slip through an employee entrance that led up to the rooftop.
The scarred man was enjoying the unique quiet that enveloped the rooftop. Shouts of profanity from below were barely concealed by the echoes of cars driving by and honking in rage. Even with the combination of it all, it barely reached the height of the roof.
Underneath it all, a smooth voice from downstairs swept Dabi up in its currents and lulled him into a peaceful state of mind. He couldn’t quite make out the lyrics, but the dismal crooning of the singer resonated deep in the villain. Dabi had half a mind to go down and check out the performer, but the cinching of the staples holding his skin together told him otherwise.
Dabi was too busy wallowing in self pity to notice that the singing had faded to nothing. His eyes were so firmly trained on the skyline of the city, and the chatter from the club had started up again. It was fairly easy for him to miss the creak of the rusted door as another person joined him in the cool air of the night.
(Name) hadn’t been expecting to see anyone else on the rooftop of the club that night. No one really hung around the rooftop anymore after the owner chewed out one of the barbacks for slacking off up there.
To say the least, the appearance of the scarred man resting against the ledge in nothing but a white t-shirt and worn jeans had surprised (Name).
But the performer couldn’t be bothered enough to turn back. They needed their smoke break if they were gonna finish the next two hours of their gig.
(Name) sighed wistfully, apparently not loud enough to alert the stranger to their presence, and decided to throw caution to the wind. They slowly sauntered over to where Dabi stood and came to a slow stop beside him.
Wordlessly, (Name) shook a cigarette out from the carton and ignored the side glance from the stranger as they slipped it between their lips.
Dabi was just contemplating leaving when a curse from the person beside him drew his attention back to them. He looked back to watch them repeatedly try to use their lighter to no luck. He unconsciously raised his hand and ignited the tip of his index finger a few inches away from (Name)’s face.
The singer was taken aback for a moment. They were mesmerized by the pale blue flame before them but quickly snapped out of their trance at the rough grunt from the scarred villain beside them.
(Name) wasn’t a fool. They recognized that lanky stature and the mangled flesh that clung to it. The tufts of inky black hair was also a giveaway, but the blue flame dancing before them only further confirmed their suspicions.
But their smoke break came first. Tipping off the police for a handsome reward could wait.
Slowly, (Name) leaned forward to dip the tip of their cigarette, still dangling between their lips, into Dabi’s flame. They leaned back just as the villain extinguished his quirk.
“Thanks,” (Name) murmured under their breath after taking a long drag. At the sound of their velvety voice, Dabi wordlessly nodded, recognizing them as them as the singer from downstairs, and took in the sight beside him.
A seemingly permanent frown marred (Name)’s glossy lips despite being puckered around a roll of tobacco. Goosebumps dotted their bare arms, pulled closely inward, and Dabi could make out more spreading across the skin of their chest, exposed by the low dip of the collar of their attire. Even so, the singer seemed unaffected by the chill of the night air by the way they held firm with all their weight shifted onto one leg, resulting in their hip jutting out.
Confidence. Couldn’t be bothered. Unphased.
Dabi was interested. Very interested.
“You see something you like, pretty boy?” (Name) taunted nonchalantly as they drew away their cigarette, between their index and middle finger. Dabi smirked.
“You could say that,” Dabi replied as he shifted so that his whole body faced (Name). He hummed, “What’s a doll like you doing in a place like this?”
(Name) rolled their eyes and sneered, “I have a job, unlike some people.” Dabi raised an eyebrow at the insinuation. He chose not to comment on it, seeing that the stranger didn’t seem too interested in the fact that he was a wanted man.
The villain taunted, “With a pretty face like that, I’m sure a seedy little bar in the red light district wasn’t your first choice.” (Name) laughed halfheartedly.
“I’m sorry that my tragic backstory didn’t lead to a life of revenge and crime,” (Name) snarked. Normally, Dabi would’ve burned the offender to a crisp, but the little spitfire in front of him was growing on him. For a moment, he just watched (Name) continue to smoke. “Hate to break it to you, but I chose this seedy little bar.”
Expression unchanging, Dabi inquired, “Why?” (Name) blew a cloud of smoke off to the side.
“Getting to the top isn’t satisfying anymore,” (Name) stated simply as they fidgeted with their cigarette.
Dabi didn’t need them to further elaborate.
“That’s too bad,” Dabi feigned disappointment as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you all dolled up on the big stage.” A brief smile crossed (Name)’s face.
“The pay here’s good,” (Name) defended with a small shrug as they took one last drag of their cigarette before snuffing it out against the ledge. “Audience fucking sucks,” they added as they shook out another cigarette from the carton. Dabi laughed under his breath.
The male in question already had his hand outstretched again with a blue flame dancing in the center of his palm. (Name) didn’t hesitate to lean forward and light their cigarette with the villain’s quirk.
“I can’t imagine why,” Dabi mused sarcastically. As if on cue, a fight breaking out could be heard from downstairs. The unimpressed look (Name) shot him had him nearly cackling.
“What about you?” (Name) suddenly asked. Dabi only gave (Name) an inquisitive stare. They prodded, “Why be a villain? What’s the point?” The male beside them mulled over their question.
Dabi mumbled, “Just like you said. Getting to the top isn’t satisfying anymore.” (Name) paused with their cigarette just barely pressed to their lips. They were stunned to hear their own words leave the villain’s mouth, but with different intent and meaning than their original comment. “You sing real pretty, you know,” Dabi commented offhandedly.
(Name), seemingly unphased by the compliment, nodded and resumed smoking their cigarette. Dabi frowned at the lack of reaction.
“What? Don’t believe me?” Dabi scoffed as he leaned his cheek into his palm, propped up on the ledge. “Think I’m lying to you, doll?” he taunted with a bitter grin. (Name) glared at him and blew a cloud of smoke directly into his face. Dabi grimaced, causing (Name) to giggle a little, but didn’t flinch away.
“You were just hearing my quirk,” (Name) argued as they looked off into the distance.
Dabi hummed, “Got one of those cute siren quirks or whatever?” (Name) could feel a faint heat travel up their exposed neck but suppressed a blush as they thumbed at their cigarette.
“Something like that,” (Name) answered as they shook the ashes from their cigarette off to the side. Dabi almost squinted as he stared at (Name).
“Let me guess, you think that everyone’s going to love you for your quirk rather than your talent,” Dabi droned with a tilt to his head. “Did I get it right?” (Name) laughed weakly and smiled bitterly.
“It’s more like I know everyone would hate me because of my quirk.” (Name) could clearly see that Dabi didn’t really understand their point. Deciding to elaborate, (Name) continued, “No one thinks that you can make it through hard work, and they’re not wrong. It’s all connections and quirk potential. You think I can make it big, and maybe I can. But at what cost? Why go so far for so little in return?”
Dabi offered, “Why not? All the glam and glitz around being a star seems nice. You’d get paid way more than you do here.”
“And what? Be under some record label’s thumb? Become an idol that can do no wrong? For some extra cash?” (Name) spat as they crushed their unfinished roll of tobacco under their heel. “There’s nothing more insincere or insulting than an artist who sells out the entirety of themselves just for the public’s approval and happiness.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Dabi noted as he stood up straight, “Seems like you’ve got a lot to say, and the wrong stage to say it on.” His gaze wandered to the skyline. He didn’t need to contemplate long before he said, “Come work for us.”
(Name) visibly reeled back. They eyed Dabi cautiously, and he let them. He knew what he was asking, what his offer entailed.
“Show them what hard work and ideals can do,” Dabi stirred as he took a step closer to the singer. (Name) didn’t step back, further amusing Dabi. He was uncomfortably close, but (Name) didn’t feel as disturbed as one should be with a villain standing within arm’s reach.
(Name) nearly whispered, “Why should I?” They firmly met Dabi’s blazing gaze with a hardened stare of their own. “What do I have to prove to the world?”
Dabi shook his head and his mismatched lips slowly twisted into a sick smile.
“Nothing. You just get to show off your stuff. Gotta show them what they’re missing out on.” Kurogiri’s warp gate opened up behind the two, both the bartender and the leader stepping out. Dabi ignored Shigaraki’s bitching and jerked his head towards the portal while maintaining eye contact with (Name), who still stood in shock at the scarred man’s bold statement. “You coming or what?”
(Name) could have very easily lulled the three villains into a despondent state and made a break for it. Wasn’t that hard to find another bar to sing at. The lease on their apartment was almost up anyways, so they could just go and live in another cheap complex.
But Dabi understood them. He understood them better than anyone else had. Others had laughed and mocked (Name) for not wanting to make it big. Said they didn’t have the will or the talent.
Not Dabi. He knew that society was fucked. Dabi knew that the big leagues were corrupt and rigged all the way up the ladder.
(Name) could have very easily walked away and escaped the League of Villains.
Summary: It’s hard to for (Name) to see the outside world through the small hospital room window from their bed on the other side of the room. Taehyung is determined to close the gap.
Warnings: Hospitalization, mentions of ivs, light angst
Author’s Note: I’ve been really inspired recently for these oneshots. Don’t worry about Magic Shop, I’m just taking a break by writing other content. It’s a nice breath of fresh air for me.
Taehyung thumbed at the rough material of his camera strap. He smiled politely at the nurses and patients he passed by on his way down the long corridor.
The idol wonders to himself if he should’ve brought flowers, but he was quick to remember that (Name) didn’t particularly like the mess they caused last time. Taehyung had also wanted to bring a few stuffed animals to keep (Name) company, but they weren’t allowed on their bed for long, as it would disrupt the ivs and monitor wires.
Taehyung did the next best thing.
“(Name)? It’s me,” Taehyung called out as he gently knocked on the open door. He peeked his head in and smiled at the sight of his significant other eagerly awaiting. “Hey, jagi,” Taehyung greeted cheerily as he slowly approached (Name)’s hospital bed.
“Tae,” (Name) greeted fondly. “You’re early today.” Taehyung pulled the faux leather chair up to their bedside from its position against the pale blue wall. He wanted to sit beside (Name) on their bed, but he was always too scared of pulling a wire or tube.
Taehyung giggled through his boxy grin and replied, “I wanted to see you as soon as possible.”
The smile faltered on (Name)’s lips. “You didn’t get in trouble, right, Tae?” Taehyung earnestly shook his head. He gently cradled one of (Name)’s cold hands in both of his.
“Of course not,” the idol answered and bent down to kiss the knuckle of (Name)’s thumb. “We finished our schedule a little early today. You know Bang PD-nim is okay with this,” Taehyung reminded as he tried to rub some of his warmth into (Name)’s fingertips.
(Name) breathed, “Of course.”
This had been Taehyung’s only request. He wanted full privacy with his jagiya. No bodyguards following him past the front desk, no shooting or photography for any reason by the company, no exposure to the media and press. Taehyung wanted for (Name) to heal and recover in total peace. He wouldn’t use their harrowing time of need to paint himself an image. Bang PD was kind enough to comply with Taehyung’s request so long as the idol worked hard and stuck to his schedule.
Taehyung has been more than willing to agree to the producer’s terms, and worked harder than ever to complete his schedules so that he could go and spend time with his sickly lover.
(Name) gazed lovingly at Taehyung with tired, sunken eyes. They knew that Taehyung was working hard and stretching himself thin between his work and making trips to the hospital to visit them. It took quite some convincing from Taehyung for (Name) to allow themself to be selfish for once and bathe in their boyfriend’s attention. The male had assured (Name) plenty of times that it was okay for them to want to see him after work.
“You brought your camera today,” (Name) noted excitedly. Taehyung nodded and turned the camera on. “Where did you go this time?”
Dismissively, Taehyung said, “We just walked around a field this morning before we went into the studio.” His charcoal eyes became fixated on the screen of his camera as he began scrolling through the gallery. He absently commented, “I’ll get to bring some more exciting ones next week since we’re driving to Incheon for a commercial shoot.”
(Name) frowned and protested, “All of your photos are exciting, Taehyung.” At the sound of his full name, the idol lifted his head to show his curiosity.
“Huh?” Taehyung mumbled dumbly. (Name), with what little strength they had, reached over to squeeze one of Taehyung’s hands, frozen on the camera.
“I love seeing all of your photographs,” (Name) declared with a shallow wrinkle between their eyebrows. Taehyung swallowed stiffly as (Name) continued, “Every single one of them. I love them all. They’re all masterpieces in their own right.”
Taehyung visibly shifted in his seat, and his eyes darted to the side. He licked at his lips nervously.
“Some of them are so boring,” Taehyung argued and pulled up a shot he had taken of an elderly woman standing outside of a corner shop. He whispered, “There’s nothing really there.”
(Name) shook their head and retorted, “But there is. Or else you wouldn’t have taken a picture at that moment.” Taehyung was rendered speechless for a moment. (Name) gently eased the camera out of Taehyung’s limp hands. “I love seeing the world through your eyes. Because you see something special in the littlest of things.”
Taehyung leaned over the edge of the bed and closer to (Name) to look at his photographs together. (Name) suddenly stopped scrolling through on the picture, taken by Jimin, of Taehyung and them celebrating the group’s album release.
“You saw something special in me,” (Name) whispered as their eyes began to water. Taehyung nuzzled his forehead into their temple. “You’re my window to the world, Taehyung.” The male shut his eyes tightly and pressed his lips into a tight line at the slightest hint of strain to (Name)’s voice.
“Anything for you, jagiya,” Taehyung murmured as his free hand cautiously caressed the crown of (Name)’s head. His deep voice helped soothe the pressure building in (Name)’s chest. “Just focus on getting well so we can see it all together,” Taehyung cooed as he planted a firm kiss on the curve of their jaw.
(Name) tittered at the feeling of Taehyung’s lips grazing their cheek. Taehyung hummed happily at the sound and cradled their chin to pull them into a soft kiss. (Name)’s chapped lips were rough against the even texture of his own, but it never bothered him enough to consider pulling away. The idea of showering the love of his life with affection was much more pressing than giving them chapstick.
Pulling away reluctantly, (Name) beamed at their boyfriend before they requested, “Let me see the photos from the field! What were they growing?”
Taehyung chuckled and pulled up said pictures. He watched on as (Name) examined the photos in pure awe and amazement. The idol was more than happy to answer whatever questions his significant other had and rant to them about his thoughts and feelings in the moment.
Eventually, visiting hours would come to an end, and the two would exchange their quiet farewells before the nurses could come to escort the idol out of the room. (Name) would sadly return Taehyung’s camera but not before making their boyfriend promise to bring them more the next time he visited. In return, Taehyung would ask for them to take care of themselves and be good for the nurses.
And so, the curtains would slowly draw close over (Name)’s window to the world. Never for long, though. The morning would come again and with it, Taehyung would arrive to pull back the curtains and show them his world over and over again.
Summary: Dabi’s love is a tough one. There’s rough patches much like the scarred skin that clings to his body, but there are times of tenderness that are more addicting than tobacco and alcohol combined.
Warnings: Alcohol, tobacco use, language
“Hey, gimme a light.”
Dabi eyed the cigarette dangling inches from his face for a second before returning to staring past the rolled tobacco and at the rows upon rows of liquor behind the bar.
“No.”
“I wasn’t asking,” the figure beside him retorted and waved the cigarette balanced between their index and middle finger. Adjusting himself to face (Name), Dabi huffed out of amusement and rested his chin in his palm.
Dabi mused, “You’ve been a real spitfire lately. What’s got your panties in a twist?” (Name) lowered their hand, holding their cigarette, to glower at their boyfriend.
“Right now? The fire hazard right next to me that won’t light my goddamn cigarette,” (Name) remarked as they reached over to take Dabi’s glass.
The man opted to let them throw back his shot and didn’t flinch when they slammed the glass back down onto the cool wood of the bar counter. Dabi reached over to slide the glass down the bar to where Kurogiri was cleaning up.
“Another one, my good man.” Dabi could feel the mass of purple flames roll his nonexistent eyes but couldn’t give less of a damn.
(Name) groaned, “I don’t want a shot, Dabi. I want you to give me a fucking light.” They placed the cigarette between their lips and stared the cremation user dead in the eye. “Last chance, pretty boy. I’ll go find Twice if I have to.”
“Aw, so you do think I’m pretty,” Dabi taunted as he held his pinky finger to (Name)’s cigarette. A small blue flame flickered to life and lit the end. He quickly extinguished the flame and unabashedly watched his grumpy lover take a long drag. “Did you know that hundreds of thousands of people die every year from smoking?” Dabi spouted and caught the shot glass from Kurogiri that slid his way.
“I really don’t want to hear about an early death from you,” (Name) snapped with a quirked brow. With smoke billowing from their glossy lips, they commented, “I distinctly remember you bitching in bed yesterday after getting pummeled by some hero twink.”
Dabi scrunched his face in disgust with his glass resting on his scarred lip. “Please don’t ever say it like that ever again. Please and thank you.” He shuddered at (Name)’s cackles and hurriedly threw back his shot.
(Name) shrugged and fired back, “Then don’t nag me like a prude.” They waved down Kurogiri to order a martini. They were reaching the end of their cigarette when Dabi leaned over the gap between their stools to plant a sloppy kiss right on their lips.
Dabi’s scarred hands grabbed at the edges of (Name)’s stool to drag them closer. (Name) couldn’t help but groan at the slide of Dabi’s legs between their own and nipped at the rough skin of his bottom lip. They ignored the smirk that tugged at their boyfriend’s mismatched lips and focused on tracing their tongue along the creases in the textured skin.
(Name) felt buzzed at the familiar taste of Hennessy and heated at the glide of Dabi’s tongue against theirs. Shivers ran up their spine when Dabi’s heated palms massaged the inside of their thighs with firm strokes.
“Fuck,” (Name) moaned as their free hand traveled the span of Dabi’s defined chest to clutch at the loose collar of his white tee. They pulled him nearly out of his stool to get him to press closer.
“Can’t you two go an hour without fucking each other?” Shigaraki grunted from the other side of the common area.
Dabi pulled away reluctantly from the heated kiss to deadpan at their leader. Toga was giggling wildly off to the side, but no one paid her any attention. (Name) leaned back casually and thanked Kurogiri under their breath as he handed them their pink martini. Thankfully, their lovely cancer stick still had a few puffs left, and (Name) gladly indulged in what little time they had left together.
“I’m a bit busy, Hands,” Dabi bit as he tried to get his significant other’s attention again.
Shigaraki threw himself down onto one of the couches and dismissed, “Not here for you.”
Dabi growled low in his throat as he grabbed two handfuls of (Name)’s ass and pulled them into his lap. He disregarded their protests and continued to feel his way up their waist with mischievous fingers.
“I sure as hell hope you’re here for Kurogiri then,” Dabi huffed as he pressed wet kisses to (Name)’s neck as they sipped at their martini nonchalantly.
Though they put up an unaffected front, Dabi could tell they were getting hot and bothered with the subtle shifts in his lap. Dabi, momentarily forgetting about their boss not even six feet away from them, smirked and started nibbling at the soft skin at the juncture of (Name)’s neck where it met their shoulder.
A soft hum vibrated in the little space between them, and a haze settled over Dabi’s eyes. It wasn’t even a full tune, yet (Name) had him in a lustful trance with the slightest use of their melodic voice.
Unafraid of Dabi’s hidden threats, Shigaraki hummed, “You’ve got a gig, (Name).” The villain in question sighed wistfully and reached behind them to snuff out their smoke in the nearby ashtray. With their hand now free, it found itself tangled in Dabi’s tufts of black hair.
“What’s the set list?” (Name) quipped as they tugged at black locks with every hickey Dabi etched into their skin. They sucked in air through their teeth when their boyfriend nipped at the sensitive patch of skin just below their ear.
“Just one song. An associate of sorts would like our help convincing his audience to stay in their seats,” the white-haired man replied as he openly grimaced at the way Dabi pulled (Name)’s hips into his. “You two are utterly disgusting.”
(Name) only shrugged while Dabi made even more of a show for Shigaraki by straight up licking a long stripe up (Name)’s neck while maintaining eye contact with the white-haired male. (Name) shuddered in disgust but only sipped at their drink in response. Dabi offered Shigaraki a wicked grin, to which the latter glared in return.
“Unwilling crowds are my specialty,” (Name) chimed as they finished off their pink martini. They smacked their lips at the sweet taste and ducked their head down to give Dabi a peck with way too much tongue before they slid off of his lap. “What’s the address?”
Dabi huffed childishly and spun in his seat to lean back against the bar with his elbows on the counter. Cerulean eyes were fixated on the sway of (Name)’s hips as they made their way over to stand in front of Shigaraki. He took his time admiring them from head to toe as Shigaraki briefed them on their assignment.
The fog began to clear from his head, and he licked the corner of his mouth where the overly sweet taste of (Name)’s martini seemed to linger.
“Dabi, let’s go,” (Name) called. The scarred male grunted as he pulled himself out of his seat. He strutted over to where (Name) was and hooked a lanky arm around them before pulling them out of the common area.
Their tender moment may have been coming to an end, and (Name) didn’t know when the next one would come. But the wait would be worth it. Because (Name) was addicted to Dabi’s tenderness.
Summary: Underneath the concrete and pavement, between the towering buildings, Seoul is thrumming with magic. Too much magic. It’s become a hot spot for magical beings seeking to feed off of such intense energy. BTS is unaware of such dangers until they come across a witch trying to manage the mischief of other magical creatures while creating her own trouble.
Warnings: None
Author’s Note: Uh if you couldn’t tell, this is a slow burn series. Be prepared for the long run. That is all.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
(Name)’s features scrunched together as she chewed on another tapioca pearl. Jaewon sniffed at the straw before tilting his head to the side. (Name) let out a soft grunt and took another sip from her milk tea.
“So? What do you think?” Sumi asked as she happily sipped on her own tea.
The crowd inside their coffee shop had died down about an hour ago. At that point, Sumi, the co-owner of the shop, made the decision to send home most of their baristas from the morning shifts. If it got too busy for the one teen left, Sumi promised to step in and help out.
The witch hummed as she leaned back in her wooden chair. “Yeah, no.” Sumi protested with a pout.
“What? Aw, why not?” she cried out as she tugged at the long sleeve of (Name) blouse. (Name) shook her head and gestured to the large window at the front of their shop.
“There are plenty of boba places in Seoul already,” (Name) argued as she slowly pushed her milk tea to the side. “It’s not gonna bring in as much business as you think it will,” she said as she rest her head on an open palm.
Sumi whined and laid her head on her folded arms. Her long, caramel hair fell all over. She mumbled, “Well what do we do?” (Name) shrugged.
“I don’t know why you’re so concerned. The shop’s doing great!” (Name) retorted with a frown. She added, “We literally just did that photo shoot with BTS the other week. We’ve been doing great since then.”
Sumi narrowed her gaze and pointed accusingly at (Name). “That’ll only last us so long, (Name)! We gotta stay on top of things! The coffee business is a dog eat dog world! Especially with all the American companies moving in.” (Name) raised a lazy brow and took a reluctant sip of the milk tea, careful not to catch any tapioca pearls.
“You’re ridiculous.” (Name) was smacking her lips together when their employee carefully tapped her shoulder. (Name) placed the plastic cup back onto the table before turning her head to face the young barista.
“(Name)-nim, Park-nim? Could I get some help behind the counter?” the teen asked with worry upon his brow. (Name) looked to Sumi.
Sumi stood up and brushed off her dress pants before gathering her blazer from the back of her seat.
“I’ll leave that to you, (Name),” Sumi declared as she pulled on her blazer. (Name) quirked a brow at her friend.
“And where are you going?” the witch inquired and watched Sumi head to the entrance of the shop without moving from her seat.
Sumi grinned widely at (Name) as she began to step through the door.
“To go do some research on that place in Busan you mentioned earlier!” she called with a happy wave. “Love you!”
(Name) watched, unamused, as Sumi blew kisses to her through the front window as she pranced down the street. (Name) sighed and pulled herself out of her seat with a weak smile.
“Don’t worry, Chanyoung. I’ll help out at the register. Just start the orders you already have,” (Name) said as she followed the teen behind the counter. She let Chanyoung work and logged herself into the POS system before moving to close out the customer before her.
Two fairly uneventful hours passed, and (Name) was helping Chanyoung clean up the shop. She was counting the money in the cash register drawer towards the back of the shop, and Chanyoung was sweeping behind the counter when the bell above the door chimed.
“Excuse me? Are you still open?” A soft voice broke the peaceful silence in the shop.
“Uh, we’re about to close, but let me check,” Chanyoung called back and scurried over to where (Name) was listening. “(Name)-nim? Did you want me to take this last order before I head out?”
(Name) waved him off but didn’t take her eyes off of the money in her hands.
“Don’t worry, Chanyoung. I’ll take care of it,” (Name) assured as she organized the bills into back into the cash register drawer. She said, “Make sure to clock out before you leave. Have fun in Incheon!”
“Thank you!” Chanyoung grinned and bowed before exiting through the employee entrance.
(Name) picked up the drawer and made her way to the counter.
As she placed the drawer back into the register, she began, “Sorry about that, what can I get started for you?” She opened up an order page on the POS.
“I’ll have a café latte,” the soft voice ordered. (Name) blinked owlishly at the sound of the man’s voice, and her hand froze above the screen.
Even though (Name) couldn’t see the idol’s eyes past his dark, thick sunglasses, she recognized the man as Park Jimin. Next to Jimin stood Yoongi and Hoseok. They all seemed a bit more disheveled than when she saw them in her shop last time.
Ah, the scaredy cats of the group. (Name) resisted a wicked smile and settled for a more polite one. “Of course. What else can I get for you?”
Hoseok requested, “Can I get a flat white?” (Name) nodded before looking to Yoongi.
The witch was met with a suspicious gaze to which she easily brushed off with a overly friendly smile.
“And for you?” she asked. Yoongi cleared his throat awkwardly and looked up to the menu board above the counter. He narrowed his eyes and hurriedly skimmed over the options. Almost frantically.
“Iced americano.”
(Name) chuckled under her breath before putting in all their drink orders. She read aloud, “That will be 16,400 won today. For here or to go?”
“For here, please,” Jimin said as his petite hand offered a sleek black card.
(Name) swiped the card before she handed it back to the idol with a soft smile. She handed Jimin his receipt and moved to make their order, but Hoseok’s comment made her pause.
“It’s the girl from the other day,” Hoseok pointed out to Yoongi. (Name) was pouring espresso into a cup and glanced over her shoulder to catch Yoongi examining her. Their eyes met, and Yoongi was quick to look away.
Deciding to play nice for the day, (Name) only smiled and gave the three men a small wave before turning back to the espresso machine her.
“The one with Namjoon-hyung and Taehyungie?” Jimin asked as quietly as he could and tried not to stare like Yoongi had. Yoongi hummed and glanced at (Name)’s back before shuffling over to a nearby table. Jimin and Hoseok shrugged at one another and joined the rapper sitting down.
“I didn’t recognize her last time, but wasn’t she here when we did our photo shoot here?” Hoseok observed. The other two contemplated the idea, and the three men’s gazes lingered on (Name).
Yoongi raised a brow and huffed, “You actually remember that photo shoot?”
Jimin frowned. “I don’t remember much either.” Hoseok shrugged and rubbed at the back of his neck..
“Barely. We do so many photo shoots that it’s getting hard to keep track of them all,” Hoseok brushed off. Yoongi and Jimin silently agreed with Hoseok, though there were still some doubts.
“What else do they sell here?” Jimin wondered aloud. His eyes skimmed over the menu board but stole a glance at (Name)’s back every now and then. “Do you think they have those fluffy pastries we had in France? What were they called again?”
Yoongi narrowed his eyes up at the ceiling and scratched at his nose. “Uh, crescent? Crepe?”
“Croissant?” (Name) chimed as she came up with their drinks on her tray. The idols jumped a little in their seats. She giggled under her breath and said, “We have those if you’d like to try some. We have chocolate ones too.” She swiftly but gently set down their drinks.
The many rings on her fingers clinked softly against the sides of the mugs, briefly interrupting the stillness of the shop. She slipped her tray under her arm and took a moment to admire the way Jimin’s whole face lit up.
“I’ve never had a chocolate croissant!” Jimin couldn’t contain his excitement. “I’ll take one, please!” He reached for his wallet in his fanny pack and looked to his fellow group members. “Do you want something, hyung?”
(Name) held a hand out to signal for the young male to stop. Jimin froze and stared wide-eyed at the witch.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s on the house,” (Name) offered.
Jimin frantically waved his hand. “I couldn’t!” (Name) shook her head, and a smile crept onto her lips.
“We make a new batch every day. There’s a few we didn’t manage to sell, and we’re closing up shop soon so I don’t mind.” (Name) wandered over to the display case and opened up the back panel.
As (Name) plated some pastries, Jimin frowned and faced Yoongi and Hoseok. The younger rapper shrugged his shoulders while Yoongi looked more upset.
“What do we do, hyung?” Jimin moaned helplessly. Hoseok shrugged and Yoongi just huffed. “I don’t want her to get in trouble for giving us free stuff.”
Jaewon peeked his head out from where he was napping on a shelf underneath the counter to peer up at (Name). The female rolled her eyes and pulled some more croissants from the display case.
Don’t look at me like that, Jaewon. The familiar huffed and plopped back down. I’m trying to play nice. Now’s not the time. (Name) slid the display case shut and straightened her posture. I can’t say no to such a pretty face. Now. If you’ll excuse me, I have customers to attend to. (Name) maneuvered her way back around the counter and rejoined the three idols at their table.
“Here we go,” (Name) announced as she set down a plate filled with an assortment of pastries. “Did you want me to get some extra plates?”
“Ah, noona,” Jimin interrupted. “We can’t just take these! Let me pay!” he pleaded and pulled out his card.
(Name) pouted and propped her hand on her hip. “What’s with this ‘noona’ business? Do I really look that much older than you?” (Name) teased. Jimin almost visibly blushed as he started waving his hands.
“No, no! You don’t look that old!” Jimin insisted, and the other two snickered affectionately at the youngest male’s flustered behavior. Jimin babbled, “You look really young!”
(Name), enjoying this more than she should have, retorted halfheartedly, “Oh? Do I look like a college kid? Or maybe even a high school student?”
Jimin made a short noise of protest before giving up and burying his face in his hands. Hoseok outright laughed at Jimin while Yoongi silently looked on with a smug grin. (Name) gave a hearty laugh.
“I’m just teasing. You were right, I am older than you,” (Name) assured the idol, but a crooked grin danced across her lips. “Older than you might think,” she added quietly, but it didn’t seem like the three men in front of her caught it.
Jimin retrieved himself from his makeshift cover and pouted at the witch.
“At least let me pay, noona,” Jimin whined and further outstretched his card. “I really don’t want noona to get in trouble.”
(Name) blinked owlishly at Jimin. She opened her mouth, paused, then closed her mouth into a tight line.
I think the spell worked a little too well.
The witch cleared her throat to mask her laughter before declaring, “I’m the owner of this shop.”
It was the idols’ turn to stare in shock. Thinking back, it would make sense that she was the only one they recall working when during their photo shoot all those weeks ago. There’s also the fact that she was currently the last one to leave the shop.
“Ah, really?” Jimin asked, dumbfounded. (Name) couldn’t help a small giggle when she nodded.
“Yup. Well, I’m a co-owner. I run this shop with my friend,” (Name) explained and grabbed a biscuit from the plate. She took a small bite and, with her mouth full, said, “Please. Feel free to have as many as you like. We only sell fresh products, so these would go to waste.”
After a moment of hesitation and contemplation, Jimin reached out for a chocolate croissant and nervously took a bite. Yoongi and Hoseok took that as an invitation to grab a pastry for themselves to try.
“Noona! These are amazing!” Jimin exclaimed with starry eyes. Hoseok nodded eagerly and Yoongi looked mildly impressed.
(Name) smiled and answered, “I’m glad. It took us a while to get the texture right, but I think we’ve done pretty well.”
“How long have you had this shop, noona?” Hoseok asked curiously. (Name) hummed as she thought for a moment, though she was momentarily distracted by the adorable way Hoseok tilted his head to the side.
“I think we’re coming up on four years?” (Name) guessed before she took another bite of her biscuit. She shrugged and commented, “I have trouble keeping track of time.”
“Wow, that’s a pretty long time for a family business,” Hoseok said.
(Name) waved a hand dismissively. “Not to me,” she argued and finished her biscuit. “What brings the three of you here?”
Hoseok swallowed his bite before answering, “We’re on a short break before heading into a recording session.”
“What about the others?” (Name) inquired as she played with one of her pendants. “Last time I checked, there were six of you.”
Yoongi gave her a narrow look before correcting, “There’s seven of us.” (Name) stared at the rapper for a moment before looking up and counting on her fingers.
(Name) finished counting out loud before looking back to Yoongi and said, “Oh. There are seven of you. My bad!” She giggled to herself a little and repeated, “So where are the others?”
“Taehyung and Jungkook took everyone out to get an early dinner since Jin-hyung didn’t want to cook tonight,” Jimin explained as he took another sip of his drink.
“I should get back to cleaning. You’re more than welcome to stick around if you’d like.”
“We’d hate to bother you,” Jimin protested. (Name) shook her head and walked behind the counter to get the broom.
The witch assured, “It’s fine! I like the company.” The idols shared a glance before reluctantly deciding to stick around. “If you need anything, let me know.”
The three idols nodded with polite smiles as (Name) began sweeping around the counter.
I’ve forgotten how much I hate doing this. (Name) moaned to herself and looked to the three men sitting by the shop window. They wouldn’t notice if I just... She slowly released her grip on the broom and just as it was going to start sweeping by itself, a sharp chuff sent the broom flying back into (Name)’s hand.
The witch’s heart hammered against her ribcage as her eyes darted from the three idols to where Jaewon was side eyeing her from under the counter. (Name) rolled her eyes at her familiar.
Jaewon! Don’t scare me like that. (Name) scolded the ferret. Jaewon let out a long huff before curling back up. (Name) shook her head and went back to manually cleaning up.
Not even ten minutes later, (Name) was wiping down the inside of the display case when she heard loud squeals coming from outside. The shop owner had been so startled, she jumped and slammed her head on the top of the case.
“What the hell?” (Name) muttered as she rubbed the top of her head and carefully got stood up. She looked to see if the others were okay, and deadpanned at the sight.
A whole group of young girls stood right outside her shop window with phones and cameras all pointed at the clearly uncomfortable idols sitting before them. With every wave and smile offered to the young girls, a whole wave of squeals and cries erupted from the crowd.
“No,” (Name) blurted, catching the three men’s attention. They eyed her curiously as she power walked over to the store entrance while chanting, “No, no, no, no, no!”
Just as some of the girls reached the door, (Name) promptly locked the door and dropped the blinds to cover the window in the door. She ignored the cries of disappointment and anger and moved over to the large window of the shop.
“Sorry! We’re closed!” (Name) announced with a fake smile. She waved at the crowd happily before she pulled the cord to release the blinds.
Yoongi was first to break the silence by laughing and clapping his hands together excitedly. (Name) was taken aback by the joyous sound from the otherwise stoic rapper. His gummy smile had her fumbling over her words.
“Hyung!” Jimin scolded with a light slap to Yoongi’s shoulder. The mint-haired idol didn’t seem any more remorseful than moments ago, and his laughter failed to dissipate. “Don’t laugh!”
Finally recovering from his brief moment of happiness, Yoongi noted, “You’re the first person outside the company to really do that, noona.” He cracked a short grin at the witch and balked, “You’ve got some balls.”
Jimin, with his whole face burning all the way to the tips of his ears, yelped, “Hyung!” Hoseok, on the other hand, found this all too hilarious. Jimin buried his flushed face in his hands at the sound of Hoseok chuckling.
(Name) snapped herself out of the trance Hoseok’s heart-shaped smile put her in and shrugged.
“If I didn’t then I’d be here forever trying to get them to leave,” (Name) defended. She rolled her eyes at the annoyed shouts from outside.
Jimin remarked, “But noona, what about your shop?” (Name) lazily waved a hand.
“Whatever. I was just closing up the shop,” (Name) retorted. Yoongi felt a smirk tug at one of the corners of his lips.
Yoongi taunted, “That’s not a very responsible thing for a shop owner to say.” (Name) laughed.
The witch dismissed, “I already told you, I’m just a co-owner. The worst that will happen is Sumi scolding me again.” (Name) left briefly to reach behind the counter for a small takeout box and bag. “I’ll pack these up so you boys can head out. I’ll unlock the employee entrance so you can leave out the back.”
“Ah, you’d really do that for us, noona?” Hoseok asked as (Name) came over to pack everything up for them. She nodded and tied the bag shut before reaching for the empty plates on the table.
“Of course. I can imagine you wouldn’t want muscle your way past all those girls out front. Did you want to call your manager or bodyguard before I let you out?” (Name) inquired as she cleaned up the table. Hoseok nodded and pulled out his cell phone.
Hoseok said, “I’ll go ahead and let the staff know we’ve finished up and to meet up out back.”
(Name) hummed, signaling she heard the idol, and brought the plates to the back. She began stacking the plates when a red gleam caught her attention from beneath the counter. The (H/C)-haired witch huffed and checked on Jaewon with an unimpressed leer.
What now, rat? Jaewon hissed at the witch before unfurling his body to show three rubies embedded in silver. Two rings and a bracelet. What part of ‘playing nice’ do you not understand?
Jaewon turned his head up and nudged the jewelry closer. (Name) worried her lip between her teeth as she eyed the three men in her shop warily. They were still preoccupied with taking account of of their belongings.
(Name) paused before scooping up the three pieces of jewelry. I hate you. (Name) could practically hear Jaewon snickering but continued to approach Hoseok.
The shop owner spotted Hoseok’s jacket resting on the back of his chair and slipped into the space between his and Jimin’s chair.
“All set?” (Name) checked in as she faked brushing off her jeans to slip the two rings and bracelet into the pocket of Hoseok’s jacket. The three men nodded and shuffled out of their seats. “Right this way!”
The group of four were close to the back exit when Jimin gasped, “Woah! Look at all those plants!”
(Name) froze and spun quickly on her heel to see that she had forgotten to close the door to the back room. The other two idols had stopped as well to look at the room overflowing with herbs and greenery.
“Do you like gardening, noona?” Hoseok asked.
(Name) rubbed at the back of her neck and answered, “Something like that.” She moved to hurry them along.
“I’ve never seen plants like those before,” Yoongi noted and leaned to the side to try and get a better look into the room.
“Oh, I have a lot of imported from other countries,” (Name) dismissed as she unlocked the back door. The click of the lock brought the three men out of their reverie. They met her and the employee entrance without another glance towards the back room.
Jimin offered a soft smile as he bowed slightly at the waist. “Thank you so much, noona.” Yoongi and Hoseok followed his stead.
(Name) laughed, “No need! I enjoyed the company.” She cracked the door open and the whines and jeers of fans could be heard in the distance. Opening the door further, she jumped when a group of men came into view. The yelp that escaped her caught their attention, and they bowed politely to her.
“Hello, are you the owner of this shop?” A man with glasses approached. (Name) swallowed and nodded stiffly. He smiled and held his hand out for the witch to shake. “My name is Sejin, BTS manager. Nice to meet you again.”
(Name) shook his head and smiled politely. No wonder he looked familiar.
“Ah, that’s right. We met at the photo shoot,” (Name) observed as she released Sejin’s hand. She relaxed and opened the door all the way to let the three members of BTS out.
The three men greeted their manager fondly as they stepped out into the frigid air of the early evening. They huddled close to one another with their staff members beginning to cluster around them.
“Thank you very much for helping them,” Sejin said with a bow. He straightened to say, “I appreciate you keeping them safe from fans.”
Unphased, (Name) replied, “It was no trouble. They were a delight to have in the shop.” She waved at the idols being ushered into the company car and bowed again to Sejin before slipping back inside the shop.
“I’m back, Jaewon!” (Name) called out into the shop as she locked the back door. She tensed at the sound of a snarl coming from the front shop.
(Name) jumped into action and rushed to the front of the shop where Jaewon was perched on a table, growling at the covered window.
Summary: To be the Chosen King’s Valkyrie is the greatest honor. For Xael Annesty, it is her greatest challenge. After fleeing from the destruction of Insomnia from her place beside King Regis, she is thrown into Noctis’ hands where she faces the real dangers of the world. Xael fights alongside the four brothers on the path towards restoring the light. Piece by piece, Xael’s purpose falls into place with Noctis’ fate to achieve a goal higher than themselves. While Xael is able to assist on the battlefield, she must look to the others for help to regain what she has been missing.
Warnings: Violence, brief mention of blood, minor injury
Author’s Note: I swear I’m almost done with Magic Shop Part 5. I promise.
Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
After Xael had emerged from the tomb, being the last one, Cor led them to the next Royal Tomb nearby at Keycatrich Trench where he left the group to their own devices and parted ways after aiding them in defeating Magitek troopers and Armors.
The five of them stumbled through the dark underground passages and squeezed through tight crevices while having to fight their way through goblin ambushes and spider daemons. Luckily, the most damage received between the five Lucians was the nasty bruise on Prompto’s shoulder where an Arachne had struck and the bruise on Noctis’ abdomen from a goblin ramming into him at full speed.
Eventually, the group reached the tomb at the end of the cave where the Axe of the Conqueror laid.
Since they had taken out most of the monsters dwelling inside the cave and restarted the generators, getting out was much easier than when they had first entered.
Noctis had received a call from the marshal, and Prompto took the moment to approach the lone female standing off to the side.
“You alright, Xael?” Prompto inquired with his usual friendly smile. Xael spared the young blonde a glance before huffing quietly.
“Worry about your own injuries,” she muttered while eyeing the way Prompto rubbed at his shoulder.
Prompto visibly deflated with a small nod. He shuffled a little faster to catch up to Noctis as he finished up his call with Cor. He gave the prince a short nudge.
“What’s up with her?” the marksman inquired with a glance towards Xael as she trailed a short distance behind everyone.
“Don’t know. Never met her,” Noctis huffed as he glanced back as well. He frowned when he caught Prompto wincing when he pressed down on his shoulder but chose not to say anything.
Prompto narrowed his eyes at Noctis. “Ignis and Gladiolus seem to know her,” he pointed out. Noctis rolled his eyes and motioned to the other two men in their party.
“Then why don’t you ask them?” Noctis retorted.
Prompto noted, “Well she seems to know you pretty well. I just thought you would know about her.” He deflated and dropped the subject when Noctis seemed to be done with the conversation.
The five finally stepped out into the dying daylight. Prompto let out a long whine before plopping down onto the dusty ground. His jaw was clenched tightly, and his shoulder was killing him. Xael furrowed her brows together and approached the blonde sitting on the ground. She knelt beside his curled form.
Softly, she instructed, “Move your hand.” Reluctantly, Prompto let his right hand drop down to his lap.
At this point, the others had fully caught onto Prompto’s intense pain and gathered around.
Ignis interrupted the two, “Is there an issue?” Xael shook her head and pressed at Prompto’s chest to get him to lie down.
“I just have to relocate his shoulder,” Xael explained and grasped the gunner’s left hand and elbow, to which the blonde blushed. She met his flustered gaze with a passive stare and said, “This might hurt a bit, so bear with me.”
Prompto bit his lip but nodded. Xael slowly rotated his hand outwards and thankfully, she felt his arm shift back into its socket without having to go to the next rotation. The blonde marksman cried out in relief and relaxed into the dirt as Xael carefully placed his arm across his stomach.
“Is he gonna be alright?” Noctis inquired. Xael seemed to ignore his question and looked to Ignis.
“Do we have anything to put his arm into?” Noctis huffed at the cold shoulder he received. Gladiolus caught the prince’s pout and chuckled to himself. Ignis adjusted his glasses and pointed behind him with his thumb.
Ignis replied, “We should have a sling of sorts or perhaps a scarf back at the Regalia.” Gladiolus helped Prompto up while Xael stood as well. “Avoid strenuous motions and activities for the next few days to prevent further damage,” the advisor instructed.
“Aw man,” Prompto whined as he cradled his arm. Gladiolus chuckled and playfully nudged the blonde’s uninjured arm.
“At least it wasn’t the moneymaker,” the giant teased with a finger gun. Prompto groaned and shoved at Gladiolus. “Let’s get our sharpshooter back to the Regalia so we can set his arm,” Gladiolus declared.
They all agreed and continued down the dusty path that had brought them to the tomb in the first place. With Prompto injured, they laid low to avoid Imperials patrolling the area. A coeurl slinking around had them on edge, but they managed to sneak past the beast. The five had to occasionally duck behind rock formations to avoid Niflheim airships above.
Just short of half an hour later, the party had arrived back at the checkpoint and were regrouping at the Regalia. Ignis took a long scarf stored in the trunk of the Regalia, and he wrapped Prompto’s left arm into a makeshift sling.
While Prompto was sitting in the front seat with Ignis wrapping his arm, he looked over to Xael, leaning against the door on the other side of the Regalia with her arms crossed.
“Hey, Xael!” Prompto called. Xael pushed off of the car to face the marksman. “I’m curious. How’d you know how to fix my arm?” he asked and relaxed into the seat once Ignis was finished setting his arm.
Xael waved a hand halfheartedly. “Nothing new,” Xael brushed off. She commented nonchalantly, “I learned how to relocate my shoulder when I was thirteen and eventually learned how to fix others’.”
“Basic medical training for members of the King’s guard,” Ignis chimed as he stepped to the side so Prompto could stand up. He closed the door after the younger male stepped out and turned to Noctis. “So. Shall we?” Noctis nodded.
“Let’s go see Monica,” he announced. The party followed the prince through the outpost until they joined Monica behind a brick building.
Seeing the group approach, Monica greeted, “Your Highness. The marshal has apprised me of the plan.” She relaxed her posture before explaining, “We’ve found a back door into the imperial base. I’ll mark the route on your map. The way is secure. You should be able to gain entry relatively easy.” Noctis handed the former Crownsguard member his map and took it back once she was done with it.
“Thanks. We’ll head out tomorrow.” Monica bowed to the prince before the whole group wandered back over to the Regalia. Prompto was ready to hop back into the front seat, and Xael was going to take her spot in the back seat.
“Let’s head to the nearest haven,” Gladiolus prompted as he began to walk in the direction of the safe haven on the edge of town.
Throwing his head back, Prompto cried, “Aw, come on, Gladio! Can’t we rent a room or the caravan?”
Noctis chuckled, “Sorry, Prompto, but a hurt shoulder won’t stop Gladio.” Prompto only groaned in response, knowing his friend was right.
“Once we complete an adequate amount of hunts, we can begin thinking of upgrading our lodgings,” Ignis stated as he followed Gladiolus. He said over his shoulder to the three lingering behind, “Until then, we rough it out.”
Prompto trudged after Ignis and Gladiolus and left the Noctis with Xael.
Frowning in confusion, Xael turned to Noctis and couldn’t help but ask, “What does Ignis mean by ‘rough it out’?” Noctis paused mid-step to look at her in bewilderment. He was surprised that she was alking to him after the way she ignored him earlier.
“Oh. He means camping,” the male explained and ran a hand through the hair tickling the back of his neck. “Hope you don’t mind. We’ll probably be camping a lot on the way to Altissia.” Xael shook her head and started in the direction the others had gone.
“I can’t say I’ve camped before,” Xael noted as she and Noctis climbed the rocky pathway leading up to the safe haven.
“Really?” Noctis hummed, and Xael nodded. The prince shrugged and commented, “Well, it’s not exactly common in Insomnia. It’s whatever. Gladiolus is nuts about camping.”
Xael nodded and fell silent as she watched Noctis join the other men setting up the campsite for the night. He helped Prompto set up the folding chairs and laughed when the latter knocked one over. She could feel a small titter tug at the corner of her lips, but covered it with a small cough.
Ignis was off to the side preparing the cooking station, and Xael approached the adviser slowly. Catching the movement from the corner of his eye, Ignis set down the frying pan in his hand before turning slightly.
“Miss Xael,” Ignis greeted with a short nod. Xael returned the gesture, but her eyes were set on Noctis. “Is something the matter?” the adviser questioned, following her gaze to where Noctis was lounging with Prompto on the folding chairs.
Xael sighed, “Not necessarily.”
“Well, I’d like to reiterate how relieved I am to have you with us,” Ignis declared as he returned to organizing all the pots and pans he intended to use for that night’s dinner. “It’s nice to see a familiar face during such dark times.”
Xael hummed, “I wish I could be of greater help by recalling the events of the attack.”
Solemnly, Ignis shook his head. “It’s in the past now.” He began flipping through his small notepad of recipes as he continued, “An extra blade is much appreciated with the amount of troubles we’ve encountered so far.”
“I agree. The situation, as you must have noticed by now, is worse than what the council originally predicted,” Xael noted as she turned her body to watch Gladiolus loom over the two young men playing on their phones. Her head tilted slightly when Noctis let out a loud whine at whatever Gladiolus had said.
“Yes. It’s likely that Imperial activity as well as the presence of daemons will only increase with the absence of the king and the crystal.” Ignis peered over at Xael’s distracted gaze from the corner of his eye. He paused slightly before noting, “King Regis always spoke highly of you.”
Tearing her eyes away from the prince, Xael met Ignis’ pitying gaze before quickly glancing away. Just as Ignis tried to speak again to apologize, Gladiolus called Xael’s name from across the campsite. The woman perked up at the sound of the towering man calling for her, and met his gaze just as he waved her over.
“If you’ll excuse me,” Xael murmured before she sped over to Gladiolus and Noctis. She eyed the two men and asked, “Is there a problem?”
“With you? No,” Noctis chimed and glared at Gladiolus. “With him? Probably.” Gladiolus ignored the snide remark.
He roughly pat the prince’s shoulder and jostled him as he explained, “Noctis and I have sparring matches on occasion. I like to change things up a bit every now and then, so I thought it’d be a good idea for you to join us this time.”
Xael didn’t contemplate the idea for long before agreeing, “I don’t see why not.” A large grin broke out onto Gladiolus’ face.
“Good to hear. I’m sure Noctis is tired of getting me whooping his ass every time,” Gladiolus bellowed with a chuckle. Xael almost laughed along had she not been standing next to Noctis.
Noctis shot his friend a dirty look before arguing, “Last time I checked, we’re tied.”
“Yeah, yeah. Enough talk. Let’s get down to it,” Gladiolus said as he walked away to create space for the two. Noctis summoned his Engine Blade with a flurry of crystals.
It was at that moment Xael fully realized that she was sparring against Noctis. A brief flash of panic crossed her features, and she looked to Gladiolus.
Understanding her hesitance, Gladiolus assured, “Don’t hold anything back. This may be just a sparring session, but treat it like a real life battle.”
“Though I encourage the enthusiasm, I must request that you refrain from any life-threatening injuries,” Ignis chimed as he took a spot next to Gladiolus to watch. “The magic from the haven can only heal so much.”
With the new information, Xael felt a significantly more comfortable summoning her sword and shield.
“First to yield or first disarmed?” Xael inquired as she adjusted her grip on her sword. She looked to Noctis for her answer.
The black-haired male shrugged and replied, “I guess we’ll go to first disarmed.” As he rolled his shoulders to warm up a little, he nodded at Ignis. “Sound good?”
Ignis nodded and gestured for the two to begin. Gladiolus smirked in amusement, and Prompto was nearly biting his nails as he pulled up a chair.
“So, no holding back?” Xael clarified one last time, but she held her gaze with Noctis.
“Within reason!” Ignis reminded as Gladiolus threw his head back with a hearty chuckle. “Please don’t encourage them, Gladio.”
The brunette gently nudged Ignis and quietly said, “C’mon Ignis. Let them get it all out.” Prompto overheard him and tilted his head to the side.
“What do you mean by that?” Prompto asked without taking his eyes off of Noctis and Xael, circling one another.
Ignis sighed and answered, “It’s clear that both Noct and Miss Xael still have a lot on their chests after everything that has occurred.” Ignis crossed his arms and contemplated, “I suppose this could be a healthy outlet for both of them.”
“How is beating each other up healthy?” Prompto jumped at the sound of Noctis’ Engine Blade striking Xael’s sword.
Gladiolus chuckled, “It’s not supposed to be. But right now? Different case.” Prompto spared a glance at the hulking male before quickly turning back to the fight.
Xael knocked Noctis’ sword back before slamming her shield against his exposed side. The prince grunted as he stumbled backward. Just as he was regaining his balance, he found himself rolling to the side to avoid Xael’s short sword.
Noctis brought his weapon up just in time to block Xael’s strike from above. He gave a hard shove and managed to knock Xael back long enough for him to stand up and charge towards the female with his sword poised for a stab.
Barely catching herself, Xael used he edge of her shield to essentially punch Noctis’ sword down into the ground. She wound her arm back to swing with her sword, but Noctis suddenly disappeared from before her eyes with a burst of magic. She blinked in confusion and surveyed the area in front of her for any sign of the prince.
The telltale crunch of pebbles beneath a boot gave away Noctis’ position behind Xael. She spun on her heel with her shield tucked close to her chest just in time to block one of Noctis’ daggers going towards her midriff.
Noctis’ second dagger nearly took out Xael’s eye, but she managed to move her head out of the way just in time to sustain only a shallow scratch to her cheek.
Prompto jumped in his seat and glanced at the two men beside him, but they seemed calm. The blond gnawed at his nails as he flinched at the way Noctis sent Xael flying back with his newly-summoned great sword.
Summoning his Engine Blade again, Noctis threw it at Xael to warp towards her. Xael met his blade with her own just in time for his whole weight to slam behind it. She nearly bit her tongue off with how hard she grit her teeth at the impact.
With their blades locked together, the two fighters stared one another dead in the eye. Anger burned deep in both of their souls. Frustration was evident in the crease between their eyebrows.
Xael, taking advantage of their close proximity, reared her head back and headbutted the prince. Noctis cried out in pain and stumbled back while clutching at his aching forehead. Ignoring the pain, Xael moved forward. Noctis was only able to throw his sword forward in hopes of blocking her attack, but the force Xael put behind her strike knocked his Engine Blade out of his weakened grasp. With a loud clang, it fell to the ground and dissipated into a burst of crystals.
Gladiolus was doubled over with laughter that nearly shook the ground. Ignis sighed in relief at the lack of serious injuries.
Noctis fell on his behind and continued to hold his head. Xael dismissed her short sword and shield and strolled over to Noctis. Thinking it was Gladiolus coming over to laugh more at the prince, he glared up at the figure looming over him, only to stare in shock at the sight of Xael with her hand held out to help him up.
They way her pools of emerald were trained acutely on him had him feeling like he was drowning, yet he was mesmerized. Under her intense gaze, he felt like he was burning. Whether it was embarrassment or frustration, he couldn’t tell.
“Are you alright, Prince Noctis?” Xael asked with a crease between her brows. She withheld a snicker when Noctis continued to groan and whine.
“I think you broke my skull.”
Xael joined Gladiolus in his laughing fit with a brief giggle. The pain in Noctis’ head faded enough for him to crack a weak smirk. He took Xael’s hand and was surprised at how calloused it was. He didn’t have time to further admire the rough texture of her hand as she pulled him to his feet and quickly released his hand.
Noctis had been so preoccupied by Xael’s vivid eyes earlier that he didn’t notice the cut on Xael’s cheekbone. He frowned and lifted his hand as though he was going to wipe away the droplets of blood on her cheek. Xael watched him closely, waiting to see what he was up to, but Ignis interrupted the two by walking up with a small, damp napkin.
“Here you are, Miss Xael,” the blonde adviser announced as he handed the woman the napkin. She graciously accepted it with a short thanks and placed it over her cut. “It will heal over an hour or so.”
“Because of the haven’s magic?” Xael inquired as she joined Ignis as he walked back over to the center of the campsite.
The two continued to discuss haven and the properties of magic overall and left Noctis to stare at them from the same position. Prompto nearly skipped over to the prince with Gladiolus right behind him.
“Looks like she just rocked your world, Noct,” Prompto teased as he swiftly snapped a photo of the longing look in the prince’s eyes with just one arm.
Gladiolus chimed in, “He’ll be seeing stars for the next couple of months.” He and Prompto high-fived each other while Noctis refrained from rolling his eyes. “But that was a pretty decent fight you both put up. Just wish you both would’ve taken it just a little more seriously,” the brunette commented and rubbed at the back of his neck.
Noctis frowned and retorted, “What’s that supposed to mean?” Gladiolus didn’t seem as amused as before.
“Come on, Noct. I’ve been fighting beside you for years now,” Gladiolus noted. “I know when you’re serious. A little scratch on the cheek isn’t serious.” He patted the brooding male on the back before adding, “Plus. I know Xael can do much worse.”
“Jeez, Gladio. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to get the two to kill each other,” Prompto said as he punched Gladiolus on the shoulder. Gladiolus didn’t flinch and ignored the blonde’s weak hit.
“You should always have a measure on your teammate’s strength. And what better way than duking it out?” Gladiolus bellowed out another laugh.
Noctis, not phased by his friend’s usual boisterousness, asked, “How do you know Xael?” Prompto was surprised. He didn’t think Noctis would actually approach Ignis or Gladiolus about their new traveling companion.
“Huh? Why the sudden interest?” Gladiolus asked. Noctis huffed, and his gaze darted to the side.
The prince answered, “You and Iggy seem to know her pretty well. Not to mention she knew my dad personally.”
Gladiolus shook his head and corrected, “Xael didn’t just know your dad. She was a part of his personal guard. She served King Regis alongside my father.” He narrowed his eyes suddenly at Noctis before chiding, “Weren’t you listening to Ignis the first time?” Noctis bashfully shrugged and didn’t reply.
“What was Iggy talking about when he started talking about the Annesty’s?” Prompto chimed and raised his hand. Gladiolus relaxed his harsh gaze and shifted to cross his arms.
“The Annesty’s are a lot like the Amicitia’s. They’ve served the line of Lucis longer than most council members can remember,” Gladiolus informed the curious prince and his best friend. “While the Amicitia sons are sworn to protect the King, the Annesty daughters are sworn to forever fight in their King’s name.”
Prompto tilted his head to the side and echoed, “Daughters?”
Gladiolus nodded. “Rumor has it that the Annesty’s are only able to have daughters. Something about ‘a curse from the Astrals themselves,’ but I don’t know about that. That’s just what the old men on the council would always say.”
Noctis glanced over to where Xael was watching Ignis cook. She was peering eagerly over his shoulder as the bespectacled man pan fried the meat while happily answering Xael’s curious questions.
Slowly, Noctis summarized, “So you know Xael because she worked with your dad?” Gladiolus mulled over the idea before nodding.
“Mainly, but I’ve also met her in person a few times,” the brunette confirmed. A smirk tugged at his lips. “Bound to happen when we’re both tasked to deal with a royal pain in the ass.”
The dark-haired prince squinted at the tall man and the smug look adorning his scarred features. Noctis huffed and spun around to stomp away from his two friends. He ignored Prompto’s snickering and plopped his behind down on one of the chairs.
Noctis moved to look for his phone but froze when Xael’s form shuffled into his field of view. His head snapped upwards to find the woman fiddling with the end of her braid, wrapped around her shoulders. She offered a tight-lipped smile and motioned to the chair next to him.
“May I join you?” Xael requested. Noctis wet his lips nervously. His eyes darted from Xael to the others repeatedly, and the female’s smile fell. “Ah, sorry.”
“No,” Noctis interjected, startling Xael. He quickly shut his mouth and inwardly cringed at the volume he had used. “No, uh, I mean. Yeah, go ahead,” he fumbled.
Xael seemed at a loss for words. She slowly replied, “Okay. Thanks.” Noctis slapped his forehead quietly as Xael took the seat beside him.
Noctis observed his friends scattered about the haven, minding their own business. Ignis was still well invested in his cooking and when he wasn’t focusing on the pan before him, he was checking his notes and recipe. Gladiolus was entertaining Prompto’s impromptu photo shoot and posing quite nicely for the blonde.
Meanwhile, Noctis was shuffling obsessively in his chair and avoiding Xael’s burning gaze. How fortunate for the Chosen King.
Where the hell did I put my phone? Noctis couldn’t remember where he had set down his cell phone and was floundering for a way out of the situation he had placed himself in. I should’ve said no. No, that’s an asshole move. Ugh.
“Prince Noctis,” Xael called softly. Noctis jolted upright and hummed to signal he had heard her but still couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Xael noted his obvious discomfort but continued, “I’d like to apologize.”
Nocits licked at his lips and dismissed, “Don’t worry, Gladio’s done way worse.”
Xael breathed out through her nostrils. Her eyes trailed downwards, and she muttered, “Right.” Suddenly, the prince met her stare, and it took her off guard for a second.
“You know, you don’t have to call me that,” Noctis stated. Xael didn’t understand what he was talking about for a moment, but she eventually came to realize what Noctis was referring to.
“Does it upset you?” Xael asked. Noctis peeked through the gaps of his fingers at her and grumbled. “Pardon?” He dragged his hand down the side of his face.
“It does. A lot,” the raven-haired male openly admitted. Xael pursed her lips into a firm line.
It didn’t seem like Noctis wanted to elaborate, so the blonde pressed, “It’s only right for me to address you as such.” Genuinely confused, she inquired, “Or is it that you’d rather I refer to you as your new title as king?”
“Don’t,” Noctis bit in an alarmingly quiet tone. Xael flinched back at his change in tone. Noctis fisted the fabric of his pants and grumbled, “I didn’t ask to be king. I didn’t ask for any of this.” Xael glowered at the prince.
“What were you expecting?” the blonde interrogated. It was Noctis’s turn to be startled. Just as he was about to make a remark, Xael continued, “Did you think King Regis was going to live forever and you’d get to relax in the shadows all the while?”
Noctis turned in his seat to narrow his eyes at Xael. His hands gripped the arm rests of his seat, and his jaw visibly tensed.
“What are you trying to say?” Noctis hissed through clenched teeth.
Xael only gave him a uncaring side glance before replying, “No one asks to be born. They just are. It’s other people’s selfish decision that brings us into this world.” Xael stared out to the sunset and said, “Our roles were set the moment we were conceived. We cannot change that. We only decide what we do in those roles.”
Noctis scoffed but held back. He hated to admit that Xael wasn’t wrong, but wouldn’t say that she was entirely right.
“You and I are no different,” Xael declared, confusing Noctis. Xael leaned against the arm rest with her chin in her palm. “We were both brought into this world whether we like it or not. We both have our roles and expectations. I’ve accepted my duty to the Chosen King, but have you accepted that role?”
There wasn’t a moment of hesitation before Noctis snarled, “I don’t have much of a choice.” He looked up and was shocked to meet Xael’s disappointed gaze.
The female sighed and remarked, “Then you’ll forever be dragged down those expectations.” Xael ignored the way Noctis stared at her as she rose from her seat.
“Ah, Miss Xael. I just finished our supper for the night,” Ignis informed as Xael walked past. His polite demeanor faltered as Xael walked straight past and headed towards the walkway leading down the haven. “Miss Xael?”
“Hey, where’s Xael going?” Prompto asked as he and Gladiolus joined Noctis by the fire.
Xael answered aloud without looking back, “I’ll be back. I’m just going for a walk.”
Ignis sighed and said, “I’ll leave a plate for your return.” Xael nodded, and the four men left at the haven watched her disappear into the outpost. Ignis cast a glance at Noctis and wordlessly handed the scowling prince his meal.
The camp easily filled with Prompto’s endless chatter along with Galdiolus’s and Ignis’s brief comments and jabs.
Noctis pushed the peas around his plate and didn’t contribute to the usual banter between the three other men. His eyes traveled to the pathway Xael had taken down the side of the haven, and he let out a long sigh.
Hi, I read you critique of the album and as much as I hate to say it I actually agree. I feel like something is missing in it, something is gone. Idk if it's the pressure or if it's because of purely business oriented reasons that's affecting all of them to please every audience possible. I was afraid this day would come, because honestly being that high, you can't just make everyone agree with your music and it has to be scary af to keep business going and love what you do... It must be hard
Hi anon!
Thank you for reading through that lengthy post and taking the time to send me your opinion. It really is an inevitable point in all musicians’ careers, but I just didn’t expect it with this album with how the single releases were going. I still don’t feel like BTS really did anything wrong, per say, but this album really feels business oriented. It’s almost a wake up call to the fact that the kpop industry is still an industry.
there’s a $14 hole in my wallet and I blame western artists...
Context: I just blindly bought Map of the Soul: 7 and sat through the most heartbreaking 40 minutes of my entire existence as a BTS fan.
Author’s Note: Hi guys. I apologize, but this is not a new chapter of Magic Shop. This is simply a rant containing my opinions and criticisms of BTS’s newest album Map of the Soul: 7. You are free to scroll past. I don’t blame you. But please, do not message me to argue and harass me. We can have a conversation, and I can answer questions if you have any. Please, don’t be a butt. With that out of the way...
let’s get down to business.
To put it simply, I hated a majority of this new album. I bought the album without listening to the previews of the tracks (my biggest mistake), and decided to play straight through the album with no breaks for a raw first impression of the musicality of this album. No, I have not gone through the lyrics, and will not for a little while.
Because I cannot get over what I just went through.
This album has the most conflicting genres I have ever heard. Keep in mind, I did not read the translations, so my initial understanding of the song is not entirely correct.
But can someone tell me why we go from (what sounds like) diss tracks, to anime openings, to ballads, to upbeat pop in such an abrupt amount of time?
I feel like I have whiplash from how many turns this album took. I thought I knew where this album was going when I watched Shadow and Black Swan, but then Ego came out. Which wasn’t too much to swallow, but it was still odd.
And then ON came out.
Let me tell you about just one of my issues with ON. The most obvious one that almost everyone has been talking about is the excessive use of auto tune. I can’t tell what’s worse: the auto tune or the fact that I can’t imagine the song without auto tune. It almost feels as if the song was produced with auto tune being the only thing in mind. And this isn’t tasteful auto tune. It isn’t used as an affect. It drowns out the whole song! And I can’t tell if this was just a stylistic choice or if it was just a complete lack of trust in BTS’s ability. I doubt it was the latter, but I can’t say for sure.
The performance for ON is fairly enjoyable, visually. I’ve read a few people are unhappy with the distribution of the dance between the members, but I see it as a change in pace. It may be a good or bad change, but it’s change nonetheless. Yes, j-hope and Jimin are amazing dancers, but you can’t discredit all the other members just because you love j-hope’s and Jimin’s dancing more. Yes, they are definitely the better dancers of the group, but the others still work hard to perform the same dances. You can see the effort everyone put in to making this performance.
V, RM, and Jin stood out the most to me in this sense. I commemorate their improvements and hope they continue to work hard.
So this leads up to the album. I’m only going to comment on the tracks that stood out to me the most, cause there are a lot of songs and a majority of them felt too monotonous for me to really feel any kind of interest in. There’s gonna be a lot of skipping around, so bear with me please.
The most peculiar of the bunch, in my eyes, is Jin’s solo, Moon.
I feel like I just listened to the opening of the second season of a slice of life anime.
Moon is so simple, it hurts. I always make jokes about mainstream music and it’s lack of chord diversity and repetitive patterns (we did this a lot in jazz band), but this track takes the cake. I felt no climax or emotion from this song. This song was safe, and that probably disappoints me the most. Jin’s solos in the past have been so powerful and stunning, that this song just does him dirty.
Shawn Mendes has entered the chat
Filter does well in showcasing a different side to Jimin, but it sounds like Shawn Mendes ghostwrote this song. The guitar with the very prominent slides and shifts just screams Western music.
But I still think that Jimin did very well with this song. He works with his strengths, and the breathlessness in his voice really sells Filter as one of the few replayable songs of the album.
I can fuck with UGH!. It has similar vibes as Ddaeng (땡), but the backtrack isn’t nearly as good. The fall to notes in the backtrack is disturbing when done so prominently and in such a strict, reoccurring pattern, but I can look past it.
The aggressiveness in UGH! is something I can really appreciate. It’s one of the few saving graces for the track. It really reminds me of past rapline tracks, which is maybe why this track seems more fitting to their respective performers than others.
If Inner Child had been slowed down, I could have enjoyed the song just a little more. Taehyung really hits hard with slower songs, and he could have really put more soul into the song if he had the room to do so. Though, I suppose the chorus might not have made any sense as the oscillation might not translate well into a slower tempo. I think the slower tempo would have created a holier (for the lack of a better word) presence and a more delicate and fragile image.
Respect your elders...
...by sticking to your original sound. Respect starts off strong and starts sounding like older BTS tracks, but then auto tune strikes again and Suga is the victim. The rapping sounds like a conversation between the two, but the auto tune ruins the connection Suga and RM build through their interactions and interjections. I also wish that the back track was a little more busy because of how laid back the rap is, but repetitiveness seems to be the concept of this album...
ON felt the need to come back around for round two and dragged Sia into the mess. If they were gonna bother Sia about “collaborating” the least they could have done was actually have all of them record together rather than asking Sia to pretty please sing over this one part of the song. What bothers me more is that they butcher her beautiful voice just for the sake of continuity.
My suggestion for the second version of ON is to create an acoustic version and have someone who is more interested in singing in another language sing with them in the same room.
And this is nothing against Sia, but we’ll come back to that.
The saving grace, Ego. Easily the only track I would have bought, had I known what this album was before I purchased it. Ego is j-hope’s song. There’s no doubt about it. j-hope has such a duality to him, and the contrast between his more serious raps and more upbeat raps is clear as day. Again, the auto tune does him dirty, but I can appreciate the uplifting feel behind both the backtrack and j-hope’s raps.
So what’s the deal with the album itself?
There’s a few things I wanna touch base on. This album has no clear concept musically. It’s all over the place, and it sounds like the whole album is a playlist or like it was put on shuffle. I can’t tell what belongs in the album, and I’ve lost sight of the top and the bottom.
There’s such a heavy Western influence on this whole album that I can almost taste the cheeseburgers drenched in maple syrup.
So a lot of American and Canadian artists and songwriters had a part in creating this, and they’re very proud of the shit they put out. I went through the discography to look up some of the artists that participated and often ended up on their social medias, where a handful happily announced their participation for the whole world to hear.
Whether you look up the songwriters or not, it’s hard to miss the western influence in all of the songs. BTS has had songs influenced by Western music before. It’s just that the modern pop influence isn’t working for this album. But it still makes sense! One of BTS’s biggest markets is in the west, so speak to your audience. Influence is great and all, but domination is not.
The problem with Sia...
I don’t think Sia or BTS did anything wrong. What people sometimes need to be reminded of is that while these people very much love us as their fans, they are still part of a business. A business needs to look out for itself, or else it becomes a charity, and it just can’t function like that.
The collaboration is a business agreement that went sour. I think there should have been more care and work towards getting Sia to sing more parts. Korean, preferably, but English would have worked too. You can’t throw a single recording out on top of the song and call it a collaboration. It’s almost rude. And I really do believe they got her to sing that one line once and just used it again the second time it came around.
It lacks effort. Sia was used. BTS was used.
To summarize, I hated the musicality (or lack there of) in this album. I feel like I had an okay idea of what the over genre of music was going to be, and I feel lied to. It’s all over the place, and there’s nothing natural about their voices because of the overwhelming presence of auto tune. I’m honestly scared to see this all in concert because none of these have overwhelming potential to be something spectacular live. I’m scared to hear their natural and beautiful voices over such harsh music and backtracks.
I wish Western music would just stay out of BTS. I’m not saying I want it to go away, cause I believe there’s some good influence that has been shown. It’s just my disappointment is overwhelming these positive traits.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading my thoughts on Map of the Soul: 7. It means a lot to me that you were interested. If you’d like to chat about the album or have any questions for me, feel free to send me an ask or message me.
Summary: Underneath the concrete and pavement, between the towering buildings, Seoul is thrumming with magic. Too much magic. It’s become a hot spot for magical beings seeking to feed off of such intense energy. BTS is unaware of such dangers until they come across a witch trying to manage the mischief of other magical creatures while creating her own trouble.
Warnings: Depictions of death, mentions of blood
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
Author’s Note: No one had said anything, but I just want to clarify that this does not take place during a specific era. These are the hair colors for the boys:
Namjoon - Blonde | Jin - Black | Yoongi - Mint | Hoseok - Orange | Jimin - Pink | Taehyung - Silver | Jungkook - Black
A bit of a longer chapter this time. Thank you for reading!!
A few days after they wrapped up shooting for their newest muster, Namjoon had decided to take Taehyung out for a small celebration since the two had finished up their individual photo shoots before the others. The vocalist had teased Jimin up until their departure, leaving the other 95 liner pouting on set as the photographer tried to regain his attention.
“We should go get japchae!” Taehyung had suggested as he practically danced around Namjoon. The older male chuckled as he affectionately ruffled his boyfriend’s carefully styled hair, though the vocal had no qualms and took the gesture in stride.
Namjoon commented, “Jin just cooked japchae two days ago.”
Taehyung huffed, “So? I want it again.” He pulled out his best aegyo, the one Hoseok and Jimin always had a hard time saying no to, and tugged on the bottom hem of Namjoon’s shirt. “Please? I’ll even do the dishes tonight!” he pleaded. Namjoon shook his head with a quirked brow.
“I thought we agreed on just getting some snacks,” Namjoon said while leading Taehyung towards the convenience store just a few buildings down. Even though it was only 11 o’clock on a Tuesday, Sejin insisted that they at least take one bodyguard with them down the street.
Taehyung continued to moan about japchae and just food in general even as Namjoon languidly pulled him closer towards the entrance to the store with their bodyguard not too far behind. Namjoon was almost to the automatic sliding doors when Taehyung firmly planted his feet and yanked the rapper to an alarming stop.
Frowning, Namjoon began to scold the young male, “Taehyung, I get that you want japchae but that doesn’t mean you can just-”
“YOU’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!” The two idols eyes trained on the frazzled business man screaming at a young woman not too far from the entrance to the store.
With his arms spread, he continued to cut off every escape attempt the female made. His eyes held a crazed look, and his breathing was ragged.
Meanwhile, the (H/C)-haired female stared back at the man before her with a stale gaze. The furry creature resting on her shoulders hissed viciously at the man with its hackles raised.
“Let’s go, Taehyung,” Namjoon urged, but the words felt like cotton in his mouth. “Come on.”
Taehyung firmly shook his head and yanked on Namjoon’s arm. “We can’t just leaver her, hyung! She needs help,” he protested as he tried to pull his boyfriend over towards the commotion.
Sternly, Namjoon replied, “No, Taehyung. We can’t cause a scene.” His eyes couldn’t resist trailing over to the woman despite his best efforts to avoid staring. Taehyung frowned at his hyung’s answer and looked back in time to see the strange man grab at the woman’s shoulders.
Namjoon cried out his boyfriend’s name and watched Taehyung dash towards the two strangers. The silver-haired idol quickly but carefully removed the (H/C)-haired stranger from the hold the business man had on her before stepping between the two.
“Please stop making trouble, ahjusshi,” Taehyung demanded. The man looked about ready to lash out at Taehyung but when his eyes met the idol’s, the stranger froze, and his jaw fell slack. His eyes then darted immediately to Namjoon, who was frozen in place.
“Y-You, you,” he stuttered and began stumbling backwards with his eyes trained on the woman standing behind Taehyung with a grim expression. His whole arm shook as he pointed an accusing finger at the female. She moved past Taehyung but at the sign of her getting close, the man bolted the opposite direction and disappeared into one of the many alleyways.
(Name) swore under her breath and considered running after the man but quickly remembered that she had an audience. Furious, she spun around only for her anger to suddenly resolve when she met Taehyung’s concerned gaze.
“Are you okay?” He gave her a very quick and modest once over before meeting her eyes again.
(Name) could feel her resolve to scold him soften, and she heaved a long sigh.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she mumbled and ran a hand down one side of her face. Taehyung tilted his head to the side, and his brows furrowed.
He replied, “He looked like he wouldn’t leave you alone.” (Name) scratched the back of her neck with a small shrug.
“You’re not entirely wrong.” (Name) eventually felt a smile tug at her lips, and she couldn’t help but gaze at the young male affectionately. “Well, I supposed I should thank you for getting me out of that situation as quickly as you did.”
A large grin took over Taehyung’s handsome features, and (Name) had to laugh a little bit at the visible pride in the idol.
It was at that moment Namjoon decided to snap out of his shocked stupor and rush over to Taehyung and (Name). He grasped Taehyung by his shoulder and slightly shook the younger man as he began his lecture.
“Taehyung! What were you thinking? You could’ve gotten hurt!” the blonde scolded. Taehyung frowned and visibly deflated. (Name) stared at the saddened idol for a moment.
“Ah, I’m sorry for the trouble I may have caused,” (Name) intervened. The two looked to the witch in mild surprise. (Name) felt herself flush a little bit under their intense gazes, but shook it off. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to treat him for helping me out,” she offered. Before Namjoon could protest, (Name) grabbed an eager Taehyung’s hand and pulled him into the store.
The two grown adults giggled uncontrollably at the sound of Namjoon yelling. They ducked into the snack aisle and smothered their laughter behind their hands. Taehyung pulled (Name) behind a fairly big soda display just as Namjoon rushed by.
“So what’s a world famous idol doing at a convenience store?” (Name) inquired in hushed tones as she and Taehyung emerged from their hiding place.
Taehyung stiffened, and his gaze focused on the ground. (Name) smiled softly and held a finger up to her lips.
“I won’t tell, promise,” she said. Taehyung shrugged, knowing full well that he should leave and find Namjoon, but he froze when he glanced up. Slowly, he raised a finger and pointed at the air above (Name)’s head. The witch frowned and glanced behind her.
Taehyung shook his head and swallowed before he stated, “There’s a rat on your head.”
(Name) jumped in alarm and quickly reached up to pat her head, and her hand collided with something firm and fluffy. (Name) could feel her eye twitch when she heard Jaewon let out a short yowl. She plucked the ferret from her hair and dangled the rodent before her face so that she could glare directly into the odd eyes of her familiar.
“I thought I told you to stay hidden,” she hissed and rolled her eyes when Jaewon scrambled out of the woman’s hold to scramble into the depths of her large cardigan. Her eyes met Taehyung’s curious gaze, and she flashed the male idol a bashful grin. “Uh, sorry.”
Taehyung grinned and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I won’t tell if you don’t.” (Name) blinked at him owlishly before nodding.
“I mean, I wasn’t planning on it, but whatever makes you feel better,” (Name) mumbled as Jaewon curled up around her shoulders. (Name) scanned the aisle before grabbing a small bag of chips off the shelf. “So what are you two doing here?” she asked as she walked further down the aisle. Taehyung followed closely and began piling up snacks in his arms.
“Hyung and I just finished up our schedule for the day so we’re getting treats for everyone,” Taehyung explained as his eyes scanned the rows of mineral water. (Name) hummed in acknowledgement and pick up a one of the bottles to read the packaging. “Why was that man yelling at noona?” Taehyung asked as he balanced a third bottle of mineral water in his arms.
(Name) furiously shook her head as she pulled a stray shopping cart close to them so they could dump their snacks in.
“Ah, you don’t have to call me that,” (Name) sputtered. Taehyung tilted his head to the side cutely.
“But I don’t know noona’s name,” Taehyung pouted. (Name) stared at the idol and suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.
She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and took a shaky breath. All the while, Taehyung watched her, mesmerized.
(Name) settled and said knowingly, “You’re right, you don’t know my name.” Taehyung snapped his fingers, breaking (Name)’s amused state.
“Oh! You’re the owner of the coffee shop we filmed at!” Taehyung exclaimed. (Name) mentally exhaled out of pure relief as she pulled a tight-lipped smile.
“Wow! I’m surprised you recognized me,” (Name) commented offhandedly as she and Taehyung began to walk down the snack aisle. “Well, Taehyung. You can call me (Name).”
Taehyung smiled his signature boxy grin just as Namjoon, looking frazzled, rushed down the aisle towards them.
“There you are!” Namjoon exhaled with a frown. Jaewon jumped from his resting spot and hid inside (Name)’s large cardigan. “I can’t find Beomsoo anywhere. He didn’t follow us in, and I checked outside the store but he wasn’t there. We should head back,” he explained.
Feeling discouraged and guilty for worrying his hyung, Taehyung nodded slowly before casting a longing glance towards the snack pile in the cart he and (Name) had shared.
Easily reading the sulking idol, (Name) smiled sympathetically and began pushing the cart towards checkout. Taehyung instantly lit up and began practically bouncing after the witch. Namjoon, speechless over the fact the witch had brushed him off so easily, took a moment before he followed.
“...your favorite type of coffee? I don’t like dark coffee at all, it’s too bitter. Jiminie and I like to get these caramel flavored ones from this one cafe in Busan-do you think you can make something like that?”
Namjoon overheard Taehyung as he assaulted poor (Name) with his endless excitement, but she didn’t seem to mind. She allowed him to ramble as she loaded the snacks onto the counter for the cashier to scan.
(Name) shook her head with an apologetic smile and replied, “Sorry, Taehyung, but I actually don’t know how to make coffee. It’s my friend that’s in charge of that.” Once all the items were out of the cart, she turned to the male right beside her and offered, “I’m sure I can convince her to put a caramel drink like the one in Busan on the menu.”
Taehyung clapped his hands and chirped, “You’d really ask her? Really really?” (Name) laughed while nodding, not noticing Namjoon slip behind her with his personal debit card in hand.
Namjoon quietly paid for the two’s snacks as they happily moved from chatting about coffee to how Jin had cooked japchae for the whole group. He went on about how delicious it had been and how he was craving it again but would also settle for some street pot stickers he and the others had tried when they toured in Japan.
It was only when Namjoon had reluctantly cleared his throat, he had been too amused by Taehyung to break up their friendly interaction, that (Name) realized the leader of BTS had stolen her idea of paying for all the snacks.
“Wait, my snacks were in there too,” (Name) stated with a frown, reaching for her wallet. Namjoon shook his head with a genuine as he and Taehyung grabbed all the bags and bid the store employee farewell.
“Consider this my thanks for the coffee the other day,” Namjoon insisted as they walked out through the automatic sliding doors. The three came to a slow stop as Namjoon paused to continue looking for their bodyguard, Beomsoo.
(Name) took a moment before she mumbled, “You recognized me?” Namjoon nodded.
“Yeah. You’re the coffee shop owner, right?” (Name) nodded dumbly, obviously taken aback by both males remembering her from the brief moments they shared after she had wiped their memories. “I recognized you while you were talking to Taehyung at the checkout,” he said.
Namjoon dug out the bag of chips and mineral water Taehyung had identified as (Name)’s and handed them over. She graciously accepted them. Then, she noticed the concern on Namjoon’s face and questioned him.
Namjoon scratched at his jaw and with one last glance around before answering, “I can’t find our bodyguard, Beomsoo. He was with us when we walked here, but I haven’t seen him since we entered the convenience store.”
(Name) hummed and furrowed her brows.
“Will you two be okay walking back by yourselves?” (Name) inquired. Namjoon pursed his lips and rubbed at the back of his neck.
“Yes, but manager-hyung wouldn’t like us walking back by ourselves,” Namjoon said. (Name) hummed in understanding and sipped at her flavored mineral water, but she discreetly scrunched her face in disgust as Namjoon and Taehyung stood together, hovering over the elder’s phone.
As (Name) wiped the corner of her mouth, she looked to the two men accompanying her and paused to tilt her head to the side.
(Name) eyed the way the two pressed close together. Taehyung would rest his head against Namjoon’s shoulder but gently nudged it against the latter’s affectionately. Their fingers would brush together carelessly without pulling away as they scrolled through Namjoon’s phone.
I see. (Name) cracked a small smile, but it quickly dissipated when she felt Jaewon stir in beneath the cardigan. She looked back to the alley where the man from before ran off, and an intense feeling of unease enveloped her. Jaewon. Go check it out.
Thankfully, the two were on the phone with who (Name) assumed was their manager. This was the ferret’s chance to slip from his owner’s form and slip into the alleyway unnoticed. (Name) quickly turned back to Namjoon and Taehyung at the sound of her name.
“The others finished their shoots. They’re on their way to come pick us up with manager-hyung,” Namjoon explained. (Name) hummed in understanding as she took another reluctant sip from her mineral water. Taehyung noticed her distaste for the drink and teased her for her explicit disgust.
(Name) capped the bottle, deciding she couldn’t bear drinking any more of the water out of kindness, and slipped it into the large burlap purse she had slung across her body. Her fingers brushed across her spell book, and her mind wandered back to the man that had stopped her earlier.
(Name) found herself glancing back towards the alleyway Jaewon had entered not too long ago, but her attention unconsciously trailed back to the two idols next to her.
“I’ll stay with you until they get here,” (Name) proposed as she slowly pulled her hand away from her spell book to dig further into the bag. “In the meantime, let me give you this, Taehyung.”
Taehyung tilted his head to the side and watched (Name) curiously as she pulled out a pendant from her bag. She let the silver pendant rest in her palm so that the two men could get a closer look.
A long black cord hung from the silver bear pendant that took up most of the space in (Name)’s palm. The bear seemed to smile happily in its position curled up around a small ruby and appeared to be asleep.
Taehyung nearly squealed, “Aww it’s so cute! It’s a little bear!” He cupped his hands and was nearly vibrating as (Name) gently dropped the pendant into his awaiting hold. “I can have it?” he asked in disbelief as he looked more closely at the small bear.
(Name) nodded with a soft smile, enjoying the idol’s excitement. Even Namjoon couldn’t contain his fondness for his second youngest boyfriend.
“Yes. I wasn’t planning on ever really wearing this one, so I’ll give it to you as thanks for helping me out earlier,” she answered. A hint of a knowing smirk crossed (Name)’s lips before she commented, “I had a feeling you’d really want a necklace.”
“Thank you. I’ll treasure it forever!” Taehyung declared as he hurriedly slipped the cord over his head. As he continued to marvel at the pendant, he chimed, “It matches your ring, hyung.” Namjoon’s happy expression was suddenly marred with a slight frown and furrowed brows.
Namjoon echoed, “My ring?” His eyes darted to the silver band wrapped around his right ring finger and focused on the small ruby. “Oh, yeah. I guess it does,” he agreed reluctantly.
With full confidence, Namjoon could say that he didn’t remember putting on the piece of jewelry that morning, let alone owning it.
Taehyung giggled and as he was about to speak, his eye caught movement further up the street. He shouted in delight and rushed to meet a very concerned Jin. (Name) couldn’t make out what they were saying, but she could tell from the stern expression Jin wore that the young idol was being scolded by the eldest.
But then she noticed everything else.
The way Jungkook coolly let Jimin link arms together and how Hoseok affectionately ruffled Taehyung’s hair in greeting. When Hoseok moved back to Yoongi to huddle close to the older rapper, Yoongi feigned irritation but allowed Hoseok to rest his head on his shoulder as the polar opposite pressed closer.
(Name) tilted her head to one side. She smiled politely when the others’ eyes fell on her, and she offered a small wave as well.
Huh. Maybe I don’t. (Name) shuffled around as she watched the group greet each other lovingly while constantly checking over Namjoon and Taehyung.
Just as Taehyung motioned for (Name) to join him and his boyfriends, Sejin and the group’s bodyguards ushered for them to return to the van so that they could drive back to the company and wrap up the day.
Taehyung frowned as Jimin tried to pull him along, and looked back to (Name). The witch smiled with a shrug and waved goodbye to the idol.
“Wait, hyung,” Taehyung protested to his manager. “Can’t we spend a little time here and hang out?” Sejin sighed without looking back at the young member.
Sejin replied, “You can do that later tonight. I want you boys back at the company for now while we try to figure out what happened with Beomsoo.”
Taehyung huffed and fell silent. He glanced over his shoulder as he allowed himself to be pulled along by Jimin and Jin, and he waved wholeheartedly to (Name) as she watched them all leave.
Once they were out of hearing range, (Name) murmured, “Just when things were getting interesting.” The idol group was out of sight when (Name) turned her attention back towards the alleyway. Pulling her spell book out of her bag and allowing it to float in her hand, (Name) slowly entered the alley.
!! WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT DEPICTED BELOW !!
(Name) would've reeled back at the foul copper stench, but it wasn’t the first time she was near a fresh corpse. Jaewon sat patiently beside the body, waiting for the witch to approach.
I knew I would be too late. (Name) mentally chided herself as she kneeled down next to the man’s bloodied corpse.
(Name) observed gnarly bite marks all over his upper torso, stemming from his neck down to his waist. She grimaced at the sight and hovered her hand above the wounds as if searching.
The witch noted aloud, “So you were right, Jaewon. That goblin wasn’t alone.” The ferret remained still and silent, but (Name) could feel a thrum of agreement deep within. “Well, it looks like they scattered once they sensed us leaving the store. Let’s look around for the well,” (Name) said as she raised from her lowered position.
Jaewon led her deeper down the alley until they reached a manhole cover. Oddly enough, there was no sewer odor emitting from the small holes in the metal lid.
(Name) waved her book out of the way, and it hovered off to the side. (Name) fished out from her large bag a long silver chain that almost rivaled her height. She took a few steps back from the manhole and held the chain out in front of her.
A chant in a language long lost flowed from between her lips, and the silver chain unraveled itself from her hands and formed a loop above the manhole lid. (Name)’s spell book floated back in front of her.
In the center of the loop, a small gem began to form out of the energy coming from the well. Once it grew to the size of her fingertip, (Name) was satisfied with her work and finished her incantation. She observed the tiny gem floating in the air and gestured for her book to return to the depths of her bag.
“Did you already set up a ward, Jaewon?” (Name) asked her familiar. The ferret hopped up and crept up the witch’s cardigan to wrap himself around her shoulders. Another familiar thrum inside her chest answered her question. “We’ll head to the next well this weekend. For now, we’ll just patrol the others,” (Name) announced.
(Name) waited for Jaewon to get comfortable before traveling back over to the dead body. A tired sigh escaped her as she looked more closely at the deceased’s face.
The boys’ bodyguard from earlier. They must’ve caught him when Taehyung, Namjoon, and I rushed into the store. (Name) assumed as she pulled her cardigan closer to her body. She straightened herself out and cleared her throat.
“The pixies will eventually take care of him. Let’s go back home,” (Name) said as she walked towards the exit of the alleyway.
Summary: Underneath the concrete and pavement, between the towering buildings, Seoul is thrumming with magic. Too much magic. It’s become a hot spot for magical beings seeking to feed off of such intense energy. BTS is unaware of such dangers until they come across a witch trying to manage the mischief of other magical creatures while creating her own trouble.
Warnings: Language
Author’s Note: I’m so sorry that it took this long for part three! It’s much shorter than I would’ve liked for it to be, but I really struggled with this transition for some reason. Thank you for being so patient, and please enjoy this part!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
(Name) pinched the bridge of her nose and watched as the boys tried, multiple times, to open the door. Growing tired of their futile attempts, she sat on her cushioned stool to continue with making her concoction.
“I’m going to save you all some time and let you know that it won’t open,” she announced as she absentmindedly twirled her finger in the air to command the grinding stick to continue mixing the contents of the medicine bowl.
“(Name),” Namjoon warned. (Name) pursed her lips and continued to searched through her sealed vials full of different colored liquids. “(Name),” Namjoon called shortly.
Relenting, (Name) threw her hands up. “What?” she cried. Namjoon raised a brow before motioning to the door wordlessly. “I panicked, okay?”
“You panicked and locked us in the room with you,” Yoongi summarized.
(Name) shrugged. “And also created a temporary pocket dimension, but yeah. That sounds about right.” The members of BTS began to panic.
“Are you magic?” Hoseok asked in fear. (Name) ran a hand through her hair and roughly sighed.
“No, I’m not magic. I use magic. You would call me a witch,” she corrected.
Quietly, Jungkook commented, “But magic’s not real.”
A hot anger welled up in (Name)’s chest. The hackles on Jaewon’s back raised as he bared his small fangs. There was a sudden drop in temperature that the group of men couldn’t ignore. A few of the members were quick to catch on and roughly nudged the maknae from several different directions.
“Well, Jungkook. I can assure you that magic is very much real.” (Name) fell silent as she took a moment to recollect herself and take a few deep breaths.
Taehyung leaned over to whisper in their youngest boyfriend’s ear, “How else is she moving the stick, Kookie?” Jungkook shuffled awkwardly and looked to the ground.
“You can even ask Namjoon. He would know,” (Name) passively commented. The six men turned to their leader, who held his hands up in defense.
“How was I supposed to know?” (Name) rolled her eyes.
“How else would you be able to slip right by a crowd of fans without anyone stopping you?” she retorted as she grabbed the correct vial containing a silver liquid.
Jin slapped Namjoon’s arm and nagged, “I knew you were up to no good!” Jimin’s eyes darted between the eldest and the witch calmly mixing.
“Uh, Jin-hyung. I really don’t think that’s the problem right now,” Jimin said as he shuffled closer to Jin and Namjoon.
(Name) raised a brow. “What would be the problem then?” The room fell into a tense silence as she finished making her drink and poured the bowl into her mug. There was steam rising from the cup despite the fact that (Name) had not touched a heat source the whole time she was making her drink.
“Well, you kinda locked us in a room,” Hoseok offered hesitantly, still a bit on edge from being pulled into the room and the door slamming shut by an invisible force.
(Name) bashfully took a sip from her mug and replied, “Sorry. I didn’t want you guys running out yelling about how I’m a witch. That would be bad for our shop.” She pet Jaewon, still on edge, and sighed. “You have to at least let me explain.”
Jimin looked at (Name) through his bangs and quietly asked, “You won’t hurt us?” She nodded.
“I told Namjoon earlier. I can’t hurt you as long as he wears that ring,” she answered. With a shrug, she included, “Not that I hurt civilians in the first place.”
“Wait, you didn’t say that,” Namjoon interrupted. (Name) tilted her head to the side and hummed in contemplation.
She said, “Huh. Maybe I didn’t.” She shrugged halfheartedly and brought her mug to her lips. “Yeah, that ring you’re wearing is enchanted with a binding spell.” Not entirely caring about their reactions, she took a long sip.
Namjoon jumped and checked his hand. He didn’t remember slipping the ring back onto his finger.
Jin echoed, “A binding spell?” The female took a moment to swallow before answering.
“There are multiple variations of a binding spell,” she assured, as if that was supposed to make sense to the group of idols.
When (Name) showed no signs of explained further, Jin spoke up. “And that means?” (Name) set her mug down and allowed Jaewon to hop off her shoulders to curl up on the counter.
“The spell on Namjoon’s ring is a two-way spell,” (Name) began with small hand motions. “A binding spell that works two ways is primarily focused on the flow of magic from one individual to another.”
“So why is it called a binding spell?” Taehyung inquired.
(Name) responded, “Well, the original spell’s intent was close to slavery, but that's the one-way version of the spell. Scholars have only just recently drafted the two-way version in hopes to replace the misuse and abuse of the original spell. Nowadays, the original is only used for detaining.”
“That still doesn’t explain why it’s called that,” Taehyung huffed.
“Eh, there’s an argument that the spell hasn’t changed enough to call it original and warrant a new name,” (Name) answered.
Namjoon frowned. “What does all of this have to do with the day we met?”
“Because I gave you my ring, I was able to project my magic and create a basic illusion spell on you.” (Name) patiently waited for the information to soak in for the men by flipping through her spell book. “Jaewon, can you rewrite the page on tupple plants? I need to change the description.” She swirled the contents of her mug and commented, “Thank you, by the way, for letting me test the spell and ring on you. It’s hard to get someone to try stuff out for me.”
“You were testing a spell on him?” Yoongi scoffed in disbelief.
(Name) stared at the rapper in thought before saying, “Oh. Sorry. For you know, not asking.” Yoongi made a sour face.
“Do you ever ask someone before fucking with their lives?”
“Yoongi,” Jin warned.
Jungkook argued quietly, “Suga-hyung has a point, hyung.”
“That doesn’t mean he needs to swear!” Yoongi rolled his eyes at the eldest.
He said, “Who knows what she’s been doing the whole time Joon’s been wearing that damn ring?”
(Name) frowned, a little more that offended. “Namjoon, are you upset?” The others stopped arguing and looked to their leader, who was staring back at the witch with his lips pressed into a firm line and his brows deeply furrowed.
Was he upset?
Namjoon had to ask himself the question mentally. Trying to sort his emotions out, he identified his immense fear of the unknown factor surrounding (Name). She was a walking enigma. Even so, there was an undeniable interest for something he couldn’t quite place. Curiosity, even. Towards magic, perhaps?
But no, not anger. He couldn’t find any trace within himself.
As if she could sense this, (Name) grinned. She set her mug down and crossed her legs.
“I didn’t think how I got him out of the situation mattered,” she excused with a shrug. Jin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “He agreed to the terms I set, and I worked my magic,” she stated with a pause after. Her lips twitched upwards. “Literally.”
Jin said, “While I appreciate getting Joon out of trouble, there is a problem with using magic on him.” (Name) rolled her eyes with a huff.
“Okay, so I see that there’s a ‘problem,’” she generalized while eyeing the on edge, younger men. “Well, this is awkward.” She pulled a clean medicine bowl in front of her and began tossing brightly colored leaves and odd shaped fruits in.
Taehyung looked between Yoongi and (Name) before hesitantly speaking. “So what happens now?” The witch hummed in contemplation without taking her eyes off of the bowl in front of her.
“Oh, that’s easy.” Placing everything down gently, (Name) stood up from her stool and brushed off her clothes as if she had been sitting there long enough for dust to collect. She cleared her throat unnecessarily and called, “Jaewon. A little help, please.”
The ferret opened a single eye to glower up at his owner. (Name) returned the narrow look to which the ferret huffed at and reluctantly rose from his resting position. Jaewon effortlessly leaped the distance from the counter top to (Name)’s shoulder, now appearing alert.
The leather bound book rose from the counter. (Name) levitated it in front of her, and began chanting.
To time alone
are memories lost,
Forget me not
and pay the cost
The air began to physically shift and chill. As if the weather outside had suddenly changed, the sunlight streaming through the stained glass of the windows began to dim at an alarming rate. The wind originating from apparently nothing picked up to the point where the members of BTS had to shield themselves.
Forsake my being
and all that it is,
For I am a moment
you shall not miss
At the center of the vortex, (Name) levitated a few inches from the ground. The gems of her necklaces and rings glowed eerily. A wave of dizziness enveloped the idols, and they were beginning to feel the room sway.
Their visions swam and became murky. Despite the wind kicking up around them, (Name)’s voice rang as clear as day.
Time shall flow
just as it has,
And in time
this too shall pass
“...oys? Boys!” their manager, Sejin, yelled. They jumped and glanced around wildly. The filming crew were close to packing up, and almost all of the makeup and design team had left.
“Oh,” Namjoon mumbled and rubbed at his eyes. “Manager-hyung, what’s wrong?”
The older male huffed and crossed his arms. “Were any of you paying attention to what I was saying?” Namjoon’s jaw dropped, and he looked to his boyfriends for assistance, but they were just as confused as he was. “I’ll take that as a no. We’re all done here. Take your drinks with you to the van,” he instructed as he adjusted the coat hanging over his arm.
The male idols had to shake off and blink away the dream like trance they found themselves in.
“We’ll be right there, hyung,” Jin, being one of the first to recover, said with a small smile. Sejin hummed with a nod before motioning for them to follow. The idols reluctantly did as they were told and scurried towards the entrance.
Namjoon stopped before the door and motioned for the others to stop as well. He turned towards the counter and bowed, to which the rest of the group followed.
“Thank you for your time,” he announced, and the others echoed.
(Name) smiled from where she was leaning on the counter and offered a flirty wave.
“We hope to see you again!” she cheered. The bell above the door chimed one last time before the shop’s lively atmosphere abruptly died. (Name)’s gaze never left the door, and a slow, methodical hum buzzed through the air.
Jaewon slowly crept out from his hiding place underneath the counter and curled up across (Name)’s shoulders. The ferret looked at the witch quizzically.
“I’m gonna miss them,” (Name) sighed wistfully. Jaewon narrowed his gaze. Catching her familiar’s lack of amusement, (Name) wholeheartedly laughed, even going as far as throwing her head back. “So what if I’ll see them soon?” she retorted before bringing her mug to her lips. Before drinking the rest of her concoction, she grinned wickedly.
Summary: To be the Chosen King’s Valkyrie is the greatest honor. For Xael Annesty, it is her greatest challenge. After fleeing from the destruction of Insomnia from her place beside King Regis, she is thrown into Noctis’ hands where she faces the real dangers of the world. Xael fights alongside the four brothers on the path towards restoring the light. Piece by piece, Xael’s purpose falls into place with Noctis’ fate to achieve a goal higher than themselves. While Xael is able to assist on the battlefield, she must look to the others for help to regain what she has been missing.
Warnings: Violence, mentions of death
Author’s Note: This part is pretty long so I had to cut it off so that it didn’t completely devour all of my follower’s dashboards especially for those who aren’t following for this series. Hope you enjoy! Magic Shop is still in progress, just struggling with transitions.
Prologue | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
There was an annoying ringing in Xael’s ears. The constant downpour of droplets on her face further disoriented her.
The cries and howls of Sabertusks disrupted her racing thoughts and, surprisingly, grounded her. Soon, she was able to bring her attention to her physical surroundings.
Xael was able to acknowledge the humid atmosphere and realized that she was laying in wet sand. The mixture of the warm rain and high temperature was nothing like the sunny, temperate summers she experienced in the citadel's gardens back in Insomnia.
Back home.
Slowly, she raised an arm up to shield her eyes as she forced them open. Thankfully, the clouds looming overhead allowed her eyes to adjust quickly. She licked at her chapped lips, but it didn’t do much seeing how she was parched. A groan scratched at her throat.
Where am I? She blinked sluggishly to allow her eyes to adjust. Once she wasn’t totally disoriented, she managed to sit up and further evaluate her situation.
Xael wanted to say she was in the middle of nowhere, but the billboard in the distance and the asphalt road between said otherwise. Swallowing what little moisture she had left in her mouth, she turned over to stand up before she attempted to walk towards the road, where an occasional car would drive by.
She quickly discovered she was heavily injured when the pain in her left leg nearly made her collapse. Cursing under her breath, she grit her teeth and pushed forward at a snail’s pace as the pain of her injuries, previously numbed by sleep, began to make themselves known.
She made it to the road with her heavy limp. One arm hung at her side while the other clutched at an open wound on the opposite shoulder. Noticing that one of the light posts had a payphone, she checked both ways before struggling onto the road.
“How could this all happen?”
“I couldn’t tell--”
“IGGY WATCH OUT!”
Xael just barely saw the sleek black car speeding towards her and narrowly rolled out of the way and onto the dirt off the side of the road. She croaked a prolonged groan as she slid across the wet ground.
A shrill voice broke the silence. “Oh god we killed her.”
“We didn’t kill anyone, Prompto,” an gruff voice denied. The car doors opened, and Xael listened as four people approached.
“Yeah, Iggy did.”
The shrill voice yelped, “What are we gonna do?”
“Enough.” Xael was pushing her face out of the dirt when the man with a prominent accent asked, closer than she expected, “Are you alright, miss?”
The more the man spoke to her, the more her confusion grew. There was a nagging at the back of her mind that was telling her that this voice was familiar. In almost a scrambling manner, Xael spun around so that she could look at the man on one knee, offering her a helping hand.
“Ignis?” she called hesitantly with a scratchy throat. The blonde male narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Miss Xael?” he responded.
Xael took Ignis’ hand and allowed him to help her up. “Ignis, what are you doing here? Where is Prince Noctis?” At that moment, said prince took the opportunity to speak up.
“We don’t have time for this, Ignis. We need to meet up with Cor,” he insisted without even a glance in Xael’s direction. Xael frowned at the response but bowed with her uninjured arm across her chest.
“Prince Noctis,” she greeted respectively.
The prince looked at his friends awkwardly before Ignis spoke up, “Xael, what happened in the city?”
“You were there?” Prompto couldn’t help but voice his thoughts. Xael pursed her lips before she nodded.
“I was on standby outside the room designated for the treaty signing when I heard the situation escalate and weapons being drawn,” she began with a grimace. “I can just barely remember fighting alongside King Regis, but--”
Noctis interjected, “My father? You knew him?”
Ignis took charge and began to formally introduce Xael. “Noct, this is Xael Annesty. She was a part of your father’s personal guard. She and her predecessors have dedicated their lives to protect the line of Lucis.”
An unknown fury took over Noctis. He rushed forward, despite his friends’ protests. He grabbed the fabric at the collar of her shirt and roughly jostled her injured form. Gladiolus pried his grip off of Xael, but it didn’t deter Noctis. He clenched her shirt once more and stared her through enraged eyes.
“How could you let him die?! You were supposed to protect him!” he shouted in pure rage. “Why are you alive when he’s dead?!” He was breathing hard with how upset he was, and didn’t really register the tears welling up in Xael’s eyes until Gladiolus placed a firm hand on his shoulder to draw his attention away from his own rage.
“King Regis is,” Xael faltered and dropped her gaze to stare aimlessly at the ground.
Noctis was taken aback. Out of surprise, he unknowingly released Xael’s shirt, and she crumpled to the ground. Xael fell to her knees with her one arm barely supporting her shocked form. Noctis took a step back.
Xael began to murmur as she fully began to cry, “No, it can’t be.” She rubbed at her eyes with one hand and took gasps of air. “After everything we fought for, this is the end result.”
Prompto swallowed stiffly and slowly kneeled beside Xael. He quietly cleared his throat.
“Xael, did you really not know?” he cautiously asked. Xael’s emerald eyes peered through her long bangs to meet his kind eyes.
“How could I?” Xael sniffled and suddenly slammed a fist into the dirt. “King Regis ordered me to flee and find Prince Noctis,” she explained. Her stained nails clawed at the dirt as she curled her hands into tight fists. She managed between clenched teeth, “Though sworn to his side, I ran. I ran when I was needed the most.”
Noctis pursed his lips at the sight before him. He was speechless, not knowing whether to comfort or further berate her. Ignis took the lead and gently pulled at Xael's uninjured arm. Reluctantly, Xael allowed for the man to pull up into a standing position.
"Come now, Miss Xael. Let us tend to your wounds," he ushered her towards the car with Prompto in tow while Gladiolus stayed with Noctis.
As the prince watched the three make their way to the car, Noctis glanced at Gladiolus and asked under her breath, "What do you think, Gladio?” The towering male sighed and shook his head solemnly.
“Noct. Sometimes you have to sacrifice what’s closest to you in order to fulfill your duty,” he stated. Gladiolus moved to join the others mending to Xael while Noctis stood alone, further contemplating his friend’s words.
“Sacrifice, huh?”
Noctis took his time meeting his three friends and their newest addition by the Regalia.
“Ignis, you’re all supposed to be in Altissa. What on earth are you four doing this close to Insomnia?” Xael asked with a wince when Prompto pulled the bandages around her arm too tight.
The advisor sighed as he handed the female a Potion. “We were in Galdin Quay when we heard the news.” Xael nodded solemnly and quietly thanked the two blondes.
“So you understand how dangerous it is for you to be here,” she retorted as she flexed her arm after consuming the Potion.
Prompto bashfully noted, “We were actually about to go talk to Cor at an outpost nearby.”
“Ah, I had forgotten he was sent away for a mission at the time,” Xael commented. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she asked, “So. When do we leave?” The group of men glanced at each other.
“Uh, we?” Prompto echoed. Xael nodded wholeheartedly and looked to Noctis.
She said, “As Ignis said, it is my sole purpose to protect you. I will be by your side until my last breath. Such is my destiny”
Noctis drawled out, “Right. Okay.” He got into the back seat of the Regalia and leaned back.
“Guess you’ll be in the back with us,” Gladiolus noted as he held the door open for Xael. She politely nodded at towering giant and moved past him to join Noctis in the back seat. Prompto had to retain his laughter as he observed the way Gladiolus and Noctis pressed their bodies against the car door.
Gladiolus was the first to speak after the Regalia had taken off. “What do you think the marshal has to say?” he inquired as he stared down at the female sitting ramrod straight in the leather seat beside him.
Xael sighed and brushed her calloused fingers through the long fringe that framed her jaw. “The marshal has to know more than me at this point.”
“I thought you said Cor was out of town during the attack?” Prompto recollected. Xael nodded and fiddled with her fingers.
“Yes, but we must also factor in that I was unconscious roadside for a day at the least,” she commented. “I’m the least informed individual at the moment,” she summarized as she fiddled with the torn sleeves of her top. Prompto noticed her grimace and tilted his head to the side.
Prompto asked, “Did you want spare clothes?” The female blinked at the blonde male owlishly. Xael examined her torn clothes more closely and almost blushed at the state of disarray she was in.
“You wouldn’t happen have any in my size, would you?” Prompto cracked a grin with a short giggle.
“No, but I have an idea who might,” he replied and looked to Ignis. He pondered aloud, “I think Cindy might have something”
Ignis looked ahead and said, “It’s on the way. Let us pay Miss Cindy a visit.”
Xael smiled gratefully while Noctis shot the driver a narrowed look. Ignis suppressed his grin and set course for Hammerhead.
“Hey, Xael,” Prompto called as he turned all the way around in his seat. Xael blinked directly at him to signal that she was listening. “We haven’t met each other, like, ever. The name’s Prompto,” he introduced and held out his hand.
Offering a polite smile, Xael shook his head and responded, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Argentum.” Prompto furrowed his brows.
“Uh, how did you?”
“Your name travels through the citadel every now and then,” Xael said as her gaze trailed to the side. She ignored the way Prompto squawked indignantly and looked at the snoozing prince beside her. Xael’s brows furrowed in slight frustration.
Prince of Lucis. Xael mentally sneered with a turn of her lips. She faced straight ahead. How bothersome.
“Miss Xael, have you had any contact with the King’s inner circle since the attack?” Ignis asked with his eyes trained on the road.
Probably to avoid hitting anymore injured fighters hobbling across the pavement.
Xael could feel Gladiolus’s intense stare boring into the side of her head. The female fighter sighed wistfully and shook her head. “No, not to my memory. I’m not even sure as to how I ended up this far from Insomnia.”
“I see.” Ignis pursed his lips and shifted his grip on the steering wheel. “What do you know of the situation?” Xael’s brows furrowed as she collected her thoughts.
“Niflheim had arrived to sign the treaty. The Kingsglaive was ordered to move, so the citadel was open for Niflheim to attack,” Xael summarized as she rubbed at her eyes.
Gladiolus cut in, “What about the Crownsguard?”
Xael shook her head and answered solemnly, “Nothing could have stopped the Imperials.” She took a moment to close her eyes before she continued, “King Regis did what he could. They were slaughtering innocent people in the streets. The last thing I remember is fighting with King Regis against General Glauca before I was ordered to retreat.”
A tense silence fell over the Regalia.
Prompto licked at his chapped lips and murmured, “Wow. I can’t even imagine.”
“But why would King Regis allow for the Kingsglaive to abandon post?” Ignis inquired as he eyed Hammerhead approaching in the distance.
“I can’t remember. All I remember is that there was a request from a member of the Glaive to move out to the city outskirts.” Xael worried her bottom lip between her teeth. She stated, “King Regis permitted the idea. Looking back, Niflheim probably had it all set up from the beginning.”
Ignis hummed. “So the odds were stacked against us from the beginning.” Prompto slumped in his seat while Gladiolus’s jaw visibly clenched.
Xael huffed and said, “Even with such odds, King Regis did not give up. Neither shall we.” Then men around Xael took a moment to fully consider her words before silently agreeing with her.
“We’re here!” Prompto cheered as he pointed to garage they had parked in front of. As soon as they came to a stop, Prompto hopped out of the car to bound up to a busty blonde standing out front. “Hey, Cindy!”
Xael eyed the female mechanic and stayed seated in the leather seats of the Regalia while the others, including an awake Noctis, exited the vehicle. She couldn’t help but raise a brow at the lack of clothing the female wore.
I’m supposed to get clothes from this woman? Xael couldn’t exactly see that exchange. She watched as Cindy greeted the four men before they began vaguely discussing Xael’s situation. Maybe there’s a shop I can walk to.
“Xael, come on over!” Prompto invited, causing everyone to turn their attention towards her figure in the car.
Curses. Xael reluctantly slid out of the car to meet the group waiting for her. She met Cindy’s confident gaze and waved meekly.
Cindy started, “Well! This is the lucky lady y’all have been talkin’ about?” Xael managed a polite smile and nodded. Cindy offered her hand and greeted, “Nice to meet you miss! Name’s Cindy.”
“Hello, Cindy. I’m Xael Annesty,” Xael introduced and shook the mechanic’s gloved hand.
“Well, Cindy? Do you think you can help her out?” Gladiolus asked. Cindy pouted as she observed Xael’s figure. Xael shifted uncomfortably under the other female’s gaze and eyed the cleavage peeking from her unzipped jacket and bikini top.
Cindy tilted her head to the side and replied, “I don’t got anything in your size, but Paw-Paw might have some of my mama’s old clothes lyin’ around .” Having made up her mind, she nodded with a grin. “I’ll go diggin’ around the shop. Gimme a minute!” she hollered as she rushed into the depths of the garage.
“I’m gonna go find Cid. You coming, Gladio?” Noctis invited as he already began making his way towards the garage. The towering male gave Xael a sympathetic glance and nod before following the prince.
“We’ll catch up to you in a sec!” Prompto called.
Once the two men had disappeared into the main garage, Xael sighed wistfully and said, “I apologize for my sudden intrusion on your journey.” Prompto jumped a little bit, but Ignis only shook his head.
“No need for that, Miss Xael. Your presence is a bit of an assurance in my mind,” Ignis insisted as he adjusted his glasses. “Though Price Noctis may not show it, the royal family greatly thanks the Annesty’s for their devout service.”
Xael held a hand up to stop the royal adviser. “It is our duty and pleasure to serve the line of Lucis,” she interrupted.
“A conversation for another time,” he dismissed as he noticed a figure approaching them with a small cardboard box from the corner of his eye. “Ah, Miss Cindy has returned.” At that, Prompto once again turned his attention to the young, female mechanic.
“Hey, Cindy! Have any luck?” Prompto inquired. Cindy nodded with a wide grin and nodded towards the box in her hands.
Cindy replied, “Mama had a few fancy clothes layin’ around to match all y’all’s city clothes.” She handed over the box to Xael. “You can head inside to change. There’s a back rook right around the corner.”
“Thanks,” Xael said and shuffled past the other blondes to go and change. The two men glanced at each other, shrugged, and went to join Noctis and Gladiolus speaking to Cid.
Once she was out of sight, she shifted the box in her arms and glanced at the dark clothing inside. She closed the door to the back room with her hip and placed the box on a nearby work table.
Xael nearly collapsed out of pure relief when she pulled out a modest, sleeveless top that was grey and black with raised, silver accents framing the bust area. She shed her tattered clothing and slipped on a pair of black, translucent tights before pulling over the top and a pair of black high-waisted shorts.
Deciding against the pairs of heels provided, she kept the boots she was issued for her uniform back in Insomnia.
With her new outfit fully assembled, Xael adjusted the black bangles and beaded bracelets around her wrists before undoing her tangled hair from its braid to tidy it up into a neater braid that fell to her knees.
Xael collected her old clothes from the floor and looked at the tattered remains fondly. She walked over to a nearby trash can before dumping what little she had left after the attack.
Outside, Noctic and Gladiolus had rejoined the other two waiting for Xael. They had also picked up a hunt for jumbo slimes from Takka and began planning for when they would head out to the northern part of Leide.
“We should probably start heading out there now so we make it by nightfall,” Gladiolus recommended.
Noctis shook his head. “We need to see Cor as soon as possible,” the prince insisted.
Prompto offered, “So we can just hunt them tomorrow, then. Right, Iggy?” Ignis nodded and made a mental note. Prompto cheered, “Cool! We need the extra gil for a motel room!”
“Got a problem with camping?” Gladiolus teased. Noctis rolled his eyes.
“More like a problem with no showers.” Prompto could barely mask his giggling with his hand while Gladiolus narrowed his eyes at the black-haired, who returned the halfhearted glare.
At that moment, Xael walked out of the back room and up to the four males. She had originally been looking for Cindy so she could thank her, but couldn’t find the female mechanic. Instead, she decided to join her party standing by the Regalia
“Have any of you seen Miss Cindy around?” she asked as she fidgeted with her bracelets.
“Uh, she uh, she had to go tow someone outside of town,” Prompto stuttered. Xael nodded and opened the car door.
Xael hummed, “I see. Well, I suppose I shall pay my thanks next time.” She shuffled into the middle seat and looked at the men, seemingly gaping at her. “Shall we get going? I recall you boys being in a hurry to meet with Cor.”
Ingis, being the first to recover, nodded in agreement and got into the driver’s seat. Prompto scurried into the front seat while Gladiolus and Noctis slowly joined Xael in the back of he car.
“How much longer, Iggy?” Noctis moaned a while after Ignis had begun driving. The advisor huffed and narrowed his eyes at the prince through the rear view mirror.
“We’re nearly there. Approximately five minutes.” Noctis slumped in his seat.
Prompto commented, “I can’t believe we’re going to meet Cor the Immortal!” Gladiolus chuckled.
“I think you’re the only one who hasn’t met the marshal,” Gladiolus noted teasingly. Prompto cried out in retaliation and reached around the passenger seat to swat at the taller male. Xael moved away from the petty spat and had to lean against Noctis. In response, the prince shuffled nervously and looked away.
“That’s enough out of you two. We’re here,” Ignis said as he parked the car alongside the dusty road. Everyone exited the car and looked upon the scarce outpost. “Let’s look around.”
Xael hung back as the four men set out to find out more on the Royal Tomb they were supposed to meet Cor at. She had meant to follow them inside one of the tents set up, but found herself looking out into the distance.
Looking out past the desert and beyond the treeline, Xael wasn’t sure what she was looking for. She gazed at the world through heartbroken eyes and couldn’t help but look in the direction of the smoke rising from the ruins of Insomnia.
“Xael,” Noctis called suddenly as he walked up to Xael. “We’re leaving for the Royal Tomb.”
Xael took a deep breath and wiped away the single tear she had shed as she spun to face Noctis. The prince was dumbfounded when he caught her watery gaze before she quickly walked past.
Swallowing stiffly, Noctis joined the others and began to head towards the path one of the Crownsguard had directed them to.
“Are you feeling alright, Miss Xael? It will be quite a trip on foot,” Ignis said as the group reached the narrow dirt path.
Xael nodded and replied, “Don’t worry, Ignis. It’ll take more that a quick stroll to tire me.”
“Then let’s get going,” Noctis announced and broke into a light jog. Xael huffed and followed suit.
The group had passed a couple of signs before reached a turn that lead into a valley-like section. As soon as they entered the pass, a bird’s cry alerted them. A daggerquil dove towards Xael, and she rolled out of the way.
Prompto yelped in alarm as he, too, managed to duck right as a daggerquil went for him. He summoned his gun and fired some warning shots before ducking behind Gladiolus and his great sword.
Noctis warped and struck one of the monsters but quickly fell to the hard ground. Ignis pulled him up and slashed at a daggerquill that flew a little too close for comfort.
Xael summoned her broad sword and shield and surveyed the situation. She focused on a daggerquil speeding towards Prompto and dashed towards where he took cover behind Gladiolus.
Prompto noticed the bird too late to retaliate and shielded his head with his arms. He heard the monster screech in pain after a loud thunk. Prompto cracked his eyes open and gaped at Xael slashing one of the daggerquils across the chest after she had blocked its talons with her shield.
“Careful,” Xael muttered as the daggerquil burst into a cloud of dark energy.
Prompto licked at his lips and nodded. “Yeah.” By the time their exchange had finished, Noctis, Ignis, and Gladiolus had defeated the other daggerquils.
“Let’s keep moving. We’re almost there,” Gladiolus announced, and they continued down the path.
Eventually, the group reached an open area with a deteriorating archway as an entrance. Three more daggerquils nested on top of the archway and swooped down to attack. Just like the first flock, these enemies quickly fell at the group’s hands.
“I’ve never seen so many monsters in such close proximity to one another,” Xael quietly observed. “It would appear that the situation is worse than the council originally presumed.”
Prompto tilted his head to the side. “Huh? What was that?”
Xael shook her head and replied, “Nothing. Let us continue.” The group agreed to move on and entered the Royal Tomb’s staircase. At the bottom, they found Cor waiting beside the tomb where one of the Royal Arms rest.
“Marshal,” Ignis greeted.
Cor slowly turned to the group entering and spoke, “At last, Your Highness.”
Noctis didn’t meet the older male’s eyes, and he murmured, “Yeah. Wanna tell me what I’m here for?” Ignoring the prince’s obvious reluctance, Cor continued on.
“The power of kings, passed from the old to the new through the bonding of souls. One such soul lies before you,” he announced with his arms spread. “To claim your fore bearers’ power is your birthright and duty as king.”
Noctis sneered. “My duty as king of what?” The others beside him reeled back in shock and insult.
“Now is not the time to question your calling,” Cor dismissed. A scoff resonated throughout the room. The marshal said, “A king is sworn to protect his people.”
“And yet he chose to protect only one prince,” Noctis retorted. Xael’s brows furrowed further as memories of the council dying flashed through her mind. Noctis ranted, “Was that his calling? Forsake the masses to spare his own son?”
“You’re wrong,” Xael whispered, though only Ingis and Gladiolus seemed to hear her.
Cor stepped towards Noctis. “How long will you remain the protected? The king entrusted the role of protector to you.”
A scowl slipped onto Noctis’s pale features. “Entrusted it to me? Then why didn’t he tell me that? Why did he stand there smiling as we left?” Noctis slammed a hand on the edge of his ancestor’s tomb. “Why?!” He faltered and weakly his the stone again. “Why did he lie to me?” he whispered in defeat.
“That day, he didn’t want you to remember him as the king,” Cor interrupted the solemn silence. “In what time you had left, he wanted to be your father.” Cor’s firm gaze softened at the sound of the choked sobs that escaped Noctis. “He always had faith in you, that when the time came, you would ascend for the sake of your people.”
Noctis took a moment to gather himself and straightened. “Guess he left me no choice.”
At that moment, Noctis took a deep breath before reaching out to the weapon that laid on top of the grave. In a burst of crystals, the sword rose from its resting place and floated in the air above the group before piercing Noctis’s chest. The phantom-like blade danced around the prince’s startled form with a faint yet crisp ring.
“The power of kings goes with you, your majesty.” Noctis looked up to Cor with a newfound steadiness.
“Marhsal, if I may,” Xael suddenly spoke. Cor glanced at Xael and showed mild surprise. “We have much to speak about.” The man nodded and quickly briefed the other men about the royal tombs throughout the land before ushering them outside with the promise to meet with them shortly.
Once the four were outside, Cor looked to Xael with somber, tired eyes. Xael returned a miserable gaze with her head hung.
“What’s happened since the attack, Cor?” Xael inquired as she ran a hand through her long fringe. Cor huffed and crossed his arms.
“Niflheim set up shop in the capital, and there are Imperial blockades popping up all over Lucis,” Cor answered with a shake of his head.
Xael paused to take in this information before further asking, “Is it true? Did King Regis truly?” She trailed off, her mouth suddenly becoming dry. Cor’s hard stare softened, and the marshal nodded minutely.
“It’s true. The king is no longer with us.” Xael’s hands clenched into fists, and she tried her hardest no to draw blood when she bit down on her bottom lip.
Shame washed over her and drowned out her overwhelming sadness.
“Worry not about the past, Xael,” Cor said and gently placed a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “Your place is beside King Noctis, now. You must stand beside him and protect him from whatever the empire has planned,” he stated.
Xael was silent for a while before whispering, “I understand.” Cor pursed his lips in thought before dismissing the idea of saying anything else.
“Let’s head out,” Cor said as he walked past Xael to exit the tomb and left the female fighter to get lost in her thoughts. The blonde clasped her hands together in a praying gesture and closed her eyes tightly.
King Regis. I know this is what you asked of me. An image of Noctis asleep in the Regalia drifted through her mind. I know that this is my destiny. She looked to the skies as if the Astrals would answer her. But am I truly fit for the role of the Chosen King’s Valkyrie?
Summary: Underneath the concrete and pavement, between the towering buildings, Seoul is thrumming with magic. Too much magic. It’s become a hot spot for magical beings seeking to feed off of such intense energy. BTS is unaware of such dangers until they come across a witch trying to manage the mischief of other magical creatures while creating her own trouble.
Warnings: Slight possessive themes (if you squint really fucking hard)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
The next time Namjoon saw (Name) was when he was into a local cafe management had managed to rent out for the day to shoot. He was very confused when he walked in and saw her sitting quietly at a two top in the back of the shop. She looked so comfortable in her cardigan while sipping from a mug that said "(Star Sign)" in bold, black print.
Of course, her pet weasel was sound asleep on the table next to her thick leather bound book.
Namjoon cast a quick glance at the preoccupied staff before he abandoned the comfort of his boyfriends, who grew confused as they watched him leave, to cautiously approach (Name). She was so distracted, reading something in her strange book, that she failed to notice Namjoon standing close to her. He cleared his throat, startling the woman.
"Oh, sorry!" He flinched as she coughed from her drink spilling down her throat and down the wrong pipe. Regaining her composure, she wiped at her mouth with a napkin before looking up at the male towering over her.
"Hello, Namjoon," she greeted with a soft smile as she closed her book with a notable thud. She folded her adorned hands on the table and tilted her head to the side. "How have you been?" she asked. Namjoon awkwardly shuffled and flashed a small grin.
"Good. We actually just got back from our tour," he announced. (Name)'s eyes lit up.
She gasped, "Oh wow. Has it really been three months since I've seen you?"
Namjoon rubbed at the back of his neck and corrected, "Since you helped me, yeah." Something seemed to occur to (Name).
"Oh that," she passively acknowledged. She set her mug down and had a more serious expression. "Do you happen to have my ring?"
At the mention of the ring, Namjoon swallowed stiffly.
Ever since he had taken off the accessory, he had been feeling off. He was able to push past the hollow feeling in his chest during fan meets and concerts, but there was a chill that haunted at night and kept him awake. There were several occasions where he had to assure his boyfriends that nothing was bothering him, and that he would be okay.
Namjoon slowly dug into the pocket of his overcoat to fish out the ring he had wrapped in the cloth he used to clean his glasses. He shook the fabric and allowed the ring to fall into his open palm.
For a moment, he was lost staring at the round cut ruby cradled in the delicate curves of the silver band. Inside, the engravings managed to capture his attention.
non solum non ambulabit
Namjoon considered himself fluent in English, and he was knowledgeable enough to know that the phrase was most definitely not in English.
It took him a moment to pull himself out of his trance so that he could hold the ring out for (Name) to take.
Little did he know, (Name) was watching him the whole time.
She observed his reaction closely before reaching out to push his hand away. Namjoon's intense gaze snapped up to meet her tender stare.
Before Namjoon could question her actions, (Name) shook her head and stated, "Actually, I want you to keep it." She retracted her hand and said, "I really was planning on taking it back, but consider it a gift."
Namjoon had to admit that he liked the idea of keeping the ring. Though, there was a nagging in the back of his head that he voiced aloud.
"What do you want in return?" he inquired warily. (Name) looked genuinely shocked for a moment before laughing loudly, which caught everyone's attention.
"Even though this is the second time we're meeting, you know me very well, Namjoon," she teased while resting her cheek on her palm. Her lips slipped into a mischievous grin, and she admitted, "There are a few things."
Namjoon decided to bite. "Like?"
(Name) hummed playfully in a way that amused Namjoon as well as put him on edge.
“Let’s start with introducing me to the others. They look really scared of me right now,” she noted with a faint nod towards the rest of the idols waiting by the staff who had gone back to setting up the lighting and cameras. Namjoon nodded and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Though, he didn’t immediately make a move to walk over.
“Should they be scared?” he asked as he looked over to his boyfriends talking among themselves.
(Name)’s smile morphed into a thin smirk.
“You’re smarter than you make yourself out to be,” she commented as she carelessly grabbed her mug and swirled the contents inside. "No, not with you by their side." There was no trace of dishonesty in her voice.
Namjoon cast her a curious glance, but when he received no response, he decided to walk back over to his group with a calmer demeanor than before.
"Who is that, Joon?" Yoongi asked with a passive stare towards (Name), who waved politely at the group of men.
“Ah, that’s (Name). I met her a few days before we went on tour,” he explained as he motioned for the others to follow him as he once again approached the table where (Name) sat patiently.
Jin raised a brow, “Oh? You mean when you went out and said that you didn’t cause any trouble?” A blush erupted across Namjoon’s cheeks that further heated up when (Name) giggled. Her laugh had the other men staring at her, slack-jawed.
“I promise, Namjoon wasn’t the one causing trouble that day,” (Name) declared. With another small wave, she introduced herself. “Nice to meet you all. My name’s (Name) (Last Name), but you can all call me (Name).”
“Wow!” Taehyung blurted as he stepped closer before, without hesitation, held (Name)’s hand close to him to observe her abundance of rings. “They’re so pretty!”
The woman smiled and replied, “Why, thank you! I’m glad you like them.” She trailed off, not knowing the idol’s name.
“Oh, I’m Taehyung!” His usual boxy shone brightly.
Though she was a little surprised by his unabashed eye contact, (Name) nodded and said, “I’m glad you like them, Taehyung." Just as Taehyung was about to ask where she had gotten them, Jin cleared his throat.
He said, “If you don’t mind me asking, (Name)-ssi, why are you here? I thought manager-nim rented the space out.”
“Ah, just (Name) is fine,” she corrected before taking a sip from her mug. “My friend and I actually co-own this shop. She typically works on the paperwork and financial stuff at home while I manage it,” she explained. With a sigh, her smile faded a bit. “She was actually the one supposed to watch over your filming session today, but her cat got sick.”
Jimin chimed in, “Does that mean you know how to make coffee?”
“Huh?” (Name) shook her head with a dismissive wave of her hand. “No, no. Coffee is her thing. I like to use the space when we’re closed or empty like this,” she said.
“Boys, we’re ready to start!” the director called. Suga walked away without a second thought.
(Name) stood and brushed off her jeans. “Jaewon,” she called, waking up her weasel. He calmly got up from where he was basking in the sunlight peeking through the windows and hopped a considerable distance into (Name)’s arms. The members who didn’t know about the weasel, being the majority of them, watched in shock as the large animal crawled up the woman’s arm to rest across her shoulders.
“(Last Name)-ssi, we have a few questions if you don’t mind,” the staff announced. She nodded with a small, polite smile.
“Of course, I’ll be right there.” (Name) nodded at the idols and said, “I’ll talk to you all when I can. Let me know if you need anything.” She left the group of men to go speak with the staff.
The idols followed right after and got into their positions in front of the cameras. They posed and interacted with the coffee shop tableware and magical-like props. Meanwhile, most of the members would continue to talk with (Name) when they were on a short break, save for Yoongi and Jungkook.
“Where did you get your jewelry from, (Nickname)?” he inquired as he continued to admire the intricate designs of (Name)’s rings and necklaces.
Glancing over her jewelry, (Name) answered, “I actually made almost all of my jewelry.” Jimin and Taehyung gaped at her and leaned even closer. “The ones I didn’t make were made by my mother.”
While Jimin and Taehyung listened in awe, Jungkook sat nearby and found himself staring down Jaewon, (Name)’s weasel companion, resting on his owner’s shoulders.
“Do you think you could make me one, (Nickname)?” Jimin pleaded while tugging cutely on (Name)’s cardigan sleeve.
With wide eyes, (Name) asked, “You want me to make you a ring?” Jimin nodded.
“I want a necklace!” Taehyung raised his hand and chimed in. “But one that’s even prettier that Namjoon-hyung’s.” At that, (Name) laughed wholeheartedly. Once again, she had all the men’s attention on her, even the few that were across the shop filming.
“Well, maybe I’ll make them for you in the future. Right now, it looks like you’re needed elsewhere.” She was referring to the staff calling their names and motioning for the maknae line to join their hyungs at the coffee table.
(Name) also took that as her cue to move to the back room to refill her drink. Standing up with her book, she nodded at the three young idols before walking away, feeling their heated stares on her back.
As she reach the back of the small shop, she glanced over her shoulder to double check that everyone was preoccupied with the shoot. (Name) hummed an old tune from her childhood as she walked further into the small backroom where she kept her equipment and supplies.
Odd-colored plants hung from their vines across the ceiling and basked in the colored light coming through the stained windows. Papers were scattered beneath emptied vials and medicine bowls with leftover traces of unnatural mixtures.
Jaewon hopped off of (Name)’s shoulders to trek skillfully around the counter. The purple, leather bound book floated out of her hand and followed her around as she gathered multiple ingredients from around her work space. With a flick of her wrist, the pages began to turn until she held a hand up.
Her eyes trained on the page, (Name) placed dried herbs into one of her medicine bowls and allowed the grinding stick to mix them into a paste. (Name)’s brows furrowed as she focused entirely on her reading. Once the grinder came to a slow stop, she tore her eyes away from the information on the page before her to swipe a bit of the paste onto her finger to taste.
Smacking her lips, (Name) mumbled, “Needs more drooping sea leaves.” Noticing she didn’t have any on the table in front of her, she huffed at the inconvenience.
Luckily, she had a few plants growing by the door.
(Name), knowing this, began humming happily again. With a small flourish, she spun towards the door, but froze in place.
There, in the doorway, stood the seven members of BTS. Seven variations of shock and confusion were frozen beneath her unamused stare. Eyes traveled between the floating book, the medicine bowl grinding herbs by itself, and the odd plants growing around the room.
Yoongi seemed to recover the fastest, for his confusion quickly morphed into his usual, narrow stare before he turned to leave the back room.
(Name) sighed.
Lazily, she lifted a hand in the direction of the seven men. A force pulled all of their bodies forward, further into the room. They stumbled in, and (Name) closed her hand into a fist the same time the door slammed shut behind the recovering idols.
Their heads went from the door to (Name), standing on the other end of the narrow room in an unnervingly calm manner.
(Name) took a deep breath and relaxed her hand, flexing her fingers. Once her arm rest by her side again, she took that as her opportunity to speak with a chilling smile.
