summary - your professor assigns you to look after and help get the new kid, jungkook, settled in. you’d think it be easy, but he’s nothing like any of the other students
pairing - new student!jungkook x wizard!reader
genre - fluff; wizard 101 au
word count - 5.0k
warnings - dip’s made up lore, friendship, gay bears (oops a double entrendre), tending of the wounds(tm), nick jonas
guide - pyromancy = fire magic; thaumaturgy = ice magic; grizzleheim = viking bear, wolf, and raven world
author’s note - behold my last w101 au! i've had so much fun working on this and it's my pride and joy. thank you all for enjoying (and i'm sorry to the w101 fans who've had to deal with this in the tags 😅)
the seven schools of ravenwood masterlist
Life in Wizard City was never something that you had expected for you, having grown up on the far edges of the spiral in Grizzleheim. All you’d ever known were the harsh winters of a world full of bears, wolves, and ravens. No one quite knew where you’d come from only being found the burnt remains of Draugarth as an infant. Sten and Bo Silverwood of Clan Ironclaw were the ones who took you in and raised you, calling you their hairless cub.
Growing up, you knew you were different. You didn’t have fur like a bear or a wolf, nor feathers like a raven. You were something else, even beyond your physical appearance. Despite having no fur, your skin bore to the elements, you were never cold. Chilly, yes. But in the cold winds that enveloped Grizzleheim, you never once shivered. But your Papa and Bubba never made you once feel as if you were an outcast, they loved you as their own and that’s all that would matter.
As you reached your fifteenth year, more peculiarities began happening around you. Your body would grow warm, becoming unbearable to the point you’d wear the thinnest of your clothes in the midst of snow storms. When it was your turn to make dinner for your fathers, you’d burn the meat to charcoal, eventually banning you from the kitchen. However, the worst was yet to come.
You were huddled near a hearth in Northguard, knees pulled up to your chest as you stared into the fire. You watched the flames flicker and change, almost as if they were forming into small figures; you’d see bears and wolves talk amongst themselves, laughing heartily, ravens fly across the sky, and creatures of myth you’d heard as a young one. Creatures like dragons, imps, and centaurs. You’d thought you were only seeing these things in your mind's eye as you watched the fire, but as you focused more on the dragon, you watched as it grew larger. You rubbed your eyes, thinking it was a trick of the light, but it wasn’t. The fiery depiction of the creature grew and grew, spitting out flames from its mouth, catching onto the roof of a nearby hut. You screamed for help, but with each panicked cry, the fire grew larger and larger. Quickly, the clan rallied to put out the fire, but with each bucket of water thrown over it, it did not settle. Only when your papa had wrapped you into his arms, calming you down did the fire finally die.
“This cub is a demon! We must free ourselves from it!” Kol Shadowsong accused, singling you out. The clan leaders gathered in the Great Hall to discuss what should be done with you, as you nearly burnt Northguard to the ground. Your fathers stood beside you, refusing to back down to let you stand alone.
“Your Majesty, see reason! It’s clear they have no control over this affliction! They meant no harm! They’re practically still a cub!” Your papa shouted at King Valgard.
“And that cub nearly burnt this stronghold to the ground!” The king growled. “If they cannot control it, they are a danger to the rest of us. I cannot allow them to endanger the rest of the clans.”
“But what if they could learn to?” Your bubba countered.
“How?”
“I know.” All attention was turned toward a new voice, Bauldur Goldpaws, the trader. “I’ve heard of this affliction in my travels. It’s called pyromancy! The ability to control fire and summon creatures of that nature. It can be controlled, but only through hard work and training. There is a school that teaches how to control and master this very affliction. Ravenwood in Wizard City.”
You’d only vaguely remembered hearing those names. It sounded familiar, yet you did not know or understand why, like something from a dream.
“That’s halfway across the Spiral and the World Tree connection was severed centuries ago! How do you intend to even get there?” Your papa questioned.
“The skyways, as our ancestors once did.” Bauldur turned to face your fathers personally. “King Valgard has already tasked me with the honor of re-establishing our trade routes. Wizard City is one of those stops. With your permission, I will ensure that your cub will get there safely. They will be enrolled and they will learn to control it.”
“Do they look like me?” You found yourself asking. All attention was returned back to you, and you felt small under everyone’s gaze. “These pyromancers. . . are they like me?”
Getting down on one knee, Bauldur met your gaze. “Yes, child. There are many that look like you. You will be safe and taught to control this,” he gestured to your hands.
Looking between your fathers, you met their eyes. Papa clearly not wanting to let you go, to keep you safe by his side and protect you from the world forever. But Bubba, he knew. He knew this was what was best for you, best for the clan. Looking back to Bauldur, you nodded. “I’ll go.”
The trader looked back to the King, who sighed. “Fine,” he waved his hand. “Your cub may go and learn to control this. . . pyromancy. But they may only return, once they’ve mastered the ability. Then and only then may they return to Grizzleheim. Dismissed.”
Your fathers walked out of the Great Hall, bickering between themselves as you looked up at Bauldur. “We leave at first light, pack heavy. We’ll be traveling for a few moons.”
It was hard to say goodbye, having never left home before and to be gone for so long. . . You were scared. You didn’t want to leave, but you knew you had to. It was for the good of the clans. You packed all your belongings into several chests; your robes, your boots, helmets, hats, and swords. Anything you might’ve needed, you were packed and ready for.
“Be good,” Papa said as he squeezed you tight against him. You buried your face into his fur, trying to memorize every last detail of him.
“I will.”
Bubba hugged you just as hard, if not harder. He knew this was coming, that one day you’d leave, just never imagined it so soon. Pulling away from you, he placed his paw on your face and smiled at you. “My little cub, be proud of who you are and where you’re from.”
As Bauldur said, it took many months to reach Wizard City. Had you gone in a direct route, you might’ve gotten there faster, but unfortunately you were just a ride along. Bauldur had a job to do, re-establishing the long lost trade routes amongst the other worlds of the Spiral. You’d see places you’d never even imagine seeing; the evergreen world of Mooshu, the ancient sand covered temples of Krokotopia, and the endless fields of Zafaria. Until finally, Bauldur and landed at the edge of the world in Wizard City!
Dozens of wizards gathered as the ship weighed its anchor against one of the stone towers. You’d been used to whispers and stares all your life, but this was different, you felt isolated and singled out, as if you were being peered at under an eye-glass. You hid behind Bauldur once he was beside you on the grass.
“Who goes there?” A man with hair on his face and dressed in strange armor questioned.
“I am Bauldur Goldpaws, and this is my ward, Y/N Silverwood. We seek your Headmaster.”
The guard looked between you and Bauldur, “Follow me.” Was all he said before he stiffly started walking towards a tunnel, burrowed deep into the cliffside.
The Headmaster, Merle Ambrose, was stunned to learn that you were there to enroll. No one had ever traveled so far in order to attend. It was a first. But nevertheless, you were enrolled in the School of Fire. Professor Dalia Falmea took you under her wing, giving you private lessons until you’d caught up to your age group. You were a bit of an oddity at first, being the only one dressed in furs rather than the colored robes your peers wore. You’d even shocked everyone when you’d been able to pick up thaumaturgy as a secondary school. But eventually the intrigue and mystery died away as time went on.
You’d been at Ravenwood seven years now, almost finishing your mastery classes. You’d held onto this moment for years. Finally, you’d be able to go home! To see your fathers once again! You’d kept up correspondence with them, sending letters through the trade route you’d helped Bauldur set up. So they knew you were in good health and they were also happy for you. At least up until the past year, the former death professor unleashed monsters onto the city streets endangering the students and their livelihood. Papa almost wanted you back then and there, but there were also growing tensions amongst the clans (at least so you’d heard through Bauldur, your fathers did every attempt to keep it from you) so you stayed in Wizard City. However, none of you could’ve predicted what else was to come.
It was like any ordinary day, you’d just finished your class with Professor Falmea when she called you up to speak with her before you could leave. Shouldering your pack, you walked up to her on the platform.
“Yes, Professor?”
“Ah, Winterflame. You’ve advanced much in these past few years, becoming one of my star pupils.”
Your face grew warm at her compliments. “Thank you, Professor.”
“And as my best student, there’s something I need to ask of you.” She motioned toward the door, glancing behind you, you watched as a bright red haired guy about your age walked in, dressed in red and orange robes. “This is my newest student, Jungkook Dragonpants.”
You furrowed your brows at the name, “Dragonpants?” Did you hear that right?
“Yup, that’s me,” the wizard winked at you.
You’ve never met a student with a lastname like that, the weirdest one you think you’ve heard was Frogtamer. You were going to have to ask him about it later. You turned to Dalia to finish talking.
“Winterflame, I’d like you to help get him adjusted to life in Wizard City. In fact, Headmaster Ambrose suggested it, considering you know how it feels,” she explained. While you knew neither of them meant no ill will, it still felt slightly targeted. There’d been dozens of new students and transfers to Wizard City since you. But maybe he was from far out in the Spiral too, and there was the fact he was also a pyromancer.
“Okay,” you nodded before turning to Jungkook. He was near bouncing on his heels and his eyes. . .His eyes kept wandering around the room, between the professor, the walls, the chalkboard, the cauldron, everything. Okay, you could relate to that, seeing it all for the first time. Trying your best to hide your smile, you nodded to the door. “Come on, let’s go.” The two of you walked out of the school house, and still Jungkook was looking at everything. Bernie, Torrence, Bartleby, Arthur Wethersfield. You remembered being like that, taking everything in all at once. “So on either side of the tunnel are the dorms, yes it’s one door. But your key is what opens the door to your own room, specifically. You get your key from Lincoln,” you said, gesturing to him as he wrote in his booklet. “I can give you a more in depth tour later, so you’re getting the dry run. If that’s alright with you.”
“Yeah that’s fine,” he said, smiling as he looked up at the World Tree.
“So, where’re you from?”
“Oh, I’m from Eeeeerrrr. . .”
“Eeeerrr?” You raised a brow.
“It’s some place far away with a name you wouldn’t know or how to pronounce,” he waved his hand, trying to hand the subject. “What about you? You from around here or elsewhere?”
A bittersweet smile crossed your face. “Grizzleheim, a world tucked away in the farside of the Spiral.”
“Woah, that sounds. . . cool. What’s it like?”
Again, you were confused. How did he not know what Grizzleheim was? Since your arrival and the trade route was re-established, almost everyone knew what Grizzleheim was and how far it was. “It’s cold, a lot closer than here. It rains or snows most of the year, don’t get a lot of sun. But it’s beautiful and it’s. . . it’s my home.” You found yourself stopping on the sidewalk, reminiscing.
“Do you visit often?”
You shook your head. “No, I haven’t been since. . . since I enrolled. It’s-it’s a long story.” You weren’t about to get all nostalgic with a stranger. “But anyways, are you a transfer? Novice, what?”
“I’m new.”
“. . . Are you in class with people our age or younger?”
“Oh, I’m not in class. Ambrose said I can do independent studies to help catch up. Like helping out around the city and anyone who needs it. Speaking of which, where’s Unicorn Way? I was told to go there as soon as I could.” He asked, his head glancing about, this time with intention rather than curiosity.
“Unicorn Way is crawling with monsters, are you sure you were asked to go there?”
Jungkook held up a letter, addressed to Private Connelly in the Headmaster’s handwriting. It was off, but if it was Ambrose. . .
“Through the Commons tunnel, turn left, go down the street, over the bridge, Unicorn Way is right there.”
“Great, thanks,” he smiled as he patted you on the shoulder. “Talk more later?” He asked as he started toward the tunnel.
“Yeah, just uh, meet me in front of the Library, noon!” You called out after him.
“Awesome, see you then!” Then he vanished into the shadows. He was odd, but you were intrigued nonetheless.
A few days later was your rest day, and you typically liked spending it in Olde Town, sitting on the grass at the edge of the cliff, where Bauldur dropped you off. He wasn’t there, it wouldn’t be for another few weeks before he made his rounds back to Wizard City. When he was there, you’d catch up, then trade the dozens of letters your fathers would write to you and give to Bauldur yours. But days like this, you’d just sit and stare out into the skyways.
“Hey!” A voice pulled you out of your thoughts. Turning your head to the side, there stood the new kid, Jungkook. His face was littered with fresh cuts and bruises, but he still held that same cheery demeanor he had when you first met him. “Whatcha doing out here?”
“It’s my off-day, what happened to you?” You rose to your feet, immediately going to check his injuries.
“Oh, these? Just finished clearing up Unicorn way,” he said with a proud smile.
His words took you aback, “You- you did what?”
“Well it’s not cleared up permanently. There’s still some ghosts, but the skeletons and dark fairies are all taken care of for the most part.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal. “But Prof Falmea said I’m almost to the level of her apprentice level class with how fast I’m progressing.”
“In just a few days?” You were baffled, no one has ever advanced that fast before! At least not without prior schooling.
“I’m a fast learner,” was all he said. “But really, why are you here on your off-day? Are there not a lot of exciting things to do around here?”
“No there are. There’s the Shopping District, Fairgrounds, dueling. . . But I like coming here, it’s where I first stepped foot in Wizard City.” You smiled softly at the memory, you felt so small then. Now no one even bats an eye at you, just another student walking the grounds. “But anyways, how are you finding it?”
“Well, I’ve done a lot of back and forth lately between places, but everyone is nice, given the circumstances. Sorry I had to rush off the other day, but the Headmaster said it was urgent. But I’m seeing a lot of the city, and this place is pretty cool.” He turned to look up at the cliffs of the city, and you followed his gaze. Just barely, you could see the overhead branches of Bartleby. Both of you stood there for a moment, enjoying the view.
“Hey, I’m sorry if this is a weird question but how did you get Dragonpants?” You asked. It’s not exactly a common question to ask, but you were curious. You always were anytime someone gave their name.
“What do you mean?” He furrowed his brows.
“I mean how did you earn Dragonpants as a last name? I got Winterflame because I’m one of the few pyromancers that has thaumaturgy as a secondary. I know a guy broke his wand and earned his last name, another summoned Humongofrog. So how did you get yours?”
All Jungkook could do was stare at you blankly. “Uhhh, I- uh. . . that’s an interesting story. Oh, look at the sun! I need to rush to Firecat Alley. I’ll definitely tell you that story later. Bye!” He then ran down the street, but instead of Firecat Alley, it was towards Triton Avenue.
And that’s not most of your interactions with Jungkook were. You’d see him randomly on the streets in between classes (in between quests for him), he’d always have a new cut or bruise somewhere on his skin. But he was advancing quickly. Every time you saw him, he was further and further along in his independent studies. Last you checked, he was nearing the adept level courses. Despite his quick advances, battles were getting harder and more difficult. So he started asking you for help, which you did. You helped him in Firecat Alley, Triton Avenue, and Cyclops Lane. Dueling beside him was incredible, he was focused and valiant. He didn’t let the enemies get to him, no matter how cruel their taunts grew.
“Doesn’t it ever bother you?” You found yourself asking, as the two of you tiredly made your back back towards the Commons.
“What do you mean?”
“What these- these villains are saying to you? Surely, it has to get under your skin sometimes?”
Jungkook paused, dark eyes almost hidden by his reddish-pink hair. “Sometimes. In the beginning, it did a lot. But the more I fight them off, it’s just becoming more and more. . . annoying than hurtful.”
“Annoying?” You asked, almost chuckling.
“I mean, yeah it’s annoying!” Jungkook’s face broke into an exasperated expression. “‘You won’t get away with this, Young Wizard!’, ‘Malistaire is coming!’,’No puny wizard has ever defeated me!’ Puh-lease! As soon as they start saying stuff like that, the more it motivates me to win out of spite.”
That had both of you peeling over in laughter, earning a handful of odd looks from your fellow students and passing citizens.
The two of you grew closer and closer, but no matter what, he didn’t say much about his past. Nothing on where he was from, or how he got his last name or why he wasn’t properly enrolled in school. Nothing. It didn’t bug you much, you could understand not wanting to answer pestering questions about where you were from, so you didn’t ask. But with each quest the two of you completed, you only had more and more questions. You just felt out of the loop.
However, once his quests started taking him outside of Wizard City, he had to continue going out alone. You didn’t have permission to leave the city, only Jungkook and a few select transfer students were granted that permission. You did your best to keep in touch still, he’d stop by your dorm and ask odd questions about Kroks and other things related to sorcery. You directed him to the library. There wasn’t much else you could do to help, as you had your own studies to focus on.
The last time Jungkook came over though, it was the worst of them. It was already late at night, but you were still up, cram studying for your final mastery exam in two days. After re-reading the same sentence over and over about the differences between sunbirds and phoenixes, there was a harsh knock at the door.
With a yawn, you walked over to the door, opening it to see Jungkook, battered and bruised. His left eye was dark and near swollen shut, his lip was busted, and he was leaning on the door frame for support. “H-hi.”
“Oh my stars!” Your body immediately woke up, helping him into your dorm. You set him down at your desk as you rushed to your trunk, digging through it for a healing potion. Instead you found an old salve from home. It would have to do for now, you hadn’t had a chance to stock up on potions. Jar in hand, you made your way over to Jungkook. Opening the jar, you dipped your fingers in and took out a small glob. “This’ll feel a bit chilly.” Jungkook winced as the balm touched his skin, but he remained still as you continued to apply it to his wounds.
“Smells kinda funny.”
You chuckled at that. “Yeah, it does.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a yarrow-marshmallow salve. Honestly, I forgot I had it. My bubba probably packed it away for me.”
“Your bubba?”
You paused. You didn’t talk much about your homelife to anyone, no matter how much they asked. This was the first time you ever willingly brought it up. With a shaky breath, you continued. “Yea, he’s one of the men who raised me. They’re the only family I’ve ever known.”
“You weren’t raised by your parents?”
You shook your head. “I was found in the remains of an old village, it was attacked by these creatures called grendels. I was the only survivor. I was found, tucked away in a burnt down shack. Sten and Bo Silverwood, my papa and bubba. They found me, took me in, and raised me as their own. Don’t know who my birth parents were, all we could figure is they were pyromancers and traveling across the spiral, probably traders. But we’ll never know,” you shrugged. “And I’m okay with that, I love my dads. And I wouldn’t change anything about how I was raised.”
“You said you can’t go home.”
“Yes and no.” You huffed. “It’s not easy to get to Grizzleheim, it’s months of traveling the skyways. But even if the world door worked, I can’t go back. I was. . . I was a danger to the clan. I had no control over my magic and the king had no choice but to order me to attend Ravenwood until I learned to master it.” As soon as you started, you couldn’t stop. All these years, and you never shared your story with anyone, not outside Professor Falmea. “But my pyromancy mastery final is in a couple days. And next week, Bauldur Goldpaws will return to Wizard City and I’ll be able to go home again.”
Jungkook was quiet for a moment, his eyes downcast. “I’m also from far away but. . . I don’t think I’ll be able to return home.” You’re silent, waiting for him to continue. “I’m from Earth. Where I’m from there’s no magic or talking animals, or anything. It’s just people. Then one day, I almost set fire to my house with my bare hands. I don’t know what to do so I start running. And I ran, and ran and ran until my legs felt like jelly. It gets blurry from there but next thing I know, I’m in the Headmaster’s office.”
“You don’t know how you got here?”
Jungkook gnawed on his lower lip. “I can’t really talk about it. Ambrose said so.”
Orders from the Headmaster, so you let it drop. Maybe in time he’ll tell you in time, but until then, you’ll take what little answers you can. “Can you tell me about your last name?”
That had Jungkook break out into a grin. “He didn’t tell me there were reasons behind last names, just wanted me to have one to blend in. I just chose a random one, thought it was funny.” Now it was your turn to laugh. You smacked your hand over your mouth, trying to muffle your laughter. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I’m dumb I know.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just, you’re-you’re going to endure weird looks for the rest of your life, you know that right?”
“I signed myself up for it, I just need to make up a convincing story for it.”
Once your laughter died down, you just smiled at Jungkook. With the salve applied, it was slowly bringing down the swelling and discoloration. Running a hand through his red hair, you sent him off. “It’s late. Get some rest.” He did as you were told, walking off toward his own dormitory.
The next morning, you stopped by to check on him, wanting to see how he was faring the day after but he was gone again. That poor boy is gonna get dragged all over the Spiral if he doesn’t learn to say no to a favor. But Jungkook was the farthest thing on your mind as your exam date was coming up. Your nose was stuck in a book or a scroll, you didn’t have time to think of anything else except acing this test and finally going home. That was your sole motivation.
The day of your final, Jungkook was outside your door.
“Hey-”
You cut him off before he could even begin. “Sorry, I really don’t have time.”
“But-”
“Listen, Jungkook, I really don’t have time. I really gotta go, I’m sorry.” You gave him a sad smile as you made a beeline for the School of Fire.
After three long agonizing hours of going through the different types of blade and shield combos, and the various types of spell casts from firecat to meteor strike to inferno salamander and their historical origins. You finally made it out. You answered every question to the best of your ability, and now all you had to do was wait for the results to be posted.
As you left the school house, Jungkook was waiting outside, sitting on the steps of Professor Falmea’s office tower.
“Jungkook, what are you doing here?”
“The door is open.”
His words puzzled you. “I’m sorry, what?”
“The door! You said the door to your home world was severed years ago yeah? Well it's open again.”
“What.”
“Ambrose just told me that the door to Grizzlehiem just opened, no one knows how or why, but it is. That’s what I tried telling you this morning!” He said, smiling. “You can go home.”
Dropping your items, you bolted. In the back of your mind, you knew that King Valgard wouldn’t be happy you weren’t a titled master yet, but damn him. Damn the technicalities, you knew you were a master. You just wanted to go home again. You pushed past all the other students as they entered the World Tree, not listening to their complaints as you rushed towards the door (you could vaguely hear Jungkook apologizing on your behalf as he ran after you).
Hand on the nozzle, you thought of Grizzleheim. Home. The smell of the pines, the crisp snowy air, the laughter of the bears in the Great Hall. You could see it all perfectly in your mind's eye as you opened that door. And there you were, on the other side of the rainbow bridge, at the world tree door.
“Oh, wow,” you heard Jungkook breathe out from behind you.
You took one step out the door; your boots crunched on the dirt beneath your feet as you stood there, taking it all in. “Papa! Bubba! I’m home!” You burst into another run, down the rainbow bride and towards the village, shouting at the top of your lungs. “Papa! Bubba! It’s me! I’m home!” Back on solid ground, you made your way towards your childhood home. Not one thing about this place changed, it was as if you’d stepped back into a memory.
“Little cub?” Your papa’s head poked out from the hut. He looked older, white hairs gathering around his snout and ears. But it was still every bit your papa.
“Papa!” You squealed, adrenaline pumping through your veins so hard, you couldn’t feel your lungs as they burned or how your legs ached with each step you stook. Your papa saw you in the nick of time, opening his arms wide enough for you to jump into his hold. Tears brimmed in your eyes as you dug your face into his chest.
“How- how can this be. . ?”
“Bubba!” You turned to see your other father, standing speechless in the kitchen. You jumped into his arms next. He returned your hug instantly, with your papa returning to hug you from behind once again. Tears were now freely rolling down your cheeks as you held your dads tight as you possibly could.
“I don’t understand, how- what?”
“The world tree door has been re-opened. I- I don’t know how but, I- I needed to come home. It’s been so long.” You cried, your hands gripping tightly onto Bubba’s fur. “I can control my powers. I did it. I learned. I can come home now, yeah.”
“Oh cub, of course.” Papa answered. “You did as you were told by the king. You can come home.” The three of you said nothing further after that, crying and holding each other. Relieved to finally see each other again after seven whole years.
From behind your group hug, you could hear someone clear their throat. “Oh,” you pulled away from your dads, seeing Jungkook standing awkwardly in the door frame. “Bubba, Papa, this is Jungkook Dragonpants. He’s my friend.”
“Dragonpants? What kind of a name is that?” Your Bubba asked, voice low.
“Bubba,” you groaned.
“It’s my name, sir,” he said, not backing down from your father’s clear intimidation attempt. He certainly was brave, very few could stare him in the eyes and not back down.
“Any friend of our cub’s is a friend of ours,” your papa said, narrowing his eyes at his husband. “Come in, tell us all your stories. Everything you left out in your letters.” With a smile, you nodded, turning back to Jungkook who was looking more outside. Wrapping a hand around his arm, you pulled him inside.
synopsis. partners for three years and friends for longer, jungkook thought you’d remain so until he saw you with the knight at the merchant’s trade.
alternatively, the friendly neighborhood wizard trying to propose to the infamous dragon slayer in the middle of slaying a dragon? now, that’s classic.
muses. wizard!jungkook x dragonslayer!reader x knight!jimin
trope. bad girl, good guy but make it magical. / royalty au / dragon slayer au / wizard au / parents au
words. 13k
disclaimer. no dragon was harmed in the making of this scenario.
warnings. depictions of dragon slaying, war and violence. mentions of blood.
story time.
note. wow i powered through this right after an all nighter of doing assignments. please give it some love guys / this is one-shot continuation from my wizard’s oath drabble so if you feel like you’ve read the first few scenes, that’s probably why. stay tuned for my story time where i talk about the characters’s dynamics, what inspires me etc!
“hey so, listen.” jungkook says, back pressed up flat against the slab of concrete wall that barely covers the two of you, “you know we’ve been at it for a long time, right?”
you throw your gaze at the boy - perhaps he’s a little taller than the first time you met him but you can’t help see him as that kid from across the streets who would boast about his wizard-counsel father to you, “i swear to god and merlin and everything you consider magical, if you tell me you want to stop slaying dragons just as we’re about to slay a goddamn dragon, i will obliterate you right here and now, jeon.”
a tree trunk wheezes past the wall straight into the tower a few feet ahead, bringing it down into ruins, followed by a mighty roar, as though to warn you about going against it.
“no. i’m not gonna stop.” he quickly says, bright doe eyes boring into you, “i’m just saying-”
you grab a fistful of his shirt, yanking him with you as you leap to the side and go rolling down the hill just as the slab of wall melts from the burst of fire that pours out the dragon’s mouth.
“okay, that’s great then.” you throw him a fleeting glance - indicating that you’re listening before ducking just in time as the dragon turns its head in your direction. “but can’t this wait?”
the face he makes at your last question reminds you of a kicked puppy. almost in an instant, you want to put down the elven sword and bring him into a bear hug and apologize. but when the booming roar tears through the sky like thunder, you know you don’t have that luxury.
“cover for me.” are your last words before you bolt straight to the dragon, the heat on the soles of your feet gathering before propping you forward and onto the dragon’s back.
the beast cries out in agony when you drive your sword through its scales, swaying sideways, almost throwing you off if it wasn’t for your tight grip on the handle of the sword.
you don’t need call for the wizard. he knows his cue when he steps in front of the dragon, deep purple hood drawn over his head and half of his face. the only thing visible is his moving lips. speaking a foreign language that’s lost to most of the world.
when the dragon stills, you yank the sword out of its flesh and trudge up the slope of its back, aiming for its head.
you distinctly notice the illuminated circle forming around the dragon as it growls in contempt for the spell jungkook is casting on it. a movement restriction spell. the heat comes back full-force, coursing through your veins and lighting up the hollow in your chest. you take the last leap before landing on its head, sword digging deep in between its slit-like eyes.
it takes you a moment to pull the sword out of the dragon’s thick skull, silver blood splattering all over your clothes and face. the dragon tumbles to the ground right in front of the unmoving wizard a heartbeat and a half later while you wipe the elven sword with your sleeve before sheathing it.
“good job, wizard.” you commend but instead of the usual grin he would offer you after every slay, this time, he looks at you with furrowed brows and pressed lips.
“what’s wrong? are you hurt?” you reach out a hand to check his face but instead, he holds it firmly midair before dropping to his knees.
“i know you think of me as nothing more than your neighborhood friend and partner but when i saw you with that knight last week,” face contorts painfully, he shakes his head as though willing a bad memory away. then he meets your curious eyes with a light so clarifying, his purification magic can’t even compete, “i can’t do this anymore - going out to battles and having the fear of either of us dying. ___. before i regret it, i want you to marry me.”
that’s when you retract your hand out of his grasp as though it’s as hot as the dragon’s fiery breath, “no. you’re insane, jeon.”
you begin to trudge forward, going around the dragon’s carcass to get to the forestline where it’ll lead back to the village.
“that i am but not because i’ve decided to spend my whole life with you!” he calls out, feet padding hurriedly to chase after you.
“jungkook.” you abruptly turn around, making him halt just a few inches away. a sigh escapes your lips when you find yourself staring at his chest, all thanks to his unfair height. you crane your neck, after all these years, it still doesn’t sit well with you that the boy you grew up with had overgrown you by a head and a half, “you’re not thinking straight! i mean, you never even had a lover and now you’re asking me to marry you? that’s absurd!”
“will you be my lover then?” he asks, stars in his eyes.
“not in a million eons!” you almost scream but he doesn’t seem to be affected by the rejection - before he can say anything though, you’ve already turned your back on him. trudging down the pathway.
“you won’t marry me and you won’t be my lover! what am i supposed to do to win your heart?” it’s the delicateness in his voice and the fact that he isn’t following you, that makes you stop in your trek.
“god, you’re such an idiot.” you groan, turning around with your arms crossed over your chest. it’s a struggle to remain mad when he looks at you like a lost puppy but you persevere, “flowers and picnics and taking me to dances - things like that. just because i’ve been holding swords more than i do needles and threads doesn’t mean i don’t want what any girl wants... to be courted.”
by the end of it, you feel like you’re on fire. not the kind of fire that you feel when your powers course through your veins, but the kind that makes you squirm and want to run away out of sheer embarrassment.
“o-oh.” jungkook stutters out as he starts to register your words. “th-then, will you go with me to old hedrick’s party - i know it’s no ball but we can dance and after that, maybe we could go to the field and watch the stars?”
you take your sweet time going over the pros and cons of becoming jungkook’s lover - everyone will know as soon as you show up in a dress with jungkook and at a party at that. your sisters were the ones that are considered the social butterflies.
when you take too long, jungkook starts rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
“okay. meet you there at 8.”
his head almost snaps off his neck when he looks up to you so fast. all stars and smiles. “really?”
“and no robes - dress normally, for once.” you add, noticing the way his robes would encase around him like a cocoon. it’s been awhile since you actually see him wear anything but that.
“no robes,” he echoes, agreeing but his eyes light up all the more when he looks like a thought has crossed him, “and no swords either.”
your shoulder line tenses at that. between the two of you, one uses a wand and the other uses an otherwordly sword. and you definitely do not know how deadly spells come out of a twig.
“but what if we get attacked?” you try to reason.
“you seem to forget,” jungkook plants both his hands on his hips, chest puffed with pride - it reminds you of the time when he would stop you in the middle of you coming home from buying breads and begin boasting about his father’s recent achievements at the council, saying he’ll be just like him or perhaps even more powerful, “just because you’re the one who does all the slaying, doesn’t mean i’m any less lethal - i’m the strongest wizard of our time. and a wand is definitely easier to carry than a sword.”
“very well,” a sigh escapes you while your shoulders sag in defeat, “no swords.”
jungkook looks proud - like he just won a fight. with that, you whirl on your heels, a hand held up to wave at him, “well then, better hurry and harvest the dragon’s heart if you want to make it to the dance on time.”
you hear the wizard grumble from behind you as he rushes back to where the dragon lies, withered, complaining about how he really should get himself an apprentice.
“one night,” you throw your head back against the wall, shoulderline slacking, “i decide to leave my sword at home for just one night and that’s when the mercenaries come to gather in our village for an illegal faery smuggling.”
the muted pleas of the winged creatures almost get drowned out by the boisterous yelling and laughing of the group of men in the streets. subdued light shines from underneath the poorly blanketed boxes in the cart, no doubt cages where they keep the captured faeries.
“don’t worry, ___.” jimin smiles, brown pupils disappearing beneath his crescent shaped eyes, “i’ll protect you.”
he raises the silver sword in his hand, the royal family’s dragon crest peeking from his grip on the handle.
“no, you won’t need to protect her.” jungkook chirps in heatedly from your other side, “because that’s my job.”
“as i recall, ___ wouldn’t put her trust on magic to save her life,” the smile, if anything, widens just the tiniest bit, “just an observation, of course.”
before the wizard can form another retort - and you know you’ll never see the end of this if you don’t put a stop to it, you quickly speak over the hushed silence, meeting the eyes of the guests that are cramped in old hedrick’s slightly-smaller-than a villa abode.
“don’t worry everyone, these two may appear unreliable but one is the emperor’s personal knight and the other is the brightest wizard of the century.” you offer them a tight smile, not because you don’t believe what came out of your mouth but because it’s the absolute, honest truth yet they are doing nothing to assure the people of their capabilities than argue who to play the knight in shining armor.
if we’re talking about technicalities, then technically, jimin is exactly that.
“indeed, we shall put a stop to the atrocities happening right in the streets of our homes.” jungkook rises from the ground, hands planted on either sides of his hips but it’s short lived when you pull him back down to hide underneath the windowline you’ve been peeking through.
“stay down. we don’t know if they have any enchantments or if there are dark wizards among them.” you hiss underneath your breath.
it’s a moment later that you hear a grating voice call from outside, “you there! hiding in that hideous house! come out!”
old hedrick looks like he’s about to leap out and prance at whoever insulted his home and perhaps get beaten up by men twice or thrice as strong as he is - the only thing stopping him is your hard stare that makes him cower behind his second wife.
“let’s go.” you’re the first to rise to your feet, patting off the dust from your dress that your sisters almost got into a fight about when choosing what color would match your eyes.
“stay close to me.” jungkook murmurs under his breath from next to you while jimin lets out a brief laugh just before you stop a good ten feet away from the men who seem to stiffen at the sight of jimin.
“what’s so funny?” the same man whose called you out steps forward - he seems to be the leader, eyes burning holes inside jimin’s chest where the ghost of the dragon lies upon his armor, “you think you’re so tough? huh, knight?”
“no, not at all.” the aforementioned knight shakes his head, a cheeky smile adorning his features, “but supposedly, the wizard does.”
and just like that, all eyes fall on jungkook. “wizard, huh?” the man grins, golden tooth and all.
“half of you can barely read, let alone understand the law but it isn’t a puzzle piece to figure out that capturing magifolks is illegal.” he starts, from your periphery, you see his left hand holding his wand on his back , “if you walk away now, perhaps you get to do jail time with your limbs intact.”
they burst into laughter, almost as though it was a baby who said such threats.
“i’d probably believe that nice lady is more capable of putting a scratch on my face if she said that than you, boy.” the leader towers over in laughter, slapping his knee as though he’s heard the jest of the century.
“will you?” you lift one brow at the leader in the midst of the subsiding humor.
“what?” one of them questions while swiping a tear off the corner of his eye.
“walk away. if i told you too - i would hate to ruin my dress teaching you men a lesson.” you don’t know if it’s the ice cold tone you’re using or if it’s the way to stare at them, but their shoulderline begin to straighten as each of them begin to size you up, those with daggers strapped on their waist or thighs reaching for their weapons now.
“why don’t you come here and whisper it to my ear, yeah?” his lecherous grin returns but there’s a sort of restraint that tells you he’s no longer perceiving you as the damsel in distress.
for one, there isn’t a single line of frustration on your forehead.
“oh, i wouldn’t do that if i were you.” jimin warns them but it’s already too late. you’re already treading towards the leader with heavy footsteps and before you know it, a familiar heat courses through your veins, focusing in the fist that you’re swigging towards him.
a loud crack cuts through the night as the man slouches against the broken wood of the card, face half-rearranged, gold tooth falling in his lap while blood from his mouth and nose trickles down his chin. for a moment, everyone and everything stands still.
“those of you who think you can withstand me and my companions, step forward. otherwise run along like the cowards that you are who dare only step on the weak.” you nonchalantly offer, meeting the eyes of the mercenaries one by one.
the first warrior-cry breaks through the night as one of them charges at you with a dagger, loomed with the shadow of the dark arts. you step aside, tripping your attacker and sending him leaping across the ground, right in front of jimin’s polished metal shoes.
you catch the knight’s devious grin before he hits your attacker’s head with the hilt of his sword, sending the man unconscious. it’s then that they begin to charge all at once, bearing weapons much sinister than the last. jungkook helps thwart the weapons out of their hands so you can take them on bare hands fair and square - but you suppose it isn’t all that fair when you have the blood of thr first dragon slayer running in your veins.
they soon learn that they have to go for the wizard in the back to actually dismantle you and jimin.
“a little help here!” jungkook yells over the throng of mercenaries out to kill him.
“bit busy!” jimin yells back somewhere a few feet away,driving the hilt of his sword in the face of one of the mercenaries that was charging at him when he had his back on him “and quite literally, don’t care if you get your hair messed up!”
you shake your head at their banter, piling up your own body counts, ducking and sending blow strong enough to knock them out at once. it’s some time after your 13th hit that a morning star misses you by a inch.
the wielder is burlier and taller than the average men, sporting a nastier frown as he gazes down at you like an annoying little fire ant that refuses to go down.
“___, catch!” jimin calls for you, just before he tosses you his sword and uses the same hand he’d held the sword to sucker punch the man who’s halfway blacked out as he claws at jimin’s wrist to release his shirt.
“thanks!” you grin when you feel the solidity of the dragon engraved handle and measure its likely weight with your own elven sword.
the burly man grunts when he misses you again by a hair’s breadth. eye twitching when you gesture for him to come to you with your free hand. when he does, you step to the side, taking the opening to slash the sword through his forearm and sending the weapon skidding on the ground while he growls in pain, clutching onto the wound. the heat warms up your entire body as you leap forward, smashing the hilt of the sword into his face, sending him tumbling on the ground. after you’re sure he’s not getting up, only then do you let yourself breathe, returning the sword to its owner.
“___, are you okay?” jungkook’s wide, round eyes are captures your own for a split second before they wander to your tattered dress, inspecting if there was any wounds. if anything, there will be when your sisters see the the ghastly tear on the side of the dress.
before you can even say anything, his arms band around you and traps you in a bone-crushing hug. you have to take twice to make sure it’s still the same wizard that’s watched you slay dragons for the last three years.
“i’m fine. the dark magic infused in their weapons weakened my powers a bit but i’m not a child, you know? i’ve faced worse.” you chuckle, patting his back.
somewhere behind jungkook, you hear someone clear their throat. the wizard appears to be less perplexed when he turns around to face old hedrick and the rest of the villagers that poured out of their homes where they’d been silently watching the events unfold.
the priest approaches you with a grateful smile, “dragon slayer and wizard, you have our humblest gratitude.” then he gestures for jimin to come closer and he does, sending you a cheeky grin when he stops to stand next to you, “you too, knight. there is evil lurking in every shadow but the three of you are what makes the world a better place.”
“it was part of my duty.” jimin lowers his head, arm crossed over his chest while you shift your weight on your feet.
“i just live here so.” you shrug.
it’s jungkook that steps forth, enjoying the fame and attention, “as long as i, your friendly neighborhood wizard, and my dragon slayer sidekick,” he gestures to you before announcing with his whole chest, “are around, you have nothing to fear. this is my wizard’s oath.”
you join the bouts of cheers and applause from the villagers, shaking your head at his antics. but when they begin to crowd him like ants around sugar, you slowly disappear into the shadows where you know the familiar route will take you back to your home. but five steps in, jimin falls into pace with you, his metal armor clacking in the dark.
“allow me to walk you home, my lady.” with the sources of dark magic gone, you’re able to use your powers to see his cheeky grin even in the dark.
“ladies don’t wield swords like a savage.” you remark, returning your own grin.
“they come in many forms.” he replies too smoothly, “but one thing’s for sure - they all bleed blue.”
you feel your body freeze, step coming to a stop. “how do you-”
“the prince,” he offers, as though it’s the answer you’re looking for before he continues, “sends his invitation to you for dinner in three night’s time. that’s what i came here to tell you before the mercenaries begin to pour in.”
he doesn’t ask for your permission when he slips his hand under your stone cold one, bringing it to his lips. your tongue is tied but your throat itches to say something - to ask more about the dinner but before you can, you hear jungkook calling you not too far away and when you look back to where the knight is supposed to be, all you see is darkness.
“i can’t believe you’re leaving me to go home when we promised to watch the stars together.” jungkook huffs, lips pursed just the slightest bit.
“jungkook, how well do you know the prince?” you finally say after breaking away from your stupor.
“the prince?” he blinks, the remnants of his sulking now disappeared into thin air, “he’s a spoiled brat. whenever i get hired to escort him to one of his crusades, all he does is boast about anything and everything to the royal families whose castle we were staying at.” the wizard scrunches his nose, as though willing a bad memory away. “why?”
“he just invited me to dinner.” you inform, watching as his facial complexion drop and his hands grip your shoulders tightly.
“you can’t - mustn't go, ___.”
“wands and weapons, please.” the footman approaches you just as you step through the much nicer room of the inn where the prince told you to meet him.
you share a cautious look with jungkook, the wizard being more apparent with his reluctance when his eyebrows join together as he reaches for the wand in his pocket while you unstrap your sword from your hips.
“right this way.” another footman steps forward, gesturing to the door adjacent to the entrance.
“ah! dragon slayer, welcome!” prince hoseok grins from the table he’s at, eyes going wide when he sees the familiar wizard who insisted on tagging along, “jungkook, i’ll be damned. i didn’t know you knew ___. if i did, i would’ve had you introduce us sooner.”
“yes, well, last i recall, you were planning to propose a law against dragon slayers - which got shot down so fast for it’s absurdity since slayers help keep the empire from falling in the dragon’s reign.” jungkook offers, a hard line on his lips as he studies the prince with suspicious eyes.
“that was the past,” prince hoseok shakes his hand as though he doesn’t hear the hostility in the wizard’s greeting, “cousin, come and take a seat. we’ve a lot to catch up.”
you bow rather than drop to a courtesy. after all, you’re in your gear and this isn’t any normal dinner.
“it’s an honor to have you come all the way here, your highness. do you like the village so far?” you begin with pleasantries and even go as far as fixing the young prince a smile once you sit yourself across from him, jungkook on your left.
the prince leans back against the chair as he throws his head back while he sighs, “i expected better but i’m not surprised at the appalling state you people live in - it’s a poor farmers’ village after all.”
you hum, “i wonder whose fault that is that lets the people suffer in such poor conditions.” the smile just the slightest bit strained at his offhanded comment just as the footman rolls in with the food.
he pretends he doesn’t hear that too.
“ah, don’t you just love red wine?” the prince offers you a dimpled smile, tilting the flute glass as he takes a whiff of whatever red wines are supposed to smell like - you never understood how these people could sit around distinguishing the smell of one beverage to another while there were people scraping for a day’s worth of meal all over the empire.
“all wine tastes the same to me, your highness.” you begin to cut through the steak.
“i shouldn’t have asked,” the prince shakes his head in mirth, placing the wine down on the table before he makes a biting comment, “brutes like you only know how to swing a sword and kill everything the her path just like your father.”
“that’s it.” a thud echoes against the walls as jungkook’s chair tilts backwards as he abruptly stands, “we’re leaving. i knew something’s up when you invited ___ for dinner even though you hated dragon slayers. in the end, you’re still the spoiled rotten brat who takes pleasure in terrorizing others.”
you suppress a smile from the wizard’s outburst, your own anger subsiding halfway. it’s not that you don’t want to defend your father’s pride but you barely knew the guy. he disappeared like thin air after the night he left for a foreign country in search for the spiked dragon. you appreciate jungkook getting more worked up than you though.
“what’s the meaning of this?” jungkook demands when the guards at the door steps in his way.
“so that’s how it is.” you chuckle dryly, turning to face the smirking prince. “a secret meeting at some unknown village just on the boarder. this is how you’ll make sure to secure the throne? by killing the more eligible heir who actually has the first emperor’s blood running through her veins?”
you think you struck a cord when the prince slams his fisted hand onto the table, “blame it on the history lessons i get from our great uncle clifford and his brutal slaughtering of all his seven brothers and cousins.” he sneers but frowns when he looks at jungkook, “i liked you, wizard. i even thought of bringing you into the council as my royal mage. you have potential. shame that you chose to side with the savage.”
jungkook threatens through gritted teeth, taking one step towards the leisure man but stop when the guards begin to pour into the room, swords pointing from every direction. you place a hand on jungkook’s shoulder, feeling his muscles relax just slightly as you speak.
“how about you stop hiding behind your guards, prince? face this savage with honor - if you win, nobody will challenge your right to the throne.”
“i have no time for games. kill them.” the prince begins to dig into the steak, cringing when it enters his mouth and spitting it back out, saying something about how it’s still raw while the guard begin to corner you and jungkook until you’re back-to-back with each other.
“this isn’t looking to good, is it?” you ask.
“i can feel my wand close by, if we could just get through-”
jungkook’s words get cut off as you drop to the ground, extending a leg and tripping one guard over before punching another one where the sun doesn’t shine. after recovering from the surprise attack, they begin to charge at you all at once.
you hiss when you pick up a sword from one of the guards you’ve taken down. the dark magic seeps into your body like molten lava the more you try to resist it. the dragon crest of the royal family is missing and the weight of this sword is much heavier than jimin’s. but you chalk it up with the fact that dark magic is most lethal to the blood of the dragon slayers.
“___, let that thing go! it’s enchanted. you can’t handle the dark magic flowing through it!” jungkook orders, voice reaching the roof and effectively letting the enemies know of your infirmity.
cold sweat is already beginning to trickle down your forehead. the warmth of your power now a dying smolder in your chest.
“who’s got a better chance at wielding a sword? you or me?” you retort, sending him one last grin before going all in, slashing through the guards without any care for life the way you did three days ago with the mercenaries.
although you still try to avoid injuring their vital organs, just enough to make them drop their weapons.
you’re heaving and sporting cuts - some deep, some shallow - by the time the last body hits the ground. the prince isn’t anywhere in sight and the last remaining guards who kept their distance, watching you them down one after another, finally realizes their loss and flee.
that’s when you allow yourself to drop to your knees, hands clutching the sword tightly for dear life until jungkook yanks it out of you. his face is blurred but if your vision isn’t so badly damaged, maybe you’ll see his eyebrows furrowing while words pour out of his lips like a dam, telling you to lie down and rest but all you hear now is an echoing ring.
“you...” you huff through bated breaths, “...worry too much.”
that’s when darkness consumes you.
the sound of a twig snapping is what sends alarms throughout your body.
it’s close.
too close.
the steps they take is heavy but soundless - for ordinary human hearing that is. you know it’s a man’s footstep before you even leap from your laying down position, hand clenched into a fist only to stop centimeters from jimin’s nose.
from the way he blinks his rounded eyes, it appears as though he didn’t expect you to be awake.
as if on cue, your vision shakes and you fall backwards but before your head hits the ground, the knight is already on your side, hand under your head as he lay you down slowly.
“where am i?” you squint your eyes at the crackling fire a few feet away.
“in the wizard’s secret cave.” he replies simply, sitting down on the ground next to you.
you grunt in displeasure when you recall the haunting memories of the dark magic taking over you, draining every trace of fire from your chest until you feel like your rib cages were about to cave. but along with the recollection comes realization.
glaring at the knight, you quiz him, “why are you here? aren’t you on the prince’s side?”
jimin shakes his head, almost appalled at the thought, “i swore allegiance to the emperor and his excellency wanted to see what his foolish son would do when he found out about another potential heir that could claim the throne.”
a shadow cast itself over his feature as something heavy lapses over the cave’s walls, “his excellency is deeply sorry for what his son did - he thought prince hoseok would’ve tried bettering his swordsmanship or take an interest in politics instead of going for his cousin’s head.”
“and yet i’m the one lying on the ground in some cave.” you scoff, throwing a glance over jimin’s solemn expression, noticing how he keeps his eyes on his lap instead of looking at you.
“his imperial majesty can’t be seen taking the side of a commoner-mothered niece. even if that niece bears a stronger blood of the dragons.” he’s murmuring now, you don’t know if it’s because you can hear him clearly or because he’s ridden by guilt.
“all i hear is an excuse of a failed monarch who’s too lazy to fix what he broke so he decided to sit in the sidelines and watch things unfold but when someone is about to die, he’ll save them and call it his best effort.” you suppress a groan as the drumming against your temples intensifies just as you begin to push yourself up again but this time, more careful.
“don’t touch me.” it came out harsher than you intend it to. but jimin places his hands back in his lap, clenching and unclenching it.
a minute sense of satisfaction blooms across your chest when you manage to stand up on your own. if you think the light from the fire was too much after having known only darkness for who-knows-how long, the rays at the end of the cave is almost blinds you.
yet the first tingle of the warmth on your skin is liberating - reminds you that you’re alive.
“____?” a familiar voice calls you as a cloaked fogure in deep purple step out of the bushes, bearing a basket full of herbs, “is it really you?”
the bags under his eyes are a telltale sign of lack of sleep, possibly from tending to your fish-on-land-state.
“unless you can see spirits, i reckon it is me.” you shoot him a grin.
but what you don’t expect is for tears to begin pricking those sleepless eyes and him dropping the basket on the ground. before you know it, you’re engulfed in a bone-crushing hug. his arms shake around you and his sniffles drum in your ears - it hadn’t dawn on you that you could’ve lost your life until jungkook is crying and mumbling words you can barely catch.
“y-your life force was so weak - i - i thought i was g-going to lose you.” he forces out between ripples of sniffles, “i-i didn’t know if you were gonna wake up, ____, it-it’s been a week - a week of watching your unconscious body lay there after i extracted what i could of the dark magic.”
you hug him back a little tighter, burying your face in his chest. the lump in your throat makes it hard to speak - to even tease him about being such a cry baby like you usually would.
“no, i absolutely and irrevocably am not going to head a riot.” you announce, slamming the bowl of broth made by your mother. jungkook had gotten it before he came here, it was buried underneath the herbs he’d picked up along the way.
jimin’s shoulder line remains straight and dignified. he’s gotten over your earlier conversation as if you were discussing whether faery hair or berserker spine would be a better mold for a sword.
the answer is berserker spine, undoubtedly.
“the people has caught wind of the direct descendant of the first emperor.” jimin begins, “they won’t stand for the prince’s irresponsible behavior anymore than they have to.”
“what about you?” glancing at the wizard who’s been quiet since jimin brought up the matter, you finally choose to address him directly, “what do you think?”
jungkook shifts his weight on his other foot, setting down the ladle in a bowl next to the couldron, “i- well, the current royal family’s blood is too obscured by ordinary lineage, the current emperor has some powers but the prince is basically human-“
the sigh is what makes him clamp his mouth shut. the look he gives you reminds you of an injured puppy.
“i haven’t even been awake for five hours yet the weight of the crown is already pushed upon me.” the hard wooden material of the chair pokes into your sore back, almost as though mocking you for your cowardice.
“i’ll relay your answer to his majesty and spread rumors about your untimely death so the people will give up on the coup.” jimin stands up, nodding once but just as he passes you, another sigh escapes your lips. your chest is heavy.
“wait.” your voice is unmissable.
you crane your neck to meet the knight’s gaze, “come back in a few days and i’ll give you my final answer.”
the corners of his lips twitches and you think you see the jimin you’ve come to know and fought along side come to surface. but it’s hard to tell now that you know he’s a man of many faces.
“very well.” and with that he takes his leave.
the next ten minutes was spent with jungkook mixing and tasting a pinch of his brewing concoction while you watch his back. realization hits you like a warm blanket in winter. his shoulders are broader and his arms appear stronger - muscled than that scrawny boy from across the streets. he used to run around carrying books half his size whenever be came back from school while you trained with your master in your front yard.
time’s changed but neither of you did.
or so you thought.
you wonder when he started developing feelings for you. was it that time when you saved him from a stray wolf in the forest? or was it when you handed him your first baked cookie that your mother actually put you up to?
either way, for you, it was on your 10th summer when you were lying under the tree shade. jungkook’s footsteps couldn’t have been louder but you ignored it and kept your eyes closed until you felt something tug on your hair. when you opened your eyes, the yellowish buttercup petals wave from your periphery. a ten year old jungkook had told you you looked pretty with a wildflower tucked over your ear.
the moment jungkook calls your name, you notice that the fire dancing underneath the couldron has faded into smolders, wisps of smoke hovering over the concoction.
the wizard is standing by the table now where jimin once sat, "since you're all better, do you want to get some fresh air?" he shoots you a smile that only jeon jungkook is capable of, "don't worry, i already put an enchantment over this area of the forest. the prince won't be able to find you even if he hired the best tracker as long as you remain within the spell's boundaries."
the moon isn't shy to shower you with its light, the sound of the woodland creatures and magifolks echoes from the hollows of the trees, almost as though celebrating your recovery.
your footsteps halt when you notice the familiar ruins on top of the hill where jungkook once proposed to you out of the sheer adrenaline after having slayed a dragon.
"is it wise to have your bat cave so close to the village? wouldn't the prince's men think of searching here at some point?" you wonder out loud, golden petals cushioning your landing as you plop down.
"of course they did." jungkook admits nonchalantly, joining you on the ground, "but they walked straight past the barrier - i mean, it's my barrier we're talking about."
you let out a short chuckle, a hand propped underneath your head as a makeshift pillow as you try to connect the dots of stars to form shapes.
"those groups of stars look like they make a sword." you point to somewhere on the east side of the skies.
his own hand enters your line of view when he begins pointing in the same direction as you or something next to the alleged sword, "and that's a wand - could it be the ones the prince took from us?"
"that's literally stars that somewhat look aligned." you state, deadpanned, "the whole skies are full of wands then."
jungkook's hand shoots down almost instantly. with a stolen glance, you affirm the sure pout on his lips as he mumbles out, "what's wrong with a gazillion of wands in the skies?"
"absolutely nothing." you find yourself smiling, eyes fluttering shut as you focus on the night breeze that brushes against your skin.
it’s after awhile that you feel a soft tug on your hair. a deja vu feeling overcomes you when you see the petal in the corner of your eye and jungkook lying on his side instead of his back like when your last saw him. a delicate smile adorns his features as he plucks another flower off the stalk and places it gently in your hair just above your hairline.
“these are...” you trail off, recalling the spot where the dragon lied motionless after you’d slayed it.
“they started popping out of the ground like mushrooms while i was harvesting the dragon’s heart. how a death of something treacherous birthed something so pretty,” he supplies, still tucking flowers in your hair like it’s the most normal thing to do.
“jungkook,” you murmur softly, almost sounding like a fifteen year old damsel in love, “do you mean it? when you proposed to me?”
stars begin to burst in those eyes of his as they widen,“of course, i’ve fallen for you with every fiber of my body. i wish to spend my entire life with you.”
it takes you a moment to gather your thoughts and your composure but you can’t help clearing your suddenly dry throat, “you do know if i decide to lead the riot and become empress, we can’t be together, right?”
his gaze quivers at your words. supposedly, he hasn’t considered the implications the way you did.
“not everyone has what you have,” his voice is strained, hand drawn to his side now, “and if you choose to lead the riot, and if we succeed - i know we will - i won’t mind staying by your side as the royal wizard.” he finally says but adds hesitant doubt, “if you’ll have me.”
“i didn’t ask to be born by a slayer father who stopped coming home and a devastatingly loyal mother who decided to become a housewife when she got pregnant with her partner’s child,” you bear no ill intention to either of your parents - but it’s times like these, you wonder about the what-ifs, had you been born to normal human parents, had you been an ordinary girl who jungkook would have met on an ordinary day and perhaps still fall in love with you, “after all these years, i’m still that child. unable to turn the tides of my own fate.”
jungkook doesn’t say a word, and when you steal a glance at him, he doesn’t look at you either. his gaze is lowered and his mouth clamped together in suppression of words he dare not say. though darkness blankets the sky, the truth is clear as day-
“we could run away, you and i,” you offer, the lump in your throat no more than the feeling of having your neck pinched, “but you want me to save the empire’s future from falling during the prince’s reign. and you don’t mind losing me or at least having just a part of me to obtain that.”
the reality-stricken expression making its way to his face is telling enough. your heart writhes in your chest, begging to be freed of all feelings and emotions you didn’t know you were pushing down until the first tear hits your cheek and your first sob forces him to look up.
“___...” jungkook murmurs your name like the words of a withered poem. beautiful because it’s torn.
“i wish you would fight for me,” you push yourself up, buttercups raining down on you and pooling in your lap while some falls back to the ground, “just once, i wish you would see more as the slayer you partnered up with to bring down the reign of the dragons that threatens to ruin your beloved empire.”
yet you still let him hold you, one hand on your the back of your head and the other on your waist, whispering empty words that somehow comforts you, “it’s okay, it’s okay.” he says.
but nothing is, as you weep over his love.
you’d received an overflow of it even before he’d told you, but it was never enough.
it takes three whole months of preparing for the seize. half of the countries have shown their explicit support, sending their troops at your request - or rather, jimin’s handwritten letter on your behalf. estuaria’s falcon had just arrived half an hour ago and the knight is announcing yet another addition to the countries supporting your future rule.
“do we really need that many men to seize the capital?” you say from your seat, facing the doorway where you can see every single face that walks through and halt in hesitance when notice you, “jungkook and i can take them on by ourselves, like the old days.”
the wizard shoots up from five seats away, chest puffed, arms crossed over his chest, “i can take them all myself!”
“yes, yes sure you can.” jimin acknowledges, not bothering to look up from the estuaria’s king’s letters, “but the army is necessary to honor the support of our allies.”
when he’s like that, you know not to argue with him - everything goes in one ear and out the other. you’re a mere pawn to the larger scheme of things. and you like it that way. if fate wanted you to have the throne, you would regardless of whether you tried to reach for it or not.
jungkook has been by your side through it all. unlike you, he actually knows what’s going on - even though he has to fight jimin for the information half of the time.
come to think of it, there’s never a dull moment with the two - there’s always something they’d be arguing about and one or both would eventually turn to you for the final say. the one who’s opinion got backed up by you would sport a victorious smirk and the sore loser would have to finally admit defeat.
naturally, you side with jungkook because jimin, though your loyal supporter and master mind, is still the emperor’s dog. you had to make it hard for him to get his plan through just because you’re still bitter about the fact that he’d set you up to walk into a trap that maims your right arm. it sustained the most injury and where dark magic melded into your flesh and rendered your good fighting hand as close to a human’s.
you’re learning how to wield a sword with your left hand but it’s taking some time. jimin assured you that he’d protect you and stay by your side during the siege that’s about to take place in a week. but you know it’s more about getting a rise of out jungkook.
and it did but there’s something in the way the wizard would whip out his wand and the burst of stars in his eyes, that tells you jungkook might have taken the jest a little too personally. you may have fallen back into your old habits as though neither admitted their feelings for the other, but there are traces here and there that would disrupt the semblance of normality that you and jungkook have.
when the day of the seize comes, all you remember is walking towards the throne without so much as a soul barring your way. jimin being the head knight had told his men to stay down. some tried to rebel but before they can even get to you, the men from one of your allied countries took them down. you did hear of prince hoseok’s escape to wofren a few days later, the king himself offering to send him back when he showed up demanding for protection.
jimin had dropped on one knee, an arm propped on the other while his free hand lies on his chest where his heart would be, “long live the empress, slayer of dragons and sovereign of men.”
you barely register the emperor’s knights falling to their knees in suit as well as your own men, repeating the words jimin had said.
one year later, you ended up learning all the bouts of governing an empire all the while wearing the crown on your head. conquered a few more countries until the empire stretched almost throughout the whole continent. you’re currently at war with askana, the last standing kingdom in the continent.
many have tried to challenge your power but failed and askana will too. your lieutenant general and appointed-upon-crowning grand duke, had thwarted every enemy that so much as thought about assassinating you. sometimes, you get a little surprise served to you in a false pretense of health-restoring green tea.
“hold her down!” jimin’s voice clamors throughout the tent when you’d dropped the tea cup, letting it roll on the ground and hit his feet within the span of less than a minute. your throat sears as you begin to cough. splatters of blood dotting the porcelain white saucer.
“please! i had no choice!” leslie, the maid you’d grown fond to and brought along to serve you on the battlefield, pleaded from a few feet away, your men gripping her arms on both sides, “they have my son hostage- they said they’d kill him if i didn’t serve you the poison, your majesty!”
“pray tell,” jimin says through gritted teeth as leslie’s cries fall into a hushed silence as soon as he points his sword on the woman’s throat, “who are these fools that dare use cheap textbook tricks against the empress?”
“you have got,” you croak, in between chuckle and the burning sensation in your throat, “to stop calling me that.”
it takes a solid, defying moment of jimin’s back turned on your, his eyes probably drilling holes inside leslie’s weeping face before he sighs, shoulder line slacking as he sheathes his sword.
“send word to the royal wizard to come to the battlefield immediately and keep the traitor with the war prisoners until i decide how to extract information from her.” and with that, leslie’s shrill echoes into the sky from feet away as they dragged her out. you didn’t really notice when it stopped.
“go easy on her, will you? she didn’t ask to get her son kidnapped just because i chose her as my personal maid to escort me to war.” you’re almost certain that your words are slurred as you lean back against the cushioned chair brought here from the castle, not bothering to wipe off the ghastly sight of your bloodied chin and neck.
“you’re too kind for someone who’s wheezing for air in order to live.” the way his voice sounds closer and the fact that you feel his hands on your cheek serves as a reminder that the poison is kicking in - you didn’t even realize you have your eyes shut.
“look at me,” the general orders - you would have teased him about ordering the empress if not for the the furrowed brows, worry-contorted face of his, “stay awake and keep your eyes on me!”
it’s the way jimin’s voice rises that jolts your fluttering eyes to wakefulness. you can feel your lips twitching into a smirk, “you dare... raise your voice at the empress? come to think of it... it’s the first time...”
in the end, you couldn’t keep your eyes open.
when you come to, it was the darkened roof of the tent that greets you instead of the the familiar artful ceiling of your chambers. when you first moved into the royal chambers the color schemes felt far too bright and cheerful but a somberly realized how you longed for shades that aren’t black, red and amber like the fires on the torches that wave - laugh at your pathetic state. and perhaps, that was what helped fill your senses and you begin to hear the voices around you.
“lay back down, ___, you’re not fully healed yet.” jungkook is on your side in to no time, hand on your shoulder, coaxing.
you slip on the fresh embroidered royal jacket folded on the table next to the bed, consequently making him pull his hand away as you pretend like you didn’t see the flash of hurt cross over his eyes, “how long have i been out?”
“a few hours and quite frankly not enough time for your body to flush the poison out fully.” he gripes, brows coming together in distress.
“haven’t you heard, jungkook? one cannot have peace longer than the neighbor pleases,” you groan when the sensation of knives piercing every part of your body begin to spread through you. for one, wishful moment, you wanted to take back your words and slip into that stone-forged bed even if it meant waking up with a sore body tomorrow.
“you can’t go to war in that state either.” he steps in front of you, arms crossed over his chest. over the year, he’s gotten strict when it comes to you exerting yourself.
but you’re not a god damn empress for nothing.
you pat his shoulder, squeezing it tight enough to say, don’t worry. and walk past him, stopping just behind rainfly separating your private room from the larger quarter of the dome where your war ministers seem to be engaged in a heated discussion.
“it’s inevitable. we must ride at dawn,” sir huguard looks to jimin, “you must lead the army, general.”
“don’t be ridiculous! they’ll know something is up if we go to war without her majesty.” the son of the viscount had always been your loyal follower, “besides, the men fight better when the sovereign is there to give orders.”
“there is no doubt, the empress has been leading us to victory since the first war,” sir kim concurs with a heavy exhale, eyes scanning over the red dots on the map where the berserkers, archers and fighters are set to be positioned, “but we are the empress’ silver squires. it would be an insult to her majesty if we can’t even handle force such a tiny kingdom. what do you say, general park?”
jimin, upon having his name being called, lets a smirk slip onto his face, causing the knights to sit straighter, “i say we ask the empress herself - though personally, i know her majesty would never sit a war down even at the brink of death. you’re as stubborn as a mule, you know, your majesty?”
at that, you push the rainfly apart, meeting your ministers’ perplexed gazes one after the other. jungkook on your side.
“boys,” you grin, hands planted on both sides of your hips, “let’s give them a taste of hell.”
x
you won the war - naturally, you would win the war. but it wasn’t a one man show. the silver squires and jimin got your back all the way through the enemy’s fortress. the king of askana was a proud one. he didn’t beg for his life as your men forced him to his knees in front of you.
he had your respect. you’d made his death a quick one. made sure the ministers watched with their own eyes. so they knew not to play cheap tricks on you like poisons and kidnapping your maid’s son.
leslie was banished from the capital - you couldn’t save her beloved son. that’s what war does to people. to choose the greater interest of your men and sticking to the plan, knowing by then, they’d have figured she’d failed to kill you and killed her son.
but with every war you win, you can feel yourself losing the human part in you. so you turn to work even more.
“you could always segregate it, you know?” jungkook offers, falling into pace as you begin to make your way down the hall where footmen and guards bow, not batting an eye at the way you ungracefully tug on the low neckline of your dress. only when you are at war, are you free from the confines of these laces and layers of clothing, “jimin told me you’ve been hoarding the paperwork to yourself. it’s not healthy.”
“i chose to be empress so i should be a good one. segregating my work makes me feel out of touch with my line of obligations.” you say simply, noticing how the wizard’s shoulder line stiffens the way they would every time you mention your alleged willing choice. you ruffle your hair, as though it’ll rub away the nagging feeling in your stomach, “look i’ve already got jimin breathing down my neck about work. can we please, talk about something else?”
“well, sure if you’ve finally decided to change your career, we can always talk about datura, mandrakes and nightshades.”
“something besides magical herbs and my working too much.” you lament, head thrown back.
“your mother and sisters are doing fine,” he offers, “i visited them a week ago - they said nobles would come to the village just to see the empress’ family see why they’re not living with the empress. but of course, your mother’s reply always makes them leave with empty cups of teas and a sour face.”
“that sounds just like her.” you find yourself smiling at the thought of your mother’s catty comments when the nobles have finally used up all her patience to get what they can out of the savage-turned-royalty empress.
when the doors to your office swings open at your arrival, you’re half-surprised to see jimin, hunched over your desk underneath the piles of paperwork, trying to go through the wordings of one by one.
“speak of the devil.” your smile widens into an amused grin.
jimin prefers the battlefield compared to books and reading. when he sees you, a look of relief settles over his features before his eyebrows furrow, as though remembering something. he turns to the wizard next to you with full intention to place the blame on him depending on what answer said wizard gives him, “i thought you were going to convince her to take a day off.”
“no- well, yes- i was going to but we kept walking and talking and well - here we are.” jungkook fumbles with his words, choosing no sure route to take it when jimin’s hard stare is boring into him.
“you had one job and you failed.”the pressure at the end causes the wizard’s shoulder line to quiver.
over the year, jimin’s become quite the lieutenant general and a master an instilling fear into everyone he intends to.
you thought with the two’s long history, jungkook would be immune the way you are but seeing as he’s been coming and going what with his search for a herb that could once and for all drain out the dark magic inside you, you suppose he’s missed the parts where jimin adopted the name of the grim reaper around the castle.
“move, you’re in my seat.” you sigh, stepping forward and making sure to shield jungkook from the general’s sight.
luckily for you, jimin obliges. pushing the chair back and standing next to it with his arms clasped over his back, shoulder line straight and chin tilted the way a royal lieutenant general would stand.
“this is quite good, you got half of the things i needed to do, done.” you praise, not missing the proud smile twitching on his lips as you went over the replies he wrote for the diplomatic trade between the capital and askana. “though i wouldn’t say a straight out no to a future declaration of independence.”
and just like that, the smile drops into a hard frown. and because of the structure of his lips, it looks like he’s pouting heavily, “what do you mean? they’ve only been under our reign for five months and they’ve already had the audacity to ask for independence. it insults the essence of the sovereign - the young king could be beheaded for being so brazen.”
the son of the late king of askana whose life you took had taken the throne at a young age upon his father’s death. and just like his father, he had that spark in him. a mark of a true leader who isn’t afraid of going against an infamous sovereign.
you can’t help but suppress a smirk at the way jimin’s composure completely falling, almond eyes growing wide as he uses his hands to express his heightened displeasure towards the newly conquered country’s king, “and you propose bringing the head askana’s king to me and painting me a savage empress in the eyes of the world would do us good?”
at that, his lips clamp shut.
“as if the image of an empress who slays dragons aren’t daunting enough.” you add as an afterthought, glancing up at the other person in the room who’s been silently watching, “wouldn’t you say so, wise neighborhood wizard?”
“oh,” his eyes go wide at the word that he would often use years ago, as though not expecting to hear it, “well, yes. indeed, there is still a stigma going around a dragon slayer sovereign because of the unequal standings of powers and abilities to conquer lands.”
“your majesty,” jimin presses, the look he gives you almost makes you want to cower away in fear of a series of chiding but what he says next is completely unexpected, “your men are proud to serve such a strong sovereign like yourself. i ask you not to undermine yourself for the sake of appealing to mere cowards.”
“that’s, well,” you stammer for words, “quite deep, general. i was simply implying for you not go for askana’s king’s head, is all.”
with that, you begin to shift through the papers, cheeks burning from his raw honesty, devastatingly unaware of the wizard silently observing your interaction. not because he didn’t have anything to say, but because of the invisible line drawn over your desk between you and him.
it is sometime before the amber and orange rays of the sun peeks from the horizon, after a whole night of reviewing the documents and signing papers that needed your personal permissions, do you finally allow yourself to leave the walls of your office. your right arm is beginning to sore from the overuse - its condition have been deteriorating faster with every poison that entered your body, willingly or not.
yet you still find yourself in the throne room. the elven sword you’d managed to regain upon the siege sits over your head on the wall behind you. at times like these, when there were no guards or servants to watch you pathetically try to hold it with your right hand, do you let yourself curse and cry all at once.
the sword hits the ground with an clang, the echoes almost sounding like chortles of mockery.
when you try to pick it up, another hand covers yours that’s on the handle and you’re looking into the cosmos trapped inside a pair of eyes.
jungkook heaves out a sigh. gaze lowering to the luminous metal of the sword, “just hold on a little longer - i’ll find the cure and extract the dark magic from your body completely.”
“take your time - i still have several good years ahead of me.” you say yet you switch hands, your left one lifting the handle like it’s made of feather and sheathing it. your turn your back on him in an attempt to not let him see your puffed eyes and cheeks.
“does jimin know how bad it’s getting?” his question rings throughout the room.
“he doesn’t and i hope to keep it that way,” you shake your head, shoulder line falling.
after whole solid moment of the two of you basking in the silence out of having nothing to talk about, you finally break it, “i’m thinking of making him my marriage prospect - not the emperor but a husband. otherwise, the idea of being crown prince or princess would get over our child’s head.”
jungkook doesn’t say anything for the longest moment. you almost thought he apparated into thin air but you know he’s still here - you can feel his presence.
“when i decided to love you - despite the prophecy, i decided to love you regardless of what you choose.” the zeal in his voice is missing and the fire in your heart rages.
the lower part of your untied robe fluttering as you twirl on your feet to face him. vision blurred with tear but you can still make out the outline of his rounded eyes and fallen jaw.
“i don’t want any of this!” the shrill of your scream tears through the high roof of the hall room. “can’t you see? all i did - it was because i couldn’t have you. i walked a slayer’s path because my mother wanted a part of her husband to live within me and when i finally found something i wanted - someone i thought i could spend my life with, that someone pushed the crown upon my hands. and i became the empress because you and the people wanted me to.”
you grip onto the silver carvings of the royal dragon that guards the throne.
“you and i both know we can’t be together,” he shakes his head, “dragon slayers and wizards are destined to walk alongside each other but cross the other’s path and a time of the fallen shall rise again - all i can do is continue to love you.”
it’s a prophecy as old as the world itself. yet wizards, especially, seem to have a knack for heeding fate’s alleged warnings.
“there have been dragon slayers and wizards before us - do you not think, if the world was going to fall into ruins, it would already have been, upon their unity?” you’ve never sounded so meek. so desperate, “why do we have to pay the price for a mere lore?”
jungkook takes one step closer to you only to stop mid action. as though there’s an invisible line drawn between the throne and the aisle he stands on. “it’s easy for you to say - only us wizards are burdened with the oath our ancestors made with fate in exchange for knowledge - knowledge you can’t even comprehend, ___. if you saw the things i see in my dreams-” unlike two years ago, he shakes his head. teeth trapping his lower lip hard enough to draw blood.
this time, he can’t say it’s okay.
“and you have not seen what i saw in mine, jungkook.” you grit your teeth, “you haven’t been on the battlefield. fighting. driving your sword into someone’s son or daughter’s gut. these wars, the gruesome image that gets engraved in your head - they don’t go away.”
“we have our demons,” he tears his gaze from you to the ground, feet scuffing against the marble floor. as though he could see said demons crawling from the heat of your eyes if he continues to hold them, “we love each other so much but we have too many demons, ___.”
“that, we do.” you admit with a weary noise from the back of your throat, “do you think, if we’d eloped two years ago, we’d have less of those holding us back?”
“i can’t say for sure.” when he looks up, his eyes are brimming with tears, threatening to spill over and taint his flushed cheeks. “but perhaps, fate would have been kinder to us.”
“perhaps.” you echo, your own tears have already dried out.
jungkook bows, the sniffle escaping him shattering your heart. you want nothing more than to run to him and gather him in your arms. tell him it’s okay.
because your love and his was abundant.
but never enough.
(in the end, you find yourself in your throne, legs hugged to your chest, neck craned over your knees, falling asleep to the quietness before morning breaks.)
you still hear news of jungkook from time to time. he’s been traveling far and wide, aiding the needy, healing the weak with the light magic he’d obtained after a conquest with a group of companions he met along the way. that’s possibly one of the reasons that your image has gotten better throughout the empire. people who didn’t join the riot and know you personally, fear you less. you’ve been receiving more invitations to parties - even from the countries that supported the late emperor, not knowing that he was all-too-willing to hand over the throne to you.
and after a long, arduous series of pleading and begging from jimin, you finally segregate your work to your trusted ministries. with the surge of applications to join the royal army since the last five years, more captains have sworn their allegiance to you and subsequently, lifting jimin’s workload of training the recruits.
within that span of time, you’ve become legally married and closer than an empress and her war general. jimin smiles more now. though the years have molded his face with defined muscles and got rid of the baby fat, you still see the traces of the boyish knight you once fought alongside with in your younger days.
you train together from time to time, putting on a show for the new recruits.
“papa!” calista calls, seconds before her tiny figure escapes her governor’s hands and comes the pitter pattering towards jimin.
almost as though he sees nothing else but his daughter, he discards his sword to the ground, dropping on one knee to welcome the child into his arms. his chime-like chuckle fills the vicinity. you catch the lowest coo from some of the recruits watching from the sidelines - mostly the women whose attraction to your husband, doesn’t go unnoticed.
“’ista, what did i tell you about coming around here?” you sigh, sheathing your sword and gesturing for the colonels to continue the training.
“ask livie before i go anywhere near the training grounds.” calista mumbles, the pout no doubt inherited from her father while the fierce look in her eyes comes from you. even the deep ruby flecks of dark magic concentrated in her left eye that affected her since birth was from your blood. as a result, she never truly appears as though she understood why these rules were set out - even though you’d explained time and time again.
when you enter the hallway leading to the private royal wing with less prying eyes, you finally let a smile slip on your face. hand softly pinching calista’s cheeks. they remind you of jimin’s younger days.
“because...” you offer.
“it’s filled with weapons.” she mumbles out like a mantra but then she looks up, eyes bearing into you - you still need time to recover from the realization that the light in them once belong to you. “but mama, metal swords don’t hurt me! i have the scales of the dragons as skin!”
you’re about to contend that for the sake of arguing - with a four year old at that - before jimin’s chuckle reverberates against the walls,“she got you with that one, buttercup.”
he’d started calling you that on the first month after your engagement. when you brought him to the meadow of the aforementioned wildflowers blossom in full.
shooting jimin a warning gaze as to not show a difference in opinions, you finally relent when you notice your daughter’s observing gaze.
“for once, let me worry about you, ‘ista.” you let your shoulder line jolt as you cross your arms over your chest, your own pout forming on your lips.
it’s then, that you hear the rasp of a falcon and so does calista, confusing your human husband as both you and your daughter throw your gaze towards the artrium.
“what?” jimin asks a second before you raise your left hand up.
it takes another second for the falcon to land as calista squeals in delight at the majestic creature, tiny hands clapping in excitement.
“how have you been, orvelle?” you pat the bird’s head as it nuzzles into your touch, ignoring the jabs of needles from the slightest movement of your right arm.
“pretty birdy!” calista giggles, trying to stretch her whole body out of jimin’s arms to get to the falcon.
you chuckle, holding the domesticated bird closer once you untied the letter around its foot.
jimin set your daughter down with the bird on the bed when you reached your chambers while you take a sit at the round table a few feet away where tea sets and sandwiches were laid out by the maids.
“it’s from jungkook,” you announce, though the purple ribbon tied around orvelle’s neck is already telling enough of the sender’s identity. but jimin simply nods, sipping on his tea while he throws his eyes over the balcony where the blue skies stretch as far as the eye can see. “he thinks he’s found the antidote to getting rid of the black magic my and calista’s blood streams.”
jimin’s lips twitches into a smirk - the kind of impressed smirk that’s reserved only for his wizard nemesis. “so he finally did it.”
“he’ll be returning with his companions within three weeks.” you set the letter down in exchange for the tea that’s going cold.
“he couldn’t just zap his way here?” jimin scoffs.
“well, he could but one of them is a lich - they’re susceptible to magic and can’t apparate.” you inform, having remembered the fact from one of his messages to you through orvelle.
that’s how you kept in touch. and somehow, you were able to find peace and bleed your apology through letters and receive the same amount of remorse from the wizard’s reply.
“what a bunch, he’s gathered.” the man across from you lets out a low chuckle, a somewhat proud smile adorning his lips.
then, he steals a glance at you, “what about you? are you going to be alright?”
you hum, setting the cup in the middle of the intricate golden-green tendrils that stretches around the edge of the saucer, “we’ve said our piece and kept in touch through letters. if anything, i’m excited for the three of us to gather again, aren’t you?”
looking up, you feel your chest lighten as you shoot a smile at the man. but his smiling lips has turned into a troubled pout.
jimin pushes his hair back, those tresses falling back over his face perfectly. “i can’t say i am - not when my wife used to be in love with the wizard.”
the surprised look on your face must have been the reason for him to throw you an incredulous look, “come on, you didn’t think i’d welcome him with all smiles and hugs, do you?”
“jimin,” you say after a lingering gaze of your child’s pitter pattering form around the balcony as she tries to catch the bird hovering just inches from her fingers. eyebrows knitting together, you finally meet the aforementioned man’s gaze, “i had a child with you.”
“didn’t stop the empress of the west from taking five husbands at the same time.” he points out, almond shaped eyes going round with every heat the argument supplies, “nor did the king of kasken.”
the burst of laughter tumbles out of you from mouth like bells, so much so, you have to clasp a hand over your stomach while your husband mopes, clearly taking offense for you laughing over a serious concern - for him.
calista, having heard your fit, pads over and instantly gets picked up by you, setting her on your lap while she glances between you with confusion, “mama? papa?”
“’ista, what do you suggest we get papa for his birthday next month?” you smile down at your daughter.
“a birdie!” she claps, eyes sparkling with excitement.
“that’s what you want - we’ll get you a whole zoo, ‘ista, i promise.” you boop her nose, making her scrunch it, eyes blinking, smile glued to her lips as she throws her hand up in celebration of her birthday.
“now,” you sneak a peek at jimin’s pursed lips before averting your gaze to your child as you talk to her, “for papa, how about we conquer the winter kingdom? or slay a dragon and have uncle koo harvest its heart and turn it into an everlasting light source? or should we-”
“alright,” jimin huffs, elbows propped on his thighs as he pretends to cover his bashfulness with a cough, “enough with the discussion of showing your affection through extravagant gifts.”
“go give papa a kiss, ‘ista.” you whisper in your daughter’s ears before setting her down and watching as she pads her way around the table, hands stretching out for her blushing father who obliges anyway.
“i love you, papa.” the first hint of smile graces jimin’s lips when calista pecks him on his cheek, shoulder line vibrating from a suppressed chuckle.
you watch with a smirk of your own, how the spine-chilling general melts when his daughter comes into the world.
“i don’t say it but me too, you know.” you murmur nonchalantly, taking a bite out of the sandwich.
and just like that, jimin’s pout returns, “’ista, papa is still sad because mama hasn’t said she loves me.”
“i-i do! i just said it.” you stammer in the presence of calista’s round eyes that’s boring into yours. if she’d gotten the fire from you, then she’d definitely gotten the puppy from jimin.
your husband fakes a sniffle, chin rested on your daughter’s head so she couldn’t see the devilish smile that forms on his lips that he’s fixing you with. “you have to spell it out.”
“mama?” calista calls a second later of you eyeing jimin accusingly.
your shoulders sag as you relent, clearing your throat as you feel your cheeks burn, “i-i adore you - both of you.” you watch as calista’s round eyes continue staring, not quite equating adore with love but jimin’s eyes are already beginning to curve into crescent moons.
“i love you too.” jimin divulges, for a warlord, he’s never shy from expressing his feelings.
maybe that’s why it was easy to open your heart to him when you actually started looking away from the boy you grew up with started looking at the man you won’t mind growing old with.
“me too, mama!” calista jumps in her father’s lap, lips fixed into a grin, “i love you!”
Summary: Hoseok needs a push in the right direction and a strong dose of liquid luck to confess his feelings to you.
Genre: wizard au, fluff, shy hobi
Length: 1.2k
A/N: this was soOoOo much fun!! i'm a sucker for a magic au
“Stop moping around the common room,” Taehyung grabbed the back of Hoseok’s shirt and pulled him off the sofa, laughing as he made a sound of annoyance before flopping onto Taehyung, “Hobi, if you want anything to come from crush you need to do tell her!”
But you felt unreachable to Hoseok, perfect scores in all of your tests and the confidence to walk around the school like you owned it, he wished he could find the strength to talk to you. Taehyung grapped the sleeve of his top before dragging him out of the common room and towards the potions room, hoping that Namjoon would still be practicing potions.
“No running in the halls!” Yoongi called after their figures, as Taehyung sprinted towards the classroom dragging Hoseok behind him, laughter filling the hallway as they passed other students milling around. The school was the quietest in the morning, students staying in bed until the last possible second and then running to the dining hall whilst dressing themselves in a desperate attempt to eat before classes.
However as Taehyung burst into the potions room, face lighting up in a smile because Namjoon wasn’t your ordinary student and was always awake early to research a new ingredient in the library or test his new recipes. “Morning Namjoon,” Taehyung lightly tapped him on the shoulder, a look of interest on his face as he watched the elder boy add in an ingredient that made the cauldron turn purple.
The room was dark, lit only by the morning sun that streamed in through the stained glass window creating rainbows that rested on the surfaces. The potions room had a reputation for being haunted, spoons stirring themselves without a spell and ingredients being added to mixtures to create poisons, but as Hoseok took in the beauty of the old room he understood why it was Namjoon’s preferred place to be.
“You finally persuaded Hobi to confess to Y/N?” he laughed, placing the mixture to the side as he began walking around the room, picking up new ingredients to create the potion he had in mind, “I think if our Hoseok will get his girl we need some liquid luck.”
“Joon I don’t think it’ll be enough,” Hoseok sighed, his head lowering in embarrassment as he found himself unable to confess to you. At first it had been a surprise to the boys because he was known for being outgoing and confident. When they realised the extent of his problem they became quick to try and fix it with all the advice and spells they knew but so far nothing had changed.
Namjoon continued to make the potion, a wide grin on his face when he heard the sound of voices outside and quickly he rushed to Hoseok, placing a hand on his back, “trust me, you’ve got this,” he pushed him into the textbook closet and before shutting the door winked at Hoseok, “just stay quiet and this will all work out.”
Hoseok sat in the cupboard, arms wrapped around his knees as he tried to grasp what was happening, until he heard the familiar sound of your voice, “Jungkook stop trying to give me advice, I’m the only girl you can talk to without going bright red,” the sound of your laughter was quickly joined by Taehyung and Namjoon, and Hoseok clasped a hand over his mouth, trying to figure out why you were here.
“Well, before you rudely interrupted me I was telling you that Namjoon isn’t going to let you down with the liquid luck you asked for,” Jeongguk laughed, and Hoseok placed a palm against the door slowly pushing it open to peak his head out to try and see what was going on.
“It has to be perfect!” you exclaimed, your voice suddenly serious and Hoseok wondered why it was so important, holding his breath as he waited for you to continue, “this confession needs to be perfect and if my nerves ruin it, it’ll be over.” He was confused because you had told him you didn’t like anyone and yet you were talking about confessing, suddenly he felt like maybe you weren’t as close to each other as before and that it might be healthier for him to give up on his little crush.
With those thoughts, Hoseok stood up, opening the cupboard and walking in on the conversation you were having with his friends, “sorry I think I fell asleep in the cupboard,” he could hear how bad his excuse sounded but he couldn’t find the strength to think of anything better, “I’m going to grab breakfast.”
The conversation became silent, they all looked at his slumped shoulders in interest as he walked past and just as Hoseok reached the door, you grabbed his hand in yours, “Hobi, can I have one second of your time?”
He turned to look at you in interest, observing the way you were struggling to hold his gaze and the shifting off your feet and he couldn’t stop himself, “I really really like you!” Your eyes widened at the blush that had settled on his cheeks, “sorry Y/N what did you want to say?” Hoseok knew he had ruined your friendship, his eyes squeezing shut as he tried to stop himself from crying.
The room filled with light, the sun finally having risen and as you squinted against it, you beamed at him, “you read my mind! Hobi, I like you too!” you laughed, leaning forward to kiss his nose before pulling back and giggling in embarrassment at your actions. It seemed in the end neither of you needed luck when you had each other.
Hoseok was so absorbed with happiness that he forgot the boys were still standing around until Taehyung high fived Jeongguk and Namjoon with a laugh, “We finally did it!” They watched as you and Hoseok held hands, walking out of the room chattering and the boys wondered if you would ever be able to let each other go again. The sunlight that filled both of your eyes warned them that you would be inseparable.
If you enjoyed this, please do not hesitate to like, reblog and comment~
And tell me your thoughts in the comments/ask box <3
Summary: Wizard!Namjoon au. Namjoon finds a job at a bookstore that sells magic books, a muggle starts visiting a little more often than she should and he can’t help but struggle with the situation.
Word count: 5679
A/N: Halloween is back! And so are my Halloween inspired oneshots. This year I decided to experiment a bit with more ‘magic’ or ‘supernatural’ concepts. I’ll be posting the stories in random order, here you have the first one!
If you’re interested in checking out the other stories I wrote this year you can find them here:
Being set free as an independent young adult is hard for anyone, including young witches and wizards, and Kim Namjoon was no exception to this rule. After Wizarding School and a year of travelling around the world with some friends on disheveled broomsticks, Namjoon had to confront the struggles and monotony of adulthood. Though his parents had supported him before, it was time for him to find a way to fend for himself. His dream had always been to become a researcher, and later on, a writer, but even the most successful of writers had to find ways to sustain themselves. He applied for several jobs at libraries, maybe that way he could still read and study while working, but no library seemed to need him. The closest job he could find was at a small bookstore located in a small alley near one the favorite spots for muggle tourists to spend their time on the weekend.
Though from the outside it seemed like an abandoned shop for the untrained eye, it was a very well known bookstore among the magical community and Namjoon had been in that store several times before. Not only was it a cozy place to scavenge for new publications, but it also happened to be the best shop to find hidden literary gems most wizards seemed to have forgotten about.
The owner of the shop, Professor Phillius, was a very old and very meticulous wizard. In his golden years, he had been a Muggle Studies professor in some of the biggest Wizarding Schools in the world, including Mahoutokoro, Koldovstoretz and even Hogwarts. It must’ve been his fascination for muggle life that inspired him to open such a shop right under the noses of his subject of study. With time, the bookstore was not only selling books studying the philosophy of muggles but all sorts of books as well.
The Professor knew Namjoon quite well, he had been coming to his bookstore for many years and each time spent reading a looking for books, yet never buying enough of them. Professor Phillius wasn’t sure about hiring Namjoon when he came up asking for a job, he was very clumsy and had the bad habit of letting his mind wander too much, but in spite of his shyness, he was a good boy, and he seemed very eager to work. And so, he hired him, the clumsy wizard, hoping that it would allow him to rest a bit during the day too.
Namjoon thought, that in spite of it being a retail job, he could still focus on reading, but, boy, was he wrong. Professor Phillius was very strict with how everything had to be done. Each book had to be placed in a specific way and order, and Namjoon had to regularly check for books misplaced by customers. The old wizard also gave Namjoon the responsibility to re organize his entire folder cabinet, behind the counter were hundreds of documents and receipts and miscellaneous documents that he simply stock there. Namjoon couldn’t believe it when he saw the state of the stash, especially with how big of a perfectionist he was with everything else.
The Professor also wanted Namjoon to behave a certain way with customers. He explained to him what type of questions he had to figure what type of book the customer was looking for, some customers just needed to be left alone and some other simply didn’t know what they were looking for, and Namjoon was expected to identify all of that. He wondered if all shops required that same type of scrupulousness, yet deep down he felt it was simply that Phillius didn’t fully trust him to do a good job, which only made Namjoon feel more pressured and nervous.
Though it took Namjoon a few weeks, he finally managed to organize all the file cabinets and it was at that moment that the Professor allowed him to stay at the store by himself as if he had finally earned his trust. Namjoon didn’t feel any less pressure nonetheless.
Most mornings weren’t really busy, other than the occasional client. Professor Phillius didn’t even go to the bookstore in the morning anymore. Namjoon felt good about it, and for many reasons. First, it meant that Phillius trusted him enough, second without his ever-present stars, Namjoon felt more comfortable doing whatever he had to do, and finally, after he had finished his daily tasks, and there were no clients to take care of, he could allow himself to study.
That morning, in particular, was very calm. It had been raining heavily for a while and it was unlikely any clients would come in. Namjoon was looking through the Herbology section when he heard the door open, making the tiny bell ring, reminding him he had work to do. Nevertheless, he decided to wait for a moment before attending to the client. It was a girl, and by the sounds, she was making, she was rather breathless. She was also mumbling to herself, a little too quickly for Namjoon to catch any of what she was saying.
Much to his surprise, it was a young girl, probably around the same age as him. Very different to the usual clientele that typically shopped there – mostly old wizards and the occasional overachiever student that wanted some novelty book not even libraries had access to. The truth is that Kim Namjoon had little to no experience when it came to girls, sure he had a younger sister, and had classmates that were girls, but he never really knew how to talk to them or how to behave without feeling extremely nervous.
She was wearing a flowery sundress, a pair of white sneakers and a shoulder bag, her hair barely reached her shoulders, her eyes were lively and sweet, her cheeks red as if she had run around before getting in the shop, the entirety of her dripping wet.
Namjoon was simply paralyzed as she roamed through the hallways, opening books, almost as if mesmerized at the moving pictures or admiring the floating candles. It wasn’t until she saw him standing behind one of the shelves that he reacted.
“Oh! Hello there!” She exclaimed cheerfully. “This is a pretty cool novelty shop I have never seen anything like this… What technology do you use to make this look so real?”
She was very beautiful; probably the most beautiful Namjoon had ever laid eyes upon and by the way she was looking around the store as if she had never seen anything like it before, not a witch. All the nerves Namjoon had started feeling immediately intensified, not only was it a beautiful girl, but a muggle at that, and by his stupor, he had unknowingly let her get a glimpse of the magical world, a world that was to remain secret to her kind. This meant he was in a lot of trouble and being fired could be the least of his problems. He didn’t have the ability to erase her memory and he simply couldn’t let her discover more of the magical world, the best solution was – as much as he didn’t want to – tell her to leave.
“Uhm… I’m really sorry… I’m getting the floor wet but it’s raining cats and dogs outside!” She continued at Namjoon’s silence. “I’m looking for a book in particular… uhm maybe you can help me?” She asked before starting to roam through her bag.
“Ah… Uh… I’m… I’m sorry we… the shop isn’t really open for business…” He mumbled.
“Oh… well, there wasn’t a ‘Closed’ sign on the door so I just assumed it was open…” She said almost laughingly as she emptied the content of her bag on the counter, right next to the Chocolate Frog wrapping he had gotten earlier. “Where the hell is it…”
Namjoon didn’t know what to do. He thought he had been clear enough with her and Professor Phillius, in all his protocols and rules, never really told him what to do if a muggle ever came into the shop. All her stuff was now messily covering the entire surface of the counter and he was barely thinking straight at this point.
“Uhm, I don’t think… We can help you today…”
“Ah…” She sighed disappointedly. “You’re right. You can’t help me today…” She repeated before turning her face towards Namjoon.
The look of distress she gave him made him feel warm inside – it also didn’t help she was biting her bottom lip. He was about to give to what she needed when she interrupted him.
“I’m looking for this specific book for a present… and none of the bookstores I’ve gone through have it.” She said as she started to rearrange everything in her bag once again. “Then I got caught in the rain and came across this place and I thought maybe you could help me but I can’t seem to find the post it where I wrote the references of it… God, I’m such an idiot…”
“Uhm… I’m sorry.” That was all he managed to say.
“It’s ok, it’s not your fault. I’m sorry I made such a mess.” She said as she put her bag back on. “I guess I’ll just have to come back later. I’m really happy I came though, I had never seen anything like this before… Thank you and sorry for bothering you.”
And just like that she turned around and walked towards the door. Though he deep down wanted to stop her, he knew that it was best if he just let her go. It really didn’t seem like she knew that all of that “technology” were actually very basic and common spells and since Professor Phillius wasn’t there, no harm had been done.
Even if there was absolutely no need for it, Professor Phillius insisted Namjoon would use a stool to arrange books on the shelves. Though Phillius’ bookstore wasn’t particularly big on the surface, it did expand in height, even if it seemed impossible from the outside. Each bookshelf was meters tall, and each of them stuffed with thousands of books, and so those stools and ladders Professor Phillius made Namjoon use could also become very tall, though they did through magical means, almost automatically depending on what Namjoon needed.
That morning, Namjoon was re-arranging some books on the shelf facing the entrance door. He was standing on a couple of meters stool, which in his head, seemed pretty useless since he was still using his wand to get the job done, but those had been Phillius’ commands, and he really wanted to keep his job.
Namjoon heard the little bell as the door opened, but didn’t turn around before arranging a couple more books with his wand. When he finally turned around, his entire body felt like paralyzed at the sight of the incoming client: it was the same muggle girl that had barged into the shop a few days prior. Namjoon lost control of his body for a moment, the nerves overpowering his ability to react. In a matter of seconds, the entire room around him turned into a fast-paced blurred, and he found himself falling from his stool. Thankfully, he had his wand, that he instinctively used to save himself from a fall that could cause him to break some bones. Instantly, a beam of thick purple slime went off from the tip of his wand, sticking to the ceiling, allowing Namjoon to hang only a few inches away from the floor.
Namjoon was safe, but a part of him completely regretted it. The girl was sitting right across from him, her bag on the floor, the contents of it scattering all over the floor, her eyes were wide-opened, almost as much as her mouth. Namjoon simply swallowed without breaking eye contact with her. A minute after, the purple slime abruptly retrieved back into his wand, making him fall flat on the floor.
“A-are you ok?” The girl, that had immediately rushed to help the fallen young wizard, asked.
Namjoon couldn’t really answer, instead, he immediately sit up, then, limited himself to nod.
“What was that?” She asked in awe.
Namjoon swallowed.
“I can’t really tell you.” He said after finally standing up, avoiding looking at her.
“So… none of this is actually super modern high-tech, is it?”
Namjoon shyly shook his head.
“Then what was that?” She asked lively, holding onto his forearm.
Her touch was warm and comforting, allowing Namjoon to calm down, even if the implications of what had just happened were still very much present in his head. This allowed him to try to come up with some explanation a muggle girl could find believable.
“Was that… magic?” Her eyes shined with eagerness and curiosity.
“No. No, of course not.” Namjoon immediately spewed.
“So, how does magic work? Can you only do it with that wand?” She continued as if she hadn’t heard him in the first place.
“Wa-wand? No, no… this is just a stick, a simple and brittle powerless stick.”
At his words, she simply stood standing across from him, staring straight at him, smirking, clearly not believing Namjoon’s attempt to hide the truth.
“Please. I don’t want to lose my job.” He instantly pleaded.
“What? No. Of course not. I… I’m sorry… I just… Wow! This is amazing. I just, I have never seen anything like this before. I can’t believe any of this is real. So… uhm… is that… like… something only you can do or…”
Namjoon couldn’t help but chuckle.
“No, I’m definitely not the only one.”
“So… there’s like a secret magical society? That lives in parallel to a non-magical one? How does that work? What kind of institutions do you have? What kind of life do you lead? How can you hide all of this? Oh… sorry I’m asking too many questions…” She apologized after noticing Namjoon was getting a bit overwhelmed as if she didn’t want to scare him away. “So… what’s your name?”
“I’m Namjoon. And I’m a wizard.” He couldn’t help but feel satisfied by the way she smiled at him when said it. “What’s yours?”
“I’m ____________.” Namjoon couldn’t help but smile shyly at the sound of her name. “Uhm… I came here looking for this book but… maybe this is not the kind of books you sell here…” She said handing him a piece of paper she had retrieved from the scattered contents of her bag on the floor.
He carefully read the title of the book and immediately recognized it. Almost without looking, he used his wand to retrieve it from the shelf and helped it float smoothly all the way to her. Namjoon could’ve easily gone and pull it out himself, but he couldn’t act against his desire to impress her.
As soon as she saw the book in her hands she smiled brightly.
“You have no idea how long I’ve been looking for this book. It seemed like no bookstore would have it, of course, I had to find it at a magical shop!” She said laughingly.
“We do have a wide range of mug- of non-magic related books.” He explained. “What did you needed for?”
“It’s a present for my grandfather. How much is it?” He said as she looked inside her wallet, roaming for pieces of paper with symbols and drawings Namjoon recognized as muggle money.
“Uhm. It’s on me.”
“What? No, I couldn’t possibly, here. Please, tell me the price.”
Namjoon hesitated for a moment, then answered. “It’s a little less than three Galleons…”
“Oh…” She whispered, understanding the situation.
“Consider it as an exchange… for your discretion.”
She chuckled. “My discretion is free.”
“Then as a present. For your grandfather.”
“Thank you.” She said nodding. “Can I… come back again?”
Namjoon pondered on her question for a moment. On one hand, he knew very well that muggles shouldn’t find out about the magical world, and let her leave, just like that, with no real certainty of her silence was already a big enough offense. On the other hand, he really hated the thought of that moment to be the last time he’d ever see her. If Professor Phillius were to find out about this incident would mean not only the end of his time working there but probably a situation a lot more problematic than that. Regardless, Namjoon, like the young man with a crush he was, let weakness take the best of him.
“Of course.” He mumbled.
“Really?” She asked jolly. “I’ll have a lot of questions… is that ok?”
“Within reason…”
She chuckled, and after giving him a sweet smile, she left the bookstore.
Namjoon knew that allowing __________ into the magical world was something he was definitely not supposed to do. He thought that when she meant she’d be back it would be a one-time thing, maybe two at most, but quickly he realized that wasn’t going to be the case at all. In fact, it seemed like it had become a habit for her, because she came into the shop regularly, at least once or even twice a week.
At first, Namjoon felt really awkward, she was a beautiful girl and one that he wasn’t supposed to be around with in the first place. He tried to keep her from coming or asking too many questions but all his efforts were in vain. He felt bad about the situation, a muggle should not be aware of the magical world…Then again it wasn’t like muggle-wizard relationships were illegal in the first place… Right? Well, it wasn’t like she showed any signs of being interested in Namjoon in particular. For Namjoon, she was basically interested in the magical world, and Namjoon was the door to that world that fascinated her. He got to that conclusion because all she ever asked was about magic, spells, potions, magical creatures… and if she were to ask him any personal questions they were typically related to the magical subject they were discussing in the first place.
Because she didn’t have the right currency to buy any of the books, she would often sit on the counter and read while Namjoon would organize the books or whatever other tasks he was supposed to take care of that day. Sometimes, costumers confused her as an employee, as if she was part of the shop. She had become so accustomed to being there that even when they would ask questions about a book in particular – whether it was about the placement or the price – she would know the answer. Then, right before Professor Phillius would come back, she’d leave the shop. Namjoon even felt bad at times, because it seemed that she was better at doing his job than he was, then again… her company was so valuable to him he wasn’t going to complain.
When shifts weren’t busy, or Namjoon had finished doing his required tasks, she would sometimes ask him to read passages of books to her. Sometimes, she asked about Namjoon’s favorite books, and other times she seemed fascinated by uninteresting topics like types of magical herbs and their effects on the growth of persimmons, or even about all the different ways you could enhance the effects of common cold on muggles. If there was something that was clear in Namjoon’s head was that ____________ was obsessed with the magical world, his world, and the more he helped her learn about it, the more obsessed he became with her.
In Namjoon’s head, the moment Professor Phillius would find out that he had been letting a muggle pretty much run his bookstore; he would immediately fire him. Partly because she was a muggle and as fascinated as Phillius could be about non-magical people, she wasn’t supposed to be aware of any of that, but mostly because she did Namjoon’s job better than himself, which meant, he wasn’t special in any way.
Namjoon didn’t know she was going to come by that morning, but like any other time, he was happy to see her. She was wearing one of her pretty sundresses and a smile that went perfectly with it. Namjoon had a lot of work to do that day so they couldn’t really talk much. Instead, she decided she would help him out. Namjoon was grateful to her, but also a bit nervous.
Typically, they would be on different sides of the room when she would help out. This time, however, they were in very close proximity and Namjoon could feel the tension grow inside him. They constantly were next to each other, their hands occasionally brushing, making Namjoon feel flustered.
“I have an idea!” She said. “How about I take care of the mid-rows and you take care of the upper ones?”
“You still need to be on a stool for that…” He pointed out.
“Well, I’m like two-thirds of you, so how about we stand on the same stool? I just want us to get this done faster…”
For whatever reason, Namjoon complied and he found himself standing right behind her on a stool. Her back was almost completely pressed against his chest, giving the small surface they were standing on. He felt his cheeks blush as a warm feeling took over his body. As nervous as he was, he wouldn’t change that place for anything in the world.
He must’ve been so immersed in the moment that he didn’t even listen to the little bell as the door opened, the only thing that woke him up was the voice of Phillius talking to some other client all the way back from behind the counter. Immediately, Namjoon completely tensed up and lost balance, making him fall flat on the floor and because _________ wasn’t a magical being the magic the quirky wizard couldn’t stop laughing as if the entire scene was particularly amusing.
“Go help Mr. Robuhtuhssun find the new tome of that huge potion book while I help this pretty young lady.” He ordered Namjoon who had barely pulled himself together.
While he searched for the potion book, Namjoon could see in the corner of his eye, the silhouette of both _________ and Professor Phillius, talking calmly – a very different state in which Namjoon was. In fact, he was so out of it that he didn’t even realize he was searching for a potions book in the Transfiguration section. Needless to say, Mr. Robuhtuhssun wasn’t very pleased with the service he was getting. All Namjoon wanted was to find out what they were talking about. What kinds of questions was he asking her? Was he mad? Did she keep her promise and not reveal she was a muggle? Was he going to get fired? But all it seemed that the older wizard wanted was to keep him occupied because as soon as he had finished a task, he immediately directed him to start a new one, all the while he was happily talking with ______________.
“Namjoon, you know what would be lovely? Do you think you could mop the floors? No, not with your wand! I like the texture better when it’s cleaned manually.”
He took what was handed to him and carefully started to mop the floor. It was the first time he had ever attempted to do any cleaning that way and he felt particularly untalented for it. It was almost a recipe for disaster, really, and it even surprised Namjoon that Phillius hadn’t noticed. Namjoon was excruciatingly nervous because the Professor had met __________, because he was scared of what might happen to him (and her too, really), what she would think of the entire situation, all of that highlighting his clumsy and poor-motor-skilled nature. On top of that, _________ had shown her concern to Phillius and asked for a bucket and a mop for herself, saying that she felt bad for Namjoon to clean by himself.
While the two of them were mopping the floor (_________ without any difficulty, as if it was something she was very much used to doing and Namjoon with almost painful struggle as he was, not only unskilled but also unfamiliar with the task as he would normally just cast a spell to get it done), Phillius simply stayed behind the counter, seemingly organizing receipts, but really just staring at them.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know that soap made surfaces slippery, but he seemed to have forgotten – or maybe he was too busy worrying to remember it – because he would walk on the soapy floor. It was as if he didn’t seem to understand why it seemed that he had to clean the same surface over and over again. Little did he know that if you step on the recently mopped floor before allowing it to dry, it would only make it dirtier.
At the sight of __________’s proficiency on mopping the floor, he decided he didn’t want her to find out how inept he was in the face of non-magical cleaning. He started energetically mopping the floor, trying his to scrub any stains or dirt off of it, all the while still standing on the soapy floor. This too was a recipe for disaster. In no time Namjoon was sliding on the surface, barely even keeping balance, yet his mind too focused on cleaning to notice. It wasn’t until he instinctively got a hold of _________’s arm that he noticed, completely unable to stand by himself at this point. Incidentally, this made _________ lose her balance as well, and the two of them ended up engaging on a tug of war to help each other stand without falling flat on the floor.
A few minutes later, while the two of them were still struggling to stand, a string of translucent blue light wrapped around the two of them, bringing them closer and closer to each other until they were completely attached. Then, they were both lifted and – all the while still attached by the magical spell – brought to float right in front of the counter. The origin of said magic: Phillius’ wand.
Namjoon’s face contorted in blushing horror, ________ looked very flustered and the Professor, well, he simply was amused.
“Joonie don’t give me that face! Shouldn’t you be thanking me right now?” His boss joked.
“What… uhm… Why?” He mumbled shyly.
“Oh come on! Do you think I need quidditch goggles to see what going on here? Did you really think I didn’t know you had befriended a muggle girl?”
“Sorry…” Namjoon managed to say after a moment of struggling, still very much blushing because of his proximity to ______.
“No, no, no… you shouldn’t be apologizing to me… but to her! What kind of man lets the girl he likes struggle so much for him!”
Namjoon felt the sharp discomfort of feeling exposed travel all over his body, at this point, he could barely even look straight at her.
“I’m… what? I…”
“Did you really think I hadn’t noticed you’ve fallen in love with a muggle girl? And beautiful and intelligent at that… It also baffles me how you haven’t realized your feelings are very much shared.”
At the words of his boss, Namjoon’s jaw simply dropped. _________’s face simply looked as red as a ripe bárbula.
“What?” He mumbled.
“I’ve been watching you… it’s very much clear she’s interested, but it’s really frustrating how you don’t seem to notice. Seriously, what kind of girl would put up with listening to you recite all the 84 poems telling the conquest of the dragons? I was hoping you’d act soon but I was scared you’d lose your chance…” It was as if he was mumbled to himself, probably one of the many quirks of old people.
“You… you’ve known all along?”
“Of course I have. I can’t believe you haven’t.” Phillius chuckled.
“How…?”
“Well, it’s 2017 Namjoon! What kind of store doesn’t have CCTV?”
“CCTV?”
“ ‘muggle’ security cameras…” She mumbled, her cheeks as red as ever, shyly looking at him. “They record what’s happening in case someone tries to rob the place or something.”
“And I installed a very good sound recording system too… I’ve been really enjoying your conversations lately.” He said laughingly.
“But… we have magical powers…” Namjoon mumbled.
“That’s the problem with our magical community… always undervaluing non-magic ways. Muggles have the most original and pragmatic ways of solving problems.”
“So… I’m not fired?”
“Well… you will be if you don’t keep this girl around, after all, she does your job better than you do. Also, this spell will only go away with a kiss… so… good luck with that… uhm.. I’m gonna leave now… I’ll make sure to turn off the cameras and lock the door. See you tomorrow, separated, hopefully.”
And so, the meddling old wizard took his wand and pointed to the corners of the room, turning off the muggle technology and skipped cheekily all the way to the front door, that he carefully closed behind him, leaving the flustered couple alone to sort out their feelings.
“Uhm… I’m really sorry about that…” Namjoon mumbled a moment after Phillius had left them alone.
“No, it’s… it’s really alright. I mean… he’s kind of quirky…” He said chuckling, though Namjoon didn’t know if it was out of embarrassment.
“I’m sorry he made you feel uncomfortable…”
“It’s really ok. Except… Namjoon… I just… I don’t want you to think that the only reason I hang out over here is that you tell me about magic and wizardry. I really enjoy your company and well… the magic stuff – though very fascinating – it’s really just an excuse to see you and… and… I just… I lik-”
As if cast by a spell, Namjoon crashed his lips against hers, kissing her softly. It tasted sweet and felt immensely right. She didn’t fight the kiss, instead accepted it and allowed herself to give into it. Quickly, he felt the magic that was holding them together left to go. In spite of having been finally freed from the magical lace, the two of them remained close to each other. If anything, even more so than before as the absence of the translucent blue light, their arms could freely wrap around each other in a sweet, tender embrace.
Epilogue
Marriage between a witch and a wizard is really not a difficult task, virtually no paperwork involved, but a simply wand maneuver. Marriage for muggles is not so difficult either, some paperwork but nothing particularly straining. The parties, however, were a completely different story.
Marriage between a witch or wizard and a muggle was, well, it was very much complicated. Not because it was illegal or undesired in the community, but because the paperwork process was very long and very heavy. Many wizards and witches – including Kim Namjoon – would happily go through the ruckus to pledge their lives to the person they loved.
The processing of _________ and Namjoon’s marriage was getting longer and longer. He had had to go the Ministry of Magic at least four times, sometimes with her, sometimes without. Finally, after a few weeks of waiting and re-sending papers he was finally due for his last visit to the Ministry. This time, they had to go together to retrieve their wedding certificate and finalize the process.
The lady at the desk was very nice and talkative, she told them a few stories about other couples that had come by her office before. Namjoon was a bit impatient, all he wanted was to officially say he was married to ___________. __________, on the hand, was very interested about all of those stories. Namjoon couldn’t really get anxious about it, after all, it was one of the traits that made them fall in love together. What other kinds of women would listen to his rants, and not only that but also, find it charming?
It was late in the afternoon, but they were finally allowed to sign the final papers. Then, they followed the lady to a large room, each wall covered with what seemed infinite rows of filing cabinets where all the records of all the wizard-witch to muggle marriage that had taken place. She finally stopped at the section that corresponded to their city. The drawer opened abruptly, almost three meters long, completely stuffed with folders.
As the lady scrolled through the folders, Namjoon absentmindedly observed the names pass by, until he was faced with a name he hadn’t thought of for a while, the name of whom he thanked for _________ and his relationship. It was professor Phillius’ marriage folder.
He asked the lady if it was ok for them to spy a bit in their folder, and because she was so fond of __________ – who incidentally was really excited with the prospect of learning more about Phillius’ life – she agreed.
Apparently, he had married a young muggle about 40 years before, probably around the time he had decided to open the bookstore. Namjoon could quickly put together the story of his life, which _________ and the desk lady happily listened to. The bookstore probably wasn’t something he wanted to build in the first place, but meeting the woman of his life probably meant that he wouldn’t be able to travel from one Wizarding School to the next, so he decided to settle down. They grew old together, and eventually hired Namjoon who incidentally found the love his life working there. The two of them grew fondly in love with each other, and Professor Phillius, probably moved – and let’s face it, amused – by the idea, decided to let Namjoon and ____________ inherit the shop before announcing his final retirement.
Namjoon and __________ were filled with nostalgia. They knew Phillius had always been interested in muggle culture, even beyond books, but after knowing that the love of his life was also a muggle made remembering how everything had taken place a lot more endearing. Every loose piece fit right back into place, and just like professor Phillius and his wife had, Namjoon and ____________ were going to live a happy and fulfilling life together.
summary - tired of yoongi constantly one upping you, you finally snap, challenging him to a duel. . . in the middle of class. only in the afterwards of your mutual destruction of the classroom do you learn that maybe, just maybe, he’s not as bad as you thought
pairing - academic rival!yoongi x teachers pet!reader
genre - fluff; wizard 101 au
word count - 3.3k
warnings - dip’s made up lore, yoongi is a bit mean, academic rivals >>>
guide - thaumaturgy = ice magic, necromancy = death magic, theurgy = life magic
author’s note - again, yes they have last names for reasons
the seven schools of ravenwood masterlist
You hated Yoongi Iceblood.
There was nothing much to it. He was stuck up, rude, entitled, and a know-it-all. And not to mention that last name, ugh. Iceblood. His family came from a long line of thaumaturges, claiming to be taught by the Ice Giants themselves in the Days Before. Then to just rub it in further, he had chosen Death as his secondary school. One of the most reserved and harshest classes. Yoongi had been named well.
And it angered you more than anything.
Your rivalry with Yoongi started years before either of you were even old enough to attend Ravenwood. Back when the streets of Wizard City were safe to walk on alone. Down in the cold, snowy roads of Colossus Boulevard.
It was a surprisingly nice day, considering it was winter year round on the boulevard. You remember the sun shining through the ever present grey clouds, causing the snow to glitter in the light. Your mother allowed you to play outside for the day, your older siblings had just started school and needed quiet in the house whilst they did their homework. You spent hours walking through the beaten path of the lower part of the street, so you began to head upwards.
Small, squished apartments turned into lavished homes the closer you got to the castle. No king or queen resides in it, no. But it was home to many government officials and their families. This was where you met Yoongi for the first time.
Looking at the many houses in awe, you were not paying attention to what was in front of you, leading you to walk straight into Yoongi. Both of you fell into the snow with an ‘oof’. Pushing yourself up, you looked at the young boy you had crashed into. Snow clinging to his blue hair and white robes, judging from the style alone, it didn’t take an idiot to realize you’d crashed into one of the more affluent wizards. You opened your mouth to apologize, but he cut you off before you could say a word.
“Watch where you’re going, snowpig!”
The apology died on your tongue. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” he sneered as he stood up on his feet.
“Well maybe you should watch where you’re going!” Admittedly, it was your fault, but to insult you so brazenly? No, you wouldn’t have it.
The blue haired boy gaped in shock, but before he could retort, a voice called out his name, summoning him home. Yoongi, as you learned, narrowed his eyes on you. But he said nothing as he disappeared into one of the nicest houses on the block.
You never thought you would see him again. That it was simply a one off encounter and you would never see the likes of him ever again. But you thought wrong, and you couldn’t have felt more stupid for thinking otherwise. Despite your different social standings, both of you came from families of thaumaturges. His family only ever enrolled in only Ice for their primary school, whilst your family was a mix of having the subject as a primary or secondary.
The moment you walked into Professor Greyrose’s novice class, his eyes fell on you, narrowing. You turned your head away to ignore him, wanting to purely focus on class and learning thaumaturgy. Yoongi, on the other hand, did not plan on doing the same.
“I didn’t know they allowed snowpigs at Ravenwood.” Laughter roared from the students that surrounded him as heat rose to your cheeks in anger. “How long do you think they’ll last? I bet they wouldn’t even make it past the first lesson.”
It was then and there when you vowed to yourself that no matter what, you would best Yoongi Iceblood.
Where he chose necromancy as his secondary, you chose theurgy. Not a challenging self taught class like Death, but just difficult seeing how Ice was as far from Life as possible. When he learned a new spell, you made sure to advance by two more.
It wasn’t a secret, by any means. Yoongi had caught on, and he fought back twice as hard. As the years passed, the entirety of Ravenwood knew, placing bets on who would earn the highest marks on each passing test. Both of you remained at the top of the class, as whenever one of you managed to advance, the other would catch right back up.
Which leads you to today; Professor Greyrose was asking for a demonstration for the Ice Wyvern. As expected, both you and Yoongi stood up, raising your hands. You smiled as the half-fairy selected you. Standing up, you raised your want and closed your eyes. You’d been practicing the spell for ages in your dormitory, and last night finally the creature came to your call. You drew out the symbol of Ice in the air, focusing all your energy in bringing forth the wyvern once more. With the mastery of that spell, you’d be ahead of Yoongi once again (he’d jumped ahead of you a few weeks prior).
The pressure was on, you had to do this.
You knew you could do it.
You squeezed your eyes shut as you felt the familiar chill of ice running through your veins.
Then the worst happened.
The Ice symbol that was floating in the air shattered, tiny bits of broken magic fell to the ground in a sparkly mess.
A fizzle.
Professor Greyrose smiled at you sadly, but before she could even thank you for the attempt, Yoongi stood up from his seat.
“Oh please.” With a wave of his wand, the symbol appeared in the air once again. Instead of fizzling, it glowed brighter as the Ice Wyvern formed in the air above. He made it look as easy, like it was nothing but a Frost Beetle he was summoning. The wyvern floated in the air above for a few moments before vanishing, a smug look written all over his face.
You didn’t know what came over you, but you raised your wand again, this time directed straight at Yoongi.
“Get down!” Someone shouted as an Ice Serpent jumped from your wand and spat at Yoongi. The force of the serpent’s icey venom threw him back against the wall, knocking down one of the shields that lined the room.
You couldn’t believe you just did that. Before you could manage to stutter out an apology (or Greyrose to get you to stop), you met Yoongi’s eyes and a shiver was sent through you, even though by now you are far too used to the cold.
He summoned his own serpent, casting it back at you. But instead of spitting at you, the creature wrapped its scaly body around you, squeezing you tight until it faded away, leaving you a bit breathless.
You’d like to say at this part you conceded, stopping the duel right then and there and accepting whatever punishment Professor Greyrose deemed fit. However, you can’t say that. Cold anger flowed through your veins. You’ve grown used to the effects of ice magic on your body for years now, but this was something you had never felt before. Pinpricks poked and prodded at your every nerve as you waved your wand and stormy grey clouds appeared in the center of the ceiling.
Blizzard.
“Everyone take cover!” Professor Grey rose shouted, everyone jumping underneath their desks. Your fellow students yelped and cowarded as four loud thunderous booms echoed in the small building, shaking the ground with each hit. Then it all went quiet. Not even the ever present bubbling of the ice potion was heard.
Slowly, you peered out from above your desk. The blue shields that lined the sides of the classroom had fallen to the ground, beant and or broken. The black boards snapped into near splinters. It was a mere miracle that the desks were even still standing!
“Frostthorn! Iceblood!” You flinched at the sound of Greyrose’s shrill voice. Both you and Yoongi rose to your feet, neither of you saying a word. You kept your eyes focused on the ground, ashamed of yourself. “You are my best students and I- I cannot believe this! Dueling! In the middle of class! I just-” She flitted about before settling down on her desk, folding her arms. “Both of you will clean this mess up. I want my classroom looking back as it was. No magic! Understand?”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Yes, Professor Greyrose.”
“Now, the rest of you, class is dismissed.” The other adept thaumaturges quickly gathered their things (or what was left of them) before scattering out the front door. Professor Greyrose looked down at the two of you once again, shaking her head. “I am very disappointed.” With that, she flew out the door.
Neither you or Yoongi moved for a moment, standing in the aftermath of your destruction. Silently, you started picking up the larger bits of broken wood and metal, wanting to get it out of the way first. Yoongi followed soon after you, moving towards the broken blackboards. The two of you are in a silent agreement to not speak at all as you cleaned up the class, leaving you to stew in your thoughts. You couldn’t help but feel foolish. You allowed yourself to let your anger get the best of you. You’re an Ice Wizard, for goodness sake, have the same great patience as the mighty glaciers.
“You know. . .” Yoongi was the one to speak first after nearly two hours of cleaning.
“I don’t want to hear it, Iceblood.”
He scoffed at your retort. “I was simply going to say that if we were following proper duel etiquette, you won.”
“But because we weren’t, I suppose you were victorious?”
“No, because I wasn’t following it either. We both lost.”
You couldn’t believe your ears. After so many years of Yoongi’s taunts and belittling you, to hear him admitting that you had bested him in a duel (proper or not), you felt pride swelling up in your chest. “Oh? So does that mean you finally think I’m better than you?”
“What?” He dropped the wooden board he was holding. “No. No! I wasn’t saying that! If we actually followed the rules of combat, you would’ve won. You did cast Blizzard.”
“Right. . . I did. . .”
He furrowed his brows at you. “Did you not mean to?”
“I’ve. . . never cast it. I only managed Ice Wyvern last night,” you confessed.
“You’re. . . that’s impressive.”
You eyed him strangely, wondering how or why Yoongi was suddenly so amiable to you after so many years. “Thank you.” You thought that would be the end of the conversation, but he spoke up again.
“If you want, maybe we could study together. Give each other tips, help hone our skills.”
“You want to study? Together?” This had to be a dream, there was no way Yoongi Iceblood was offering to be study buddies with you.
“You have a lot of potential, that’s all!” He clarified, his voice cracking slightly. “It would be a waste of your talents, teaching yourself.”
You pondered his offer for a moment, before nodding. “I suppose it would also be fair for me to beat you on even ground.”
Yoongi scoffed as he walked over to you, his hand extended outwards. “You’re on then.”
You eyed his hand cautiously before taking it. “May the best wizard win.”
By the time Professor Greyrose returned, the classroom was near back to normal. Unfortunately, because of your informal duel and destruction of school property, you both were suspended from class for the next few days. You were obviously distraught at the thought of missing classes, but Yoongi told you it was fair punishment. Besides, you could come visit him at his house to study and catch up together.
So that was where you spent the next few days, in Yoongi’s frozen castle, located not far from Wizard City. You were shocked to learn he didn’t live on campus with other students, but he’d admitted to you (a bit shyly too) that he’d never lived in the dorms. His parents did not want him to mingle with others and have complete privacy whilst he studied.
The first time you visited, you were in complete awe of it all. It was a frozen wonderland, with a large tower serving as his home. But the real site to behold was the two stone statues of a Dragon and Ice Giant facing off in battle that stood on the other side of the floating island
“You’re the first person I've invited over,” he told you as you approached his in-house library. Dozens of books lined the walls; topics ranging from types of magic to crafting to the history of all the worlds in the spiral. It was an impressive collection.
“I’m honored, but let’s get to it. Shall we?”
When your suspension was lifted, your class was shocked to see you both engaged in friendly conversation, smiling and laughing as if you hadn’t been dueling each other a mere few days ago. Word spread like wildfire, soon enough the whole of Ravenwood had heard of your’s and Yoongi’s odd acquaintance (you wouldn’t dare say friends)(at least not yet).
Even afterwards, you and Yoongi continued to work together and study for the upcoming exam, where you would move from the adept thaumaturge class to the magus class. You were nervous to say the least, having struggled a lot with some of the coursework, regardless of Yoongi’s help.
Then there was the matter of your new acquaintance in general. You knew he was smart, but you never knew exactly how smart. His family had taught him loads about thaumaturgy in theory, but never in practice, which is how he fell short of some spells. So most of your study sessions had been him telling you bits of information and helpful tips on remembering them.
Factoring all that in while studying for the adept final exam, you’ve never felt more nervous. Never before had you both been on even ground before. What if everything he’d told you was a lie and caused you to flunk the class? What if you had to start the whole class over again? Why was he so nice to you? Why did he always smile and congratulate you anytime you successfully cast a spell? And why did his words stir butterflies in your stomach each time without fail?
You don’t know when it happened but at some point, you stopped caring about being better than Yoongi. Your study sessions no longer came about from wanting to work on even ground, to beat him hard and true through hard work. But suddenly became actually wanting to be around him, to work with him, to help each other and better each other instead of just yourself.
“You alright there?” Yoongi asked, pulling you out from your thoughts.
“Hmm?”
“You’ve been staring at History of the Ice Guardian for the past ten minutes?”
You blinked down at the open book in front of you. He was right, you hadn’t moved on from that page in Spiral knows how long. “Sorry, my mind is a bit elsewhere, I guess.”
“Nervous about the exam?”
“That and many other things?” You huffed, shutting the book. “But mainly the exam, I just don’t want to fail miserably.”
“You won’t. You’ve worked hard. You’ve got this.”
“You know, I don’t think I’m ever gonna get used to you encouraging me,” you admitted, chuckling awkwardly. “For so long, all I wanted was to be better than you and to have you on my side, it feels like I’m missing a reason to do this. . .”
He didn’t say anything, causing you to look up at him curiously. He was gnawing on his lower lip. “What if we had a little friendly competition like I don’t know. . . a wager?”
“A wager?”
“Yeah, like say if I get higher marks, you have to pay for my ice cream.”
“We’re getting ice cream?” You asked.
He gave a vague shrug. “Yeah, little reward for us after studying so hard. I get ice cream after every exam.”
“And if I get higher marks?”
“Then I’ll buy your ice cream.”
You thought over his offer for a moment before holding out his hand. “You got yourself a deal, Iceblood.”
The day of the exam came around and you couldn’t stop fidgeting; you’d pick at your robes, twist the rings around your fingers, anything to help settle your nerves. Noticing your nervousness, Yoongi (who’d moved to sit next to you in class now) placed a hand over yours, giving it a squeeze.
“You got this.”
“Thanks. Good luck.”
He winked as Professor Greyrose handed you both your exams, allowing you to start.
Throughout the exam, you felt as if you were going to be sick. Writing out the answer, scratching it out then rewriting it out because you were right the first time. Sure you’ve been nervous taking tests before, but never before had there felt like such high stakes (it was ice cream, why were you so stressed?).
Once the last of the exams had been turned in, Professor Greyrose dismissed the class, saying results would be posted in three days’ time. So for three, long grueling days, you waited. Yoongi didn’t appear nearly as stressed as you, chuckling as you all but ran towards Ravenwood.
“Relax! The results aren’t going anywhere.”
“How can you tell me to relax? This was the adept final exam! I can’t fail this term, I just can’t!”
“And you’re not going to!” Yoongi said as you walked through the tunnel. “I told you, you’ve got this.”
“Sorry, I just. . . haven’t been this stressed before.”
“What? You’re worried about spending some extra gold coins on ice cream?” He raised a brow at you.
“No it’s just. . . I don’t know.”
“No, tell me.”
With a sigh, you stopped walking. “We’re on even ground. You know everything I know and I know everything you know. What if I’m actually not that good. . .”
“Nonsense, you got this far by yourself, didn’t you?” You nodded. “Then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. You’re a good thaumaturge, Y/N.”
“Thanks, Yoongi.”
“Now come on, let’s see who’s buying ice cream.” With that, he took you by the hand and you continued walking through the tunnel, towards the School of Ice. Already a group of people had gathered outside the door, eager to see their results. As the two of you approached, your classmates whispered amongst themselves. Their voices might’ve been low, but you could see the way they looked between your entwined hands and the posting on the door.
Oh dear.
Releasing Yoongi’s hand, you pushed your way to the front, ignoring the heat growing up against your cheeks as you could feel everyone’s eyes as you pushed through the crowd. Your eyes flickered to the top of the page scanning the name that received the highest test score.
It was your name.
Written above Yoongi’s.
You could feel him standing beside you. “I believe a congratulations are in order,” he said, holding out his hand. You took it, shaking it gently. “Congrats, I told you you could do it.”
“I’m sorry,” you blurted out. Instantly you cringed at your words, dropping his hand.
He looked at you, puzzled. “What are you sorry for? You earned that score, fair and square.”
“For running into you. . . and for dueling you in the middle of class, it was. . . it was stupid. And I’m sorry.”
“Oh. . .” He nodded, remembering that first ever encounter all those years ago. “I’m sorry for calling you a snowpig. That was. . . I shouldn’t have done that. It was mean, and I was mean to you. You had every right to challenge me.”
It was weird how light you felt after that. But it felt good. “I hope that means you’re not gonna go easy on me from now on. I’m still determined to best you!” You poked him in the shoulder.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he responded. “Now come on, I believe I owe you ice cream.”
“I believe you do,” you said as you linked your arm with his, heading towards the nearest food shack.
summary - namjoon likes to think he’s the embodiment of the perfect example of a theurgists: positive and enthusiastic. however when his professor asks him to help tutor one of her secondary students, only then is that pushed to the limit
pairing - tutor!namjoon x neurodivergent!reader
genre - fluff; wizard 101 au
word count - 4.0k
warnings - dip’s made up lore, namjoon says one mean thing, thoughts of fraternization
guide - theurgy = life magic, divination = storm magic; marlybonian = british dog people; pigswick = another wizarding academy;
author’s note - last names for reasons. and this was a bit personal for me as i do have adhd and i struggled a lot with theoretical teachings. this is based off my own personal experience with school and having adhd, not everyone’s is the same
the seven schools of ravenwood
Best in class. That is how Namjoon has always been described ever since he was a novice theurgist. It came easy to him, with a glance at a textbook he could perform the spell in an instant. Life magic was simply in his blood. So when Professor Wu asked him to tutor some of her less than stellar students, he wasn’t surprised. It took a while for each of the other students to catch on, but one by one, he helped them understand the material and soon enough, they raised their grades. Namjoon’s track record was stunning, there wasn’t any student he couldn’t help.
That was until he met you.
Normally Professor Wu only offered tutoring for her novice primary school students; young theurgists that either did not grow up where magic was practiced or simply fell behind a few lessons and needed a bit of help to get back on their feet. Never before had he had to tutor a secondary school theurgist. But he was willing to step up to the challenge.
Pushing open the heavy oak doors of the Life School, he was greeted with the familiar sight of Professor Wu standing at the top of the platform. Standing right at the bottom of the stairs before her, was you, dressed in purple and gold. A diviner, Namjoon thought to himself. Life magic sat in between Storm and Fire, so one normally would expect a student of those primary schools would easily understand and excel at theurgy. He wondered what could be the problem.
“Ah, Namjoon!” She smiled as he approached you both. “Y/N, this will be your tutor; Namjoon Jadeshield. Namjoon, this is Y/N Raindreamer,” she introduced.
“Pleasure,” he greeted, holding out his hand for you to shake. You don’t shake his hand, only giving him a tight lipped smile. “Okay. . .” he dropped his hand. “What exactly are you struggling with so that I can help?”
You opened your mouth to speak, but Professor Wu cut you off. “Everything, really. They’re supposed to start their initiate program, but unfortunately they must repeat their apprenticeship.”
Namjoon tried to hold back his shock. Failing the apprenticeship class? You’d have to repeat the whole two year process, probably never catch back up to your primary school level. “Okay. So how often shall we hold tutoring sessions?” He glanced between you and Professor Wu.
“Ideally every day after class,” the professor answered.
Your head snapped in the direction of her. “No!” Turning to Namjoon, you began to plead with him. “Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. I need Wednesday and Friday free. I have-“
“You know very well that any or all after school activities are suspended until your grades rise, Raindreamer,” Professor Wu tisked.
But you didn’t acknowledge her, only keeping your eyes trained on Namjoon. “I’m sorry, but Professor Wu is right. Until you have sufficient grades to prove it, no after school activities.”
As the words left his mouth, Namjoon watched in slow motion as your face fell. Like the world had crashed around you. Quickly, your face steeled and a frown was etched onto your features. “Fine.”
“Alright,” Namjoon nodded, wanting this meeting to be over and done with. “We’ll start tomorrow. Meet me outside the Commons Library? Sound good with you?”
“Yeah, fine. Whatever,” you huffed as you shouldered your book bag and left the school building, leaving Namjoon and Professor Wu alone.
“I swear, with a name like Raindreamer, it’s no wonder they have grades like this,” she sighed. “But thank you again, Namjoon. I know you’ll be a great help.”
“I’ll do my best.”
The following day, Namjoon waited for you just outside the Commons Library. He was there a full 10 minutes before you finally arrived. He opened his mouth to berate you for being late but words failed to come out at the sight of you; fresh scrapes and bandages covering any exposed skin.
“What?” You raised a brow at him.
“Are you- what happened?”
You looked down at the bandages before shrugging. “Fell.”
Whilst that didn’t feel like the full reason, Namjoon didn’t push any further, simply wanting to get the tutoring session along. You trailed behind him as he climbed up the final steps to the library, pushing open the doors. Namjoon waved hello to Harold, the old Marleybonian that served as the librarian, as he scribbled away in his ledger.
“This way,” Namjoon said to you as he walked down the theurgy wing. Other life students, dressed in robes of greens and browns, were seated at the tables that were strategically placed alongside the tall bookshelves. He made his way over to his usual table, it sat right between the initiate and journeyman textbooks. Granted those might be a bit out of your range, but perhaps it could serve as a bit of motivation to help you move forward.
Placing his book bag down, he looked at you, straggling along still. A bit further than he would’ve liked, but you were soon catching up. Your eyes were trained on the books as they flew across the shelves, rearranging and reorganizing themselves. There was a small smile etched into your face as you watched the books and scrolls float about, reminding Namjoon of a child on Christmas. Clearing his throat to gain your attention, he watched as that smile faded away, back into a look of displeasure. You picked up the pace, taking the seat beside him.
“Professor Wu didn’t give me any specifics as to what you need help with. So are there any particular parts that you need help with?” Namjoon asked as you pulled out your scrolls and text books.
“Everything, I guess. It just. . . doesn’t make sense. I can’t figure out how to get from Point A to Point B,” you explained.
“So conceptualizing it?”
You blinked at him. “I- uh, I guess that is one way to put it.”
“Okay, that gives us a starting point then.” He smiled at you. “So let’s go to basics. See if that can help.”
“Alright,” you muttered, learning forward as he began writing.
“So theurgy is a bit different than the other schools, when using magic we don’t summon or coerce the creatures into appearing. We breathe life into them through the Song of Creation. Are you familiar with that?” When he turned to look at you, you were staring blankly at the paper. He waited a few moments for you to respond, but you didn’t. Namjoon snapped his fingers twice, you jerked back to attention.
“Sorry, I- uh. . . what did you say?”
It was then when Namjoon realized how you were able to fail your apprenticeship so miserably and how you earned your last name.
You could not focus at all.
Every time Namjoon was going over spell casting and or creation, he would turn to you to check to see if you were following, only for you to have a blank look on your face or your eyes to be trained on the floating books again. Every time he would have to snap his fingers to regain your attention. On some occasions, he saw you scribbling away into a notebook. At first he thought you were actually taking notes, but anytime he tried to take a look at it, you shut the book in his face.
By the end of the second hour, when your session was coming to a close, you had finally managed to understand one spell. It was just a shield spell, so it wasn’t too complicated, but not enough for Namjoon to be satisfied with your progress.
As the two of you left the library, you were about to make a break for the right, no doubt returning to your dorm room in Ravenwood, but he quickly grabbed onto your wrist.
“What?”
“I want you to read over the History of Life Magic, chapters one through four. Just the basics, that should help at least a tiny bit.”
“You’re giving me homework?”
He blinked at you, caught off guard by the question. He’s always asked the students he tutored to reread certain materials, and they did so without question. “It’s not really homework, just helps to go over the material again,” he sputtered out in response. “I want to see you succeed and catch up in your secondary school. And reading helps.”
“Yeah, sure,” you huffed with a roll of your eyes, then walked down the pathway through the Commons.
Over the next two weeks, the two of you had fallen into a routine; every few days you’d be late by no more than 10 minutes to each session (how he had no idea, considering the initiate divination class would get out around your scheduled time) with fresh bandages, he’d try his damndest to help you understand the material, and then you’d part ways, heading off towards the right. And it was agonizing for Namjoon. You read at a snail's pace, mixing up the pixie and fairy spells, scrambling words and wand motions together. It wasn’t by lack of effort either, Namjoon could see you were trying, genuinely, but no matter how much reading he assigned you, nothing seemed to stick. You got one spell for every ten he went over with you. He simply could not believe how you managed to even get enrolled into Ravenwood in the first place.
When he expressed his frustrations towards Professor Wu when it was time for a follow up, she finally told him that you were a new student, only coming in within the past 6 months, after being kicked out of Pigswick for poor performance. He was shocked at the information, but it made sense. You were a troubled student and needed a firm hand. So he went to work, putting together another lesson plan that was more strict to try and see if that would help you at all.
It didn’t.
Barely a full session in, he watched as you failed to recite the proper incantations to summon a leprechaun, something you nearly had the day previous.
“What isn’t clicking for you?” He found himself asking you at the end of the session.
“I’m sorry?”
“I mean, why can’t you do this? This is basic theurgy, and you’re a storm student! This should come easy to you, right? So why are you struggling so much?” He felt like he was at the end of his rope. If he couldn’t teach you, then what hopes could he ever have about being a professor?
“I mean, it just. . . doesn’t. It’s hard to explain. . .”
“Well if you don’t figure it out, you’re gonna get kicked out from another school,” Namjoon muttered under his breath.
“What?”
He froze. He cringed to himself as he turned around to look at you, regretting even thinking the words. Once he laid eyes on you, he saw that same broken look he saw when Professor Wu said you couldn’t continue with your afterschool activities, only worse. Your shoulders sagged, and Namjoon swore he could’ve heard your heart break, shattered by him. Then your face hardened as you tightened your grip on your bookbag.
“Then I guess there’s no reason for us to really continue these sessions, considering I’m just gonna get kicked out anyways.” Then you turned on your heel and stormed off.
“Y/N, wait- I’m sorry!”
He wanted to follow after you, but he couldn’t find it in him to. He watched as you disappeared into the crowded Commons area, wishing he never even opened his mouth.
The following day after class, Namjoon made his way over towards the Storm School. You deserved an apology, Namjoon knew that. What he said was mean, and something he never should’ve said as your tutor. It was just his luck that his mastery class ended at the same time the Storm initiate class ended, giving him the perfect opportunity to find you and apologize. He eyed through the students as they made their way past him, on their own way towards their next class or any after school club. But he could not find out. He knew he had the right year, you were supposed to go into the initiate class this year, you were the proper age for it. Where were you?
Perhaps you stayed inside to talk to the professor, he thought to himself as he approached the heavy oak doors. Thunder boomed overhead from the gathering storm cloud that resided inside the classroom. It had been years since he’d ever stepped foot in the school of storm, the first and only time being from when he was trying to find a secondary school, all those years before he finally landed on balance.
Namjoon glanced around the room, trying to catch a glimpse of you but you weren’t in the room. Only Professor Balestrom resided in the classroom, standing on top of his desk as he gathered papers.
Taking a deep breath, he entered the school, clearing his throat to gain the frog professor’s attention. He turned on his flipper as the sound of Namjoon and bounced up to his full height of three feet.
“Ah! How can I be of service to you?”
“Hi, I’m tutoring one of your students. Y/N Raindreamer? They would be in your initiate class.”
A frown etched itself onto Professor Balestrom’s face. “Raindreamer is my student yes, but they’re not in my initiate class.”
“What?”
“Raindreamer advanced into the adept class about 3 months ago! They’re a brilliant student, one of the best diviners I’ve seen in a while,” he explained.
The information shook Namjoon to his core. You were an advanced student? But how could that be, considering your grades in theurgy? It didn’t make any sense. “I-I didn’t know that.”
“First time in my class, they struggled though. Came in on a reading day, which is everyone’s least favorite part of the curriculum. But as soon as we got to spell casting, they nearly blew the roof off this place!” The professor continued, leaping up in the air for dramatic effect. “They weren’t even here a week before I took them to the headmaster and demanded they advance to the journeyman course, only that was also too easy! They’re getting a real challenge in adept, I’ll tell you that.”
Namjoon couldn’t believe his ears. Here he was, thinking you were a walking failure, doomed to be kicked out of a second school. Only to learn that you were nearly two years advanced in your studies! “Oh. . . well, do you know where they might be? I do need to talk to them.”
Professor Balestrom looked at the clock on the wall. “Should be in the arena by now.”
“The arena?”
“Yes. The arena! They’re a duelist, did you not know that?”
Only then did it dawn on him that he never did ask what you wanted to do so badly that you wanted to schedule your tutoring sessions around it. Then he remembered what days you were late on, the fresh bandages you always had on. . . You were still dueling. Under the school’s nose too.
“Thank you, Professor Balestrom. I appreciate it.”
“Of course, of course!” The frog man called out to Namjoon as he all but ran out the door. As fast as he could, he made his way through the tunnels to the Commons and then to Unicorn Way. He pushed open the doors of the arena, the snapping of puppets and growls of different summoned monsters filled his ears as he approached Diego, the dueling master.
“A newcomer? Are you interested in learning the art of the duel?” The unicorn asked, raising a brow at him.
Namjoon shook his head no. “Sorry, I’m actually looking for someone. Y/N Raindreamer?”
“Ah, yes! They’ve been short on their dueling practice lately, but they’re in the next dueling chamber over. Come, I shall show you.” Diego led Namjoon down a hall towards an empty arena, where sure enough you were, dueling against a puppet.
He was blown away with the sight before him. You waved your wand with practiced ease and the creatures you summoned did your bidding with little to no struggle at all. It wasn’t at all how you were when he was tutoring you. How could you manage to do so good in one class that you advance two classes, but struggle to advance in your secondary?
“Pretty good, eh? Came in from Pigswick, good school and all but they don’t actually teach magic there. It’s all theoretical. But as soon as Raindreamer was enrolled here, and with a little help from your’s truly, they advanced in no time!” Diego explained as he and Namjoon watched you battle the puppet. “They come in here as often as they can, practicing all the spells they learn in class. See the scrolls?” He pointed off to the side of the dueling sigil where sure enough, were piles of spell books and scrolls, mainly of storm magic, judging from the purple lining. But Namjoon could see some greens in there.
You weren’t just practicing.
You were studying.
Raising your wand again, this time the life symbol appeared. Up until the last wave of your wand, it was perfect. You had twisted your wrist in the wrong direction, causing the spell to fizzle completely. You let out a curse as you stepped away from the sigil, the puppet standing still. You pulled open the life scroll, reading over it again, no doubt trying to find your mistake.
“You’re supposed to twist your wrist towards the right, not the left!” Namjoon called out to you. Your head snapped up in his direction, mouth open to probably yell at him. But you didn’t say anything, your eyes focusing on Diego behind him.
“He’s right, you were perfect up until that last move,” Diego confirmed as he trotted down the stairs towards you, Namjoon following after. “He was looking for you, I hope you do not mind I brought him here.”
“It’s alright, thank you, Diego.” You gave the unicorn a slight smile, who nodded before stepping away, giving the two of you some privacy. Once your attention was fully towards Namjoon, your lips pressed into a thin line. “What is it, Namjoon?”
“I wanted to apologize, what I said was out of line. As your tutor, it should’ve been my priority to build you up, not to tear you down.”
You regarded him cautiously. “Doesn’t change the fact that what you said really hurt. I did try, but studying like that just. . . it doesn’t work for me. Sitting there and telling me how to cast spells, I have to see and do it to fully understand. Do you get that?”
“Yes, I can see that now.” Namjoon stepped toward the pile of scrolls and books that you had at the side of the arena. Picking up the one that was open, he flipped through it. There were a bunch of notes and scribbles in the margins, he recognized the chicken scratch as yours but what you wrote were what he would go over and teach you in your tutoring sessions. “This is why you wanted those days off, so you could practice your spellwork and could try to actually grasp what you were learning?”
Slowly, you nodded. “I will admit, I did continue dueling, but without the proper amount of dedication to practice and study, it just. . . I couldn’t do it.”
“Then we’ll hold our tutoring sessions here.”
You looked at him in shock. “What?”
“If this is what helps you learn, then this is what we’ll do to help you,” Namjoon started, “I’ll tell Professor Wu about the change and reserve an arena with Diego. We can meet here instead of the library, does that sound good to you?”
“I- yeah! That’s- that’s perfect, thank you!” You said, beaming widely at him. It was the first time you actually smiled at him, and he was going to deny the little flutter he felt in his chest.
“Okay, so I’ll see you here tomorrow?”
“Yeah, tomorrow!”
Just as he said, Namjoon talked with Moolinda about having you study via dueling.
“I don’t know, Jadeshield. . . they’re failing, and the rules are no extracurriculars unless a student is of a passing grade.”
“I know, but this is how they learn! I didn’t understand it at first, and that’s my fault. But they’re actually really smart! Did you know they’re two classes advanced in divination?” Namjoon countered.
Professor Wu was taken back by that knowledge, judging by the way her eyes narrowed down and focused on him.
“Please, just give them a chance.”
She was quiet, before placing her hooves together and nodding. “Very well. You may hold your tutoring lessons in the arena.”
Namjoon was so ecstatic, he would have jumped for joy. But there was one more thing that he had to ask. . .
Due to his meeting with the professor, Namjoon was running late to meet you at the Arena. He saw you were sitting on the grass outside the building, looking down at that book you would scribble in during your tutoring sessions, flipping through the pages.
“Hey!” He caught your attention as he approached you. “I have great news!”
Looking up from your book, you furrowed your brows together. “What?”
“I talked to Professor Wu and she gave the green light for us to do dueling tutoring sessions and she agreed!”
You jumped to your feet. “Really?!”
“Yes, and she agreed to something even better.”
“Spit it out then! Don’t leave me here in all this suspense!”
“If you test well enough on the next exam that’s in a few weeks, you can join the initiate program!” It took a lot of convincing on his part, and staking his whole career as a tutor on the line, but he was wrong to ever doubt you in the first place. He knew you could do it.
“You-oh my stars! Thank you!” Dropping your book, you threw yourself onto Namjoon, wrapping your arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly.
He stilled at the sudden contact, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. “You’re- you’re welcome,” he said, patting your back gently. He’d never been thanked in such a way before, usually a quick handshake or a smile. Never a hug.
As quick as you hugged him, you released your hold on him, smiling brightly at him. “Come on! Exam may be a few weeks away, but I wanna be sure I have everything right so I can ace this test!” You said, before racing inside the arena.
Namjoon stood back for a second, still feeling the heat on his cheeks. He took a step forward to join you, only to accidentally step on your book that you’d dropped. Kneeling down, he picked it up. Curiosity gaining the best of him, he took a peek inside. It was doodles and drawings of different creatures and spells, with little notes dotted along the sides. Still flipping through the book, he began walking towards the arena, but he stopped as he turned to a page that took him by surprise. It was a drawing of him, incompleted, but was very obviously Namjoon. He felt the heat on his face return, crawling up his ears too. Reading along the sides of the page, were your own personal anecdotes about him. Calling him all sorts of names, but also things he had said; Stuff from his lessons. You had remembered, you were trying. He just couldn’t see it.
“Ahem.”
Namjoon’s eyes broke away from the sketchbook, meeting Diego’s gaze. The unicorn said nothing, only winking at him as he tossed his head in the direction of the arena doors.
Breaking eye contact, Namjoon pushed open the doors, hoping you wouldn’t see the embarrassment on his cheeks. He spotted you almost immediately, talking with some other students he could only presume were your friends. Taking notice of him, you smiled at him again, and he swore he could see a twinkle in your eye-
No. No. No.
You had an exam to study for and he was your tutor. He couldn’t fraternize with you like that. However, he wouldn’t be for long if you ace that exam. . .
summary - after receiving a ghost egg as a reward from a quest, you go looking to help get it hatched. but instead of finding the doctor, you find his assistant
pairing - pet trainer!taehyung x pet owner!reader
genre - fluff; wizard 101 au
word count - 1.5k
warnings - dip’s made up lore, friendships, quick mention of fear but nothing bad
guide - conjury = myth school; necromancy = death school; divination = storm school; marleybonian = british cat person
author’s note - this one is a tad short, as i just like the interactions and building up of the pet world. it’s just a little cute thing
the seven schools of ravenwood masterlist
Growing up there was one thing you would always ask your parents for every year for your birthday: a pet. It didn’t matter what type, it could’ve been a piggle, an imp, a dragon, a firecat, anything! All you wanted was your own buddy to train and hang out with. Unfortunately, your parents never liked the idea. Your father was allergic to feathers, your mother wasn’t fond of the idea of taking care of yet another thing on top of you and your siblings, and it was a lot of responsibility that you simply couldn’t handle at such a young age. So you shelved the childhood dream of having a pet, going through school and only gazing longingly at the other students as they brought their pets to school for show and tell or for dueling practice.
Only after you’d moved out of your family home in Olde Town and gotten your own apartment in Firecat Alley did you finally revisit the dream. You had started doing oddball errands and jobs that other wizards refused in order to save up to help purchase a pet. It was by pure chance of luck that one of those little excursions had you being rewarded with a pet! A ghost egg, how fitting considering you’re a necromancer.
With the egg tucked safely into your pack, you approached the Pet Pavilion. You’d been down the street before as a younger student, watching some of the traveling animal shows that passed through. But now as a new pet owner, you felt a bit out of your depth and a tad nervous.
“Hey, can I help you with anything?” A voice pulled you out of your thoughts. The voice belonged to a (very attractive) blond man, no taller than you, dressed head to toe in blue and yellow; he had to be a conjurer.
“Hi, I uh- I just got this ghost egg and I’m looking to hatch it.” You pulled your pack to the side, lifting up the lid to show the grey shell to him.
“First time pet owner?”
You nodded.
“Alright! So for hatching we’re gonna set ‘em up in the Hatchery then, it takes a couple hours but it’s sooner than waiting. This way,” he said as he started leading you up the stairs towards the large building at the end of the pavilion. “My name’s Taehyung Frogtamer, by the way.”
“Y/N Redwraith,” you responded as you followed him. Inside the Hatchery, sounds of electricity buzzed and lights flashed, catching you off guard for a moment. Along the side of the room were small seats where various eggs were placed, hooked up to a machine. On the floor was a large insignia for divination, leading you to believe storm magic must’ve helped power it all. Despite it being layered in magic, you couldn’t help but think it all looked like something you’d seen in an old book on Marleybone, a world filled with electricity and machinery rather than magic. You must’ve looked a tad unsettled as Taehyung pulled your attention away from them.
“Don’t worry, this is all very humane and safe. Unordinary, yes. But all pets are healthy, trust me.” Even under Taehyung’s assurance, it was still a tad nerve wracking. The Pet Pavilion was still fairly new, so having egg hatched under assistance was still a relatively new practice. Especially for Wizard City.
“You’re the doctor, so I’ll trust you.”
Your words visibly shook him, as his mouth fell open to say something but before he could respond a new voice interjected.
“Frogtamer is not the doctor.” You turned your head towards the voice, and on a platform was a Marleybonian dressed in a lab coat and other medical tools. “I am Doctor Purreau.”
Heat gathered in your cheeks, embarrassed at your assumption. “I’m sorry, he seems very knowledgeable and I’ve never quite been in here before,” you confessed, scratching at the back of your neck.
“Hmm,” Dr. Purreau regarded you with a disinterested look. He didn’t say anything else before turning his back on your, looking back towards an egg that was strapped to a chair, watching it as it cracked and came to life.
Turning back to Taehyung, he gestured for you to follow him to the other side of the hall room. “Dr. P is. . . he is a character, but a good doctor. Trust in the science. Now, I can still help you, if you’re interested?”
“Yes, thank you.” Taehyung looked to you then to your bag, slightly nodding to it. “Oh, right!” You reached into your pack, carefully pulling out the large grey egg. Slowly, you placed it into Taheyung’s hands. You watched as he delicately placed it into the chair, strapping it in. You gnawed on your lower lip as he began to hook it up the machine, lowering the metal headset down to the crown of the egg. The blond approached the side of the machine where a large lever was on display.
Wrapping his hands around the handle, Taehyung looked over to you. “You might want to shield your eyes.”
Doing as he said, your hands came up to your eyes as he lowered the lever. Bright flashes of lightning and claps of thunder filled your ears. You swore, it was so loud you feared you might’ve lost your hearing. But in a matter of moments, it was done! The room went quiet and you peeled your hands away from your eyes. Seated in the remaining bits of shell was the head of a ghost, its ghoulish hood looking around its new surroundings.
“Oh my stars!” You gasped as Taehyung removed the straps from its remaining bit of shell. It floated away from the chair, making a beeline for you.
“Already knows their owner!” Taehyung cheered, smiling brightly at you as the small ghost did circles around your legs. “Do you have a name for ‘em?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. Do you have any ideas?” You couldn’t take your eyes off of them, smiling so hard your cheeks began to ache.
“Well I have a cyclops named Sir Noodle, a piggle named Avery, a dragon named Stormfly, and a serpent named Shadow. So I’m not the best with name ideas as they’ll just sort of. . . pop up in my head and I just go ‘good enough’.”
“Hmm,” you got down on your knees, reaching out to the ghost. They reached out for your hand, a cool chill rushing through you as their disembodied hand grasped against yours. “Jeffery?”
You watched as Taehyung gave you a cheeky smile at that. “Just Jeffery? No titles or anything?”
“Nope,” you shook your head. “They’re just Jeffery.”
“Just Jeffery it is,” he said as he scribbled something down on a piece of paper before handing it to you. “Certificate of ownership and hatching certificate.”
“Thank you,” you smiled as you took the papers from him.
“I’ll walk you out?” He asked, phrasing it as a question.
“Please.” And so the two of you walked side by side out of the hatchery, Jeffery trailing close behind at your heels.
“Ghosts will eat any food that other pets will eat; but they have preference for foods like penne dreadful, square watermelon, and dastardly radish,” Taehyung rambled as the lead you out of the darkness of the Hatchery and into the bright sunlight of the pavilion.
“Duly noted, thank you so much.”
“It’s my pleasure, I love pets and animals. It’s all I’ve ever dreamed of doing.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I mean, Dr. Purreau says I’ve got a knack for it.”
“And you being a conjurer has no impact on your ability to help hatch?” You asked, remembering how even though it’s a machine, it’s half powered through storm magic, opposite of conjury.
Taehyung stopped dead in his tracks, a confused look on his face. “How did you know I was a myth student?” You looked down to his robes, yellow and blue, the colors of the myth school before meeting his eyes again. Following your gaze, he caught on. “Oh! Sorry, I’m a fool, ignore that. But no, it doesn’t surprisingly. Guess it only impacts the battlefield.”
User fluidity amongst opposite schools was rare, but not unheard of. You nodded, accepting the explanation. But you weren’t quite ready to say goodbye yet. “Hey uh, since Jeffery is new and stuff. Maybe you’d like to. . . I don’t know. . . have a pet playdate sometime? It’s alright if you don’t-”
“Yes!” He cut you off, his voice almost breaking. Clearing his throat, he spoke again. “Yes, I’d like that very much,” he said, his voice slightly deeper and more controlled.
Smiling, you nodded. “Okay, meet in the Commons tomorrow? Noon good for you?”
“Perfect, I’ll bring Sir Noodle. He’s the most sociable. Him and Jeffery are gonna be fast friends, I know it.” He rested his hands on his hips.
“Okay, see you tomorrow then.” You smiled as you started stepping away from him. “Say bye Jeffery!” The ghost made a small groan as they followed you. Carefully, you glanced over your shoulder, seeing Taehyung watch you leave. Once you were enveloped in the darkness of the tunnel, you turned around to see the conjurer doing a small happy dance. Cute, apparently good with animals, and a little goofy? You definitely were starting to like him.
