Taehyung doesn't eat for the rest of the day. In fact, he doesn't do much but sit by the water that remains dead still, staring into the dark reflections of the nearby heights. When Jungkook comes to check on him, he notices his thumb rubbing mindlessly on the wand in his hand. He does not need to ask to know what the witch is thinking. "Anything becomes useless when you cannot make use of it."

"I could throw it in the lake and watch it drift away. No one would be aware of the power it holds."

"It would be found, eventually."

"Not if I break it first."

"Is this how you plan to un-witch yourself?"

"I would have done so already, were it that easy." The words are full of silent pain. It is obvious now to Jungkook that Taehyung has previously attempted — and failed — to cheat destiny. The witch turns to him. "Have you ever tried to un-vampire yourself?"

Jungkook cannot help but giggle at the mere prospect.

"Silly question, I know," Taehyung admits.

The vampire may not have given the fatuous idea some thought but when he reflects on it, he finds it may not be that ludicrous after all. "You are well-versed in fae creatures. Would you care to share with me what you've been told of my story?"

Taehyung reveals the information he has is rather limited. "You did major damage back in the days, on human battlefields of all places. I can also see you are not your typical textbook vampire. You don't mind water for one. And the sun does not bother you either."

Jungkook cannot say how long this respite will last, so he figures now is as good a time as any to let his truth out. Besides, if he wants Taehyung to shed the cloak of secrecy he's been hiding in, he might as well demystify his own becoming. "The reason for that is because I was not turned. I was manufactured."

"What?" Taehyung is not even trying to conceal his confusion.

"I have built-in resistance to things that would normally weaken us, except to silver, which affects me more than it should. As you witnessed once."

"How come?"

"The makers probably wanted to keep some control over my form." Jungkook shrugs it off like it's not biggie when in fact, the deliberate chink in his tooled armour almost cost him his life once.

"Are you saying you were engineered in some kind of lab?"

"They did not call it that back then but yes, you get the point." Jungkook pulls on his hoodie and stretches his neck out. "Look. No bite marks."

"Wouldn't the scars have faded already?"

"Not the ones that turn you. If you ask nicely, Yoongi hyung might show you his."

Staring at the flawless nape, Taehyung feels privileged, for some reason. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I want you to know that the idea of me becoming human is not silly at all."

"Do you think it can be done?"

The nonchalance in Jungkook's tone when he replies fools no one. "Let me see. First of all, my makers are all dead. Second of all, the knowledge they possibly had of the unturning process has long vanished. I made sure of that."

"Oh."

Jungkook has no idea why he feels the need to justify himself, but he does so anyway. "I wanted to ensure I would be the only monster they ever created."

The witch is back to looking vacantly at the obstructed horizon. "You are no monster, Jeon."

The scoff is loud. Too loud to hide the hurt as the vampire speaks. "You have not seen me on those battlefields you mentioned earlier."

"So you chomped on a bunch of people and made them immortal. No big deal."

"Not all bites are meant to turn, Tae. Not if you bleed your victims dry."

Jungkook expects a disgusted reaction at the gruesome confession, but Taehyung simply shrugs. "That's in the past. Leave it there and join the present, where the rest of us mortals are permanently stuck."

The present is in fact a rather pleasant place to be stuck in, Jungkook thinks as he motions for the witch to come make himself comfortable by his side. Taehyung is quick to lean into him and the vampire marvels at this unfamiliar instinct which guides his hand around the other's shoulders. Where has their bickering gone? He smiles, realizing it's been replaced with this cozy affinity they now share.

"This is nice," Taehyung hums, head nestling in the crook of Jungkook's neck.

"Definitely an improvement," the vampire agrees.

"I see it now."

"What do you see?"

"You and I are more alike than I thought we were."

Jungkook doesn't know what to make of this statement. Taehyung does not have the body count he bears, but life did deal them a poor hand to begin with. It's up to them now how they play their cards.

"Tae?"

"Mmm."

"Why do you call yourself mortal? Isn't there some longevity spell available to stretch your existence endlessly?"

"We may extend our lifespan by a few decades. But all witches die eventually."

Jungkook does not like to think of Taehyung's death, no matter how far in the future that event may be. "What if I convince you?"

"You want to turn me?" Taehyung snickers.

"Not unless you agree to it."

The witch freezes for a moment as the realization that the offer was serious dawns on him. "Wait. Would that make you my sire?"

"It would, yes."

"Yeah. I'm not sure about that dynamic."

"You would not have to call me that though. I quite enjoy the pet names you give me."

"Which ones? Mosquito? Dracula? Batman?"

Jungkook hushes him with a soft peck on his lips. "I was thinking of some more endearing terms, you know, like—"

It is Taehyung's turn to kiss him quiet. "Yeah. I know."

Both are silent for a while, each contemplating the what-ifs of destiny, wordlessly wrestling with the idea that if life had actually been fair to them, they would likely never have met.

Taehyung fidgets.

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

The witch shakes his head. "I cannot ask this of you."

"You can ask. Doesn't mean I have to agree."

"It's just that... I feel like I'm wasting my time when I should be getting ready for what's to come."

Head massages have worked wonders on the man before, and so Jungkook gently presses his fingers under the back of Taehyung's skull to loosen the knots he feels tight under his touch. Taehyung probably didn't mean to moan, and so Jungkook plays deaf. "Do you know what is coming?" he asks to distract himself from the sinful whimpers that keep spilling out of the other's mouth.

"Well, if we are to trust my sister, I must pass some kind of witchcraft exam." His laugh is bitter. "And the worst part is, I can't even prepare for it." It's heartbreaking, how defeated he already sounds.

"How would you prepare for it?" Jungkook seems genuinely curious, and so Taehyung tries his best not to snap back. "You're asking me? The gift thief? The disgraced caster who has never trained in his life?"

"You are lying again," Jungkook growls. "How else could you have come up with a new spell if you had not been training all this time?"

"Even a blind dog can find a bone every so often."

"Ugh. Deja vu."

"Fine. I practiced a bit. And I read some. And I probably would be sitting in the library right now, getting acquainted with the demon summoning ritual so they may rid me of this gift which I am clearly not worthy of."

Jungkook sighs but does not argue. Stubbornness, he finds, is often not something that can be subdued with words. One day, Taehyung will come around and see for himself he deserves much better than this secondhand wooden stick he calls a wand.

"Books do not have all the answers."

"How do you know? Have you read them all?" Taehyung sounds sleepy and so Jungkook lightens his acupressure until he feels the witch's full weight drop into his arms.

╱╲╱╳╲╱╲

Taehyung wakes up at twilight, horrified at the thought of having napped all day. "Jungkook?" he calls, but the abandoned house remains quiet. All is dim but for a cold glow seeping in from the outside. An open portal stands tall in the garden, its blue shimmers almost inviting.

Clueless as to where it leads, Taehyung shies away from the idea of walking through it, especially without knowledge of Jungkook's whereabouts. He yells his name again, heart sinking when nothing but silence answers.

If the witches summon you, please do not dismiss their invitation.

The promise he made to his sister echoes in his ears. What if this was his summoning? Is Jungkook waiting for him on the other side? Perhaps he stepped in first to make sure it was safe.

Something is off with this reasoning. Taehyung is well aware of the fact that Jungkook would not have done so without informing him of his intentions.

But where is that damn bloodsucker?

Taehyung decides to bide his time until all the stars above are shining before he makes his next move.

—

Look who's back from the dead.

—

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