This year's Halloween could have been all fun and games were it not for the fact that the council had just kicked one of their tech agent out of the team for a reason Jungkook did not care enough to be heedful of, which explains why he finds himself patrolling the busy streets of Namdaemun market alongside the cutest teammate ever, i.e. best-looking witch in town, namely Kim Taehyung.

Wait. What?

"Did you spike my drink this morning, pumpkin?"

A wide palette of sentiments flashes up on Taehyung's face, which at once features confusion, disbelief, and sheer hilarity. "Your drink? As if I brewed fresh plasma every day," he wheezes between two giggling fits. "Why do you ask?" he wonders, wiping a joyous tear.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I did not have feelings for you until now, which leads me to think you must have done something."

"Feelings?"

The vampire nods, not caring one bit about face-saving.

"You?" Taehyung asks, adding finger-pointing to eyes-squinting — which Jungkook finds savagely sweet.

"Yes me, who else?" His poor attempt at seeming annoyed falls short.

"For me?" The witch insists, unconvinced.

"Of all people, yeah, very sus. I know." Not sus at all considering how good-looking Taehyung is, leaving Jungkook wondering why it took him so long to notice the other's obnoxious attractiveness.

"That's the lamest declaration I've ever heard."

"And you've heard plenty, no doubt." It's pathetic how Jungkook's effort to brush this off as if it was no biggie only manages to hurt his painfully stirring heart. As if that useless piece of fleshy machinery that's been out of service for so long had finally found a reason to get its gears going again.

He is merely trying the make sense of the fact that he wants to squeeze Tae's cheeks so bad, an urge he obviously never had before. And what are these fuzzies making him all warm inside?

"Jungkook I swear I did not cast any spell nor spike any drink of yours. You can cut the act now and focus on our assignment, please. I'd like to get my desk job back thank you very much."

Jungkook knows Taehyung is telling the truth, and when their prime suspect shows up in his field of view, he also remembers to catch the sly hand before it wraps around the other's middle, earning him stunned looks from the both of them. "There, there, Jaewon. Were you never taught not to touch what was not yours?"

"And who the fuck are you?" The intruder seems in no mood for civilities, which gives the vampire a good reason to twist his arm behind his back, unfazed by the yell which merely grabs the microattention of a few onlookers who quickly pretend blindness before going about their business.

"That'd be Mister Jeon to you. And by the way, Taehyung won't be wearing a skirt to your lame rooftop party because he won't be attending. Now get moving. We have an artifact to collect."

"Can you go easy on him? He looks to be in a lot of pain," Taehyung points out, a little worried.

"Sweetheart, I'm having major deja vus right now and trust me when I tell you that I'm not liking what I see. Not one bit."

"Dejavus? What do you mean?" Taehyung's eyes do that thing where they blink wide in precious puzzlement.

"We've been here before. And it doesn't end well." Jungkook hates himself for not having chosen his words more carefully as he watches the gaze twitch in anxiety.

"I have no idea what's going on, and it's freaking me out how — different you are, and how you seem to be aware of a lot of stuff. How — how could you possibly have known about the skirt? I admit we had looked at costumes online but I never mentioned it to anyone. And now you saying it doesn't end well — what does that even mean? I die or what?"

"Not you, pumpkin." And to be fair, this whole seeing-the-future thing is also starting to freak Jungkook out because clearly, no one enjoys witnessing their demise.

His panic, however, is not reflected in the sturdy gaze he receives. "No one will die. Not on my watch." And Jungkook be damned he could kiss the stunningly when-did-he-become-so fearless witch right now.

"Move," he orders their hostage instead, showing off this fangs to get his point across.

The transaction is swift but the two teammates snap a few shots of the unidentified vendor who deserves a whole investigation in itself because "goodness gracious, Jungkook! Do you know what this is?"

"A fresh water dragon, should you ever decide to rise it from its slumber." The vampire smiles at yet another baffled expression and reckons he's going to witness many more of those from now on.

"So, almighty teethy wizard who foresees a lot of things, what is the plan?" Taehyung's tone may be cheery, his grin is a little bent, tense.

"We escort the suspect back to base, proceed with his interrogation. We should be able to prize out valuable intel regarding his real employers. We also need to dispatch a team to search his apartment."

"Understood." Taehyung has his board out alright when Jungkook reaches for his arm, pressing gently to bring him close enough to whisper, "get in touch with your sister. She is the key."

╱╲╱╳╲╱╲

Namjoon does that thing with his index finger, swiping it along his bottom lip to ground himself while his mind fleets from hypotheses to conclusions. "Your hunch — if that's what it is — was correct, Jungkook. We found the offerings at his penthouse."

"Did you recover the gun?"

"Yes. It is safe in the vault."

"And what about the bullets?"

"We retrieved them as well. Yoongi is looking into ways to dispose of them."

Jungkook lets his head drop, his eyes close. Could this be all there is to it? Will he not have to face the void at the end of death?

"We've got to investigate these visions of yours," Namjoon insists. "It could be a hidden talent that has just manifested."

"It is not the gift of foresight. These are memories, I tell you."

"Memories of events that have not yet happened?"

"I am aware it doesn't make any sense, but these are too detailed and precise to be premonitions." He turns to Taehyung who hasn't left his side despite Namjoon congratulating him on his successful assignment. Old Jungkook would have dismissed him with a snide remark, went "shoo!" or "good riddance!" New Jungkook just wants to hold his hand and keep it close to his heart. Place a few pecks on his golden knuckles. Lift Taehyung's palm to his cheek and let the heat spread... He clears his throat instead. "When is your sister getting here?"

"I understand I am needed?" Taehee walks in without bothering with formalities. At the sight of her brother, she stalls. Taehyung seems torn between his desire to hug her and the fear she might still hold a grudge against him. "Hey, Sis."

"Hey, Brother." She sighs, perhaps her way to stifle the small talk. Or the big talk. Save it for later, for more casual circumstances.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Namjoon is against wasting anyone's precious time. "Jungkook here has been seeing events he believes he's experienced before. And he's mentioned you as someone who could clue us in. Would you know what it's all about?"

"Would you first share with me the information you've collected so far?"

And so the telling — or retelling begins. The rooftop. Ash. Zul. Pest control. The Han river blast. The hideout. Jungkook leaves some details out but his ears turn red as he recalls soft skin bristling under his touch, short breaths gathering pace, warm blush all over Taehyung's form. He can barely look his way yet notices the bracelet still on the other's wrist.

"May I?" he asks, lifting his hands toward the witch's collar. "What?"

Everyone is confused. Of course they are. None of them witnessed his train of thought. "Around your neck is a spying device. I probably should have started with that, but I guess it all comes back to me in chronological order."

They are all even more baffled when Taehee claims to recognise the make. "You have shared a lot so it's only fair I let you in on what I know." The amulet is quickly disposed of before she goes off the record, mentioning state-funded projects to combine the arts of magic to scientific knowledge. "It's niche research but it has potential."

She realises Jungkook may have more to tell and gives him a nod. "What happens next?"

"I returned to headquarters. And nearly died. Again." His grimace indicates he is well aware of how ridiculously often he seems to suffer near-death experiences. For the almighty creature his makers wanted him to be, he finds it almost farcical, were it not for the fatal outcome of his misfortunes.

"Why would HQ be unsafe?" As far as safety is concerned, their boss is known for putting that of his staff above all else. Which explains why the idea of their offices turning hazardous has Namjoon look deeply troubled.

"They had a trap set up."

"What kind of trap?"

"It must have been some sort of bloody Helsing mine because it went off and the next minute I was fighting for my life in a cage."

"I thought these weapons had been made illegal." One could always count on Namjoon to keep track of such decisions.

"The High Court believes it is above the law." Taehee's tone leaves no room for doubt. Who knew such almighty enemy could be so swiftly identified? "The covens have suspected its members of abusing their position of power to force us into further hiding. Many, however, are claiming such times are over and we should fight for our place under the sun."

A stunned silence settles over her audience. If magical beings could walk freely among humans, be given similar rights, citizenship even, then organisations like SSB would no longer be required.

Namjoon is the first one to fully embrace the idea of early retirement. "Sounds like we may finally be getting some well-deserved time-off."

Yoongi is much less enthusiastic. "You do realise I can't have him without a purpose," he says, pointing at Jungkook whose focus shifts.

"I may have a new purpose already," the vampire manages to admit, with intent in his gaze as it traces the contours of Taehyung's eyes, nose, lips.

Disregarding the fluttering doe eyes full of fascination that dwell upon his moles, the caster thinks out loud. "You could always apply for human jobs. What are some skills you've picked up over the years? Or centuries I should say."

Jungkook finds Taehyung's obliviousness quite endearing. "I know how to lace a corset."

"Well. Given the current fashion trends, it doesn't sound like an expertise that would be in high demand."

His earnest comment earns him a chuckle, something Taehyung would have likely taken issue with before, but he doesn't seem to mind when Jungkook's fangy smile brightens his face like that. "Okay then, you could always set up a biting booth at local fairs. If our status is in fact legitimised, you won't have to hide those pretty ivories any longer."

"So you find my fangs pretty?"

"Pretty sharp and pretty white indeed, which, incidentally, makes me wonder what kind of dental care you've been receiving all these years."

Caught up in the comparisons of their respective health coverage, they fail to notice the dismayed stares upon them.

"What is going on between these two?" Taehee blinks, mesmerised by the tiny little hearts she swears are flickering in Jungkook's eyes.

"Who knows? This too is a brand-new development."

—

Sooooo..... I have been sitting on this chapter for months now because the plan was to include the epilogue. However, the wait has already been ridiculously long and I have absolutely no excuse for the delay except for the fact that I'm having the hardest time letting go of my characters. (I love them dearly.)

Also, I really want to hear your thoughts on this final twist. Who here saw this coming?!

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Thank you for reading ~♡