Work Text:
When a new witch moves into the woods of the Jeon pack, Jungkook’s father sends a team out to investigate.
Their territory is clearly scent marked, but witches can’t know that. They don’t have scent receptors like the wolves do.
If this witch is moving onto their pack lands, it’s because he isn’t from around the area and simply doesn’t know he’s breached their area. Still, the fact he’s encroached on their territory is enough to raise alarms.
Jungkook’s hatred for the witches holds no bars. His mother has been sick from magic poisoning ever since he was tall enough to reach up onto the kitchen table, and Jungkook has had to sit back and watch as she’s withered away for many years now.
The only good witch is a dead witch.
Having known of his hatred, his father sends a group to investigate and report back. They need to know the witch’s strengths and weaknesses if they’re going to defeat it.
Yoongi, Hoseok, Mingyu, and Yugyeom are sent out to spy on him, but when they come back, everyone is thoroughly confused.
“Well?”
“He’s, um, very.. eccentric?” Hoseok tries, his shoulders hunching up to his ears under the pack alpha’s scrutinizing gaze.
“Eccentric?” Alpha Jeon repeats in a confused drawl. “Explain yourselves!”
“Uh, he, uh, well,” Hoseok flounders, and Yoongi rolls his eyes and pushes him aside.
“Pack Alpha, if I may,” he intones loudly. “The witch is fucking weird. Like, borderline insane weird. He’s smaller than me and has bright purple hair. He looks and moves like a fucking fairy but we didn’t see any wings unless he’s concealing them. He’s tiny, stature wise, and his tastes are real gods awful whimsical,” Yoongi grimaces.
“Whimsical?” The pack alpha parrots, his eyebrows pinching together incredulously. He falls back slightly until he connects to his large leather chair and glances between the four of them. “Whimsical how , exactly?” He asks, voice bordering on something that sounds like he’s nervous to hear the answer.
“Uh, he was peeling garlic when we first got there,” Hoseok starts, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck nervously. “And he, uh, well, he kept asking if he could take their coats while he was peeling the outer layers?”
“What?” Alpha Jeon squeaks, a noise they rarely get to hear from their leader. He’s clearly befuddled, his scent not masking his surprise in the slightest.
“And he, uh, well, every time he set something up on the counter, he kept saying, ‘can you hold this, please?’ every single time. And, uh, when he was washing the dishes, he kept saying ‘it’s bath time!’ in a really excited voice,” Hoseok mutters.
“He also kept saying, ‘ouch,’ every time he dropped something,” Yugyeom shivers. “Pack Alpha, I think he’s crazy,” he squeaks.
Everyone was confused, including Jungkook.
But he wouldn’t be naive like the rest of their pack. He wouldn’t accept that the witch was harmless.
The only good witch was a dead witch.
So Jungkook began to watch him. Any time he had a free hour, he was stalking the woods around the witch’s set up house. Every night, he paced the treeline, listening for any little noise that may draw his suspicion.
But the witch never revealed himself to Jungkook.
At least not for the first two weeks.
Jungkook was scanning his surroundings when he heard a sharp, pained whine.
He snapped to attention, getting ready to burst out of the treeline to attack the witch if need be.
That’s when the front door opened and the witch scrambled outside and to his makeshift garden on the far left corner.
He dropped to a crouch and started digging around in the dirt, oblivious to the massive wolf creeping up behind him.
Jungkook was finally going to catch him in the act. This little charade he’d been putting on for the others was finally coming to an end.
He creeped up from behind, his hackles raised and teeth bared.
And then he paused dead in his tracks.
“Hi!” The tiny man gasped excitedly. Jungkook froze, his eyes sharpening at the outburst. The witch was facing away from him, and Jungkook was silent as he moved. The witch couldn’t be speaking to him.
“Oh, my gosh! Hi! I didn’t think you would come back! And you brought a friend!” The witch clapped his hands together and let out a happy little squeal, drawing further confusion from Jungkook.
He inched back into the treeline to watch the witch, his curiosity and suspicion ever apparent.
The witch rooted around for a moment, but then he stood and turned to the side, cradling something small in his cupped palms.
Jungkook was startled at the witch’s appearance.
He was beautiful. Whimsical was certainly a word Jungkook would use to describe him.
The witch was pale, his skin milky and features soft like buttercream. He had plush, pink lips, a delicately sloped nose, and round, excited eyes framed by long eyelashes. And his hair.. his hair was bright purple, slightly shimmery in the sunlight.
“Oh! Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t even ask if I could pick you up! I hope it’s not scary up here. You haven’t seen the world from this high up, I’m sure, but I promise it’s not scary! I won’t drop you, either! You’re safe with me!” The witch promised, bringing his hands towards his chest to ensure he didn’t drop whatever he was holding.
“I have just the thing for you! I promise all of your friends will love it! You’ll be the talk of the town!”
The witch hurriedly returned indoors, and Jungkook couldn’t help himself.
He crept alongside the witch’s home, peering through the windowsill on the corner of the house.
There, tucked in a little corner, the witch curled up under a plush pink blanket. He hunched over the desk, peering into a small, clear plastic container. The witch’s eyes were set in a focused, careful gaze, his bottom lip sucked into his mouth as he moved a paintbrush delicately across a small, circular object in his hands.
And Jungkook… Jungkook wanted to fucking scream.
Because the witch wasn’t doing anything dangerous.
No, he wasn’t doing anything deceitful or threatening.
He was painting the shell of a fucking garden snail.
With the determination of someone trying not to break the world’s most fragile piece of glass, he was drawing a star-filled sky on the outer shell of the snail’s body, marking it with tiny little brush strokes of yellow star smatterings.
It took nearly all of Jungkook’s will to back away from the witch’s tiny little home.
He sank back into the woods and glared daggers at the front door.
It couldn’t have been long, maybe ten minutes at most, before the front door opened and the little witch very cautiously walked back to the garden. He slowly lowered himself to the ground, uncaring of the dirt soiling his cream colored pants.
“You can come back whenever you want to, okay? And bring any of your friends. I’ll know it’s you since I painted your house so don’t worry! You can eat whatever you want in the garden, too! I can grow more, so let your friend know, okay?” The witch’s sweet and airy voice floated around as he leaned down to let the snails slither back into the soil.
Jungkook then realized the second snail had already been painted.
The witch was fucking branding them so he’d know which ones had visited his garden before.
He was treating them like guests. Snails. Like guests. Visiting his fucking home like they were old friends stopping by for coffee.
Jungkook listened as he spoke in low tones to offer his goodbye greetings, and then he watched the boy saunter back inside and move about cleaning up his paint station and capping the bottles.
“Oh, shoot! I have to bathe now,” the witch mumbled. Saying Jungkook was pissed off was an understatement. All past generations of alpha traits passed down to him for what? To listen to a witch talk to snails and himself.
Yugyeom was right. The witch is crazy.
“My bedsheets are yellow this time, so we’ll do yellow sleep clothes!” He chirped while his bath water filled.
Jungkook listened while he quickly bathed and tugged his clothes on, and then he wanted to toss himself off of the cliff side and into the raging sea.
Again, he couldn’t help but think the witch was crazy the second the opened his mouth again.
“We match!” He giggled as he climbed into bed. “Matching pajama party!” The witch burrowed further into his matching yellow blankets.
All the while, Jungkook listened as his breathing slowed and a light, soft snore followed after.
“The witch is insane,” Jungkook huffed as he threw himself into the chair across from his father’s desk.
“What?” His father sighed, eyeing him with frustration evident in his expression. He ran his hands down his face and leaned back in his own chair. “Son, I told you to stay away and let the other’s monitor him.”
“They weren’t monitoring well enough,” he gruffly informs him. “The witch is insane.”
“And what gives you that bright idea?” His father sighs for a second time.
“He’s over there playing with snails in his fully blooming garden!” Jungkook snidely responds.
“Is that some kind of sexual innuendo you kids are making up these days?” His father raises a quizzical brow at him, ignoring Jungkook’s disgusted frown.
“What? No, Appa!” He hisses, throwing his hands up in the air. “No, I meant, like, he’s literally out in his garden playing with garden snails. As in, he painted their shells so he’d recognize the repeat visitors. He’s really fucking strange!”
“Language, boy!” His father’s grouches back, his voice stern before it softens back out. “Son, I hate to say it, and I hate to entertain the idea myself, but have you considered that the witch is simply just that? A witch? Wanting to peacefully exist?”
“No,” Jungkook hastily snarls. “The only good witch is a dead witch!”
“We have to consider that this witch is amicable, son. I don’t like it either, but he has done nothing to pose a threat to us. We cannot just-”
“He’s trespassing on our pack lands!”
“What will you have me do, Jungkook? Kill him?” His father retorts, a carefully level expression on his face.
“Yes! We kill trespassers all the time! He is no different!” Jungkook spits the words out. He can tell at once that it's the wrong thing to say. His father’s lips pull into a thin line, and disappointment seeps into his eyes.
“Then you kill him, son,” he gestures lightly to him. “You’re right. We kill rogue and feral trespassers often. Especially when our territory is scent marked appropriately. The witch was born as the wrong species, so we should execute him for it. If he were a wolf, he would have known not to encroach on our land. He is no different. I’ll leave it to you to get rid of him,” he firmly acknowledges.
Jungkook’s resulting silence is suffocating.
He feels his shoulders drop with the terrible weight in his chest.
The witch is not a wolf. He cannot scent their borders, and he isn’t feral or a rogue purposely invading them. He isn’t stealing their resources or trying to harm their pack mates.
He shamefully averts his eyes until he hears his father sigh again.
“You understand now, pup? We cannot kill someone for simply being unaware. Ignorance does not forgive, but it cannot draw punishment if it’s experienced from good intentions,” he carefully tells him. Jungkook doesn’t have to look at him to know what soft expression lies on his face.
“The boy is young. There have been no reports of any ill intentions, and our scouts have said he spends the majority of his time gardening, painting, and making clothes. We are a peaceful pack, but the others around us, not so much. Witches are already hard to come by. A good witch, even more so. As long as he continues to be peaceful and does not engage in any dark magic, then we can allow him to exist alongside us,” his father nods, tapping his hand on his desk. “It’s important that we do not have a witch as an enemy. We know all too well how that can escalate into an unpleasant outcome,” he lowly murmurs, his scent swarming with remorseful sadness.
“I just don’t want him anywhere near you or Eomma,” Jungkook weakly argues, keeping his eyes lowered.
“I know, son. But we must keep peace. I can move you to the borders near his home if you insist on monitoring him, but you cannot continue to run yourself ragged. Do you understand?”
“I get it,” he mutters, accepting his father’s terms.
Though he doesn’t want to be any closer to the witch than necessary, Jungkook finds himself on patrol near the witch’s house from sunrise to sunset each day.
His father was right.
The witch spends the majority of his time gardening.
It grows every day, the boy venturing further and further out around his house to enlarge the mass of vegetables that he tends to.
Jungkook doesn’t even know why he insists on having such a large garden. Not when he barely ever even sees the witch eating.
If anything, the witch seems to neglect his own needs. More often than not does he catch him forgetting to eat. And when he does remember, it’s with a rushed “oh, shoot!” before he’s jumping up and grabbing something small from his kitchen.
Oftentimes, he only sees the witch snacking on cucumbers and carrots like some sort of rodent.
Perhaps it’s why he does the utterly ridiculous thing that he refuses to speak of.
Jungkook watches him for nearly two weeks, his annoyance growing by the day. The witch is small, but he barely eats enough to sustain himself, too lost in his ever growing daydreams and silly little habits.
He can’t be a vegetarian. Not when they’re already on the cusp of winter. Jungkook knows this garden can’t sustain him throughout the brunt of winter. Even if his greens can last the cold weather, he would be stupid to try it.
So Jungkook does something stupid.
Incredibly stupid.
Pathetic really.
He leaves it on the witch’s doorstep.
A basket, filled with carefully clothed deer meat that Jungkook had already skinned and sectioned. He even labeled each portion by which piece of the deer it came from.
The stupid little witch also didn’t wear appropriate clothing when he worked in the garden.
Amicable.
That’s what his father said they must be towards the witch. It’s the only reason he gifts the meat, and the gloves lined with the deer’s soft fur.
Which is absolutely, under no circumstances, never will be, a courting gift.
Jungkook adamantly tells himself this.
It’s not a courting gift.
Though if he were to propose courting to an omega, it would be an appropriate first gift to show his alpha were a strong, capable mate.
But it is not a courting gift. Not when it’s given to a lowly, seemingly insane, whimsical thing like this purple haired creature.
No. Definitely not a courting gift, he assures himself.
He tells no one of the satisfied, and quite prideful, rumble that moves through his body when he sees the witch’s reaction to finding the basket on his doorstep.
The witch is obviously confused when he first sees it.
He scans the woods around his house, cautious and wary as he reaches out a tiny hand towards the basket. Jungkook can barely see his fingertips under the abundance of fabric hanging from his shirt sleeve, a lilac color long-sleeved tunic many sizes too big for his smaller stature.
But when he uncovers the cloth and sees that it’s meat, his breath momentarily catches. Jungkook watches his brows pinch together, a plump pout forming on his lips as he looks around once more.
Jungkook knows he can’t see him. He has no idea where the meat came from, and yet, after a moment of hesitation, he cautiously picks the heavy basket up and struggles to carry it inside.
He sets it on the counter after a great deal of effort to lift it up, and Jungkook can’t help but sneak around to watch him through one of his large windowpanes.
The witch opens each piece of cloth in awe, his lips parting at some of the finer pieces of meat. Jungkook made sure the witch would have plenty of sections suitable for stew, and the boy seems to understand that.
Jungkook blames his mother’s passed down fragile heartstrings at the pride he feels when the little witch hugs a large piece of the clothed meat to his chest.
He’s clearly happy with what he’s been given.
Even the gloves, the witch cradles them like they’re made of glass. His fingertips brush the fur lined cuffs and the smile that falls upon his face is nothing short of blissful.
Jungkook expects to have another day watching the witch dig around elbow deep in the soil.
Instead, the witch spends his morning cutting up an abundance of potatoes, onions, herbs, and carrots. Jungkook observes him for over an hour as he readies his vegetables and builds a fire to prepare his dinner. He uses the large piece of meat that Jungkook watched him hug before, seasoning it how he likes before layering it into a large cast iron pot with his vegetables.
A stew then. A good choice, Jungkook thinks to himself. The witch will need his strength for winter. He needs to eat more.
Jungkook retreats once the little witch curls into a ball in his rocking chair, a book in one hand and a steaming cup of tea sitting on the side table. He doesn’t do this often. Most days he tends to keep himself busy, but today he seems to prefer to lounge.
He should. There’s no reason for the witch to spend so long working when he lives alone and feeds himself so little already.
Jungkook waits for a long time, finding himself lounging as well while the other boy reads.
Just before the sun begins to dip beyond the mountain peaks, Jungkook’s alpha snaps to attention when the witch’s front door creaks open.
He watches with bated breath as the basket is placed back on the front porch, covered in a light purple fabric atop.
Jungkook doesn't dare investigate it until he knows the witch is in the bath.
He waits for the tell-tale sound of the witch lowering himself into the water before the prods over to the waiting basket.
It smells like the stew coming from the house.
Hesitantly, Jungkook lightly takes the basket handle within his teeth and returns to the forest. He continues past the tree line and returns to the safety of his home before he shifts back into his human form and stares down at the basket.
He can’t sense anything devious coming from the basket, but still, he waits a few moments before reaching for the light purple fabric.
There’s a soft lavender scent coming from the cloth, something sweet but not over-saturated to where it bothers Jungkook’s instincts.
He wonders if it’s some sort of oil or incense that the witch uses, or if it somehow is his scent. He didn’t think the other would have a scent, but even humans give off some faint smells. Jungkook thinks it would be ridiculous if the witch who seems to drown himself in purple has a scent from a flower as bright as his lilac hair.
He removes the fabric, and his face slackens at the contents.
There’s a folded piece of paper tucked along the edge, but Jungkook falters at the rest.
The witch has packed him a hefty bowl of the stew he made, warm and mouth watering where it rests inside of a glass dish.
He’s also packed an abundance of herbs and vegetables. Jungkook can make out the thick bundles of sage, parsley, cilantro, and oregano. There’s a handful of green onions, dozens of small, vibrant tomatoes, and various sizes of potatoes. Somehow the witch managed to fit two heads of cabbages underneath it all.
Jungkook sits back into one of his kitchen chairs and frowns at the food. He hadn’t given the witch the meat with the intention of gaining anything in return. He had given it because the witch needed more nutrients. Besides, Jungkook works much too often to think about using all of these ingredients to cook. He’ll have to do something with all of it.
He takes a deep breath before he plucks the folded paper from the basket and opens it up.
The writing is a wispy cursive, because, of course, the whimsical fairy-like witch writes like he’s summoning some ancient sayings.
“Hi!
My name is Jimin!
I’m not sure why you left the meat and the gloves, but I appreciate them wholeheartedly. My hands get really cold while working in my garden, so I will make good use of them!
I thank you for the meat and would like it if you would take these vegetables with you in return. I have a very large garden and would love to share it with you. Feel free to come at any time! You can take any of the food that you would like as long as you don’t trample on any of my plants!
I hope that I have not disrespected you in any way by settling here. If I have, I apologize with all of my heart, and I can relocate if it is an inconvenience for you or your family.
If you have found me here, then I am certain you have realized by now that I am a witch. I promise that I am a good witch! I specialize in growth and connectivity! I assure you that I pose no threat to anyone and will take great care of your land and any wildlife in the surrounding area!
I hope that you allow me to continue living here, and I hope that one day you feel confident to introduce yourself to me!
Should that day come, then I am happy to host you for lunch or dinner! Bring your friends or family! I would love to make new friends!
Thank you for the gifts!
Park Jimin”
Jungkook’s chest felt like a ton of bricks had settled within his lungs.
The witch’s name was Park Jimin, and his real-life excitement seemed to bleed onto the page of words that he had written for Jungkook.
Jungkook, the wolf that wished him dead not one moon cycle ago.
Shame spread throughout his limbs, his stomach churning violently with his own disgrace.
It’s no wonder that his father chastised him for his rash decision to wish death on the witch. Jungkook hates the witches. He’s wary of them, and they have only ever brought his family pain and suffering.
But perhaps his father was right. He usually is.
Perhaps this witch was simply looking for somewhere to live. Somewhere where he could tend to his garden and his snails and his matching pajamas and bed sheets.
Perhaps this witch, this Park Jimin, was simply trying to exist.
Jungkook allowed himself to wallow in his self-pity, coming to terms with the harsh reality that he might have to admit that the witch means his pack no harm.
He thought of any other possible explanation for what he’s been witnessing, but each irrational thought came up short. He had no choice but to accept that he might have been wrong. That maybe, just maybe, this one witch might be a good one.
It didn’t take long for him to remove the purple cloth from the basket to replace it with one of his own. For some reason, it didn’t feel right not to return it.
Jungkook trudged through the light smattering of snow all the way to his father’s council room.
The few elders and hunters that were there seemed to eye the large basket with curiosity, some trying to scent the air to see what the lingering lavender scent was and who it belonged to.
His father must have picked up on his chagrin expression, and he very quietly asked if he could have the room to speak alone with Jungkook.
Once the room cleared, his father simply took a seat and gestured for Jungkook to come closer.
Jungkook unraveled his scarf and set it on the surface before taking a deep breath.
He carefully placed the basket on his desk and removed the cloth before taking a step back. His father examined its contents with curiosity like the others, but he seems to come to his own conclusion.
“The witch’s garden? How did you obtain this?” He asked, pulling out some of the herbs to smell them. “They are good quality.”
“I may have provided him with some meat and gloves to help tend to his garden,” Jungkook quietly admitted, his eyes glued to the ground in shame. He saw his father’s head snap up through his peripheral vision, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet his eyes. “It was not meant to be an exchange, but he returned the basket with vegetables. His name is Park Jimin, and he said that he is not dangerous, but specializes in growth and connectivity, whatever that means,” Jungkook explains.
“You have initiated courting with the witch?” His father asks, and this time it’s Jungkook’s head that snaps up, eyes wild.
“What? No, of course not, Appa!” He stepped forward in earnest to explain. “Of course not! I wouldn’t court a-a witch, Appa! He works in that stupid garden twenty-four seven and he doesn’t have gloves! And it’s almost wintertime! We live in the mountains, for god's sake! And he only eats vegetables from his garden! Vegetables that will not survive the snow and blizzards! It was not a courting gift! I was only trying to help the stupid witch so he would be less likely to freeze to death and starve because of how naive he is! It was just a deer and some gloves, that’s it!”
Jungkook’s father is silent in the wake of Jungkook’s urgent rambling, and he belatedly realizes that his own chest is heaving with how quickly his lungs are expanding. He wills it to calm, along with his bitter honey scent that has disbursed uncontrollably into the room around them.
“Son,” his father responds after nearly a full minute of silence. Jungkook doesn’t like the tone that he’s using. That careful, diplomatic voice that he tends to use when he’s about to school Jungkook in some fatherly, adult knowledge. “You do understand that it would not be.. unseemly,” he carefully chooses the word he wants to express. “.. for you to court the witch, right? It would not be a.. disappointment to your mother or I.. should you wish to court another species. Even if that species were a witch.”
Jungkook can’t help the way he hangs his head, afraid to meet his father’s eyes.
“Look at me, Jungkook,” his father softly orders, and Jungkook has no choice but to meet his gaze. “You understand, right? We would be proud of you regardless of your choice in mate, so long as they are good for you. You understand?” Jungkook has to force himself to nod his head, his breath coming in much too shaky to be believable.
“So, should your offering become a courting initiation, you do not have to explain that to me or anyone else. It holds whatever meaning that you would like it to. Understood?”
“Understood,” Jungkook responds despite the trembling in his voice.
“Good. Now, sit down,” he points at the chair across from his desk. Jungkook moves on autopilot to follow the order, and he waits for whatever is coming next. “I’ll admit that I am surprised to hear this witch-”
“Jimin,” Jungkook corrects him before he can think better of it. His father stares at him for a moment before he nods.
“Jimin,” he corrects himself. “I am surprised to hear that Jimin specializes in growth and connectivity.”
“Why?” Jungkook can’t help but ask. He’s curious, too. He’s never heard of this type of witch before.
“Well, it isn’t exactly a type of witch, per se. Most witches fall into a certain category. There’s healers or empaths or whatever other types. A witch that specializes in connectivity doesn’t necessarily have a role dictated by the type of their magic. They’re not bound by whatever type of witch they are.”
“I… don’t think I understand,” Jungkook quietly admits.
“Well, for instance, this garden of his,” his father begins to explain. “It’s not blizzard winter yet, but it is winter, Jungkook. Does it make sense to you that he has a fully prospering garden in the middle of the forest? You think we haven’t tried growing our own in the past?” He snorts. “Then this Jimin moves in and has a flourishing abundance of vegetables that tend to usually only thrive in summer months,” he points out, and maybe Jungkook should have come to this realization much sooner.
“So the growth is.. Well, he’s, Appa, he’s really strange,” Jungkook breathes out in a rush. “Like, really strange. He talks to the vegetables and his indoor succulents and the snails and the birds. The other day he said excuse me to a hawk that was on his porch, Appa. A hawk ,” he repeats in exasperation.
“He’s certainly strange,” his father muses, but it seems slightly fond. “Perhaps that is what he meant by connectivity. He seems to have a strong relationship with the Earth and its creatures, yes?”
“Is that not insane?” Jungkook quips, looking at his father to agree with him. But, of course, he gets back the same unimpressed deadpan stare that he himself has mastered. “Okay, so maybe not insane, but it’s strange!” He argues.
“Yes, it’s strange to us. But not to him, it seems.”
“Well, what now?” Jungkook huffs.
“Why are you asking me, son? You’re the one that’s courting him,” his father huffs back.
“I-I’m not!” Jungkook negates, snatching his scarf back from the desk and standing up. “Give the vegetables to some of the families in need. The ones with kids or something,” Jungkook mutters. “I’ll come back for the basket later,” he grouches, turning around to exit the building.
He tries to ignore his father’s knowing chuckles following after him.
If a set of glass vials and canisters ended up on the front porch of one Park Jimin the day after he spoke to his father, well, Jungkook had nothing to do with that.
Nothing at all.
And they most certainly were NOT a courting gift.
He watched from the tree line as the tiny witch gasped in glee, carefully but all too excitedly snatching the box of glass holders up to inspect them.
They weren’t anything special, but the shop owner blessedly assisted the buyer (not Jungkook) in coating each vial with a lavender shimmer dusting that matched the intensity of the witch’s hair. Then the shop owner glazed it again for good measure before giving it to the buyer (not Jungkook) to give to someone else as a gift (not a courting gift).
The witch skipped his morning routine in the garden again. Jungkook felt a little bad for distracting him from his duties, but the way that Jimin seemed to radiate with happiness made him quickly forget why.
Instead, he watched through the window as the witch very tediously used a grinder to turn his herbs into something he could store long term.
He labeled each one with a flourish of paint on the lids and lined them up to admire their craftiness. Jungkook had to admit that his alpha stirred with tortured arrogance at the sight.
If he spent the afternoon hand crafting a hanging set of shelves that the witch could put all of his herbs and spices on, well, that wasn’t anybody else’s business either.
With each gift that he placed upon Jimin’s porch, the little witch’s happiness seemed to make him glow.
He floated all over his house, talking to his plants and his vegetables and even his firewood. Whatever was there to listen, the witch happily chattered about how beautiful and thoughtful the gifts were.
Jungkook couldn’t help but wonder if the witch had ever been given any gifts at all before. With the way that he cherished even the smallest things, Jungkook thought it unlikely.
With each gift, the witch left something on his porch in return.
First it was a lavender candle that Jungkook had watched the little witch make just for him. The scrawl on the note was just as beautiful as the blinding smile he got when Jimin found the soft purple scarf folded on the porch railing. “For relaxation and stress relief!” The note from the candle read.
Then it was a fresh loaf of baked sourdough bread. Then a jar of spicy pickles made from the cucumbers in Jimin’s garden. Then an entire basket of vegetables again.
Whatever Jungkook gave the witch, he always returned Jungkook with a meaningful gift to show his appreciation.
Jungkook hadn’t meant to reveal himself to Jimin, despite his father’s constant nagging to bring his “potential mate” to the pack so they could meet.
He hadn’t meant to reveal himself at all.
But it all came to a head when he heard the pained yelp from the little witch’s lips.
“Jimin!” He practically yelled, his alpha frantic and snarling.
He didn’t consider that the witch had no idea who he was.
Jungkook shifted and ran in a full sprint to where the witch was sitting on his rear end in the soil of his garden.
“What happened?” He prompted in panic, eying him all over. He brushed his hands down Jimin’s lavender hair and over his shoulders, inspecting each of his arms before continuing down his waist and to his legs. The witch gasped when Jungkook’s fingers touched his ankle, nearly jerking it away at the pain. “You’re injured! What happened, Jimin?” He asked again, his voice rising significantly.
He picked the witch up and carried him all the way to his porch, settling him in his lap as he sat in one of the porch chairs.
Jimin whimpered as Jungkook lifted his foot closer towards him, and Jungkook immediately hushed him, apologizing for causing him further pain.
“What happened? Did you fall? Do you have ice?”
“I-I fell over,” the little witch sniffles, and gods help him, he had the sweetest voice when directed at Jungkook.
“You poor thing,” Jungkook sighs, cradling his ankle in a soft hold. “You need to rest it.”
“I-I will. I’m sorry,” he sniffles again, and Jungkook wants to toss himself off of the cliffside once more.
“No! No, Jimin, what are you sorry for? What are you even saying? You did nothing wrong!” Jungkook rambles, his alpha insulted at Jimin feeling the need to apologize.
“I didn’t mean to fall, but the-the bunnies were eating my carrots, and I was trying to give some to one of the smaller ones, but he was too far away,” the witch’s breath shudders as he explains, and it’s the most pitiful, gut-wrenching sight that Jungkook’s ever seen. Even the time he watched one of his pack mates get nearly mauled to death by a bear isn’t as upsetting as seeing Jimin crying over a sad, hungry rabbit. “And you know the bunnies aren’t as nice to the s-smaller ones-”
“Actually, no, I wasn’t aware of that,” Jungkook interrupts, his voice genuinely surprised that rabbits push out the smallest of their cohorts.
“-Because they think they’re the weak links but it’s really not their fault that they were born small,” Jimin continues, wiping at his steadily falling tears.
“You precious thing,” Jungkook sighs again, pulling Jimin further into his chest. He wipes at the tears with his palms and the witch holds steady while he cleans him up, occasionally whining at the throbbing in his ankle. “The bunnies can surely survive without you for a bit. Let’s get you inside so you can prop this up,” he huffs, picking the little witch up.
“You need to eat more. Why haven’t you gained any weight? I’ve seen you eating the deer,” Jungkook wonders aloud, and Jimin hides his face in Jungkook’s collarbone while he sets him on his kitchen table.
“M’small,” the little witch whines in frustration.
“Yes, just like the bunnies,” Jungkook muses, earning a short, pained laugh from the witch. At least he thinks Jungkook’s jokes are funny.
“Wait a fucking minute,” Jungkook draws up short, his entire body going taut with tension. He whirls around and stares at Jimin with wide eyes. “Why are you just letting me in here? We’ve never even met!” He exclaims, and the witch has the audacity to look like a drowning cat at Jungkook’s accusing gaze.
“I-I know who you are,” he bashfully whispers.
“No, you don’t,” Jungkook adamantly shakes his head. “We’ve never met, and I’ve never revealed myself to you.”
“My plants told me,” Jimin mumbles, chewing on his bottom lip.
“Your what?” Jungkook squawks.
“My plants told me, okay?!” Jimin whisper-yells. “Please don’t make a big deal about it! I know it’s weird!”
“What?” Jungkook repeats dumbly, only sobering up at Jimin’s pained expression. “Hey, it’s okay,” he softens, approaching to take the little witch in his arms once more. Jimin melts against him, turning his head so he can rest against Jungkook’s chest.
“Don’t make fun of me,” he sniffles, making Jungkook’s heart plummet into the pits of hell.
“No,” he whispers as he starts rubbing Jimin’s back. “Hey, no, I wasn’t making fun of you. I was just surprised is all. Okay?”
“Everybody makes fun of me,” the witch whispers into Jungkook’s shoulder. “I know it’s weird.”
“No,” Jungkook pulls away to cradle Jimin’s face in his palms. “No, it’s not weird. You’re not weird. Don’t say that.”
“But everybody thinks it,” Jimin deflates, staring up at Jungkook with big, shiny eyes. “Even the other witches think I’m weird.”
“Screw them,” Jungkook earnestly responds. “They don’t matter, alright? There’s nothing wrong with you. Do you understand?”
“I-I guess so,” the witch sniffles.
“And I know so. Now back to what I was saying. What do you mean you know who I am?”
“Well, I’m a witch,” Jimin whispers up at him. “And I have wards around the house to keep away people that’ll hurt me. But the plants told me when you came here. Or, well, they said there was a big wolf following me around. And then after a little while they told me that you were Jungkook and you were nice, so I just left you be.”
“You knew I was here? Wait, you knew I was here the entire time?”
“Yeah,” Jimin nods shakily. “But you were nice and started bringing me stuff. And my sunflowers said you were courting me, but I told them that was just silly,” the witch giggles, but it cuts off abruptly when Jungkook doesn’t deny it. “Wait, are you courting me?” He squeaks, and Jungkook averts his gaze immediately.
“I mean I wasn’t at first,” he nervously answers, floundering for literally any excuse that he can find. “I mean, I could be?” He tries again, snapping his head up when the witch starts giggling again.
“Are you? That would be really nice if you were. They were all such thoughtful courting gifts if they were!”
“Yeah, yes!” Jungkook immediately responds, much louder than intended. He puffs his chest out, full of pride at Jimin’s revelation. “Yes, I was courting you. They were meant as courting gifts,” he firmly declares.
“That is so sweet,” Jimin sniffles again, and Jungkook softens when he sees how emotional the little witch is. “I’ve never been courted before,” he admits, and Jungkook can only nod.
“Now you are, so.. tell your plants to spread the word so nobody else comes looking after you, alright?” Jungkook scoffs, but Jimin only giggles and leans into his chest. Jungkook can’t help the smile that builds on his face either.
Jungkook can’t help his alpha instincts taking over for the rest of the afternoon.
He manages to help Jimin into the bathroom so he can bathe and rid himself of the dirt from his garden, and then he cooks him a hearty meal, full of meat despite Jimin’s protesting of how heavy he’ll feel later on.
Somehow, they end up with Jimin back in his lap, the little witch’s foot propped up on a couch pillow and wrapped in a thick bandage to help with the swelling.
And if Jimin’s tongue ends up messily entwined with his own, then nobody but the plants have to know.
“Oh no!” Jimin exclaims as he pulls away from Jungkook’s lips.
“What?” Jungkook’s alpha flares to life. “What? What’s wrong?”
“Where is his hat?” He asks, pointing at the little teapot sitting on the end table next to the couch.
Jungkook only has to look at it once to understand.
His strange little witch pouts at the missing teapot lid with palpable worry.
“His hat is missing,” he frowns, glancing around the room.
“I’ll find his hat for you tomorrow, little witch,” Jungkook sighs, placing another firm kiss on his lips.
“Well, you’ll have to, ‘cause you know that pots get anxious without their hats. The teapot can’t even whistle without it,” Jimin’s voice wobbles.
“No, baby. I didn’t know that,” Jungkook smiles up at him.
A strange little witch indeed.