The bus lumbers over a series of potholes, then squeals to a stop, rudely jostling Taehyung from his almost-nap. He groans--or does whatever the fox equivalent of a groan is--and stretches his legs out before flopping back down on Jimin’s warm shoulder. Jimin reaches up, flicking him in the ear without looking. Taehyung viciously snaps at the retreating fingers, because Jimin is an .

 

“Why are you always so mean to me?” he whines.

 

Various humans shuffle around them as they climb on and off, the bus swaying when it pulls back into traffic. Jimin turns the page of his book and cracks a tiny smile.

 

I’m not mean to you, you’re just a giant, furry baby.

 

Taehyung scoffs, affronted, ears pinned back in distaste. “I’m like, five thousand years old, dude.”

 

And yet you talk like a hyperactive frat boy.

 

“If I talk like a hyperactive...whatever, it’s because I’ve spent too much time around you and your dumb friends.”

 

Your face is dumb.

 

“My face is ing flawless, okay.”

 

Jimin snorts, looking around to make sure no humans are watching when he reaches up again to scratch at Taehyung’s head. He smiles and leans into the touch. “Now that’s more like it.”

 

Don’t get used to it, Jimin grumbles, letting his hand drop. Taehyung misses the attention already.

 

“I know you love me,” he sighs.

 

Do not.

 

“Da Nile ain’t just a river in Egypt, my friend.”

 

Snapping the book shut, Jimin pinches the bridge of his nose. Jesus, I never should’ve let you hang out with Seokjin.

 

Taehyung sniffs primly. “Seokjin is delightful. You’re just jealous that I like him more than you.”

 

You’re my familiar, aren’t you supposed to be loyal or something?

 

But Taehyung doesn’t answer, his fur suddenly bristling with the unpleasant sensation of being watched by someone who’s not supposed to know he exists. A quick scan of the humans around them reveals a young man across the aisle and a few seats to the left--eyebrows raised and furrowed in what Taehyung imagines to be a combination of concern for one’s sanity and why-the--is-there-a-fox-on-the-bus. He clears his throat.

 

“Uh, Jimin?”

 

Jimin hums absently, now scrolling through the messages on his phone.

 

“I’m being stared at,” he whispers.

 

They’re probably just looking out the window.

 

“No.” Taehyung’s mouth pulls into a frown. “No that’s...definitely not what he’s doing.”

 

Because there’s a difference when someone is staring through him, and he can’t imagine anyone would be all that upset about the dry cleaners they just passed. Although what does Taehyung know? Maybe this guy really hates freshly pressed shirts.

 

Lifting his head, Jimin finds the young man easily, looks him over lightning quick, and returns to his phone. He has to admit that the kid’s getting better at this.

 

Is he magical? Jimin asks, his small fingers twitching against the book in his lap, like he’s expecting the worst. Not that Taehyung blames him. They’ve been in a scuffle or two since they were Fated.

 

More like two dozen, Jimin corrects him dryly. Taehyung flicks his bushy tail and bops his charge in the face, making him sputter.

 

“What did I say about reading my thoughts?”

 

Ugh, you got fur in my mouth, you jerk.

 

He huffs and rolls his eyes, concentrating on their surroundings instead. Taehyung doesn’t sense anything out of the ordinary, though, just the low-level crackle of life coming from every person on the bus; Jimin’s higher frequency energy, his distinct scent. Lavender and salt water and the cinnamon cookies Seokjin always made when Jimin was a boy.

 

Except there’s nothing from their strange new friend. Very curious. Curious and exciting.

 

“Not getting any special vibes from this one.”

 

Weird, Jimin thinks, fingers relaxing.

 

“Understatement of the millennium,” Taehyung murmurs, mostly to himself. He racks his five-thousand year old brain for a memory he might not even have; can’t remember if a non-magical human has ever been able to See without assistance or permission. It’s been decades since Taehyung didn’t have an explanation for anything and the prospect of a new discovery ripples through him like an electric current.

 

The young man seems to grasp then that the fox on the bus is actually staring back at him, his expression contorting hilariously as he ducks his head--so fast that Taehyung’s surprised it doesn’t snap right off. He chuckles. Humans.

 

“So, do you think we should tell Hoseok?”

 

Jimin spares him an incredulous glance. You’re asking me?

 

“You’re still in training.” He arches one of his non-existent fox eyebrows. “Or did you forget that part?”

 

Scowling, Jimin slouches against the seat and pokes at his phone sullenly. Then I guess we should tell Hoseok, he replies, the thought entering Taehyung’s mind as a reluctant mumble.

 

“A little more conviction next time, please,” Taehyung sighs.

 

But Jimin ignores him in favor of checking his Facebook feed.

 

What am I gonna do with you? he muses, watching trees blur past them and then come into focus as the bus pauses at another stop, bright city sounds pouring in through the open doors with a handful of passengers. Taehyung briefly wonders what Hoseok will even make of this situation and turns to check on their anomalous friend, jumping at the same time Jimin goes tense, because the impossibly tall and gangly manboy is standing right in front of them and how the hell did he not notice that?

 

The bus lurches forward. Tall and Gangly almost falls over. Jimin twirls his fingers and Taehyung follows the shimmer of magic that floats through the air to wrap around the guy’s wrist, holding him steady.

 

“Um, sorry if I startled you,” Tall and Gangly laughs in a rush. He regains his balance and all but trips into the next seat, wearing a nervous smile, twin dimples indenting his cheeks. “Is it cool if I sit here?”

 

“Not my bus,” Jimin smiles back, looking a bit shell-shocked, honestly, but Taehyung himself is ecstatic.

 

Tall and Gangly laughs again, fidgeting with the backpack in his arms and not-quite making eye contact. Taehyung squints at him. Upon closer inspection, he appears to be an average college kid--vaguely put together, but mostly just a mess. The constant repositioning of his limbs makes Taehyung think “mess” is perhaps more accurate than he realizes.

 

“So, like, I know this is probably really insensitive and that I’m about to make an out of myself, but are you--” Tall and Gangly stops, gesturing randomly with his giant hands and throwing them both a hesitant look. “Are you-- y’know?”

 

Taehyung almost cackles. Oh, this is fantastic.

 

“Am I…?” Jimin prompts. He seems anxious, the way he keeps picking at the chipped edge of his phone case, and Taehyung doesn’t know how to translate the light in his eyes.

 

“You’re really gonna make me say it?” the young man asks, brows raised so high they’ve hidden themselves under the swoop of his platinum bangs.

 

Jimin nods. “I really am.”

 

Sliding a hand down his face, Tall and Gangly giggles wildly. “God, I can’t believe these words are about to come out of my mouth.”

 

“Do you want me to bite him?” Taehyung asks.

 

No, shut up, Jimin hisses at the same time Tall and Gangly goes wide-eyed and frowns.

 

“Whoa, hey, bite me? That’s rude.”

 

The world itself grinds to a halt.

 

“Hold the up, you can hear me?” Taehyung asks, scrambling out of the gap between the seats and the window.

 

Tall and Gangly’s eyebrows collide. “Yes?”

 

He hops down onto Jimin’s lap and sticks his nose in the kid’s face. “What are you and where did you come from?” he blurts.

 

“I’m-- M-my name is Namjoon? I’m from upstate New York.”

 

A beat passes. Taehyung’s ribcage expands and contracts with each panting breath. Namjoon stares at him, stock still and totally bewildered, and Taehyung has to admit that he’s right there with him. This is fantastic and crazy.

 

“Taehyung,” Jimin calls softly, fingers over his tail.

 

“What?”

 

“You can unpuff.”

 

“But what is he?” Taehyung whines. If he had hands right now, he’d be tearing at his own freakin’ hair, because none of this makes any sense no matter how incredible it is.

 

“Just...ignore him,” Jimin laughs, unsteady, and drags Taehyung away from the impossible human--one hand petting his head and the other reaching out. “I’m Jimin.”

 

Namjoon looks like he’s afraid Taehyung might really bite him anyway, but reaches his own hand out despite this. Only, the instant their fingers meet, there’s this faint spark of something in the air that he probably would’ve missed if he hadn’t been paying attention. If he hadn’t been looking when Jimin and Namjoon flinched ever-so-slightly at the contact before they withdrew, both of them rubbing their palms against their legs.

 

This plot, Taehyung thinks, is getting mighty thick.

 

“So, are you gonna answer my question?” Namjoon shifts in his seat, scratching at the back of his head. “Or am I just having a seriously ed up dream?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Yes is the answer to your question,” Jimin clarifies, lips twitching. “The, um, the first one.”

 

“Oh,” Namjoon sighs. “That’s cool. I’ve never met a-- magical person before.”

 

Taehyung snorts. At least that sounds less stupid than sorceror. It didn’t, back in the day, but times have definitely changed.

 

Above him, Jimin hums in thought. “Really? You’ve never noticed other familiars?”

 

“Uh…” Namjoon peers up at the ceiling for a few seconds and then drops his head. “No. You’re the first. Is that-- is that weird or something?”

 

On the one hand, Taehyung is really proud of Jimin for asking the right things without his help. On the other, this is officially freaking him out.

 

“This is officially freaking me out,” he announces. Taehyung hops onto the floor, pacing the three feet of space available to him. They really, really need to talk to Hoseok.

 

“Why is he freaking out?” he hears Namjoon ask.

 

“According to magical law, you’re not supposed to be able to see him. Or hear him. Not unless he wants you to,” Jimin answers.

 

“Huh.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

They go quiet after that, but Taehyung hardly notices, his mind whizzing in every direction. Untapped magical abilities? Possible. Latent powers aren’t unheard of. Possession is unlikely, because he would’ve been able to smell his own kind. Maybe the kid stumbled upon some old as talisman. Maybe he’s been cursed. , that doesn’t explain why I’m the only one he’s Seen.

 

Taehyung dodges a human walking down the aisle and then freezes, turning to stare at Namjoon. “Did you feel it?”

 

Namjoon frowns again, confused. “Did I feel what?”

 

“When Jimin saved your uncoordinated ,” he retorts.

 

Jimin coughs into his fist and smiles in a way Taehyung thinks is probably mortification, and that’s also new, but now probably isn’t the time to make fun of him for it. He can do that later.

 

“Tae means the little tug on your wrist,” Jimin explains shyly.

 

At this point, he has to wonder if Namjoon’s eyebrows are going to remain permanently fused together, the look of concentration on his face so intense that it almost hurts to watch.

 

“It all happened pretty fast, but yeah, I guess I did,” Namjoon murmurs eventually. Then he exhales a dry laugh and shrugs, giving the back of his head another scratch. “I’m used to my body doing dumb things, though.”

 

“Freaking. Me. Out,” Taehyung sing-songs.

 

“Why? What does that mean?”

 

Jimin shrugs too. “I don’t know.”

 

“It means you’re giving Jimin your phone number, so we can find you once we have more information.”

 

“What.” Namjoon blinks. “I mean, right. Yeah. That’s--” He swallows another laugh. “Logical.”

 

When nothing happens in the next five seconds, just twin expressions of mild horror, Taehyung starts to wish he was in his human form, because he desperately wants to bury his face in his hands. Instead, he headbutts Jimin’s leg, which spurs him into action, and he fumbles with his phone.

 

“Here.”

 

Namjoon flashes him a timid smile. “Thanks.”

 

They’re both careful not to let their fingers touch again. And that’s very interesting. Even if he has no idea what it means. Taehyung figures their lives would be made a billion times easier if Namjoon came with them to meet Hoseok, but abducting people in broad daylight is a lot harder than it used to be.

 

“This must be pretty strange for you,” he hears Jimin say quietly.

 

“Life is pretty strange in general,” Namjoon murmurs in response, which makes Jimin hiccup out a laugh.

 

“True.”

 

Straightening, Namjoon hands the phone back, grin big and sunshiney.

 

“It’s not every day I get to meet a swearing fox.”

 

Taehyung sees the gears in Jimin’s brain go into overdrive the second those words leave Namjoon’s mouth and he’s quick to offer a wrench.

 

“Don’t even go there, Jimin,” he warns.

 

Jimin scowls. He already knows you’re real, what’s the harm?

 

You have no idea what we’re dealing with and neither do I. Understand?

 

The scowl melts away and Jimin nods, chastened.

 

“Can you communicate telepathically?” Namjoon asks, a note of wonder in his voice that Taehyung wants to squish with his stupid fox paws when Jimin’s face illuminates and he gives another nod. “What else can you do?”

 

“Lots of things.”

 

“Jimin,” Taehyung almost growls.

 

“Chill out, Tae.” Jimin pockets his phone and scootches an inch closer to Namjoon, but still leaves space. “This counts as practical.”

 

He knows what this is and that is not it. “Practical, my left nut.”

 

Jimin isn’t listening anymore. Taehyung sighs, resigned.

 

Luckily, his charge sticks mostly to parlor tricks, not that Namjoon would know the difference, and Taehyung does his best to shield them from about thirty pairs of non-magical eyes. The thing is, it’s hard not to be at least a little self-satisfied in response to the light coming from Jimin he knows as joy. Joy when Jimin makes things levitate or rearranges the words on one of the cheesy advertisements, drawing sounds of amusement from Namjoon that Taehyung can’t not smile at. Joy when he changes the color of someone’s socks or extends his reach outside of the bus to make peaches grow from the maple tree across the street. And joy when he puts a galaxy in the palm of his hand and watches Namjoon’s face glitter back at him.

 

There’s a lot that hasn’t been discussed yet, in terms of Jimin’s future, and it kills Taehyung to watch him awkwardly flirt with the anomalous boy on the bus, because futures are often fickle things. It also kills him to break the spell, because their plans have changed for today and they need to get off at the next stop.

 

Jimin.

 

He sees Jimin’s lips wilt at the corners. The galaxy swirls in on itself and disappears. Namjoon is still glittering, but Jimin has gone dark, and Taehyung vows to make it up to him later.

 

“Sorry to spoil the fun,” he says, swishing his tail, so ing ready to get out of this tiny fur suit. “However, we’ve gotta run and I’m not sure why that rhymed, but we’ll be seeing you again in good time.”

 

Namjoon’s eyebrows shoot up and he looks like he’s about to dissolve into laughter, which is great, because for a second there Taehyung kind of felt like a loser.

 

“I’ll text you,” Jimin tells him, picking his bag up from the floor as the bus squeals and slows down.

 

“Thank you, again, that--” Namjoon does laugh, dimples firmly rooted in his cheeks. “That was awesome.”

 

Jimin blushes and chews on his lip and Taehyung rolls his eyes, herding him out the back door.

 

“Stay out of trouble, kid!” he calls. Namjoon waves.

 

They shuffle off the bus and Taehyung darts as fast as he can towards the closest alley between apartment buildings, taking cover behind a dumpster so he can shift. He groans for real now, his body growing and filling out, muscles stretching over bone. As much as he likes to talk , Taehyung always did love being human the most.

 

Jimin groans behind him, but this is in disappointment and not relief.

 

“I hate it when you’re taller than me.”

 

Taehyung chuckles. “Life’s a ,” he grins and then pauses. “Well, unless you’re me, obviously.”

 

All he gets for that is a mild glare, Jimin pulling his phone out again--the pout and the glare instantly traded for a secretive smile that blooms wider with each passing second. Taehyung knows that smile.

 

“Why do you look like you ate the sun?” he asks, flexing his fingers, changing his clothes with a delicate flick of the wrist. Jimin doesn’t even look up.

 

“No reason.”

 

“Bull,” Taehyung replies, moving closer. “Let me see.”

 

For a minute, he thinks Jimin is going to resist, but he just heaves a sigh and shoves the phone in his face.

 

Namjoon the Buffoon

[Sent: May 15 1:36PM]

I’m assuming I can’t call you

Harry Potter

 

[Sent: May 15 1:37PM]

Absolutely not

 

Namjoon the Buffoon

[Sent: May 15 1:37PM]

What about Gandalf, can I

call you Gandalf?

 

“Did he seriously enter his contact as Namjoon the Buffoon?” Taehyung mutters.

 

Jimin scoffs. “Like I would?”

 

“Yeahhh, he’s a keeper,” he drawls, clapping Jimin on the shoulder. “C’mon, enough flirting, we’ve got a date with His Majesty.”

 

“Right now?”

 

Taehyung’s hands go straight to his hips. Sometimes he really feels like a mother hen and it’s the weirdest ing thing.

 

“Yes, right now. We need answers, Jimin.”

 

“We always need answers,” Jimin grumbles, the pout right back where it was. “When do I actually get to do anything?”

 

“Hey. Patience, okay? This is a process.”

 

“Yeah. I know.”

 

The tone of his voice is so soft and vaguely despondent that it goes straight to Taehyung’s ancient, withered heart and he loops his arm around Jimin’s shoulder, holding him tight, rubbing his arm. Their energy mingles. He lets it ground him.

 

“Listen…” Taehyung starts, voice just as soft. “You’ve got the kind of raw talent that only comes around once every thousand years, kid. What you don’t have yet, is the discipline. But we’re getting there. And I’m gonna be with you every step of the way. Even the horribly ty steps.”

 

Jimin cracks a smile. “Okay.”

 

He squeezes him once and lets go. It’s not that Taehyung’s allergic to feelings. It’s that when he opens that door, it’s an all or nothing deal and he can’t close it, so he has to be careful with the mushy stuff. Jimin gets it. Plus they’re both a little emotionally constipated, anyway.

 

“Ready?” he asks, beaming. He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet, but his charge can’t muster the same brand of enthusiasm, another scowl marring his otherwise adorable face.

 

“No, this part is the worst.”

 

Taehyung raises his eyebrows. “Are you ing kidding? This is the best part.”

 

He holds out his hands and Jimin takes them, already grimacing.

 

“Why is this my life?” Jimin mumbles, clenching his eyes shut.

 

Taehyung can only throw his head back and release a delirious shriek of laughter as the fabric of reality rips away and sends them plummeting through time and space.