Eyes locked with Kim Taehyung, Jungkook felt his mind racing a million miles a minute. Everything in him screamed to run away, put as much distance between himself and this guy as possible. For all the friendly airs he put on, Taehyung seemed to be anything but. What was he talking about, anyway? Jungkook had never knowingly stolen in his life, and, last he’d checked, nothing he had belonged to anyone else. Nothing, perhaps, except…

As the thought crossed his mind, Taehyung’s crystalline orbs dropped to the bag slung over Jungkook’s shoulder. Before the younger could protest, Taehyung’s large hand in turn dropped to the zipper, yanking it open to reach inside.

“H-hey!” Jungkook yelped, heart racing in his chest as the other fished around. A moment later his face lit up, and he pulled out… the book Jungkook had found in the library. Taehyung dusted it off and grinned.

“There you are,” he cooed, like the leather-bound monstrosity was some kind of long lost pet. He cast a scolding look at Jungkook. “This is a mint condition first print of Saga volume one, you know! Not some textbook you just shove in your bag!”

“Wh-wha…” Jungkook asked intelligently. Taehyung jabbed a finger in his direction.

“Even if it isn’t someone else’s, you should do a better job taking care of these things!”

“But, th-that’s not a comic book…” Jungkook told him meekly. Taehyung seemed to do a double take, and it was so comical Jungkook might have laughed if he wasn’t more than a little bit terrified.

“What did you say?” he demanded, leaning into Jungkook’s space again. The raven-haired boy balked, pointing at the book in question.

“That’s definitely not a copy of Saga.” A deathly stillness reigned for a moment as Taehyung seemed to scrutinize him and Jungkook tried not to sweat under his gaze.

“Yup, you’re right!” he announced finally, making Jungkook flinch.

“Huh? I am?” Taehyung chuckled and leaned back.

“You’re right, it’s not Saga. Not to us, anyway.” Nope, Jungkook was even more confused than before. Taehyung seemed to sense his befuddlement. “It’s hard to explain here. Just come on. Namjoon will explain everything, I promise.”

“Namjoon?” Jungkook wondered. Taehyung nodded eagerly.

“Our leader. If you come with me, he’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“What? No!” Jungkook snapped, backing away again. Clearly, this guy was crazy. “I’m not going anywhere with you! What is he the leader of, anyway? Your freaky cult? No thanks, I’m good!” Clutching the strap of his bag, Jungkook turned back in the direction of the library, intending to take a very, very circuitous route to his dorm so the weirdo couldn’t follow him.

“He can tell you about the things that keep happening to you. The random spikes in energy, the humming in your blood aching to break loose, even now.” Jungkook stopped a few feet away, looking over his shoulder. Taehyung’s earlier pretenses of friendliness had vanished. Now, he fixed Jungkook with an intensely serious stare. “You want to know what’s happening to you? Come with me.”

“I still can’t believe you sent Tae. He’s as likely to scare the kid off as get him to come with us.”

“Have a little faith, would you Yoongi?”

“Someone has to be the voice of reason since Namjoon’s apparently lost his.”

“More like the voice of pessimism.”

“Shut up, Hoseok!”

“No,” Namjoon cut in tersely, “both of you be quiet. Taehyung will bring him. Just wait.” Both boys fell silent, looking at each other with more than a little skepticism. Luckily, they only had to wait a few moments before the sound of the door opening, then closing, echoed down the hall.

“We’re here!” Taehyung’s cheerful voice preceded the entry of himself and a younger boy with inky hair and wide eyes, who was glancing around the room in a mix of terror and perhaps a bit of relief as Taehyung’s hand on his shoulder guided him in.

“Jeon Jungkook?” Namjoon asked. After Taehyung gave his shoulder a squeeze, the boy nodded. Namjoon stood, offering his hand to Jungkook who shook it hesitantly. “I’m Kim Namjoon.”

“Nice to meet you, I guess?” The hint of a smile twitched the corners of Namjoon’s lips.

“I wish the circumstances of our meeting were more… normal,” Namjoon began, sounding almost apologetic, but he was interrupted by a scoff. All eyes glanced at the source – a pale blonde boy, seated on the couch staring daggers at Jungkook and looking more annoyed to be present than anything else.

“That’s putting it lightly,” Yoongi remarked drily. Multiple sets of eyes rolled.

“Just ignore him, that’s what I do when he hasn’t had his coffee,” the orange-haired boy next to the couch remarked. The other boy’s elbow met his ribs a moment later, but he didn’t seem remotely bothered by this. Namjoon cleared his throat.

“Even so,” he continued, glossing effortlessly over the others with a pointed look, “we’re glad to finally meet you.”

“’Finally’?” Jungkook repeated, sounding dumbfounded.

“Please, sit. It may take some time to explain this.” Hesitant, Jungkook sat in the chair across from Namjoon.

“I’m not going crazy or anything, am I?” It was the first thing that popped out of his mouth and Jungkook could feel the amusement at his outburst almost palpably in the room. Namjoon offered him some relief in the form of a smile, as if he had almost expected such a question.

“No, you are not going crazy. Though after you hear what we have to say, you might almost hope you were.” Well that certainly didn’t bode well. With growing anxiety, he waited for Namjoon to continue. After a moment’s pause and a deep breath, he did.

For a few moments, Jungkook was stunned into silence. If he was being honest with himself, he had suspected something like this from the start. After all, there were some things in life that were just too fantastical for the likes of cold logic and science. But to hear it spelled out so plainly by Namjoon was… unsettling, if only because what he had been told shook the foundation of his world, of who he had always thought himself to be. And yet, it felt right.

His eyes slid from the tangle of nervous fingers in his lap, gliding across the faces of the other boys in the room. Taehyung he knew of course, and the tall blonde was now beaming that somewhat off-kilter box grin at him again. Shaking off the vague crawling sensation beneath his skin, Jungkook found himself trying to memorize their names again: Jin, the oldest and by far the most magical-looking of them all with his good looks (even he had to admit the boy was handsome); Hoseok (who insisted Jungkook call him Hobi) with his bright orange hair, and who Jungkook had recognized as a barista at the off-campus café he frequented; pale-haired Yoongi who had only nodded once when Namjoon introduced him and then continued glaring at the wall; and then Jimin, Taehyung’s roommate and the quietest after Yoongi, his hair constantly shifting colors while Namjoon spoke, which had fascinated Jungkook to no end. The boy in question gave Jungkook a tentative smile when their eyes met, and though it was an incredibly small gesture, it still comforted him somewhat.

He did his best to commit their names and faces to memory as quickly as possible. As Namjoon had said, after all, they were his coven now. His coven. It was such an odd thought. He had always assumed that witches and covens were dark and evil, like he’d always seen in movies and television. When he’d meekly suggested as much, Namjoon had chuckled, Yoongi had scoffed, and Hoseok had laughed outright.

“Do we look evil and scary to you?” Hoseok had asked, fighting back his smile.

“Well, no,” Jungkook admitted. And they didn’t, if he was being honest. Sure, Taehyung had scared the crap out of him, and frankly this was all still more than a little bizarre to him, but he didn’t feel any sort of deceit in Namjoon’s words about what they were, or in the way they looked at him. It was more like they were curious about him than they didn’t trust him. And strangely, he felt much the same.

“So… now what? I hate to break it to you but I don’t exactly know the first thing about being a witch,” Jungkook pointed out. That serious light returned to Namjoon’s eyes, and Jungkook had the feeling he’d be seeing it a lot, and that it had much to do with why the sandy-haired boy was their leader despite his age.

“First things first.” Namjoon cast his gaze at Jin and Hobi. “I need you two to craft a charm of some sort that will help hide Jungkook’s powers until he can control them properly. Can you do that?”

“Do you even have to ask?” Jin shot back, as if Namjoon’s question had wounded his pride. “C’mon Hoseok, we’ll have to commandeer the kitchen.” With a quick smile at Jungkook from Jin, and a jaunty wave from Hobi, the pair disappeared into the hall.

“Why do I need to hide my powers? You said normal people can’t feel magick, right?” Namjoon frowned.

“For the most part that’s true. Everyone, even a Mundane, has the innate ability to feel certain things happening in the world, but only those like us can tap into its life force and use it for magick. When we do so, if you have the right amount of control and skill, Mundanes won’t notice anything is amiss. However…” He gave Jungkook a wry smile. “Think of what happened at the café. Since you don’t have any training, your abilities are too volatile, and they go off without you even thinking about it – and on a massive scale, too. We need to make sure those surges are either under control or unnoticed. It would cause too many questions.”

“And risk attracting their attention,” Taehyung added. His mouth snapped shut when Namjoon glared at him, and Jungkook go the distinct feeling the blonde had said something he wasn’t supposed to.

“Attract whose attention? The Mundanes?” Namjoon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, as if the whole situation had given him a sudden headache. After a moment, he dropped his hand and shook his head.

“We’ve already thrown a lot at you, about magick and the coven. I don’t want to overwhelm you with this,” he said, clearly trying to steer the conversation away. “I’ll explain later, but for now just trust me, alright? The sooner we hide your powers and you learn to control them, the better.”

“A-alright, I guess,” Jungkook conceded. Seeming satisfied, Namjoon nodded, then glanced at his watch.

“It’s too late to try and start your training now. Believe it or not, we all go to school, too.”

“And since Namjoon is a huge nerd, he wouldn’t want magick to get in the way of studying,” Yoongi drawled, speaking up for the first time since Jungkook had arrived. He’d almost forgotten the pale boy was there. He expected Namjoon to look offended or something at the remark, but instead he just snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

“We can’t let it seem like anything is off about your life right now. Go to school and class, do your homework, the things you normally do. But we’ll also schedule a time for you to meet with us and start working on controlling your abilities. For now, Jin and Hobi’s charm will have to do.” Right on cue, there was a muffled bang from beyond the wall that had all eyes darting to the living room’s entry. A few moments later, the pair in question appeared, Hobi laughing and Jin looking moderately annoyed.

“Hoseok got a little overexcited as usual, but this should do the trick for now,” Jin said, smiling at Jungkook. In his hand, he held a crystal on a chain, offering it to Jungkook, who took it and held it up for closer inspection. It was such a dark purple it almost appeared black, and seemed to almost hold something swirling inside it. “Should conceal your powers enough to keep things from going haywire. And it’ll let us know where you are, should something happen.” Namjoon nodded.

“Thank you, both of you,” he told the boys. Jin just shrugged, and Hobi saluted comically. Namjoon rolled his eyes and turned back to Jungkook, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Keep that with you at all times, until we say otherwise. It’s for your protection just as much as anything else.”

“Protection from what?” He didn’t really expect an answer to the question Namjoon had dodged before, so he wasn’t surprised when he received just another shake of Namjoon’s head and a weary smile.

“Don’t worry about that for now, I’ll explain later. Go home, get some rest. Come back here tomorrow afternoon and we’ll talk more. Taehyung, can you and Jimin help him get back to his dorm? The rest of you, we’re done for tonight.” There was a round of nods, and Hobi and Jin bid the group good night before disappearing. Jungkook was hovering near the doorway when suddenly his escorts appeared, Taehyung smiling again and Jimin looking even more tired up close than Jungkook had at first thought.

“Ready to go, newbie?” Taehyung asked. Jungkook nodded, clutching the charm Jin had gave him. He glanced back only once as he followed the two older boys out of the room, and he could have sworn he saw Namjoon watching him and looking almost nervous. There had to be something he wasn’t being told, something big. But he supposed he’d have to wait until they were ready for him to know.

It wasn’t until they were outside the apartment, with the clear night air to help sharpen his thoughts that Jungkook wondered just what he had gotten himself into.

When silence had fallen on the room once more, Namjoon sighed and sank back into his chair. Someday he’d ask their masters why he had to be the leader, and not someone else like Jin or Yoongi. The responsibility was beginning to weigh on him, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could handle it all.

“You should have just told him what’s going on, you know.” Namjoon looked up to see Yoongi watching him from the couch. Any earlier irritation he had worn when the others were around was gone, leaving only a mix of calculation and concern in lighting his eyes. Namjoon should have known his oldest friend would have a thing or two to say about the way he’d handled things tonight. For what felt like the millionth time, Namjoon sighed.

“I do know. But it didn’t seem fair to weigh him down with so much at once. For now, it’s not his problem anyway, it’s ours. We just need to keep him safe.” To Namjoon’s surprise, Yoongi’s eyes flashed and a scowl twisted his face, as if the words enraged him.

“’Not his problem’?” Yoongi spat, disbelieving. “Kim Namjoon, are you ing insane? Of course it’s his problem! If what the masters said is true, and I still don’t know how much I buy all that, then Jungkook is in more danger than he knows. And he deserves to be made aware of it! How long do you think you can lie to him and pretend everything is fine before something happens?”

“You sound like Jin. You two have been hanging out too much.” Namjoon’s words were cool, almost dismissive, and this just seemed to make Yoongi even more irritated.

“Probably because he’s right, which I can’t believe I’m saying. The kid is stronger than we’re used to dealing with, probably stronger than all of us combined. If we found him this quick, it’s only a matter of time before they do, and then what?” Yoongi had always been blunt, sometimes even to the point of being outspoken, and his upfront honesty was usually something Namjoon appreciated when he needed advice or help. But right now, it was just grating against his nerves. Of course he was aware of the risks his actions tonight might have created, but in his opinion it was worth it. They could protect Jungkook until the boy could do it himself, and then everything would be fine. He didn’t need Yoongi reminding him of all that, though.

“Sometimes I wonder why you haven’t just taken over leadership of the coven,” Namjoon muttered and Yoongi snorted, crossing his arms as he made himself more comfortable on the couch.

“Because most of the time, I trust your decisions. And like hell do I want your headache.” He was silent for a moment, before he muttered, “sometimes you just think too much for your own good, Namjoon.” The boy in question smiled wryly.

“My fatal flaw, I suppose.” More silence.

“You know that crystal isn’t going to help for long, right? Jin and Hobi may be good, but none of us have dealt with something like this.”

“I know. I just hope it can buy us enough time before something really bad happens.”