Chapter Text
This is Namjoon’s worst day ever.
“Seokjin, no,” he nearly whispers. Seokjin, the Cupid’s current form, is smiling. His face is full of unbridled mirth.
“Seokjin, yes,” he says, popping a red cherry into his mouth.
Namjoon groans.
He thought his worst day was last week, when he was walking into the cafeteria and got distracted by an annoying blinding (metaphorical) sun and slipped on some water, sending his burger and matcha green tea flying up and dropping over his head. Namjoon sighed, brushing the food off himself and hoping the people who have always ignored him, were ignoring him.
But it was as if fate had intervened and put her hands into Namjoon’s life, the very sun that he got distracted by helped him up. And he wasn’t even laughing. He was so gentle and nice that Namjoon nearly popped a vein.
Namjoon thought his worst day was two days ago, when he knocked coffee all over his 46-page report—of yet another failed mission, obviously, but that’s not the point—that he was supposed to submit to Seokjin. All because he heard a particular bright and happy laugh from across the room. Nobody was that happy all the time and Namjoon’s hands twitched violently. After another sleepless night of writing down every single detail all over again, he managed to turn it in.
But clearly that wasn’t even close to what is happening today.
“Seokjin, please,” Namjoon took a step forward towards the rich, velvet throne that Seokjin was sitting on. “Please give me one more chance, just don’t fire me.”
Namjoon was not above begging. His career was on the line.
He did not spend 4 decades in college, sleepless (not that he needed, but still), struggling (money was still something that existed in Cupid’s realm, The Isthmus of Serendipity), and hardworking, enough that he earned a gold medal only to be demoted in the first year of his first (and only) job: Smittener. The job is better than the name, he swears.
The thing is, Namjoon spent decades learning about the nuances of love: from trying to understand what makes the human heart race and causes the blood to rush to their cheeks and make them feel giddily happy and secure to what exactly happens when the feeling is lost and how humans cope with it. So, in theory, he’s one of the most capable persons for working in this realm. Seokjin had hired him on the spot.
But honestly, the first few decades just sucked. Being a Smittener was a very practical job and Namjoon was...not.
So, he cannot get fired.
Seokjin only raises an elegant eyebrow. “Fire you?” He laughs his trademark, windshield wiper laugh, squeaky and cute (unlike his otherwise, powerful and scary demeanour) and waves away the bowl of cherries.
“No, Namjoon, I’m not going to fire you.” he says gently.
Relief rushes through him.
“However.”
Of fucking course it’s going to be short-lived.
“I have decided to partner you with someone for this project for now, and then we will see.”
Namjoon resists the urge to bawl and cry. Why couldn’t he get fired?
“Okay,” Namjoon simply nods because what else can he do? “Who is going to partner with me?”
The way Seokjin’s eyes light up causes the little hair on the back of Namjoon’s neck to rise. “Glad you asked, Namjoon!”
And then he claps.
Seokjin’s throne room, Pink Orpisdorffite—or more commonly known (much to Seokjin’s chagrin) as the Pink-O—is light and bright, crystals and diamonds hanging from the tall walls and high ceilings. Outside the floor to ceiling windows reflects Seokjin mood: today, it’s bright and sunny and warm.
He’s calm and happy. Namjoon thinks he can even see a smug smirk forming on his lips.
Along one of the pretty pink walls, a door slides open and in walks Namjoon’s worst nightmare.
“Ah, Hoseok! Glad you’re here,”
Hoseok, or the person Namjoon despises the most, bows a little. “You called for me, Lord Seokjin?”
Namjoon thinks this is the first time that Hoseok has ever looked nervous. He looks stiff and that blinding smile is replaced by something Namjoon can only describe as a grimace.
Seokjin waves him away. “Please, call me Seokjin. I love being on top but calling me Lord is a bit too much for me, don’t you agree?” He winks at Hoseok whose face turns bright red as he tries—and fails—to reply.
It is only for a second but Namjoon feels a twinge of pity. He had also once been a blushing, blubbering mess when he had met Seokjin first. It’s only natural to feel that way in front of the most beautiful being in all their realms.
But it is quickly replaced by dread when Namjoon realizes that he has to work with the worst possible being to finish this project.
“Okay, so,” Seokjin starts, all business. He’s sitting up straight and all. “This is Namjoon. Have you two had the chance to meet?”
“I haven’t had the pleasure, yet,” Hoseok says with a small, but genuine (ugh) smile.
At this, Seokjin claps in glee. “I like you,” he declares, and that has Hoseok puffing up his chest a little. “I’m going to partner you both for a project that he has been working on for a bit,”
Blood rushes to Namjoon’s face as he looks down at his sandals, quietly listening to Seokjin.
“Here are the project details,” Seokjin says, and a small stack of files materializes in front of Hoseok, who scrambles to hold it. “I know time doesn’t matter to us but those humans live very short lives. I hope you two can work together and make sure these humans end up with the right people in their lives.”
And when Seokjin smiles so gently, like he genuinely wants them to have good and happy lives, Namjoon thinks working with Hoseok might just be worth it.
“So,” Hoseok starts.
Okay, that lasted a second, it’s still his worst day ever.
Hoseok looks at Namjoon with a bright but close-lipped smile, that reveals a mole on his top lip. It’s a new kind of smile, warm and kind and--
Too late, Namjoon realizes that Hoseok’s lips were moving and Namjoon hadn’t paid a lick of attention.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch you,” Namjoon mutters, not looking at Hoseok’s pretty face.
“Ah, I was just asking do you want to get some coffee while we discuss the case?” Hoseok lifts the little pile in his hands.
Namjoon’s brain short circuits but he manages to save himself. “Don’t you want some time to read it?”
“Dinner, then.”
The first instinct that Namjoon has is to scream “No!” and run in the opposite direction. But then he reconsiders. He does need to get this done so that he doesn’t lose his job.
“I mean,” Hoseok says, after a moment of silence where Namjoon hasn’t responded. “Only if you’re okay with it, if not—”
Namjoon doesn’t let him finish. “No, it’s okay. We can meet at the cafeteria? Say, in about 4 hours or so, West Wing?”
That sunshine rivalling smile is back again. Namjoon resists the urge to recoil from the brightness. “Yes, that works! See you then!” And he practically skips away.
Namjoon sighs. Time to brush up on his case before he has to meet...Hoseok.
On his way out to his quarters out of the main room, he finds Jackson at the reception, on his shift.
“Uh-oh,” Jackson takes one look at Namjoon and gives him a pitying smile. “Missed another shot?”
“Worse,” Namjoon tells him. “I got partnered up.”
Jackson only shakes his head. Everybody knows that Smitteners are supposed to be solo workers, so partnering up doesn’t really bode well in Namjoon’s career.
“With whom?” Jackson asks and Namjoon tries his best to keep his expression neutral.
“He’s called Hoseok,” Namjoon swallows a lump of annoyance down his throat. “He transferred in from the smaller Province last month.”
“Oh yeah, I know him!” Jackson says, eyes lighting up. “Great guy, always has smiles and coffees to offer and so kind and he’s such an amazing dancer, did you...”
Jackson trails off at the draggers Namjoon was shooting him with his eyes.
“Well, you could have landed someone worse as your partner?” Jackson tries, after a moment.
“No, Jackson,” Namjoon shakes his head resolutely. “He is the worst. There’s nobody else worse than him.”
Namjoon half-heartedly goes through the files in his quarters before meeting with Hoseok. He doesn’t even have to at this point, he’s been working on this case for quite some time now. He has observed the subjects so keenly that he even knows their schedules by now. He’s sure they haven’t changed in the last week or so.
He arrives at the cafeteria five minutes before their decided time, only to find Hoseok already there, sipping from a crystal goblet of bubbling, clear liquid: sprite. Namjoon was surprised that Hoseok’s punctuality didn’t faze him, almost like Namjoon had expected the other being to be there and when did Namjoon become an expert in Hoseok, after only meeting once--
Namjoon takes a deep breath in, holds for a few seconds, and slowly releases it. It helps him when he’s in a spiral of jumbled thoughts that he doesn’t really have the time to make sense of. Once he’s sure his head is clear, he approaches the table the other being was sitting at.
Hoseok looks up when Namjoon pulls a chair and gives him a small smile around the straw and goes back to the file. Namjoon settles down, pulling up his own files and notes, and digs around for a fountain pen he bought when he was a broke student.
“Would you like anything to drink before we start?” Hoseok asks, and Namjoon just shakes his head. He needs to get this over with.
“I’m fine, thanks, we can eat after the first round of discussions as I bring you up to date with everything?”
“Sounds good to me,”
So, for the rest of the evening, Namjoon brings Hoseok up to speed with the case, his plans, and their failure. His ears burn a little when he talks about all the ways his plans failed, even if he followed the rulebook to the letter. Hoseok doesn’t smile, doesn’t even attempt at making a joke at his expense, because that’s obviously the kind of guy he is.
He hates kind people, especially those who know that they are kind. They listen to your life and instantly their eyes become gooey and pitying. He does not want pity. Not at this stage.
But Hoseok does none of that. He only looks thoughtful as he folds his hands and rests them on the table. His rhinestone glasses and platinum hair glint in the lights of the cafeteria as he nods his head in understanding.
“I understand your issue here, Namjoon,” Hoseok finally says, as he drains his cup of Sprite.
“My issue ?” Namjoon doesn’t mean it to come out as sharply but as far as he was aware, he didn’t know it was his issue.
Hoseok only looks straight into Namjoon’s eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be critical here. I’m just telling you what I see. I’ve been doing this for a while now and these kinds of cases,” he waves his neatly manicured hand across the files. “As simple and straightforward as they seem, are quite unpredictable. We have to think differently, do differently,”
“Different?” Namjoon’s eyebrows scrunch. “Different how? Different from what?”
Hoseok blinks. “Different from everything you’ve tried,”
“But I followed every single technique that was mentioned in the guide to bring couples together that was applicable in this case!”
But Hoseok is only shaking his head. “That’s great, Namjoon, but why haven’t they worked?”
Namjoon’s mouth opened and closed. He doesn’t have an answer for that. But Hoseok is ploughing through, accentuating with his (very nice) hands.
“Even though all your plans were flawless, they lacked finer details that usually come very much in handy,”
“Finer details?” There was nothing mentioned about it in the books.
“Yes, for example,” Hoseok leafs through one of the files. “Jungkook here likes a vanilla frappuccino, but there is no mention of which seat he likes at the coffee shop. Does he like watching people? Does he like the view outside or the inside? These might seem inconsequential but when we scope out these details, we can come up with plans and their back-up plans and maybe even improvise,”
Namjoon gasps. “You can’t improvise!”
“Why not?” Hoseok challenges, sitting back in his seat. “Is it because it’s said in the guides?”
“Have you not read them at all?” Namjoon rolls his eyes and lets it fall on his fingers, fiddling in his lap. After a moment, he says, “It’s not that...”
“Then what is it?” his question is soft, gentle.
“I...I need to plan. If I don’t plan, I can’t work.”
There is only the sound of scraping chairs and distant chatter for a few moments before Namjoon takes a chance to look up. Hoseok is only smiling slightly. And as much as Namjoon likes (or rather is able to tolerate) the blinding heart-shaped smile, this small one makes his heart beat much faster.
Namjoon didn’t think he could stand the little mole on his lip for a second longer than he had to.
“Then it’s a good thing we have two brains together, don’t we?”
They spend the rest of the dinner making plans. Both want to get this done so they don’t waste time. Namjoon is in charge of writing down the plans in his notebook, while Hoseok makes sure they have plans B and C (improvise) under every plan. Namjoon also makes sure that their plans don’t stray too far from the rulebook.
By the end of dinner, they have about 5 pages worth of ideas.
Namjoon is quite surprised that he was able to work so well with someone like Hoseok. Namjoon wasn’t the most approachable when he was at the University, and the ones he did approach, Namjoon thinks he has scared them away with his excitement. But Hoseok is none of those. He is kind and welcoming and open and Namjoon wishes he were his friend.
If only Namjoon didn’t despise him.
To be fair, Hoseok did come into Namjoon’s life at a very inopportune time so he can’t really blame himself. It’s just how it is. Namjoon doesn’t have to be best friends with Hoseok, but he is going to try and be civil with him.
The sky outside their realm is a pretty gradient of indigo and peach, signalling the rise of the second moon and the setting of the sun. Hoseok and Namjoon stop for a moment, simply basking in the change in the day. A flock of small, lion-headed pigeons flies by and one of them promptly leaves a present on Namjoon’s shoulder.
He sighs. Namjoon doesn’t know why he hadn’t expected this after the day he had had. He rummages around his satchel and pockets for a napkin or a handkerchief when there’s a tap on his clean shoulder.
It’s Hoseok. He’s trying to not smile but his shoulders are shaking with barely restrained giggles but in his outstretched hand is a clean, purple and yellow hankie. Namjoon only smiles a little ruefully and takes it.
Their hands brush and it was only for a quick moment but Namjoon felt Hoseok’s soft and warm hands against his own. It is a hand that Namjoon would like to hold.
What?
Shaking his head, he mumbles thanks to Hoseok and confirms their meeting tomorrow at second light (which would be around 8:30 AM on Earth). They bid their farewell and split at the crossroads outside the main building.
Tomorrow...Namjoon, for the first time, planned on not scheduling his day by the hour. He decided to do it for every two hours instead.
It isn’t quite second light yet when Namjoon walked into the cafeteria. The peach sky from the previous night had completely taken over, leaving the realm in a soft orange glow. Namjoon smiles, it really is pretty.
When he sits down in front of his breakfast, he hears a loud voice calling him. He is startled enough that his glass of iced tea spills a little, and the same voice laughs, albeit much closer now. He looks up to see Hoseok walking towards him with a tray of his own and a smile that’s rivalling the light of the second star, Naarti.
Namjoon gulps. Hoseok’s smile was even prettier up close and Namjoon is losing his train of thought, each one coming back to his smile.
“Hi Namjoon!” Hoseok greets him happily and Namjoon manages to mumble a hello back.
“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” Hoseok goes on, undeterred by Namjoon's lack of enthusiasm or energy. “I was doing some reading yesterday and came across an interesting article about lion-pigeons and their poop.”
Namjoon raises an eyebrow. “How in good heavens and Isthmus does that happen?”
Hoseok shrugs like, it does, you just don't question it. “ So, where I come from, lion-pigeons are quite rare so seeing them was a sign of good omen. Them pooping on you? Blessed!”
Slowly blinking, Namjoon tries to understand his words. “So, you’re saying it was good that these pigeons pooped on me? They’re not exactly rare here, you know?”
And they weren’t. In the Capital, where it was warmer, they tended to breed like roaches and were twice as annoying.
“But I’m not from here, so it still stands.”
But the lion-pigeons pooped on me , Namjoon wanted to argue but seeing the satisfied and happy smile on Hoseok’s face made him balk.
“Well, that’s great then, because we need all the blessing we need.”
Hoseok beams and a small, traitorous, lion-headed pigeon takes flight in Namjoon’s heart, that he promptly ignores.
They walk in companionable silence till the elevator that will teleport them to Earth. It used to be clouds before but then since Seokjin arrived, things have changed a lot.
“I would much rather prefer clouds any day over this,” Hoseok shudders slightly. His golden skin looks pale.
Namjoon’s eyebrows furrow. “Are you okay, Hoseok?”
Hoseok blinks when he looks at Namjoon. “Huh? Yeah, I’m good, why do you ask?”
“You’re sweating, we haven’t even gone down to Earth yet, and the temperature on Isthmus is relative to the beings on this realm, never as a whole,” Namjoon ticks off his fingers. “Is everything okay?”
Namjoon isn't sure why but seeing his... work partner (for lack of a better title) in distress worries him. It’s always better to have your partners in top shape when you’re out for work, he had read somewhere. This is him just looking out for his partner. For work. So that he doesn’t fuck up even more.
Hoseok takes a deep breath. “This is going to sound ridiculous,”
“More than the stories about the lion-headed pigeons and the time you had to make a couple get together on that wildlife safari in Madagascar while you were being chased by a rhino?” One of Namjoon’s eyebrows quirks up, as does one side of his lips.
“Hey, don’t make me resent telling you,” Hoseok quips back, no real bite in his words. “It’s just... that.”
That being pointed towards the row of glass elevators, where the bored doorwoman is reading a book upside down.
The elevators are fully glass, walls, doors, floor, and ceiling. Namjoon loves it because the realm shift is always so different and fascinating. He didn’t think anyone would fear it.
Namjoon looks at the pale sweaty man visibly steeling himself to walk towards the elevator and then looks back at the bare elevator. It really is bare; there are no handles, no elevator music, no plush carpet, and no fan.
“Wait here,” Namjoon tells Hoseok as they are close to the doorwoman.
“Gladly,” Hoseok mumbles, looking down at his white and neon green sports sneakers.
Namjoon walks right up to the desk of the doorwoman and raps his knuckles on the crystal table. She looks up and grins.
“Namjoon!”
“Hey, Nayeon!” Namjoon smiles back at her. “How’s the inter-realm monitoring going?”
She smirks, eyeing at something—or rather someone—behind Namjoon. “About as well as your Seeker job,”
“Ouch”, Namjoon presses a hand to his heart and fake gasps. “You wound me, Nayeon. Just how many people know about this?” Namjoon groans.
Nayeon puts a finger to her chin in fake thinking. “Just about everyone in the Capital,”
“Even grocer Jinyoung?”
“Even grocer Jinyoung,”
“That's great, truly, not like my entire future rides on this one mission, like of course everyone knows...”
“Yeah, yeah. Give me your papers so I can patch you through.”
“Thanks, Nayeon,” He hands his papers to her and looks back at Hoseok, who has now resorted to chewing his painted nails. Namjoon resists the urge to go over there and pull his fingers out of his mouth.
“Hey, can you do me a favour?”
Nayeon looks up sharply. “If it’s about my friend at that party last month, I’m not doing it,”
Namjoon only shakes his head. “No, it’s not, don’t worry,”
“Then what is it?”
Namjoon quickly wraps up his chat with Nayeon, not wanting to keep Hoseok any longer, because honestly, they should have left a while ago. He hurries over to Hoseok, who has resorted to simply staring off into the inky space.
“Hey, Hoseok?”
Hoseok blinks before focusing back on the present, and on Namjoon’s face. “Oh. Hey,”
“Ready to go?”
Hoseok nods and takes a deep breath. Namjoon hands him a corked vial of the invisibility potion—to hide them from the humans—and they gulp it down in one go. The potion barely tastes like anything, which, in the Isthmus of Serendipity, is unheard of. Hoseok shudders slightly and Namjoon grimaces it, but when he looks at Hoseok, he tries to give him something close to a reassuring smile. They head quietly towards the elevator as Namjoon waves at Nayeon.
“I’ll send you a signal fifteen minutes in advance, so you don’t miss it,” she says, pressing a button to open the doors of the elevator. “And everything inside is ready too,”
She winks at Namjoon, who can feel the heat rising to his cheeks but still manages to roll his eyes.
“Thanks, Nayeon, I owe you one,”
“I’m keeping track,” Nayeon grins.
“What does she mean everything inside is ready...” Hoseok trails off as they step into the elevator.
He blinks once, taking everything in, and then looks at Namjoon.
“Is this what she meant?”
The glass-box—as Hoseok liked to call it—was no more just a box. It had a plush red carpet, solid railing along three of the walls, cheerful music from some unknown source, the ceiling of the elevator covered, a projection screen opened to a video browsing page, and an option to frost the glass walls with just the press of a button.
Namjoon only nods as he presses a confirmation button to being their descent. “You looked like you’d rather be anywhere but here, so I thought...” he shrugs.
“You thought what?” Hoseok asks, one eyebrow raised.
Shit. Maybe Namjoon read him wrong. Maybe he took it too far?
“I-I mean, I only wanted to make you feel less uncomfortable?” Even to himself that sounded weak. Namjoon grimaces.
But then the most miraculous thing since rap music happened. Hoseok smiles. His eyes are nearly teary but filled with gratitude.
“Thank you, Namjoon,” he says, clasping his hands in front of him. “This means so much to me, you have no idea.”
The earnestness from the other being flusters Namjoon. Like if he keeps looking at Hoseok for a moment longer, he might lose his mind.
Namjoon clears his throat and presses the button to close the doors. “Ah, it’s nothing.”
Nayeon’s voice floats from the speakers. “You will now be leaving the Isthmus of Serendipity to reach the realm of Earth. It will take eight minutes and 42 seconds to breach the realm, after which is a smooth ride for about 25 seconds. Good luck with your work!”
Namjoon then turns to Hoseok and gives him yet another reassuring smile. Hoseok hikes up his bag pack over his shoulder and tries to return it.
Since they were going to a specific region on Earth, Namjoon thought it would be apt to watch something from the region. He chooses to play a song called “Fly” by a hip-hop group, Epik High. This song was introduced by one of the humans from this project and honestly, that’s one of the main reasons why he hasn’t given up on them yet. The humans may not know the kind of influence they’ve had on...otherworldly beings but it’s there. Namjoon feels like he owes it to them.
He says as much to Hoseok, chuckling nervously. “I mean, not like it isn’t my job or anything. Not that I don’t like my job! It’s just...”
“A stepping stone?” Hoseok asks.
Namjoon blinks. “How’d you know?”
Hoseok simply shrugs. “You look like the kind of being who is willing to do anything it takes to achieve their goals, even partnering up for a job meant for one.”
Namjoon opens his mouth to refuse but Hoseok doesn’t stop. “And you’re definitely much smarter for a very practical job like this, so I just thought that this is the first step for you to get to somewhere.”
“What about you? Is this where you want to be?” Namjoon asks after a beat.
Hoseok has to think for a moment. He looks at the screen playing the song, but Namjoon has a feeling that he’s not really watching it. “I’m happy here, so for now, yeah.”
“We have now breached the realm of Earth. You will reach your destination in 30 seconds.”
Nayeon’s voice jolts them both back to the present. Hoseok blinks and looks around. “Wow, this must be the best commute of my life. I didn’t even realize we were here.”
Namjoon smiles a little. “That’s good to know. We need all our strength when we reach down there and start working to get them together.”
“Don’t worry, Namjoon!” Hoseok gives him his signature, heart-shaped smile. It blinds Namjoon for a few seconds and he thinks he sees stars behind his eyelids. (Which is silly because that’s a very human feeling and Namjoon isn’t supposed to feel like that.) “You’re not alone anymore. We’ll get them all together!”
Namjoon manages to nod.
The elevator opens to a toilet, and the stench makes them both grimace.
“Wow, it’s been a while since you dropped me here, Nayeon,” Namjoon looks up at the roof of the elevator. “I owe you one and a half, I won’t forget.”
“I know, darling,” Nayeon’s voice chirps back, and as soon as they step outside the elevator, the doors shut as if the wall had been solid and nothing more than a wall just now.
Namjoon wants to take a deep breath before leaving the toilet, but he knows it’s a bad idea. His face scrunches up as they hurriedly open the door, breathing in the non-toilet air.
Hoseok looks at him, breathing deeply and calmly. “Ready to do this?”
He’s asking as if Namjoon has a choice. Slight irritation flickers through; he tamps them down and pulls up to his full height. “Yeah, let’s do this.”
As Namjoon and Hoseok wind their way through the tables of the coffee shop (whose bathroom they landed in), they look around for their humans. When Namjoon looks at the time, he’s sure that Yoongi will be here for his morning coffee before work. If the schedule hasn’t changed, Jimin will also come to the cafe today since he has early classes to teach.
They wander a bit, making sure to stay out of everyone’s way. (Just because they are invisible, it doesn’t mean that humans can pass through them. They're still solid, and Namjoon has had his fair share of accidents which he would very much like to avoid this time.) Namjoon directs Hoseok to his vantage point—a warm and sunny corner behind a table.
The two humans are due to walk in any minute, according to Namjoon’s notes. He looks to Hoseok, who is looking around, eyes alert, his gaze sharp and vigilant. Namjoon’s eyes rake over the other Smittener, his sharp jaw line and the brightly painted nails and the fluffy hair that Namjoon wants to—
Hoseok grips his arm suddenly. Namjoon shakes himself out of his thoughts and looks at where Hoseok is looking at.
Yoongi had walked in and is at the counter already.
Shit, Namjoon has to be more alert.
Maybe Seokjin had a point when he assigned Namjoon a partner. Or maybe Seokjin was just messing with him.
Either way, one of the humans is here and they need to move fast.
The Smitteners look at each other and nod. Plan A of Plan 1 is in action.
Hoseok stands behind Yoongi as he waits for his order, while Namjoon tracks down the human’s regular Americano.
Huh. It’s not iced, today. And it seems to be a here order than a to-go like usual. Namjoon is quickly making notes of all the new changes that have occurred.
Once Yoongi’s order is ready and the barista slides it towards the counter, Namjoon quickly pours in a vial of the connection potion and steps back quickly.
Yoongi takes the potion-infused coffee and his plain doughnut and thanks the barista with a nod. He heads towards the corner where Hoseok is standing and takes a seat at the table. Hoseok, alert as ever, bends down to stare at Yoongi and his actions intensely, wanting to make sure he takes the first sip.
And sure enough, after getting comfortable, Yoongi takes a sip of his Americano, smacking his lips at the taste once as he fiddles with his mobile phone. Hoseok looks up at Namjoon and nods once.
Now to wait for Jimin.
After a few minutes of Namjoon and Hoseok holding their breaths, someone familiar walks in and heads toward where Yoongi is sitting. They're tall and loud, with a head full of black curls, and Yoongi, as much as he seems annoyed by this person, Namjoon knows he adores the other person.
The other person in question is Taehyung, Jimin’s best friend and roommate, and the other subject of their assignment. He is talking to Yoongi softly and with each passing moment, Yoongi looks sadder and more worried. But then Taehyung leaves him and comes to the counter, where Namjoon is standing. Hoseok quickly follows him to reach Namjoon. Hoseok’s face is marred with concern.
“Namjoon!” Hoseok hisses. “Taehyung is buying drinks for himself and Jimin!”
Namjoon nods in understanding and they both move close to Taehyung, who suddenly pauses mid-way through his order to the barista.
“Do you ever get the feeling that someone is watching you constantly?” the black-haired human asks the barista.
The barista only laughs. “Well, we do have cameras all around the cafe, does that bother you?”
Taehyung shakes his head. “No, this is more...” he shakes his head. “I hope they are my guardian angels, looking out for me!” he ends up saying brightly and the barista grins back, amused.
Hoseok looks at Namjoon with fear in his eyes. “Now you know why I have been having trouble,” Namjoon says, rolling his eyes fondly.
Then, Taehyung orders two drinks, a chai latte, and a hot chocolate.
“The hot chocolate is for Jimin,” Hoseok informs Namjoon, recalling the conversation he overheard. “Jimin is apparently sick, so Taehyung is here to get him something to eat and drink.”
Namjoon nods, not moving his eyes from the barista. Once the cup is on the counter and before the barista can pack it up with the cover, Namjoon slips in the other vial of the potion. Then the barista packs up and Taehyung whisks it away.
He’s still talking to Yoongi so Namjoon and Hoseok have to plan quickly. “Hoseok, can you follow Taehyung back to their apartment to make sure that Jimin takes the first sip? If that is confirmed, we can move on to the next couple.”
Hoseok nods. Although they hadn’t considered this scenario, Namjoon had to learn to improvise. Earlier, he would wait until they were both in the same room to put the potion in, but they don’t have the luxury right now.
As Taehyung leaves, hugging an unwillingly willing Yoongi, Hoseok slips out of the cafe behind him. Yoongi is still sitting at the same place, texting on his phone. Namjoon has taken Hoseok’s place in the corner to watch over Yoongi and follow him in case he leaves before Jimin drinks his potion-infused hot chocolate.
Then Namjoon feels it.
It hasn’t been 5 minutes since Hoseok left, Namjoon has been keeping track. Taehyung and Jimin’s shared apartment is about 10 minutes away from the cafe by walk. There is no way that Jimin would have already sipped his drink.
Yoongi is sitting still, blinking. Namjoon felt the zap of the potions clicking into place and this is slightly worrying. He tries to think of scenarios where Jimin could’ve had his drink in under five minutes (maybe Taehyung took a cab? Maybe he ran? Maybe Jimin met him halfway?) when Hoseok barges into the cafe.
Namjoon looks up to see an expression on Hoseok’s face that he never thought he would see: abject terror.
Common agents used by Smitteners #1 - Connection potion: This is a potion that needs to be made exclusively in 20 ML portions. The 20 mL acts like a whole heart, while a piece of it given to one person, and another piece to another, effectively connecting them together. The primary ingredients include: first rays of the first sun, collected every 21st day, the first raindrop occurred the next day, an enchanted spell blown in (stronger the spell if the enchanter is in a relationship) and allowed to sit in starlight for 4 hours. Among other, top-secret ingredients. Very useful to make them gain courage to open their hearts and let the other person know of their feelings. It also allows the drinker to see who they have in front of them. Light peach and yellow in colour, clear. Stored in same-cut, crystal vials, with cork stoppers.
Humans
>Yoongi<
Yoongi blinks. He suddenly feels like the world got a little brighter. His heart feels fuller, and he just can’t stop smiling. Even after he left the cafe, even after learning that Jimin hadn’t gotten any better and even when the nice woman at the soup restaurant commented on how Yoongi should be eating more and even as he climbed up the stairs to deliver Jimin his soup and check up on him, the smile wouldn’t leave his face. He wore a mask so that his asshole co-workers who were normally intimidated by him wouldn’t lower their guard because he was smiling and was decent to them.
He realized why he had been in a good mood the moment Jimin’s door opened, and Taehyung’s face appeared. His heart settled and while there was a small, sane part of him that was screaming “NOT IT NOT IT”, a larger part of him was giggling “Tae-tae is here! You’ve been longing to see him!”
Taehyung’s eyes are warm and full of love, mirroring how Yoongi feels.
>Jimin<
Jimin has been out of it for most of the day. He’s been drifting in and out of sleep, only waking up when Taehyung brought him his hot chocolate and then some soup. It is late afternoon when he finally rouses from sleep.
Taehyung should be at work, but he hears voices in his living room. He vaguely remembers Taehyung mentioning something about Yoongi-hyung coming around? In his fevered state, he can’t exactly remember so he decides to venture out into the living room.
He does need to pee and maybe eat something a little more solid than soup.
When he reaches the end of the hallway, however, he stops. His socked feet barely make any noise so the people in the living room who are giggling and exchanging shy glances and touches that linger for far too long to be innocent don’t notice him. Jimin blinks for a moment. Looks at the two people in the living room. Rubs at his eyes. Blinks again.
Yup. It’s still the same scene. Same two people. His roommate and best friend Taehyung, and his long-time, crush (and maybe even the love of his life) that the whole world knows about, Yoongi.
Tears threaten to spring from his eyes, so he hastily turns away and returns to his room. Once inside the safe cocoon of his room, he takes a few deep breaths and manages to find his phone and call his other best friend.
He picks up on the first ring. “Hyung, how ar—”
Upon hearing his voice, Jimin lets out a sob. “Jun-jungkook--this is-i-i don’t know what’s ha-happening, I thought he liked me,” he manages to hiccup out but even in his dazed state, Jimin can tell that Jungkook is already moving.
“Hyung, stay where you are, I’m coming in five minutes okay?”
Jimin nods, and then weakly sobs out a yes .
“Shall I stay on the phone with you?”
Another sob. Gods, Jimin should really pull it together because once Jungkook walks in, he’s going to be shattered too.
He thought it was the worst day ever because he couldn’t get his morning coffee with Yoongi-hyung but this—this beat his morning by a long shot.