Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at

http://download.archiveofourown.org/works/5105429.

Rating: General Audiences

Vmin - Warlock/Familiar
by 1997_MusicLover

Summary

Taehyung is an unclaimed cat familiar; Jimin is a warlock that throws him for a loop.

For most people, living in a shitty studio apartment on the wrong side of town, with no friends, no
family, and a dead end job would sound like a new kind of hell, but to Kim Taehyung, he was
happy as can be. Though he may not make enough money to live well, he always finds a reason
to smile every day. A wide, full tooth grin taking over his face when he does, it can be almost
blinding. His coworker, Jeon Jungkook, finds it hard to believe a guy that down on his luck can
be that happy, but most cats are easily happily subdued with the small things in life.

Kim Taehyung is a familiar, an unclaimed one at that which makes him a little more vulnerable to
the people around him sometimes, but he manages to get by. His family had disowned him at a
young age, about the time he got his tail and ears, which left him to live in an orphanage and learn
how to hide the ears and tail all on his own. After doing some research he had found out about a
magic called a glamour. A magical enchantment that allows him to hide his tail and ears from
people sights and sense of touch, so if anyone were to look at him he looks normal and if anyone
were to touch his head they would technically feel his ears, but they’d forget and think it was just
his head and hair. Once they stopped appearing everyday people started to leave him alone. He
prefers it that way.

From that moment on his life was pretty laid back and, well, empty. His only way to fill that void
would be to find himself a warlock to claim him, but the idea of somebody owning him and being
able to use him for anything, it really doesn’t appeal to him in the slightest. Instead, he fills his life
with the little things and keeps himself busy to the point where he doesn’t have much time to even
think about getting out.
Taehyung is happy like this.

Then, he met Park Jimin.

It was a Monday. The sky was overcast, the air filled with the smell of the fresh rain that morning,
the sudden down poor around seven or eight. Taehyung had sat up in the window, watching the
sky soak the streets below, his tail lazily sweeping the floor below him.

He had purposefully set up his bed by the window. That way when boredom set in he could
watch all the pedestrians below and the cars of the street: watching the world function was rather
relaxing for him. It’s a cat thing.

After watching the rain for a few hours he managed to pull himself away, heading over to the
dresser to get dressed.

His apartment is very small, a simple studio with only enough room for a bed and his dresser on
one wall, his small couch, a tiny coffee table, and a small flat screen TV sits on a stand across
from the couch. The wall that is parallel to the windowed wall is a small counter kitchen set up,
one sink, a small oven and fridge stacked on top and a microwave over the counter. There’s little
cupboard space, but since Taehyung doesn’t have to share, he really doesn’t have much to begin
with. There’s a door next to the fridge that leads into a tiny little bathroom. Next to the TV is the
door that leads out to the hallway and stairs down. He’s on the top floor of a rather tiny building,
the nicer apartments are the one and two bedrooms below his. Oh, and he hates the fact that there
is no elevator, but cheap is cheap.

After grabbing a pair of faded, ripped blue jeans and a white t-shirt he slips into the small
bathroom. After taking a quick, cold shower – the hot water is all but no existent – he looks at
himself in the mirror as he dresses. Once his shirts in place he runs a hand through his damp hair,
it’s gotten longer since he dyed it, so the brown roots are much more prominent and the pink has
drastically faded to a light brownish pink color, he’s not sure how to describe it.

I should buy a new color soon, maybe on the next pay check I’ll skip food and buy new dye. A
large smile breaks out on his face at that thought.

Moving back out to the apartment, Taehyung slips on his high-top Converse and snatches a
granola bar. Walking over to the couch he grabs the satchel he had left sitting on the floor from
when he came home from the late shift. In it, he’s stuffed notebooks full of his writing: lyrics,
plays, stories, the occasional rant, and notes about cats that he’s noticed in himself.

Though he doesn’t have much, he knows he will always have a notebook and a pencil.

While he stuffs the granola bar into his mouth, he throws the strap over his head and grabs his
wallet and keys from the counter. Before he exits he stand in front of the door, giving a heavy sigh
as he finishes his meager meal.

There’s a moment, a very small one, every day where he contemplates foregoing the glamour, but
then he remembers the ridicule he faces for being what he is. Familiars have a very bad rap in the
world, sometimes he wishes he was normal. At least warlocks wouldn’t be looking at him all the
time if he walks past, his glamour seems to waver for them and he hates it. Familiars have magic,
but it’s not as strong as warlock magic so the enchantment Taehyung uses is a little lax and fades
after five hours.

Taehyugn looks at himself in the small mirror he has on his door.

“I hate myself.” He mumbles as he drops his eyes from his ears, falling downcast as his eyes do.
He quietly chants out the glamour, with the lack of his usual happy voice, and the ears and tail
begin to fade out and disappear. Once he’s sure the glamour is strong as he can get it, he yanks
open his door and steps out.

Once he gets his door locked up, he pulls his hoodie out of his satchel and slips it on, as the rain is
still pouring down outside. Making sure the hood is secure over his ears and he won’t get too wet
he takes the stairs, two at a time as his energy begins to build again.

Unlike most cats, Taehyung loves the rain. It’s soothing, relaxing, and when you run around it just
feels amazing on your skin.

Upon stepping outside, Taehyung turns a big smile up to the sky, letting the water hit his face for a
few seconds before looking both ways at the street. It’s decently busy, the biggest rush hour
having already passed as the time is reaching eleven in the morning.

There’s a small coffee shop, just down the road that Taehyung treks to, he tries to get there
between eleven and noon every day, so he can spend a few hours just sitting there writing before
his shift at the store sets in.

He walks into the coffee shop, orders his usual chia tea and moves to the table in the front corner
by the window, with his back towards the wall. Pulling his satchel off, he places it against the wall
and pulls out one of his notebooks, he slips the pencil – halfway sharpened down – out of the
spirals before opening up the notebook. The pages are frayed and bent, even though he’s only
about halfway through the notebook, but because he takes it everywhere he goes, it gets trashed
quickly.

Taehyung zones into his work, losing focus of the world around him as he starts jotting down the
next scene, it was a romantic comedy he happens to be working on. One about two guys who
loved each other but could never see it. Though he knows gay people like him are looked down
upon, he finds comfort in writing about them and their struggles. It makes him feel more
connected to people like him, familiars and gays, but he doesn’t know any so he just stays by
himself.

It’s better this way.

Around two in the afternoon, Taehyung packs up his notebook and tosses his coffee cup before
heading outside. He takes the ten minute walk back to his apartment, heads up to the top story
back to his apartment. He lays down on the bed to take a twenty minute nap. When he wakes up
from the nap he grabs another granola bar and his satchel, reapplies his glamour and heads off to
work.

There aren’t many places that would hire, him especially if he let it slip he was a familiar or gay,
both frowned upon. So, his work place is a thirty minute walk further in town to a small
convenient store. It keeps him healthy, getting his blood pumping and his legs working, he loves
walking. If he could he’d take long walks in the woods nearby, but that may get him noticed by a
warlock or two.

The store is small, no one really notices it much, but it pays decently and his coworker, Jungkook,
is a cute, quirky guy who dances in the building adjacent to the store.

The two story building next to the convenient store is a dance studio on the lower level and a
recording studio on the top level. Taehyung’s never been in there, but Jungkook loves talking
about it almost as much as he loves talking about his tutor Seokjin.

After the long walk Taehyung makes it to the store, opening up the front door and walking in.
With a glance at the clock over the door he sees he’s only a few minutes early. The girl on shift
before him and Jungkook waves at him, giving him a – very – fake grin as he slips behind the
counter and into the employee’s only room. He lays his satchel on the table before sitting in one of
the two chairs. He tilts his head back, letting his eyes slid shut as he relaxes. It’s a few minutes
later when the girl comes in to grab her purse and jacket, she gives him an overly cheery
“goodbye” before running out the door. Taehyung doesn’t open his eyes for her, he just stays still.
He waits a few more minutes before standing up and heading to start his shift.

Taehyung and Jungkook work closing shifts, Monday through Friday. Jungkook usually doesn’t
come until around seven, only really working part time. So Taehyung has gotten used to spending
some time alone, he keeps his notebook and pencil by him until Jungkook comes in.

This particular Monday was rather slow, and Taehyung hand managed to write five more pages,
front and back, before Jungkook came in.

Jungkook isn’t alone today.

When Taehyung hear the bell he doesn’t look up, used to most customers helping themselves, but
then he hears Jungkook’s soft, almost not there, laugh and really doesn’t bother looking up.
Jungkook usually goes to drop off his dance bag and then bothers him. It’s when a new, higher
pitched laugh fills the space he looks up.

Taehyung’s sense of smell kicks into high gear as he finds himself looking at the most handsome
man he has ever laid eyes on. There’s a strong smell of sugar that floats off the new man, a strong
contrast to Jungkook’s usual rosy smell. Taehyung’s eyes follow the black haired boy walking
with Jungkook, the strong smell hits him as if he has just walked into a bakery. He looks around
him to make sure he’s still in the convenient store.

“Taehyung!” Jungkook calls out, his cheerful voice filling the empty store.

The two boys approach Taehyung, making his ears perk up as his tail lashes back and forth,
restlessly.

It isn’t until Jungkook and his friend are right in front of him that another smell hits him: burnt
paper. Taehyung tries to still the fear building up inside him and he hopes his eyes haven’t
widened as the new boy, a warlock, looks at him.

“Taehyung, this is my dance partner Jimin. Jimin, this is my cute coworker.” Jungkook makes the
introductions with a smile on his face, as if this is the simplest interact ever.

Taehyung wishes his life was that simple, but then Jimin is staring at him, a look of surprise on his
face as he gives Taheyung a smile.

“It’s nice to meet you Taehyung, as Kookie said, I’m Jimin.” When Jimin holds his hand out to
him, Taehyung refuses to take it. Instead he nods his head in a short sort of bow and steps back a
little from him.

He knows. Taehyung thinks as the sickening feeling fills him, his cat fighting to get out and run.
Neither him nor his cat have faced a warlock in quite a few years, so having one this close is a
drastic shock to his system. Honestly, Taehyung’s on the defensive because he’s terrified.

Jimin nods back, letting his hand rest on the counter as he turns to Jungkook. “He is cute, but I
thought you liked that cook at your college?”

Somehow Taheyung manages to remain calm, his tail posed still behind him though, making sure
he’s on guard.
“You mean his tutor, what’s his name again?”

“Yeah! Kim something?”

“Kim Seokjin!”

“Yeah, wasn’t that his name Kookie?”

Jungkook’s face flushes as he looks between the two of them. “This was a mistake, can we
pretend I never introduced you two?”

“Too late.” Taehyung’s box smile spreads across his face as he pokes Jungkook’s arm. “So,
you’re his dance partner?”

“Yeah, Hoseok, our teacher, thinks I can help him get better.” Jimin declares, leaning on the
counter.

Taheyung nods his head, reaching forward to close his notebooks and slip it under the counter, out
of Jimin’s view. Jungkook tells Jimin to give him a minute as he heads back to the break room.
Taehyung tries to make himself seem small as Jimin turns his gaze to him.

“Familiar?” Taehyung gives a weak nod. “Your glamour is pretty shitty.”

“I’m a cat, not a warlock.” Taehyung snaps, glaring at Jimin.

“So I noticed, don’t go on the defensive, I’m not looking to claim you.” Jimin states, calm as ever
as he looks at Taehyung. “You need new hair dye.”

Taehyugn feels taken back, his head jolting back as he looks at Jimin.

He’s a warlock, but he’s so calm about me begin a familiar. What warlock doesn’t want to claim
an unclaimed familiar? Who the hell are you? Taehyung’s inner monologue goes on and on as he
just stares, dumfounded, at Jimin.

Jimin lets out another laugh, high pitched giggles filling the space. “What?” He asks between his
giggles, “Have you never met a warlock?”

“Of course I have!” Taehyung blushes, he has no idea why he’s being so defensive.

“Oh, than you’ve never met a warlock that really doesn’t care that he’s a warlock?” Jimin asks,
still smiling at Taehyung.

“If that’s what you are . . . then yeah I guess.” Taehyung responds quietly, moving his gaze away
from Jimin’s.

Before Jimin can respond, Jungkook bounces back into the room, walking up to stand next to
Taehyung. As Jungkook starts up a conversation with Jimin, Taheyung grabs his notebook and
takes it to the break room to put it back in his satchel. After that he moves to fixing the shelves and
restocking, anything away from Jungkook and the warlock. Once Jimin calls out a cheery
“goodbye” to him he moves back to the register.

“Tae, what was that?” Jungkook asks as soon as he’s back by him.

“Nothing.” Tae says, shortly as he glares at the door.

“Cute wasn’t he?”

“Oh, oh I think it is.”

“Jungkook.” Taehyung’s tone is warning as he glares at the kid.

The younger breaks out laughing as he pats Taehyung’s shoulder. For a second Taheyung thinks
he’s safe, then Jungkook leans over and whispers in his ear. “He is gay so you have a shot.”

“Oh my god! Jungkook!” Taehyung’s deep voice goes up an octave as he shoves Jungkook back,
face burning red.

Jungkook’s laughter fills his sensitive ears as he drops his head, pretty hard onto the counter.

The rest of their shift passes by with a little teasing remarks, which Taehyugn manages to turn
around on him by bringing Seokjin into it. Jungkook vents for an hour or less about the guy above
the dance studio, something about blaring his music just to piss Hoseok off, getting Taehyung to
laugh. When it’s finally time for them to close up, Taheyung lets Jungkook leave before him, as he
has class in the morning and needs his sleep. Once Jungkook is gone, Tae hyung walks over to
their limited hair dye section and starts sifting through.

Jimin’s words about his hair ring in his head, a blaring bell on a clock tower. He feels oddly
defensive about it. Taehyung’s been defensive with warlocks before, but this was a very different
kind of defensive.

A bright, flashy color sticks out to him.

“Not pink, but maybe this will shock the warlock.” Taehyung freezes as he reaches for the box.

Did I just base my decision on a warlock? The cat inside him gives a growl, an uneasy and scared
growl. After licking his lips Taheyung pulls the box off the shelf and decides he might as well go
with it.

Taehyung doesn’t dye his hair right away. He waits ‘till the weekend.

Jimin stops by every day with Jungkook, and once without him right as Taehyung’s shift started.
He tried to pull more out of Taheyung, about him and his cat, but Taheyung was able to brush him
off. The weird part – and scary part – was that every time he got home after being near Jimin, he
felt different.

Sitting on his bed Saturday morning, watching the rain like he had Monday morning, he tried to
figure out why.

The water ran down the window, by where his head was resting against the glass. He’s been like
this for close to three hours, and he’s still no closer to understanding why, oh why, he was missing
that stupid warlock. His scent was intoxicating and his smile, oh god his smile, was the most
beautiful thing Taehyung had ever seen. He’d always wanted to have this reaction to a guy, but
why do you have to be a warlock?

Hissing, Taehyung swats at the glass before pushing himself away. Moving to the bathroom he
snatches up the box of hair dye, staring it down before deciding he needed to do it.

Monday, when he’s walking to the convenient store he has his notebook open and in hand,
furiously jotting down the scene in his head. The main character has just screamed a confession to
the other guy, stunning him into silence. As Taehyung’s pencil scribbles out the scene of the one
making a confession running away he runs into something. He was walking fairly fast so the
when he ran into the person before him, it sent him backwards to the ground, his notebook
slipping from his hand as he groans.

“Shit!” A high pitches voice declares. “I’m so sorry I didn’t – your hair’s orange.”

Taehyung rubs his head, confused by the words being said above him. Blinking up at the clouds,
he lifts his head off the pavement to find the source of the voice. Standing above him is the
warlock, Jimin. Jimin has his hand out, posed as if he was going to help him up, but his eyes are
wide and his mouth is hanging open as he stares at Taehyung.

“Afternoon Jimin.” Taehyung grumbles, groaning as his head gives a sharp throb.

“Your hair’s orange.” Jimin repeats. “Like, bright, sunshine orange.” He elaborates as he closes
his mouth.

“And?” Taehyung growls, hissing at Jimin as he sits up to a crossed leg position.

“I love it.” Jimin’s voice sounds short, as if he had lost his breathe when he looked at Taheyung,
and that isn’t lost on Taehyung as his face turns bright red.

“Uh, um, thanks.” Taehyung looks down, reaching over for his pencil and notebook as he shifts
onto his knees.

“And your ears, I’m sorry I think I broke your glamour.” Jimin quickly reaches out and takes
Taehyung’s arm, helping him up to his feet. “Your ears are adorable, I love the brown color. May
I . . . may I fix your glamor?”

Taehyung is surprised how hesitant Jimin is, he’s still not used to him. He’s a caring warlock, the
opposite of what he’s met and the exact type of warlock he wants. After blinking a few times,
Taehyung gives a slow nod, clutching his note book to his chest.

With Taehyung’s permission, Jimin gives his brilliant smile as he raises his hand. A few sparks
shoot from his fingertips as he gives a small, quiet chant. Taehyung feels a warmth spread through
him, a shock compared to his usual cold magic. He may have let out a small purr at the feeling, but
he’d never say anything even is he knows Jimin noticed.

“There,” Jimin says once he’s done, stepping back, “now you should be good for the day. Your
hair!”

Taehyung’s blush worsens as he looks down. “You like?”

“I love it!”

Taehyung bites his lip as he shifts his feet. “I’m glad . . . I’m glad to hear that.”

Jimin watches him for a minute before sighing. “Can we, just stop beating around the bush here?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Taehyung, I can tell you like me. Your cat is practically calling to me whenever I come in the
store, even if you haven’t noticed it yet.”

Jimin’s blunt words send a jolt through Taehyung’s system as everything clicks into place. He
loves Jimin’s scent. He feels whole when he’s near him; he feels lost when he’s not. Jimin is a
spark of hope in his dull life, because his life is dull and he can’t hide it anymore. He is falling for
Jimin.

“I don’t want to force myself on you,” Jimin continues, “and I don’t need to claim you, I just want
to date you. Taehyung you are really, really amazing and I really want to get to know you. Can I
please get to know you?”

“Yes!” Taehyung says, voice dropping an octave as he steps forward. “Yes, yes please.”

Jimin smiles, eyes squinting as he reaches out to Taehyung. “So you feel it too?”

“The pull?”

“Yeah, the pull to each other.”

“Yeah, I just, I never knew it, I. . .” Taehyugn bites his lip as he gives a little giggle, looking down
as he steps closer to Jimin. “This may be fast, but we are of the supernatural and shit like this,”

“Happens pretty fast anyways?” Jimin laughs as Taehyung glares at him.

“Yes, that’s what I was gonna say, shut up. Let me finish.” Taheyung takes a deep breath as he
stares at Jimin. “I want to be your familiar, my cat especially wants to be yours.”

“Well, you can be my cat. For now though, we can start with a date.”

Taehyung blinks. “Really?”

“Well, I can’t make you my familiar unless I know you. I made the decision a long time ago:
never claim a familiar unless you are in love with them.”

Taehyung blushes as he looks down. “Okay, that makes me feel better.”

“So, date?” Jimin asks, trying to put himself in Taehyung’s line of sight. “Tomorrow, before your
shift?”

“Uh, sure, here.” Taehyung flips to a blank page in his notebook and scribbles down his address
and phone number. He tears the page out of the notebook and holds it out to Jimin. “I need to get
in and start my shift, but you can text me and pick a time and then you can meet me at my place.”

Jimin – giddily – takes the paper from Taehyung. “Oh my god, thank you. I’m so glad you said
yes.”

Taehyung smiles, biting his lip again as he nods, moving to enter the store. Jimin flashes him one
last smile as he pulls his phone from his pocket, watching Taehyung leave his sight.

It’s as Taehyung is putting away his notebook away that he feels his phone go off. Not used to it
ever ringing, he jumps sky high and stares at it for a second. Once he’s sure it’s not gonna hurt
him he picks it up, reading one new text. Unlocking the message he reads: Thank you, you just
made my day. And I really REALLY love your hair.

Taehyung’s box smile makes an appearance as he blushes.

Jimin stepped into his life and showed him that there really is more to life, and for him that more
was Jimin. Everything he’d ever wanted was Jimin and now, now he has it.
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