Bangtan Universe • BTS oneshots

8. Stardust • witch taekook

The old mansion on the hill looks exactly as he remembers.

Faded white walls, tall Victorian arches and weathered tin roof gleaming in the sun. Every detail as heartwarming as he dreams of at night.

The only home he's ever known, filled with laughters and clamour. Taehyung can almost hear Jimin's giggles, and grandpa Jin's sappy jokes as he cooks in the kitchen.

The family has been at the house for generations. The library full of musky old scrolls and sketches, the ritual room in the basement that's always comfortingly dark - every corner of the house is touched with the mysterious, the wooden floors creaking and whispering of forgotten secrets.

Taehyung stands by the front entrance and hesitant, heart thrumming nervously, face blanched.

After all, he's the one that ran away from it all as a teen, moving into the city to live on his own, willingly fading into the crowd as an unassuming nobody. He remembers vividly how much he grew to hate everything here, the witchcraft, the fear of losing control of his power, the suffocating responsibility and expectations.

He swore vehemently to never return. But here he is, heartbroken, worn out to the bones, with no more strength left of his own to face reality.

The reality that his love has died.

Suddenly, the front door opens. Taehyung gulps and sees the familiar dimpled smile, "Yoon said you'd be here today, I didn't believe him. You know he's never gonna let me down on this one."

Tears start to well up in Taehyung's eyes, as he falls into Namjoon's embrace. And just like that, Taehyung is home. He feels Namjoon thumbing away his tears and whispering to him, "it's ok, you're back now. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it together."

It's overwhelming seeing everyone's familiar face, Jin and Hoseok laughing heartily, Yoongi pushing out a stiff little grin when their eyes meet. But the one that's the hardest for Taehyung to face is Jimin.

Jimin. His little brother, so young when he left, who still relied on his companionship. The glint of coldness in Jimin's eyes makes Taehyung flinch, but as he wipes away the tear stains on his cheeks, a sob breaks out of him and he sees Jimin's gaze soften. Taehyung worries his lips between his teeth as Jimin walks towards him, and exhales sharply when he's pulled into a long hug.

"I'm sorry." He rasps, tears soaking into Jimin's shoulder.

"Don't you dare leaving again." There's something sharp in Jimin's voice, but Taehyung knows there's no bite to it.

Taehyung ends up sleeping in Jimin's room, staying up all night catching up. Sometimes they speak rapidly, overlapping each other like the impatient little kids they were before, sometimes the room is filled with silence, as their thoughts drift apart.

Taehyung tells Jimin how tough the outside world was, how alone he felt and regretted running away from home, how much he missed Jimin and the rest of the family. It was all a huge mistake, until he met Jeongguk.

It was like a dream, the year they had together. The city no longer felt cold and grim, but instead painted in pastel hues and hopeful glimmers. They were never apart for long, and Jeongguk was the only one that Taehyung revealed his true identity too, with an anxious heart and a nervous tick. Taehyung was afraid, he didn't want to see the inevitable look of shock and disgust in Jeongguk's eyes, the same look from the village kids growing up that hardened his heart. But Taehyung had to tell him one day, for he could never love someone that didn't embrace his biggest secret, the true identity of his family. And to his surprise, Jeongguk just looked at him with a fond smile on his lips, "baby, you're special. I love you and am honoured you would share who you are with me."