Chapter Text
The dust of centuries tickled Jimin’s nose. He resisted the urge to sneeze by breathing through his mouth, which also served the purpose of slightly lessening the prevalent yokai odor .
It was obvious now why Jungkook smelled faintly of yokai at all times - Jimin had a feeling that this ancient family house must be haunted. He gritted his teeth and vowed not to mention it, knowing that yokai reminded Jungkook of his deceased parents. However, Jimin’s eyes flitted restlessly from side to side in search of demons.
The feeling is overwhelming. How many do I have to kill if they notice me? Are these the same ones that attacked Jungkook’s parents? Are these related to the other Jeon? Are they good or bad? I can’t believe I’m even asking that question.
Jimin was glad that Jin was prattling on in a friendly manner. The other two Jeon servants who had greeted them at the gate seemed unhappy to have a stranger there. Likewise, they made Jimin’s nick hairs prickle. Have I seen them before?
Risking a glance behind, Jimin saw Jungkook shake off the others’ arms with a strange expression. They must have been talking about me. Jimin ignored the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach and tried to listen to Jin.
“...not as busy as Kyoto, but I hope you’re enjoying your time here,” Jin said sincerely.
Jimin smiled politely. “I’ve only just arrived. The other students have been welcoming and I’m not bored at all.” Fighting yokai keeps me pretty busy, actually.
Grinning indulgently at Jungkook, who had just caught up to them, Jin stage-whispered, “I’m surprised our young master still has any friends. He’s very difficult.”
“Hey!” Jungkook protested.
“No, he’s very kind,” Jimin insisted. I’m still not sure he likes my presence, but we seem to finally be getting along. He invited me to his house, which counts for something, doesn’t it?
Jin just laughed and slid open a beautiful wood and paper door that showed wild flowers growing on a misty mountain. “Infirmary is in here.”
Infirmary? Jimin couldn’t hide the question in his eyes. This house is big enough that maybe Jungkook’s grandfather actually is yakuza.
Jungkook shrugged awkwardly.
“Come sit here,” Jin instructed, gesturing toward cushions placed beside a low table. “Young master, if you would help me.”
The robed servant and the high school boy huddled at the other end of the room. They were pretending to stare at the jars and bags lining the shelf along the wall, but Jimin could hear a frantic whispering that indicated they were consulting.
After a moment, Jin sighed and turned back to the waiting onmyouji . “A yokai injury? Why didn’t you say so sooner, young master?”
Jungkook looked down at his feet. “I didn’t want to worry everyone,” he said sullenly.
Jin ignored the answer to his rhetorical question and approached to look Jimin in the eye. “You’re the onmyouji ,” he said plainly, dropping the subservient air.
Nodding, Jimin glanced toward Jungkook. He must have told his family about me. Does that mean the like me or hate me?
“So you know that you are endangering yourself,” Jin continued, not waiting for Jimin’s response. “Describe the yokai that wounded you.”
Jimin felt reassured by Jin’s directness and relieved that he didn’t have to make up an excuse. Simply stating the earlier altercation, Jimin watched Jin closely for any signs of unease.
“You should be safe,” Jin announced, his charming smile returning. “ Chirizuka kaiō has no poison or hold over you if you vanquished him and lost no personal belongings.”
Jimin looked down at his poorly fitted school uniform and smiled wryly. “I have no precious belongings to lose, other than the tools of my work.”
“Well, I’m here to help for physical, not emotional, healing,” Jin said wryly. “So I can pronounce you safe and get some bandages for your wound.”
Noticing that Jungkook was still hovering uncomfortably, Jimin patted the cushion beside him. Jungkook pressed his lips together and approached hesitantly before sitting down. He glanced at Jimin for a moment, caught him watching, and turned away quickly.
“Thank you for asking Jin to check on me,” Jimin said quietly. Jin was rustling in the shelves a few feet away, making more noise than necessary as if to give them some space. “I’m not mad that you told them about me,” Jimin added.
Jungkook’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “Are you sure?” he asked, peeking at Jimin.
Jimin leaned back on his hands to stare up at the ancient wooden ceiling. “I’m sure. I’m glad you trust me.” It was weirdly thrilling to be inside a yokai’s lair, talking to humans who seemed unfazed by an onmyouji .
“How do you know so much about yokai ?” Jimin asked when Jin returned, arms stacked with supplies.
Even though Jungkook stiffened, Jin just smiled benevolently. “Surely you know that Boudanshi is famous for its yokai population?” Jin replied. “I find it’s better to be prepared for the world I live in, instead of pretending it doesn’t exist.”
Jimin searched Jin’s expression for signs of withholding something. I’ve never heard of onmyouji in Boudanshi. Is there some local group? Or just humans who know about yokai?
“Let me help,” Jungkook offered.
The conversation ended as Jin handed Jungkook a cloth dipped in a weird slimy paste. “Dab the cut gently,” the servant instructed. “This is to ward off infection, like you would with any normal cut. Those claws could have picked up anything from the trash heap.”
Jimin winced at the memory of his arm being sliced.
“Sorry! Did that hurt?” Jungkook asked worriedly. His hand froze above the cut he had just dabbed.
“No, it’s fine. I was just thinking about how it hurt when I got it,” Jimin reassured him quickly.
Jungkook nodded, still unconvinced. He slowly applied the paste to the rest of the bloody skin.
Then Jin began to wrap Jimin’s arm in a bandage. “You should come back in a few days for me to change the bandage and make sure it’s healing properly,” Jin instructed as he methodically handled the fabric.
“It’s just a cut,” Jimin protested.
Jin tied a neat knot at the end. “You’re the young master’s friend, so we can’t have anything happen to you, can we?”
Jungkook nodded emphatically.
“Thank you,” Jimin whispered, willing away the tears that were threatening to well up. Why are they being so kind to me?
Before he could politely make an escape, Jimin found himself frog-marched down the hallway by Jin towards dinner.
“Don’t be silly, there’s more than enough food,” Jin dismissed Jimin’s gentle refusal.
Jungkook had run ahead to “let everyone know we have company.” Jimin wondered if the yakuza clan had to be on different behavior because he was there.
Soon another door slid open. This one was covered in brightly painted paper, moonlit vistas and plum blossoms practically jumping out at Jimin. The large room behind the door was filled with the grassy scent of tatami mats and a mouth watering array of dishes that briefly overwhelmed the yokai smell.
“Sit, sit,” Jin urged, an encouraging hand pushing his lower back.
Jungkook gestured from where he sat at the right of an old man who presided over the long banquet table.
“Do you ever have this many people?” Jimin wondered aloud as he sat on a cushion beside his schoolmate, gazing around at the table. It was empty aside from Yoonji and Hoseok, who were still looking at Jimin suspiciously.
“Uh. Sometimes,” Jungkook said awkwardly.
Jin smiled smoothly at Jimin from his seat across the table. “The whole group doesn’t eat together for every dinner, but we do often fill the table.”
“This is my grandfather,” Jungkook said proudly, gesturing to the old man.
The Jeon patriarch stroked his beard and looked thoughtfully at Jimin. “Nice to meet you,” he said slowly. “I hear you’re good friends with Jungkook.”
Jimin bowed. “Thank you for having me.” Good friends with Jungkook. Jimin smiled to himself.
“Let’s eat!” Jungkook’s grandfather announced, thankfully not questioning Jimin further.
Everyone lunged for the dishes as though it were a race to decimate the spread. Jin and Jungkook began pushing food onto Jimin’s plate instead of serving themselves. “It’s okay!” Jimin squeaked, caught off guard.
“Just say thank you,” Jin scolded. He grabbed another serving dish and began filling up the empty corners of the plate in front of Jimin.
Jimin blushed. “Thank you, I will eat well,” he said meekly.
Jungkook chuckled and placed a skewer of chicken precariously on top of the pile. Yoonji snorted from across the table.
Ignoring her disdain, Jimin picked up a piece of eggplant in his chopsticks and took a large bite. “This is so good!” he exclaimed behind a hand.
“He likes my cooking, so you can bring him back again,” Jin said approvingly.
Halfway through a bite of yakitori , Jimin looked at Jin in surprise. “You cooked this?”
Jin dramatically gestured toward the entire table. “Yes, my child.”
“Thank you.” Jimin swallowed thickly and rose to his feet. He bowed, feeling a weird emotion rise up his throat. “Jungkook has been sharing his lunches with me. I don’t know how to ever repay you.”
“Just eat well,” Jin responded airily. When Jimin stayed in his respectful position, Jin scolded him, “So sit down and eat already!”
Jimin slowly complied, feeling both embarrassed and happy.
A shoulder bumping lightly to his side made him look at Jungkook, who was grinning at him. Unable to reply, Jimin took a large mouthful and chewed as if many pairs of eyes weren’t watching him.
The silence was broken by the old man clearing his throat. “So what did you learn today at that silly school?”
Jungkook looked pained. “Don’t call it that, grandfather,” he grumbled. “Um. It was fine. We have a math test next week, so the teacher was reviewing the material.”
“Fascinating,” the old man commented drily.
Jimin breathed a sigh of relief as Jungkook escorted him back into the open courtyard, away from the stuffy yokai air and an hour of awkward dinner conversation. Jin and Jungkook has valiantly chatted with Jimin the whole time, while Yoonji and Hosoek sulked and the Jeon leader seemed mildly amused by the entire spectacle.
“Sorry about them,” Jungkook said, scratching his neck in embarrassment.
Jimin couldn’t help but laugh, now that he was free of the house. “It’s okay. I understand how they would be uncomfortable with someone new. I’m grateful to Jin for dinner and bandaging my cut.”
As the sun slipped below the walls of the compound, a breeze blew past to mischievously rustle the leaves of a large plum tree standing in the yard. Jimin shivered.
“Are you cold? The school jackets aren’t very warm,” Jungkook said worriedly. “Should I get you something else?”
“I’ll be fine,” Jimin assured him, but Jungkook was already running back to the house. Despite the goosebumps on his skin, a feeling of warmth spread across Jimin.
His reverie was broken by a tingling on the back of his neck. Jimin made a show of casually examining at the plum tree until he caught a glimpse of the two other servants out of the corner of his eye. For a moment he swore their appearance wavered, almost becoming another familiar form.
Then Jungkook returned with a victorious shout, “Here! Put this on.” He held out a sweatshirt and tugged at the jacket draped over Jimin’s shoulder.
The other was too excited to disappoint, so Jimin obeyed. The fabric slipped around him, cocooning him in softness and a familiar scent that he couldn’t place. Jungkook’s face reappeared in Jimin’s sight as he found the neck of the sweatshirt but was quickly obscured as the hood fell over his head.
Jungkook’s laugh rang out bright and clear. “That’s better,” he said, adjusting the fabric so that it sat above Jimin’s eyes. Suddenly the boy became serious. “But you really shouldn’t go out tonight.”
Jimin blinked. The shift in demeanor reminded him of someone, but who ?
“ Yokai hunting, I mean,” Jungkook clarified. “You had one fight today already and you’re injured. Promise me you stay in tonight?”
Licking his dry lips, Jimin tried to find an answer.
Jungkook’s brow furrowed. “Are you worried about him ?” he asked in a low voice. “He can wait a night. Do you hear that?” Jungkook shouted into the emptiness of the yard.
Jimin glanced in the same direction, half expecting a pink-haired young man to grin like a cheshire cat from the branches of the plum tree. He told himself the empty feeling in the pit of his stomach wasn’t disappointment that the only thing he saw was wind stirring the leaves.
“Jimin’s staying in tonight!” Jungkook continued. “Don’t bother him or drag him out!”
Rant to a nonexistent listener over, Jungkook turned back to Jimin with a triumphant expression on his face.
How can I say no to that smile? “I guess I’m staying in tonight,” Jimin agreed.
The prospect of a night alone in his new empty home should have felt bleak, but the sweatshirt hugged Jimin’s shoulders snugly and he suddenly found he didn’t mind.