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For years Jungkook believed he was cursed to live an interesting life. Turns out he was right. In the seventh grade when he’d turned down Kim Yoohyeon she’d gone home and cast a curse on him. Except she was only 12 and she thought it hadn’t worked and then kind of forgot she’d even done it by the end of the week.
They’re still friends, even after Jungkook found out he’d been cursed for well over a decade. They had actually laughed about it just last week when they’d met up to have boba and catch up.
The reason he’d found out about the curse was Min Yoongi. His beautiful, sweet, amazing boyfriend Yoongi who turned out to be a witch. After a handful of disastrous dates Jungkook had laughed that he was probably cursed and with a frown Yoongi had taken him back to his magic shop and determined that yes, he actually was.
Now things are good. Well, weird things still happen to him but apparently that’s just how it’s going to be. Being cursed like that for so long means that you never really get all of it off of you. But it’s a lot better and Jungkook’s life is like 80% normal. And most of that abnormal comes from his boyfriend being a witch.
They’ve been together 2 years now and every day Jungkook still marvels at how lucky he is and how much he loves Yoongi. He even loves Yoongi so much that he’d cut short his lunch with his mom after receiving a cryptic text of “pls stop by the shop when you’re done lunch. No rush. There’s just a situation. It’s fine. I think.” Last time he’d gotten a text like this Yoongi had a murderous pair of rubber gloves running around the shop trying to strangle him. It’d taken Yoongi, Jungkook, and their friend Hoseok nearly 2 hours to find and capture the gloves and then burn them so there was no chance of it coming back to life and murdering someone.
So he’d politely wrapped things up with his mom and after she’d assured him it was ok he’d hurried out of the restaurant and to the shop.
When he gets there he maybe flings the door open with more force than necessary. “I’m here, hyung! What happened?” Jungkook yells into the shop.
He’s greeted with silence.
Also a weird smell.
The smell’s really pungent and it kind of makes his eyes water. Something spicy but also a little floral with maybe an undertone of… he sniffs and frowns. It kind of smells like peach Milkis?
“Hyung?” Jungkook asks tentatively. He holds his hands up near his neck in case a murderous rubber glove is lurking somewhere waiting to pounce on him.
Carefully Jungkook steps through the crowded little shop and makes his way to the back where Yoongi keeps his workshop. When Jungkook steps through the bead curtain he finds the back room just as empty as the front. On the one hand Yoongi isn’t laying dead on the floor in either room. On the other hand, where is Yoongi?
The spicy/floral/Milkis smell is even stronger in the back room. Which is impressive because every window is open letting in crisp fall air. Jungkook can’t help but cough a little. He has a sensitive nose after all and this is kind of killing his sinuses.
There’s a sound behind him and Jungkook spins, ready to defend himself from a rubber glove. Thankfully there’s no glove. There is however a calico cat. It’s sitting on Yoongi’s desk right next to his water mug. There’s water dripping from the cat’s whiskers.
Tentatively Jungkook takes a step towards the cat and reaches out a hand. “Yoongi?” he whispers.
“Meow.” Says the cat.
Jungkook’s heart sinks. Oh no. No oh no. Somehow Yoongi’s been turned into a cat. What is he even supposed to do in this situation? Jungkook isn’t a witch. He can’t turn his boyfriend back.
He pulls out his phone and considers who to call. Namjoon is definitely the smartest person he knows but he’s not always the best in a crisis. Jimin is good at solving problems. Well he’s not as smart as Jungkook’s other hyungs but he’s got the determination to work at something until it’s fixed. And calling Jimin means that he can probably bring his new boyfriend Taehyung who is like some sort of fae or something and probably knows magic to turn Yoongi back. Ok. He should definitely call Jimin.
“Meow.” Yoongi says, startling Jungkook out of his thoughts.
“Oh!” Jungkook puts his phone down on the counter and then hurries over to Yoongi. “I’m sorry, hyung. I’m just panicking a little.”
Jungkook reaches out to scoop cat Yoongi into his arms but then the unthinkable happens, Yoongi makes some sort of startled yowl, turns around, jumps onto a stack of books and then up onto the bookcase, and then out the window.
Eyes now comically wide Jungkook scrambles onto the counter, and tries to look out the window. “Hyung!” He screams. However, there’s no way he can get up the bookcase and out the window. It’s too small for a person to get through. Technically the cat shouldn’t get through it either because there is a screen. Which must be loose because Yoongi had just gone through it.
Well if he can’t go through the window he’ll have to go around. Hastily Jungkook scrambles off the counter, knocking papers and ingredients everywhere. He runs to the back door of the shop, flings it open and runs out into the alley.
“Hyung! Yoongi hyung!” He yells as he runs around the building to the other side where the window is. Thankfully Yoongi is just sitting on the ground under the window. “Fuck, hyung.” Jungkook clutches at his chest trying to still his pounding heart.
Jungkook almost lets out a tittle sob of relief as he approaches the cat. He cautiously bends down to scoop Yoongi up but right before he can do it again Yoongi bolts down the alley.
“This isn’t funny!” Jungkook yells after Yoongi.
When he gets to the end of the alley Yoongi is yet again waiting for him and lets out a loud “Meow!”
“I don’t know what you want! You’re a cat! I can’t understand you! Do you want me to follow you somewhere?”
“Meow.” The cat says and then turns and starts trotting off down the sidewalk.
With resignation Jungkook follows Yoongi. They walk 2 blocks in the same direction and then turn left and go into the small park there. There’s a more densely wooded section that leads down to the river bank and that’s where Yoongi heads.
Eventually Yoongi leads him to a rather large bush and then promptly stops, sits down, and says “Meow!” very loudly.
“Ok, I hear you. What do you…” Jungkook’s eyes land on what looks like a dirty piece of discarded clothing laying under the bush. On it are 2 kittens.
Slowly Jungkook’s gaze drags from the kittens over to Yoongi and with growing dread Jungkook asks. “Are… are these your kittens?”
“Meow.” Says Yoongi.
Oh no.
No oh no.
Not only did Yoongi get turned into a cat, he apparently gave birth to kittens!
Fuck it’d only taken Jungkook about half an hour to get to the shop after he got the cryptic text. How could this all go so wrong in such a short amount of time?
Then it hits him.
If Yoongi gave birth to kittens then would that mean that Jungkook’s the father?
Maybe Yoongi had been pregnant all along? Maybe there was some weird witch biology that Jungkook didn’t know about and all those times they’d had sex without a condom had led to the current predicament. Lately Yoongi had been complaining about how his tummy was getting softer and that he should watch what he eats more. Jungkook had insisted that it was cute and he’d love him no matter what shape his tummy was.
Once Jungkook had read about how some people when they got pregnant it barely looked like they were pregnant. Especially if they didn’t think they were pregnant then the body would like actively try to hide the pregnancy and the baby would even kick and stuff less. Maybe this is like that.
And then when Yoongi turned into a cat it made him go into labour and now Jungkook is a dad to kittens.
“Ok. Wow. This is. Wow.” He wants to run. Even more than that he wants to cry. But then one of the kittens lets out a little mew and Jungkook locks eyes with it and the eyes are so big and round and Jungkook’s heart melts a little because that is his child! He sinks to the ground and scoops up the kittens into his lap to look them over.
One of the kittens is a calico like Yoongi with one side of its face completely white and the other swirled with black and orange. The other kitten is mostly black streaked with some white. Both of them are very friendly and active and try to rub themselves all over Jungkook once they’re in his lap and they keep making little mews and chirps.
Finally Yoongi comes over and rubs himself all over Jungkook’s side. “Oh so now you want to be touched.” Jungkook rolls his eyes but deep down he feels relief that finally Yoongi isn’t running away from him. Tentatively Jungkook reaches out and pets down Yoongi’s head and back. Yoongi lets out a loud purr.
The four of them just sit in the grass while Jungkook tries to calm his racing heart and figure out what to do. Obviously he should get everyone home because being outside is super dangerous for cats. Once everyone is secured in their apartment then Jungkook can worry about calling someone to help him turn Yoongi back.
Wait, does that mean they have to turn the kittens back into humans? New panic starts to set into Jungkook’s stomach because oh no he’s suddenly the father to twins.
“No.” Jungkook says loudly. “No, we’re not going to go there right now.” He takes a couple deep calming breaths and then looks at Yoongi who is now curled up at his side. “Let’s go home, hyung.”
First Jungkook slips off his hoodie and then bundles the small kittens into it. He needs to keep them warm and safe after all. They seem a little upset about being swaddled up in the sweater so they can’t escape but Jungkook doesn’t want to take any chances. Yoongi doesn’t seem bothered by it so probably Jungkook is doing the right thing. With the 2 kitten burritos tucked under one arm he reaches down and scoops up Yoongi who goes willingly.
Now with 3 cats in his arms Jungkook starts briskly walking through the park towards home. Thankfully their apartment isn’t far from the shop and the park so the walk is short. Only a couple people give him curious glances as he walks by. One teenage girl looks like she wants to pet the cats but after she briefly locks eyes with Jungkook she quickly steps back and lets him pass without incident. Maybe he should feel a bit guilty about how he probably scared her a little but he’s on a mission.
Trying to key in the door lock to the building with 2 squirming kittens and one cat that is losing patience in being carried turns out to be difficult. He gets it wrong twice before he gets it right. Somewhere in the middle of the struggles Yoongi had dug his claws through the thin fabric of Jungkook’s t-shirt and right into his chest and let out a loud yowl.
“We’re almost there.” Jungkook says through gritted teeth as the claws scrape against his ribs. Yah that’s gonna leave a mark. But it’s fine. Probably.
He should take the elevator but Jungkook has social anxiety and he doesn’t want to run into his neighbours so he opts to take the stairs. It’s only 4 floors. The skin on his chest will heal eventually. Yoongi does not seem to like being jostled around as Jungkook jogs up the stairs. Claws dig into Jungkook’s shoulder, his arm, his collarbone and there’s even a point where Yoongi nearly gets away but his claws catch in Jungkook’s shirt and he manages to pull Yoongi tight to his chest again.
“Please, hyung.” Jungkook begs as he swings open the door to the 4th floor.
Thankfully their door is right by the stairs so he frantically jams in their code and shoves their door open. He’s barely stepped foot in the door when Yoongi lets out another loud yowl and claws his arm and Jungkook drops him. Yoongi’s paws have barely touched the doormat by the time he is bolting off through the apartment and out of sight.
As soon as the door clicks shut behind him the kittens start crying in earnest.
Is this what it’s like to be a parent? Sure Jungkook had always kind of entertained the thought of being a parent eventually but becoming a dad suddenly on a Tuesday out of the blue with no warning was not how he pictured it.
“Ok…” He glances around the apartment for any inspiration of what to do. His eyes land on the coffee table where Yoongi has a basket where he collects the random things on the coffee table to help keep it from getting cluttered. Jungkook figures that’ll work well enough.
In a few steps Jungkook is across the room. He picks up the basket and dumps the contents on the table. Everything flies everywhere. The remote skids to one corner, pens roll everywhere, a lip balm goes right off the edge and rolls under the couch. Also apparently Yoongi had found Jungkook's bouncy ball because it bounces off the table, hits a wall and then goes off down the hallway.
Jungook closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to calm himself.
He puts the basket on the ground and then sets his sweater in the basket. Carefully he unwraps the kittens while quietly reassuring them that they’re safe now.
Now that the kittens can move freely they seem to calm slightly. The calico one is looking around curiously while the little black one keeps trying to climb out of the basket. Jungkook has to keep gently pushing the black one back in. Ok so maybe he needs a bigger basket. Do they own a bigger basket? Maybe the laundry basket?
Then a stray thought makes him stop dead. Doesn’t it take kittens at the very least a few days to open their eyes? These kittens definitely have their eyes open and they seem to be able to move around pretty well. Actually, on a second look maybe they’re a little big for newborn kittens. A lot big for newborn kittens.
There’s a loud crash from elsewhere in the apartment.
“Hyung?” Jungkook springs to his feet. He takes a step but then glances back at the kittens. The black one is already out of the basket. With a sigh Jungkook picks up the kitten and then hurries to investigate the crash.
He finds Yoongi in the bathroom. Their toothbrush holder is lying shattered on the floor. Yoongi’s toothbrush is lying on the floor. Thank goodness he didn’t have time to take his shoes off so Jungkook carefully steps around the shards of the holder as he approaches Yoongi who is sitting on the bathtub ledge now. Purple catches his eye and Jungkook sees his toothbrush floating in the toilet. Turning back to Yoongi he asks “why?” a little desperately.
“Meow” says Yoongi.
“Is that all you can say?”
He realises how stupid that sounds after he says it.
“Meow” Yoongi says, standing up, fur bristling.
There’s the sound of someone keying in the door code.
Yoongi looks like he’s about to bolt but in one fluid moment Jungkook manages to scoop him up into his free arm.
Claws instantly dig into Jungkook’s chest.
“Please hyung.” Jungkook sobs as he hurries out of the bedroom and to the front door of their apartment. He gets there just in time for the door to swing open and for Yoongi to step through.
“Oh, there you are!” Yoongi says looking relieved. He holds up Jungkook’s phone and smiles at him. “When I found your phone in the shop I got a little worried but hoped you’d just headed home. Sorry I missed you, I’d just stepped -” his eyes finally land on the cats and his mouth drops open. “Why do you have 2 cats?”
Slowly Jungkook looks between who clearly appears to be a human Yoongi standing at his front door and the calico cat that he thought was Yoongi in his arms. Slowly his gaze settles on the human and he asks. “What did we do on our 4th date?”
Human Yoongi’s eyebrows raise. “Uhh well we came back here and I cooked supper. Then when you went to use the bathroom the toilet backed up and when you went to plunge it the plunger broke and we spent like an hour going to every store we could find open until we could buy a new one.”
Jungkook lets out a little sob of relief. “Oh hyung. You’re not a cat! I’m so happy!” He steps forward and goes to hug Yoongi but then realises that his arms are full of cats and he can’t.
Claws sink into his arm and startled Jungkook drops the calico cat. Once again the cat’s paws have barely hit the ground before it’s running down the hall and disappearing.
“You thought I was a cat?” Yoongi stares at the hallway where the cat disappeared. “You know most calico cats are female, right?”
“Mew!” Says the little kitten still in Jungkook’s other hand.
Relief fills Jungkook as he looks at the kitten. This kitten is not his child. Yoongi didn’t give birth. What a relief.
The relief is quickly filled with dread as Jungkook realises he’s just taken in what is probably a stray cat and her two kittens.
“Umm, I can explain.”
“I think that would be best.” Yoongi says as he slips off his shoes. He then gently takes the kitten from Jungkook and points at Jungkook’s feet. “Maybe take off your shoes first though and let me treat those scratches.”
A couple minutes later finds them sitting on the floor by the basket with the kittens with Jungkook shirtless and Yoongi slathering some terrible smelling salve on his scratches while Jungkook explains everything that happened. When he’s done speaking Yoongi just kind of blinks at him in a look that is not dissimilar to the kittens staring up at him.
“So, just so I’m completely clear on things. You thought I was that cat,” Yoongi points at the mother cat who is now grooming herself while sitting on the couch behind Jungkook. “Thought I gave birth to kittens despite being a cis man and then brought all the cats back to our apartment?”
Jungkook just nods sheepishly.
Yoongi just chuckles and goes back to treating Jungkook’s wounds. “You’re really sweet, you know. I love you a lot.”
“I love you too.” Jungkook mumbles.
“So, have you thought of names for them?”
“What?” Jungkook squawks.
“Well she seems like she claimed you as hers so I’m honestly not going to fight a stray cat over wanting to find a safe place to raise her kittens. All three of them are honestly super cute too.”
Jungkook turns and looks back at the calico. “I kind of want to call her trouble after everything she put me through. But hmm…” he bites his lip as he thinks. “Ah!” he slaps a hand down on his knee and turns back to Yoongi. “Peach Milkis. Because when I met her your workshop kind of smelled like Peach Milkis.”
“Peach Milkis?” Yoongi frowns and stares at the ground as he thinks deeply about something before he yells “ah!” and sits up straight. “That’s what happened! I got some ingredients from Namjoon and I think he mislabeled something. If it was peach leaves he gave me instead of yuzu leaves that could explain why it didn’t work.”
“So whatever you were making just kind of exploded?”
Yoongi grimaces. “Yah it was like a huge cloud of stinky smoke. Harmless mostly but like a little overpowering. I went down the street to Seokjin’s cafe to just get away from it for a few minutes. That must have been when you came in and caught Peach Milkis over there drinking from my mug.” His face falls slightly. “I drank from that mug right before I left…”
Jungkook grimaces in sympathy. “Maybe you should go brush your teeth?”
Yoongi glances towards the hall and then pouts. “I can’t. My toothbrush is apparently on the floor. I guess we need to go toothbrush shopping. And cat supply shopping. Because we apparently have cats now.”
“I’d love to go with you but I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day.” Jungkook holds out his left arm to show the myriad of scratches down it. “And I look like I lost a fight with a cat so people will stare.”
“Ok.” Yoongi leans down and kisses one of the scratches before getting to his feet. “I’ll go pick up something to cook tonight, some cat essentials, and some toothbrushes.”
“Oh, but shouldn’t you go back to the store?” Jungkook asks.
Yoongi grimaces. “The smell is too overpowering, I’m letting it air out overnight. Though maybe I should go fix that screen before anyone else decides to make the shop their home.” He glances warily at Peach Milkis who now seems to be dozing on the couch.
“Ok. Oh, and hyung?”
“Yah?”
“Can you pick up some Milkis? I really have a craving for some now.” Jungkook says sheepishly.
Yoongi laughs before bending down and placing a gentle kiss on the top of Jungkook’s head. “Of course, anything for you.”