Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jungkook is a dragon shapeshifter — but even among dragons, he is considered to be an oddity.

“Are you perhaps a shapeshifter?”

The smile that Jungkook had plastered on his face for the entirety of his interview starts to slip, turning into a poorly hidden grimace.

The woman sitting across the table stares at him expectantly. He glances at her badge — the golden enamel pin with the logo of the Korean National Police University, the best of the best in the country. His dream university for his dream job — becoming a police officer.

“Uh…” He trails out, trying to stall for more time, unsure on how to answer this question.

Being a shapeshifter isn’t a delicate topic per se. If anything, shapeshifters and other magical beings in the twenty-first century are fully accepted by society and coexist peacefully with humans. In the bustling streets of Seoul, one might come across a witch putting their healing magic to good use by working as a paramedic, a vampire sharing their knowledge as a history professor, or even a pixie generously giving out small amounts of their pixie dust to etch glowing tattoos on human skin.

Everyone seems to fit in and find a way to make themselves useful in one way or another.

The interviewer seems to sense his hesitance. With a smile, she reassures him. “Being a shapeshifter is absolutely fine with us. This question is purely for statistics purposes, so don’t think about it too much.”

“Oh. That’s… Great,” Jungkook mutters, relieved. “Well, I’m—”

“Unless you’re a dragon shapeshifter,” she muses, interrupting the beginning of what was supposed to be Jungkook’s confession.

He gulps. The pen he was gripping onto tightly with both of his hands slips out, clattering on the floor with an obnoxious sound. He flinches.

“Um. Why not?”

She nods absent-mindedly, fingers flying over her laptop’s keyboard. “If you’re a dragon, we’d need more information from you. Nothing to worry about either, just some additional paperwork to let us know how much of your powers you’ve mastered, and what type of dragon you are. You know — Earth, Air, or Water.”

Jungkook pursues his lips, hands coming down to grip on the edge of his seat in an attempt to stop fidgeting.

Dragons aren’t rare per se. Descendants of mighty predators, dragon shapeshifters nowadays are significantly smaller — usually the size of a horse. Most are Earth Dragons — they have no special abilities save for their capacity to shift into their dragon shape, and they live similarly to how any regular human would.

Air Dragons are a bit less common — their scales are white and reflect light in a way that rivals the snow. They are particularly good at flying at high altitudes despite the wind and the cold, which is why most of them work for the Republic of Korea Air Force.

Water Dragons are the rarest out of the three types of dragons. They are bioluminescent and can breathe underwater like it's second nature — which it is, in a way. Almost all of these kinds of shifters provide their help to water-related industries and departments, be it assisting divers and fishermen, or joining the Republic of Korea Marine Corps.

There is in fact a fourth type of dragons, but very few people talk or even know about them — Fire Dragons. Only known as dangerous beasts who spit fire first and ask questions later, they are feared by most, if not despised. The records still have evidence of a few notorious Fire Dragons who burnt down entire buildings in the past, although the cause of such behavior is never clearly stated.

In short, if you turn out to be a Fire Dragon, you'd do best to keep yourself quiet about it if you don't want to be ostracized and shunned by the entire society, fellow dragon shifters included.

Jungkook stuck closely to that unspoken rule for his entire life. Save for his parents who stayed back in his hometown and the principal of his former high school for security purposes, everyone knows him to be an ordinary Earth Dragon.

Playing pretend felt suffocating.

But his dream was and remains to become a police officer. Protect the powerless, fight for justice, provide security. And he knows that a Fire Dragon who's never had the opportunity to learn how to master his powers would never get accepted to work anywhere near the law enforcement department. They'd label him as too peculiar. And truth be told, “peculiar” would simply be a nice, sugar-coated way to say that he’d get disqualified right away, probably at the receiving end of quite a few disdainful stares, and this — the application process, the interview, wearing his dad's old suit — would have all been a waste of his time and money and overall mental energy.

Jungkook clears his throat, eyeing the interviewer carefully. “Oh, I’m… Not a dragon shapeshifter.”

She blinks back at him in confusion. “Then why did you ask about them?”

“Just… Curiosity?” He offers, and promptly scowls internally at the way his answer came out more like a question than anything else.

But the lady smiles appreciatively. “That’s actually great. We love curious and proactive people here — as long as you are also disciplined and responsible.” She scans her laptop screen once again, nodding as she checks her notes. “You seem to be a very promising student.”

“Student?”

With a final click, she closes her laptop and finally meets his eyes, a smile etched onto her face.

“Welcome to Korean National Police University, Jeon Jungkook.”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Turns out, the interviewer was right. Jungkook was a promising student.

He passed all of his physical aptitude tests with flying colors and without much trouble, attracting either fierce jealousy or strong admiration from his peers. The academic side of his programme was the most challenging due to his inability to stay focused while sitting at a desk for an extended period of time, but Jungkook enrolled ready to give it his all.

After a few all-nighters, countless iced americanos and several bottles of vitamins, he graduated top of his class. Summa cum laude , as they say.

But there was one thing which he didn't manage to master — tame — during his studies...

His dragon heritage.

And yet, once again, he shoved that part of himself into a tiny box and locked it away determinedly. His dragon might have howled at him, but Jungkook was the one to cut off his air supply mercilessly.

And without air, there wasn't any room left for even the tiniest ember of hope.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

"Jeon Jungkook, have you finished filing that report yet?"

The baritone voice makes Jungkook jump in surprise. He glances worriedly at the stack of paper neatly arranged on his desk and checks the number of the page he's on.

Seventh page. Out of thirty-two pages.

He bites his bottom lip. Runs excuses after excuses in his mind to find one he hasn't used yet to justify his apparently slow progress yet again.

Before he can come up with a believable excuse, his superior — the police corporal in charge of the Gangnam Police Station — enters the room, face unreadable.

Jungkook grimaces as Kim Taehyung quickly scans his desk, gaze falling on the report he's supposed to have completed by now, and yet looking practically untouched. He sucks on his teeth before turning towards Jungkook.

"Well. It seems like you're going to work overtime today as well."

Jungkook forces a sheepish smile.

Yes, because, today as well , he forgot how annoyingly fragile paper is and inadvertently sneezed a little too hard and a little too close to the report he had almost finished filing two hours ago. Ashes were all that remained of it.

Taehyung simply gives him an odd look, like he's about to say something, but ultimately decides against it as he merely nods his acknowledgement.

"Don't forget to lock the office after you leave."

"Will do," Jungkook replies in a higher-pitched voice than normal. "Have a nice evening."

The police corporal gives him another curt nod and exits unceremoniously, leaving a trail of cologne behind him that Jungkook can't help but inhale discreetly. A small consolation.

He sags into his chair. Why did he have to be assigned to administrative duties? Why not patrolling duties? Why did he feel like he was only ever disappointing his superior?

And why, why, did he have a crush on Kim Taehyung—

To be entirely honest, Jungkook knows the answer to that last question. It was easy to like the man. Kind and patient, remarkably good at his job, and unbelievably handsome, Kim Taehyung is probably the only reason why this police station is still up and running.

Truthfully, their station is situated in an area where the crime rate is close to negative. The only people who visit them are either here to ask for directions, drop off a lost pet, or try to get Taehyung's number. Which they never succeed in because of the man's very strict work ethics, as Jungkook never fails to note with no small amount of satisfaction and relief.

Recently though, the station stopped sheltering lost pets after someone dropped off a stray cat during Jungkook's shift at reception. Being allergic to these fur balls, Jungkook hadn't stopped coughing and sneezing, all while scratching at his swollen neck. Taehyung had frowned at him and carefully — so, so gently — taken Jungkook's hands in his own to stop his movements, instead asking another colleague for an ice pack to lessen the swelling.

Jungkook had almost shifted into his dragon form there and then.

The next day, there had been a new sign on the door — "no pets allowed in the station". To this day, he still wonders if Taehyung had anything to do with this sudden change.

The sound of the station's main entrance door clicking shut, signaling Taehyung's departure, gets Jungkook out of his thoughts. Lips pursued, he grabs his favorite ball pen — the one with the fancy golden lettering spelling Korean National Police University on it — and hunches back on all the paperwork left. Better get to work sooner than later.

He progresses rather quickly. Contrary to what his colleagues might think, Jungkook is actually quite efficient when it comes to administrative work. With a detail-oriented mind and unrivaled perseverance, the quality of his work never disappoints, in spite of his... Unexpected setbacks.

It's a bit past ten when his nose starts tickling ominously.

No no no, not again—

He only has two pages left. He cannot mess this up.

Come on, Jungkook. You know what to do. You just have to hold your breath for fifteen seconds and wait until the feeling passes. You got this.

He doesn’t even dare rubbing at his nose to ease the itchy feeling. Arms frozen as they hover almost protectively above his desk covered with loose sheets of paper, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Holds it.

One. 

Two. 

Three. 

Four. 

Fi—

With a shuddering breath, Jungkook sneezes.

Almost instantly, the report he has been working on for the past five hours combusts into flames. Ashes and a few kindling embers are the only remains of what used to be his greatest report yet. A light trail of smoke comes out of his nostrils.

A long silence passes as Jungkook glares dejectedly at the cinders on his desk before he throws his head back, groaning in frustration.

This habit of his to spit fire at every minor inconvenience is definitely a major inconvenience.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Jungkook is in the middle of rewriting his response to an inquiry when his work phone starts ringing, disrupting the peaceful silence floating in the empty police station.

Odd. No one except him works on Sunday nights.

He takes the call in a hurry, not bothering to check the caller's I.D. If his work phone is ringing, then it must be urgent, and that's all he really needs to know.

"Gangnam Police Station, officer Jeon Jungkook speaking."

"Jungkook? It's Taehyung. I need back-up."

All things considered, maybe he should have checked that I.D. His heart could have used some warning.

"Sir? But what are you doing at this hour on a Sunday—"

The police corporal sounds out of breath as he cuts him off. "No time to explain. I'll text you my location, please come as quickly as you can, okay?" He pauses before adding, a bit more quietly. "And don't run around with your shoelaces untied."

"But—"

The line cuts off.

Jungkook blinks at his phone. Once he gets past the initial shock of his crush mentioning his habit of never caring about his unmade shoelaces, he gasps in realization. Did his superior just call for him as back-up?

Not wasting any time, he excitedly abandons the letter he was writing as he puts on his police officer uniform vest in a haste.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

In hindsight, Jungkook shouldn't have worn a vest on top of his shirt.

After weeks and weeks spent at his desk doing mostly administrative work, he forgot how exhaustive chasing delinquents on the run really was.

But he doesn't stop to catch his breath. Gaze focused on his target, he races — takes sharp turns in the maze of narrow alleys, trying to find a shortcut.

The darkness of the night doesn't make it easy on him either. Most of the street lights are broken in this part of the town — which was probably why the pickpocket lured Taehyung and him in here. He mentally takes note of yet another report he'll have to write.

Jungkook stops dead in his tracks when he reaches a dead end. He curses under his breath, heaving a little. He’s about to turn around and try to meet up with Taehyung, when a suspicious sound interrupts him.

He looks up.

There — at the top of the rock wall, the pickpocket is thrashing, trying to get to the other side of the wall. His right foot slips, and he gasps, trying to regain his footing. Small rocks fall to the ground, narrowly missing Jungkook's face.

Jungkook doesn't stop to think, and starts climbing. He ignores the way his sore muscles start screaming at him. The sting caused by the sharp-edged rocks under his palms barely registers.

Efficiently, he climbs up, getting closer and closer to his target. The pickpocket seems to notice how quick he is to catch up on him, which makes his moves even more frantic and less careful. And before Jungkook can utter his warning — the man falls to the other side of the wall.

Jungkook climbs more urgently now, blood pounding at his temples. When he reaches the top of the wall, he peers down at the ground, expecting to see the man passed out or at the very least injured on the asphalt.

Instead, he is met with a more comical sight. The pickpocket is shrieking in disgust from the inside of a dumpster. Seems like the dumpster and its content cushioned his fall perfectly well and conveniently trapped him in it, to Jungkook's satisfaction.

Once he carefully climbs down the wall, dutifully avoiding the dumpster, he reaches for the phone in the inside of his jacket.

"Sir? I got the guy."

After that, the events turn into a blur as the rush of adrenaline comes down. Taehyung catching up to him, Taehyung praising him, Taehyung smiling to him—

Because the pickpocket stole from civilians in another district of the town, he didn't fall under the Gangnam Police Station's jurisdiction. Taehyung called his colleagues from the Hongdae Police Station instead, who profusely thanked Jungkook for his help when Taehyung refused to take any credit in the man's capture. Jungkook had merely sputtered a few humble "T'was nothing at all," "The pleasure's all mine" and a panicked "Yes, I totally lured him into a dumpster on purpose" before parting ways.

By the time the two policemen reach the Gangnam Police Station again, it's close to one in the morning.

"So I'll see you tomorrow, Jungkook?"

The closeness of Taehyung's deep voice sends shivers down his spine. Jungkook turns, facing the police corporal, and manages a small smile. "Of course, sir. I was... Just about to leave."

Dejectedly, he spares a thought at the report he has yet to finish writing. His smile might have faltered then, because Taehyung frowns.

"Do you maybe need a ride?" The man rambles on, "Not that I don't think you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, especially after your exceptional intervention tonight. It's just getting pretty late, and I'm assuming there aren't many buses, and, you know, I have a car, with plenty of space for two people, and we just happen to be two people, so..."

Jungkook blinks at his superior for a few seconds, watching in astonishment the way his cheeks turn into a darker shade. He starts giggling uncontrollably. Who knew that Kim Taehyung, the strict and intimidating head of the Gangnam Police Station, could get so flustered and so damn cute ?

"Oh, I actually took my car today. A rare occurrence since I hate driving, but if I don't use my poor driving skills every once in a while, I might just forget how to handle the wheel altogether." Jungkook beams. "But thanks for the offer, sir, I really appreciate it."

"Please don't call me sir," Taehyung grumbles. "Just Taehyung is fine. Aren't we partners in crime now?" He offers Jungkook a subtle smirk.

Jungkook's brain momentarily stops functioning. He internally urges his brain to come up with something, anything, to respond to that and which would sound flirty yet quirky yet professional at the same time.

"Of course, of course, crime in partners— I mean," Jungkook struggles to find his words.

It's now his turn to blush, fingers fidgeting in embarrassment. But Taehyung's smirk softens into a genuine smile, with something akin to endearment shining in his eyes.

Jungkook offers a sheepish smile instead.

"Alright, Taehyung."

He doesn't let himself succumb to the enticing warmth in Taehyung's eyes. Instead, he distracts himself by rummaging through his uniform vest's pockets, trying to find his car keys.

But instead of finding not only his car keys, but also his home keys and the shiny golden bicycle keyring attached to them, he finds absolutely nothing. His outer pocket is empty.

Perplexed and growingly alarmed, he checks all of his pockets a second in time — but in vain.

"Jungkook? Is everything okay?"

Taehyung is already ready to head out, holding the door for him. Jungkook nibbles on his bottom lip anxiously.

"I can't find my car and house keys. And my golden bicycle keyring," he grumbles, very close to start whining at the universe and his awful karma. "I must have lost them during the chase."

"Shit," Taehyung lets the door fall shut and approaches him once again. Jungkook finds it comforting — the way Taehyung waited, and walked back on his steps for him. "My offer to give you a ride still stands, but does your neighbor have a spare of your house keys or something?"

Jungkook shakes his head no, an upset pout forming on his face.

Taehyung stares at him, as if weighing his options. Eventually, he murmurs, "You can sleep over at mine, if you want."

"But wouldn't that make you uncomfortable?" Jungkook asks hesitantly.

"Uncomfortable? Not at all, Jungkook, I like—" He coughs. "I'd like to help you. I can sleep on the couch, I promise I don't mind. I even fall asleep there some nights when I forget to drag myself to bed after working late, so it won't change much from usual."

Jungkook levels him a look. "Um. Maybe you should consider dragging yourself to bed then, Taehyung." He rolls his eyes at the innocent eyes the other is making at him. "But fine, I accept — but on the condition that I get to sleep on the couch."

Taehyung mirrors his eye roll but smiles. "Fine. Whatever you prefer."

Satisfied, Jungkook nods resolutely. Truth be told, choosing the couch wasn't entirely because he wanted to be considerate and avoid disturbing the kind police corporal, although that was also absolutely correct. Jungkook just didn't like the idea of invading someone else's most private place. Maybe it was because of his inner dragon's instincts, but he needed a space just for himself, somewhere he would feel comfortable lowering his guard in and get a good night's sleep, and who knows if Taehyung feels the same way.

Some would describe his behavior as excessively territorial, and he would probably be the last one to deny it.

Even after twenty-one years of existence, Jungkook himself doesn't fully understand his dragon's picky needs either.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Jungkook can't sleep — he cannot get his good night's sleep .

Wide awake and a bit confused, he stares at the dark. He feels fine , comfortable even. The couch doesn't hurt his back as much as he would have thought it would, the blankets are warm, and the pyjama set that Taehyung let him wear deliciously smells like the latter's laundry detergent — the delicate scent of roses balanced by the earthy notes of cedar and amber.

He definitely is comfortable, but for some reason, his inner dragon is restless. At four in the morning. In spite of the physical exhaustion washing over his body.

Entering Taehyung's apartment hadn't been a big affair. The police corporal gave him some clean slippers, a brand new toothbrush and a bath towel, a clean set of pyjamas, and gave him a short tour of his home.

Unsurprisingly, Taehyung's place is clean and tidy. There aren't any plants — save for the cactus in the entrance, which he oddly uses as a coat rack — but Jungkook noticed many paintings decorating the walls, as well as a few sculptures on the shelves.

Jungkook's favorite room is the living room. An old-looking record player lined with silver and gold is displayed on top of a low table, next to an electronic piano keyboard. There's a Van Gogh painting — Starry Night — hanging on the wall, framed in polished copper. And fortunately for him, the couch he is to sleep in for the night is in this very living room.

He has a slight obsession for shiny things, sue him. Or don't, because he did study law at university and would definitely win whatever case you try to bring against him.

But even in the midst of such a comforting room, Jungkook absolutely cannot fucking go to sleep.

Heaving a deep sigh, he kicks his comforter away from his overheating body and slips his feet into his slippers, carefully avoiding the cold floor. He might as well try to drink a glass of water. Hopefully, it'll wash away his agitation.

Although the kitchen isn't technically that far away from where he is in the living room — it's literally the room across the corridor — there's one minor issue...

Jungkook is afraid of the dark.

He knows that it's mostly due to his very imaginative mind and his healthy addiction to true crime podcasts and that he's being irrational — but the darkness is scary . It looks like a threatening emptiness filled with unwanted surprises.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, he stands up, reaching for his phone to turn on the flashlight. The small pool of light coming from it helps, but it makes his mind become even more weary of the rest of the darkness surrounding him.

He is fully aware that he could simply turn on the lights — but he's just too worried that it might wake up his host. That was definitely the worst thing he could ever do in his shy attempts to woo his crush.

Jungkook walks on his tiptoes, and resorts to his best coping mechanism so far—

Talking to the dark.

"You're not real." He utters, voice barely above a whisper. "If I don't look at you, you don't exist. That's how science works."

His progress is slow, but he eventually gets to the kitchen, fumbling in the dark, hands stretched out in front of him. The pep talk helps — a little.

However, no amount of pep talk could have prepared him for a sight that makes his heart drop. He's about to enter the kitchen when he glances at the mirror hanging next to the door. He sees eyes, seemingly glowing in the dark. Without letting his brain some time to realize that he pair of eyes belong to Taehyung, Jungkook swiftly turns around with a shriek, and—

Fire comes out of his mouth in an unapologetic burst, aimed right at Taehyung's face.

Time seems to still. None of them move a muscle, save for Jungkook's gasp when Taehyung presses his fingers on the wall to turn on the lights and chase the shadows away.

Taehyung has an eyebrow slit. Jungkook spit fire in his crush's face, effectively revealing his hidden dragon heritage, and gave him an eyebrow makeover by shaving — burning — off an entire vertical line off of it.

Fuck. Him.

The silence stretches out between them. Jungkook is left gaping at the man, unable to find his words, mind gone blank. Taehyung just stares at him with mild concern, frozen, as if not wanting to frighten him any further.

Eventually, they both speak at the same time.

"Taehyung, I'm so sorry, I promise I can explain—"

"That's really not how science works, Jungkook—"

They pause once again. Jungkook bites the inside of his cheek, unable to tune out his thundering heart.

"What— Jungkook, you've got nothing to be sorry about—"

He snaps, voice cracking. "What do you mean nothing — I just gave you an eyebrow slit, didn't tell you that I'm a dragon shifter, which you’ve now found out, and interrupted your sleep." Jungkook's breathing hitches. "I swear it wasn't my intention to lie to you, and I didn't turn into a flame thrower on purpose, I'm just really struggling to control my reflexes, and—"

"Jungkook," Taehyung interrupts, taking a step toward him, eyes wide. "Please breathe. I'm not mad at you, I promise."

He takes a shuddering breath, tentatively. "You're not?"

"I'm really not." Taehyung takes another slow step towards him, leaving him the opportunity to back away first. "You never said you weren't a dragon shifter, so technically , you didn't lie to me. If anything, I'm sorry for scaring you — I'm actually well aware that dragon shifters are very intuitive beings, especially Fire Dragons. I should have cleared my throat or something," he trails out apologetically.

"But your eyebrow—"

He chuckles. "Don't worry about that. It's just hair, it'll grow back. You didn't cut off one of my limbs now, did you?"

"I guess, but still..."

"It's fine. You're fine." He offers him a warm smile. "We're good."

Gradually, Jungkook's heart rate returns to a normal one, although his eyes remain glassy and a bit glazed over at the shock. Taehyung seems to notice this, and he smiles sympathetically.

"There's some milk in the fridge, you can heat it up in the microwave if you want. It'll help with your raspy throat as well. Because of, you know — the fire."

When Jungkook gives him a hesitant nod. Taehyung nods back.

"We'll talk in the morning, okay? Go get some rest for now."

Even as Taehyung goes back to his bedroom — albeit being a bit more intentional in the way he made his footsteps more noticeable to the ear — Jungkook doesn't realize that Taehyung mentioned being somewhat familiar with Fire Dragons.

All that he can focus on right now is the fact that someone found out about his nature and didn't freak out over it. Didn't start gawking at him as if he was some kind of disgusting criminal or abnormal monster.

The acceptance hurts. Now that he knows what it feels like to be accepted for who he is, his heart mourns the time he spent not letting himself breathe.

Jungkook feels like bursting into flames. Not like a reckless wildfire, but more like a bonfire. Grounded, joyous and celebrated.

An ember ignites in his heart.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

A warm feeling rouses Jungkook from his peaceful slumber.

Mind still fuzzy and not yet completely awake, he distractedly notices that he hasn't felt so free and unrestrained since... a ridiculously long while, now. He lets out a low, appreciative purr as he buries his face deeper into the blankets—

Wait a second.

Since when does he purr?

Jungkook snaps his eyes open, squinting at the morning light, slightly disoriented.

Everything looks... Clearer. The furniture in Taehyung's living room has sharper contours, and the colors are more vivid. Jungkook can even see the numbers displayed on the small pocket watch laying on top of the table across the room. He's pretty sure he shouldn't be able to see this well from such a long distance.

Oh god. He shifted. He's in dragon form.

He never shifted unintentionally before — much less during his sleep and outside of his safe haven at home. Not because he's particularly big like other types of dragons — Fire Dragons are about as tall as an average red fox — but by fear of being judged or shunned by others.

Before he can fully comprehend what is happening to him, the sound of plates and cutlery clattering together from the kitchen makes him jump.

Taehyung is standing in the doorway, skillfully balancing a bowl filled with rice and another filled with some soup. Jungkook notices that the side dishes are already placed on the table — kimchi, rolled omelette, and pickled daikon radish.

"Oh hey, you're up." Taehyung smiles at him, not the least disturbed by his current non-human form. "I made breakfast. I hope you like seaweed soup?"

Before Taehyung can take another step into the living room, Jungkook starts to trash wildly under the blankets. His tiny yet sharp claws tear through them, as he stands on his leg in a defensive stance. A threatening growl starts to form, a rumble echoing low deep in his chest.

Taehyung's eyes widen in alarm. "Hey, no, there's no need for that," he replies hastily, freezing on the spot. "I'm not here to hurt you — or invade your nest, I promise." There's an apologetic glint in his eyes, but mostly overshadowed by the worry.

Was Taehyung scared of him?

Or was he worrying for him?

"Is it because of the seaweed soup? If you don't like that, I can heat you up some leftover soybean paste stew I made yesterday, that's fine as well—"

Jungkook huffs. Seaweed soup is his favorite soup, please and thank you.

Taehyung raises an inquisitive eyebrow at him — the one that Jungkook left untouched, he notes, as he recalls last night's events. "Okay, so seaweed soup it is. Well... Come eat, then? I promise I won't even look at your nest."

Cautiously, Taehyung takes a slow step forward. His eyes don't leave Jungkook's, who simply observes the man soundlessly as he makes his way to the dining table. The food smells delicious. And as promised, Taehyung minds his own business once he's sure that Jungkook won't freak out because of them being in the same room while he's in his dragon form.

Jungkook doesn't question why Taehyung called his temporary bed for the night his "nest", and he definitely doesn't dare to question why, in a matter of a few seconds, he went from a state of utter panic to the blissful feeling of safety.

When he catches a glimpse of the shiny silver cutlery in Taehyung's hands, reflecting the morning sun rays oh so invitingly, he yields to his dragon's instincts and shifts. Seaweed soup always comes first.

He misses the fond smile of relief etched on Taehyung's face.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Work that very same day isn't much different from their usual work days at the Gangnam Police Station — but in a way, it is.

Not even five minutes after entering the building, Park Jimin — one of the police officers in charge of the morning patrols — notices the change in Taehyung's right eyebrow with unveiled surprise.

"Wow, Taehyung, look at you," he whistles. "I love the edgy touch, sir . This is a new era — an epic one. Mind telling me what prompted this.... Unexpected change , though?"

At this point, Jungkook knows that Taehyung doesn't mean him any harm. He has been nothing but kind and suspiciously open-minded to him.

But to lie to Jimin — Taehyung's close friend — just for his sake? Jungkook can't help but feel anxious.

His worry turns out to be unfounded when Taehyung replies nonchalantly, without even sparing a glance at Jungkook. "Just felt like it. And getting an eyebrow slit takes less time than getting a haircut."

Jimin raises an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I get the correlation here, but sure."

The police officer’s assessing gaze lingers on his friend, before weighing it on Jungkook who promptly closes the mouth he had left hanging open. Eventually, Jimin lets it go with a shrug and heads out to start his patrolls.

The rest of the day is pretty much uneventful. Jungkook manages to finish the report he had been working on yesterday — without setting it up into flames, surprisingly enough. Taehyung is away on a mission for the entire day and, as always, Jungkook revels in the calming stillness taking over the empty station.

At the end of the day, he comes to a shocking — confusing — conclusion.

Today's the first day he hasn't messed anything up at work due to his dragon heritage .

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Once his shift is over, Jungkook is about to leave — without working overtime for once — when he receives a call from his neighbor.

"What do you mean someone broke into my apartment ?"

"I'm not sure, Jungkook. There weren't any signs of a break-in, so the burglar probably had your keys. The door was left open when I was coming back home so I'm not sure when it happened, but from what I could see..." She sighs, sadness laced with worry in her voice. "It looked really bad, sweetie. There was broken silverware on the floor, an empty jewelry box left open, a few blankets torn apart—"

Jungkook's breath hitches, voice turning high-pitched in alarm. "My sequin throw blankets?"

Those were his favorite blankets. The ones he always slept with, the ones that made him feel safe and comfortable.

He presses his wobbly lips together at the silence greeting him from the other end of the line. "Okay. Okay, that's fine. What about... What about my fairy lights? And the glow in the dark star stickers — you can't miss them, they're plastered on every single wall."

Another sigh. "I'm not sure, Jungkook... I really think you should come as soon as you can and see for yourself."

The ride in Taehyung's car is silent. They don't talk, and yet, Jungkook's head is filled with this buzzing sound, deafening his mind. His dragon has turned into a broken record player, screaming at him repeatedly that they took all your precious belongings, you don't have anything left, you can't be safe anywhere now, it's all gone, they took all your precious belongings.

He's not sure whether he's going to cry or throw up first.

The apartment is exactly as his neighbor has described it to him — or perhaps even worse, because his fairy lights and most of his glow in the dark stars stickers are indeed nowhere to be seen.

Jungkook stands still in the foyer, motionless. He doesn't scream, nor does he burn down the entire building. He feels too drained — empty, much like the current state of what used to be his safe haven.

He feels more than he sees Taehyung's warm hands take his own, squeezing them, but he doesn't respond — cannot respond. The touch then urgently moves to his cheek, devastated eyes coming into his line of vision. He thinks he sees lips moving, but his brain doesn't register the sound they make.

Psychologists say that our attraction for shiny things is caused by the fact that our brain associates them with water, one of the most important resources our body needs to survive.

Jungkook likes shiny things. And maybe he does like water as well — but right now, it feels like he's drowning more than thriving on it.

Eyes glazed over and mind elsewhere, he doesn't notice the tears blurring his vision before they start melting into Taehyung's hand.

"—kook. Fireheart , please come back to me."

Something snaps in his chest at the desperation in the voice that finally reaches his ears.

Slowly, the fuzziness dissipates in his mind. His eyes start to focus on Taehyung crouching in front of him on the floor — his legs must have given up on him at some point. He tastes the copper tang of blood in his mouth — probably from where he bit his cheek a little too hard, trying to use the pain to ground himself.

"Jeon Jungkook—" The relief in Taehyung's eyes is almost overwhelming. "Jungkook, thank the gods ." He lets out a shuddering breath, never lessening his grip on Jungkook's hands. "Listen to me, you cannot let it consume you. If you have a burn out here, you might combust into flames without even shifting. No one in this building will be spared. Focus on something, Jungkook, anything. You can do this. You're in control."

Numbly, Jungkook blinks. More tears fall on Taehyung's hands.

His voice is rough — broken — when he finally regains his ability to speak coherently. "I don't have anything left," he whispers, voice cracking. "It's all gone." He doesn't know what he's referring to exactly — his belongings, the feeling of safety, or his keys. Probably all of the above.

Taehyung doesn't hesitate. One of his hands leaves Jungkook's cheeks to reach for his collar instead, and takes off his necklace.

It's a simple medallion. The chain is golden and long enough to allow its owner to pass it over his head without unfastenning it. Taehyung gathers it in the palm of his hand.

He offers the necklace to Jungkook.

"This is a very important necklace to me. It’s an heirloom. I've worn it for fifteen years out of the twenty-five years I've lived, and I rarely ever take it off." He extends his hands towards Jungkook, the necklace gleaming enticingly. "Will you keep it safe?"

And as Jungkook's dragon stares into the human's worried yet hopeful eyes, he comes to accept what is laid out in front of him.

He takes the necklace, runs his fingers through the chain, and clutches onto it. Now that his tears have stopped, Taehyung's face appears more clearly when he directs he gazes at him, meeting his eyes at last.

Jungkook has his own treasure to protect, now.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Turns out, the reason why Taehyung is so uncommonly accepting of Jungkook and so knowledgeable about dragon shifters, including the rare Fire Dragons, is because his childhood friend is also one of those rare Fire Dragons.

Like Taehyung, Min Yoongi is from Daegu. Unlike Jungkook, Yoongi chose to stay in the comfort of his hometown, working as a freelance producer from home. He tells Jungkook over the phone about his circle of close friends who know about his dragon self and support him. Tells him about how being a Fire Dragon isn't a burden for him — how it doesn't have to be one. Tells him about the perks of being a Fire Dragon once he learnt how to control his fuel — like the way he can casually make toasted marshmallows for movie nights with his loving boyfriend Namjoon.

It all sounds surreal to Jungkook — but he allows himself to hope. Losing everything — or almost everything — does that to a person.

Without much to lose or fear, hope is the first step towards something better.

So he listens to Yoongi's advice.

"First of all, you need to try to be in dragon form as much as you can in some place where you feel comfortable."

"Why?"

Yoongi sighs. "You repressed that side of you for way too many years, kid. That's why your dragon jumps out even when you're in human form — the fire coming out of your mouth when you sneeze, for instance."

Mortified, Jungkook hums in acknowledgement. But ever since that night he shifted during his sleep at Taehyung's place, his dragon did stop bothering him as much as it used to while he was in human form, so he decides that Yoongi must be saying something right.

"Secondly, you need to build yourself a nest. It will stabilize your energy, make your dragon less restless, and will keep it under control while you're out in the public."

"A nest?"

Yoongi hums. "You know how wolf shifters tend to build a blanket fort with a ridiculous amount of blankets and clothes that smell nice and familiar to them?" Jungkook nods, even though Yoongi can't see him from the other end of the line. "Well, Fire Dragons need that same grounding place — except we don't use blankets or clothes."

"What should I use, then?"

"Lots of shiny and valuable stuff."

Not expecting this, Jungkook blinks. "Like... Diamonds?"

There's an amused snort at the other end of the line. "That’s a bit archaic, but if it works for you, sure. But it can be anything from crystal balls to precious gems to even the most basic jewelry. The idea is that our territorial dragons feel content and accomplished when they're surrounded with shiny little things that we consider valuable to us."

"So our nest is like a treasure hoard." Jungkook frowns, mildly concerned at the revelation he just made. "We're like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings."

Silence. And then a grumpy voice replies, "Jeon Jungkook, don't you dare compare me to that slimy creature or I will roast you alive."

And even though Jungkook teases his new hyung about it, he complies. And it kind of explains a lot of things, if he really thinks about it. The fact that his favorite pen is the one with the golden engraving for instance. The fact that he was actually hoarding shiny little things at his place already, probably following his dragon's most primal needs. Or the fact that Taehyung's medallion was the only thing that lured him out of his burn out that day after the burglary.

Although maybe there was not only a thing , but also a person somewhere in the equation.

But Jungkook is a little too terrified to really start analyzing this odd relationship he has with Taehyung — his work superior, his friend, and now his roommate.

Taehyung had graciously offered him to stay at his place after the burglary happened. Jungkook had accepted — partly because he had nowhere else to go on such a short notice, but mostly because it felt terribly relieving to know that there was a place in which he already felt welcomed and settled-in that he could come back to after a long day at work.

He spends a good part of his time in his dragon form when at home — Taehyung's place . Surely enough, he doesn't turn any more reports into cinders at work, and Taehyung's eyebrows remain well preserved.

Building a nest in Taehyung's living room is a little awkward, though.

Jungkook knows that he has to find things he considers valuable , but it doesn't quite feel right to lay his claim on objects that do not belong to him — especially not to the ridiculously territorial side of his dragon.

Taehyung tries to help as best as he can, reassuring the shifter time and time again to make himself at home and take whatever he needs. Still, Jungkook simply settles for some silver tableware, a suncatcher, and moves the couch close to the piano and the gold and silver-lined vinyl record player.

It doesn't feel right yet, but somehow, it's enough.

A few days pass, and one Saturday evening, Jungkook finds himself staring at the bookshelf in the corridor. Taehyung owns a wide variety of books — classic literature, but also fiction novels, autobiographies, poetry books and a few theatre plays. They all sound very intriguing — and yet, Jungkook can only keep staring, without daring to take the first step forward.

"You like reading?" Taehyung asks from behind him. "Feel free to read them, I don't mind."

Jungkook shakes his head. "It's fine."

"You've been staring at the bookshelf for the past fifteen minutes."

He pouts. "... But I'm scared I'll destroy your books." He gulps. "It's fine if I light up my reports into flames, I can just rewrite them myself — but I can't rewrite your books. So..." He gives Taehyung a small smile and shrugs, as if disregarding his upset feelings.

Jungkook shifts, and he stalks over to his nest, tail swaying lazily, and he settles on the couch, ready to succumb to a dreamless night.

He's about to close his eyes when he hears the screeching noise of a chair being dragged onto the floor.

Taehyung brings the chair he had sat on earlier during dinner, and stops at a respectful distance away from his nest. Wordlessly, he drops a holographic throw blanket at the bottom of the couch for Jungkook to pick up if he wishes to, settles on the chair, and opens a book.

It's "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde. The novel Jungkook had been eyeing for the longest time when examining the contents of the bookshelves.

Jungkook can't say anything while in his dragon form — but he doesn't have to, as Taehyung clears his throat and starts reading the story aloud.

He doesn't stop until Jungkook falls asleep.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Days turn into weeks, and the two roommates grow increasingly comfortable around each other.

Their daily routine takes a blissfully domestic turn at some point down the line. Eating breakfast and dinner together while talking about everything and anything, or sometimes nothing at all. Taking turns to cook for each other — and Jungkook occasionally using his natural fire instead of the stove. Taking turns to drive each other to work. Jungkook choosing which book to read each night, and Taehyung reading the purring dragon to sleep.

Blissfully domestic indeed.

But sometimes, the blissful domesticity turns into something more akin to heated tension.

It all starts when Jungkook begins teething.

At the young age of twenty-one years old, no one is supposed to be teething, shapeshifter or not. And yet, it seems like Jungkook's dragon finally feels safe enough to let himself be vulnerable and fully go through the developments he needs to complete in order to grow and become healthier.

It makes it harder for Jungkook to fall asleep — and he can't hide it from Taehyung now that they basically spend their last moments awake together, reading.

"Jungkook? Are you okay?"

Taehyung interrupts his reading at the sound of Jungkook's whine. The younger looks mortified, both of his hands pressed against his mouth.

With a soft, endeared smile, Taehyung reaches out to get them out of the way, booping his nose in the process. "Are you teething, Jungkook? Yoongi hyung warned me that it would happen sooner or later..." He sighs. "I have popsicles in the freezer, they should help with the pain. Do you want one now?"

But Jungkook only pouts petulantly, not at all satisfied with that suggestion. He wants something better than just flavored ice cream on a stick — he just doesn't know what .

"Okay, then." Taehyung observes him, and asks a bit more hesitantly this time. "Yoongi hyung did say that I could help, but... I'm not sure if you'd feel comfortable with it."

Too exhausted to speak, Jungkook's head simply perks up in curiosity.

Taehyung presses his lips together, considering, before finally letting it out in one go. "Yoongi hyung said I could... Give you my fingers to nibble on them. Said it would lessen the pain and make the whole process go faster."

Silence ensues.

Hurriedly, Taehyung backpedals. "But if you're uncomfortable with that, I apologize for bringing it up and you can absolutely forget that I ever mentioned this and I'll personally yell at Yoongi hyung to—"

Jungkook doesn't let him finish his sentence. Without a word, he nods his head vigorously and reaches out for Taehyung's hand that is closest to him, making grabby hands towards it.

The older blinks in surprise. "You sure?"

At the sound of another whine from the shifter, making him wince in pain and grind his jaw, Taehyung sets into motion.

"Shhh, okay, Fireheart. I'm here."

Tentatively, he gets closer to the couch, crouching next to it to match Jungkook's level. He brings his hand to cup his cheek — slowly, reverently tracing the breathtaking contours of his face as if his hand sees it for the first time — before he slips his thumb between Jungkook's parted lips.

The result is instantaneous.

Jungkook latches onto Taehyung's thumb like a lifeline. He nibbles on it, eyes fluttering closed. Somehow, he ends up descending his mouth all the way down to the wrist, all the while biting lightly on the skin. He sucks tenderly on the inner wrist for a little while, before bringing his teeth back on the thumb, alternating between biting and sucking, but never pierces the skin or draws any blood.

Taehyung continues reading, seemingly undisturbed, and it’s like a comforting blanket falls over the two, shielding them from the rest of the world for a moment.

His whines soon turn into contented purrs. But when the high keening in his throat starts to resemble a moan more than anything else, he opens his eyes, only to find Taehyung staring right back, his own pupils dark with lust.

But they don't go any further. It feels like the wisest decision when they still haven't discussed where they stand in this relationship — but the mutual trust and endearment and desire shining in one's gaze is the mirror of the other's.

Jungkook releases Taehyung's thumb after pressing a subtle kiss on it. "Thank you."

"Any time, Fireheart."

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Things at work are also going smoothly.

Jungkook isn't in charge of the administrative work anymore. Seeing how efficient and thorough he is with his reports now that he doesn't have to spend twice as much time to rewrite them after accidentally burning them, he has gotten assigned to patrolling duties instead.

Conveniently, his schedule almost always seems to match Taehyung's, so they do most of their rounds together. More often than not, their hands brush against each other as they walk side by side. Jungkook's not sure his work is supposed to feel this romantic, but it always does whenever he spends his time with Taehyung.

Jimin is the one to tell him about Taehyung's involvement in their schedule assignments.

"As head of the Gangnam Police Station, Taehyung is the one who matches officers for patrolling duty. Didn't he tell you?"

And that conversation was enough to make him question whether Taehyung was really helping him because of their friendship — or whatever was going on between them these days — and not because of some sense of responsibility, benevolence or pity. Not that he wouldn't appreciate the help nonetheless, but in the end, would it be that different from the people who viewed Fire Dragons as a public hazard they needed to be shielded from?

Overthinking doesn't help, especially with Taehyung being away on a mission in another neighborhood. Thoughts, doubts and hesitations brew in his head for the entire day and considerably sour his mood, upsetting his dragon in the process.

At the end of the day, Jungkook doesn't wait for Taehyung to come pick him up at the station as planned. Instead, he takes the bus with only one thought in mind: getting to his nest as fast as possible.

Once he reaches home, he doesn't let himself think — he lets instinct overtake him.

In a matter of a few minutes, his nest is rebuilt anew. An old harmonica from the living room, pans and pots in stainless steel from the kitchen, three crystal balls from where they used to be displayed in the bathroom, and a dozen precious gems in a crystal box from the foyer — Jungkook hoards all of these shiny little things to his nest. And finally, Taehyung's necklace is laying in the middle of it, as always. Gollum could never, Jungkook thinks with no small amount of satisfaction.

When Taehyung finally comes home, panting a little because of how quickly he tried to get there, he is welcomed by the sight of Jungkook, still in his human form, sitting in the middle of his newly built nest with a deep scowl etched on his face, huffing every few seconds.

Taehyung is perplexed to say the least — but mostly worried. "Jungkook? Are you okay? You weren't at the station, did something happen?"

A light trail of smoke comes out of Jungkook's nostrils. It only makes Taehyung frown harder in concern.

Jungkook finally levels his gaze on him. But instead of the threatening glare he had planned to give to the other, only confusion and insecurity shines through. It makes Taehyung's eyes go wide in alarm.

"Taehyung. Be honest." Jungkook takes a deep breath. "Do you think I'm a... Public menace?"

"What?"

"A liability, a burden, a danger to humankind—"

"Jungkook, stop," Taehyung searches his eyes, trying to understand the shifter's inner turmoil. "I would never think of someone so strong and exceptional such as you to be a public menace or any of the other terms you just used. What brought this on?"

"That's what everyone who knew about my dragon heritage ever saw me as, so I just thought that maybe you'd end up thinking like them too..."

"I would never," Taehyung breathes out. He clears his throat, hand coming to massage his own neck. "I should have told you this earlier, but... I like you, Jungkook. I really, really like you. Don't listen to these awful people. They didn't make you feel safe enough, and that's on them . Do not be sorry for who you are. You deserve so much love, and... And I'd like some of it to be from me. If you'll accept it — accept me."

At first, Jungkook can only gape at Taehyung in shock. And then warmth blooms in his chest, an indescribable feeling of euphoria coursing through him. He beams.

"Sounds... Good."

Taehyung lets out a deep sigh of relief, before grinning unreservedly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Because I really, really like you too, Taehyung."

The man smiles tenderly. "I'm so, very glad. But first, I need to make sure of something." His gaze turns more serious. "Do I make you feel comfortable? Do you feel safe here?"

"Wha— Of course you make me feel safe and comfortable, silly," Jungkook huffs out, giggling — but his laughter dies down as he grimaces slightly. "But something's wrong with my nest, right now." He grumbles, going back to the careful examination of the hoards of random objects around him.

Taehyung frowns. He studies the nest as well, before pointing at the medal pinned on his uniform shirt. "I got this today — the General's Police Medal for Gallantry or something. Want to add it to your pretty collection?"

Jungkook pouts at the medal. Squints his eyes. Stares at it for several seconds, as if trying to get the medal to answer for him.

Eventually, he timorously casts a glance at Taehyung’s face, who looks back at him expectantly, a glimmer of worry shining in his eyes — and Jungkook knows. 

He knows what treasure he’s missing from his hoard.

Unceremoniously, he stands up and strides over to Taehyung with no hesitation. Not letting himself second-guess his instincts, he grabs the man by the hem of his uniform shirt and tugs on it, dragging him back to where he had been sprawled on top of the couch.

“Jungkook? Jeon Jungkook—”

Jungkook's grip is tight on Taehyung as he promptly adds the man himself to his hoard of treasures — shiny and precious things he holds dear to his heart.

He hums. “Hm. Better.”

As Jungkook wraps both of his arms around Taehyung's torso, burying his face in his neck, he misses the blinding smile Taehyung lets out, although he can hear the happiness dripping from his voice all the same.

Taehyung snakes one of his own arms around Jungkook's waist, the other tangling itself in his hair and petting it with unrestrained affection.

“Better, Fireheart?”

Jungkook breathes out a deep sigh of relief and contentment. He tightens his hold around Taehyung, who hugs him right back just as hard.

"Perfect."

For the first time in years, breathing doesn’t feel so suffocating anymore.