Chapter Text

Wooyoung loved his little tarot café. It was cozy, lavishly decorated, the customers were friendly and mostly loyal regulars, and, right through a door in the back, a set of stairs led up to his apartment, making it easy for him to always open and close on time. Really, the only problem he had was how much he actually hated being a medium.

Doing tarot card readings could be fun and helpful at times but, as a witch, it felt like a waste of time. Spiritually inclined humans could do this. He wanted more for himself. He wanted to be out there fighting demons, leading spirits into the light, healing the terminally ill like his mother. But he couldn’t. And not an hour went by in which that didn’t frustrate him.

“Thank you for your visit, come back soon!” Watching his final customer disappear down the street, Wooyoung flipped his door sign to ‘closed’ and locked up for the day.

Turning around, he took in the state of his café, highly aware he’d still have to clean up before he could head upstairs, scarf down some leftovers, and get at least a few hours of sleep, knowing it’d be all rinse and repeat the next morning.

“I should just drop everything and move to Gangjin.” 

A small meow, drawing his attention, distracting him from his gloomy thoughts, shifting his attention to the dresser behind the cash counter where his gaze immediately zeroed in on his tiny black floof, his daughter. Nero. “Did you have a good nappy nap?” he cooed, making a beeline for her, scratching her between the ears as she stretched, yawned. “Aww yeah, you did, didn’t you? Ah, what a yawny lil baby you are. Yes, you are, aren’t you?” 

Hearing Wooyoung’s high-pitched baby voice had her purring in an instant. “You’re the best thing about my life, Nero, don’t you forget that.” Closing her eyes, she leaned into his hand. “Ay, such a precious perfect baby.” 

Cradling her in one arm like a human newborn, he took her along on his round through the shop, wiping down tables, putting up chairs, sorting his shopping list for the upcoming weekend.

“Gotta stock up on protection charms…” Sighing, he looked into Nero’s big green eyes. “Damn, girl, what am I gonna do? You got any ideas?”

Unfortunately, she didn’t, leaving him with only one last option: finding a new vendor after half a decade of working with the same old guy who’d confronted Wooyoung with a gated door roughly a month ago, completely neglecting to warn him ahead of time he was thinking of retiring.

“Maybe it’s time I start using my connections…”

“Minjae, your grandma still hosts that bookclub, right?” Leaning onto the counter, Wooyoung moved his face closer to the young cashier currently scanning his items.

“Yeah, why?”

Shrugging, all pretend-nonchalance, Wooyoung met Minjae’s curious gaze, silently impressed when Minjae’s movements didn’t halt, didn’t even slow down. “Just asking.”

“You’re lying for no reason again.”

Pursing his lips, Wooyoung narrowed his eyes. “Maybe I am.”

“So what do you need?” Minjae asked, eyes raised expectantly as he glanced over at the cash register, ringing up the purchases. 

“A new charm vendor.”

“Ah, Mr. Han finally retired? Or did he…”

“He’s still kicking. As far as I know at least.” Bagging up his purchases, Wooyoung used his free hand to fumble for his phone, swiping for his payment app. “Could you ask your grandma if she knows someone around here who still sells charms?”

“I guess, but what for? I thought you make enough from the readings and coffee.”

“I like the extra cash.”

“Fair enough.” Leaning sideways, peeking around Wooyoung, Minjae threw a greeting to the only other customer in line. “I can ask her when I get home and text you the answer,” he offered, attention already shifting, getting ready to scan the new customer’s items.

“Awesome, thanks!” Pocketing his phone, picking up his grocery bag, Wooyoung tossed a general goodbye into the room before he left.

The name and address Minjae sent him two days later led Wooyoung to a tiny corner store at the edge of town. Built right into the side of the nearby mountains, its roof was low and with a lot of overhang, serving not only as a shield for its blue framed door and windows from the town’s frequent rainfalls, but also as a space to display the store owner's truly impressive collection of windchimes.

The closer Wooyoung got to the place, the more he could sense its intense aura. Someone powerful practiced magic here. Maybe an entire coven? They were rare in today’s society but not unheard of. With the rise of individualistic thinking, many witches had chosen to abandon their covenmates over the last few decades, many intentionally breaking soulmate bonds along the way, ending an era of collectivist culture. 

And breaking a bond didn’t just mean temporary physical pain, but also emotional anguish in the form of deep rooted loneliness, a true breeding ground for depression, anxiety, only exacerbated by the fact that sacrificing a soulmate bond meant sacrificing a good chunk of magic as well since the bond served to connect witches by their magic, boosting the powers of everyone involved. Break the bond, lose the boost. In the past, doing so would have been unthinkable.

Now, approaching the inviting pastel pink and blue door, Wooyoung couldn’t help but wish this store truly belonged to a coven. After a lifetime of curiosity regarding this part of his culture, he’d be thrilled to finally meet a real life example, especially right here in his hometown. 

The concept of having a group of people he could rely on, of having his small speck of magic boosted to something potentially usable, was a staple of his usually deeply buried daydream fantasies, right there alongside his longing thoughts for the soulmate he knew he’d never get to meet.

“Welcome to ‘Auroras and Illusions’!” Deep, pleasant, the voice rang out from within the store’s depths at the chime of the doorbell. “Sorry, I’m in the back right now, but I’ll be with you shortly! Holler if you need me!”

“Will do, sir!” Wooyoung called back, just before the door fell shut behind him.

Something shifted. Cut off from the outside world, the air around him changed, warming, wrapping him up in a cozy embrace, welcoming him. His racing thoughts slowed, worries forgotten, tension waning. He began to traverse the aisles.

There was a soft melody, playing over hidden speakers, underlining the satisfying clicks of his shoes on the black and white checkered tiles, slowing the stress-quickened beat of his heart, deepening each of his breaths as he inhaled the many scents tickling his nose along his journey. 

The selection lining the shelves was vast. Dried flowers, herbs, incense, candles, table fountains, small decorated soil beds housing crystals of various shapes and sizes. Even as a witch, Wooyoung felt like he’d entered a magical place beyond anything he’d ever seen before.

“Anything I can help you with?”

Suppressing a yelp, Wooyoung whirled around, instantly laying eyes on brown eyes, dimples, blindingly gorgeous features. Someone around his age? Thoughts stuttering nearly to a halt, it took Wooyoung a beat before the question registered with his brain, allowing him to answer. “Uh, I, charms?”

“Ah, you must be Minjae’s friend! His grandmother told me someone was looking for a local vendor!” Waving Wooyoung along, the stranger led him down the center aisle to the back. “All of these are handcrafted by my covenmate so I can vouch for their quality.”

Heart skipping a beat, Wooyoung’s gaze snapped back to the stranger. “You’re part of a coven?” “Yup,” was all the confirmation Wooyoung got, followed by a “here we are!” 

They’d stopped at an ornate wooden frame, spanning floor to ceiling, housing dozens of hooks fully laden with bracelets and necklaces made of all kinds of materials. Metal, string, leather, wool. Some included rows of intricate knots, others beads, crystals. All were beautiful in their own right and no matter which one Wooyoung reached for, he could feel his skin begin to tingle before he even came into contact.

“Your covenmate’s crazy talented and powerful,” Wooyoung mumbled, absentminded as he cradled a silver and black bracelet in his palm. Its embedded charge sent his pulse racing. “Wow...”

“He is. That’s why we voted him head of our coven.” Stepping closer, the stranger reached for a necklace near Wooyoung’s hand. Unfamiliar magic, crackling like static across Wooyoung’s skin, sending a shudder down his spine, leaving his thoughts reeling. ‘I wanna touch his hand.’ Snatching back his fingers, Wooyoung nearly panicked at the thought. What the fuck? Where had that come from?

“This is the most basic type of protective charm we’ve got. Always a best seller and quite easy to make so I’ve always got some in stock,” the stranger informed him, cradling a necklace in his palm. Small, silver, engraved pentagram on each side. “Is this kind of what you were looking for?”

“Um, I- yeah.”

“Great! I’ve got a couple boxes in storage right now if you already wanna take some with you.”

Surprised, Wooyoung turned around. Big mistake. Up close, he noticed an impressive physique barely concealed by a thin black t-shirt and barely managed to tear his gaze away before things got award. But even looking up, all he could do was gawk at a distractingly handsome face framed by messy black bangs. And shit, the stranger had clearly noticed, watching him with raised eyebrows and an unreadable expression.

“I take it, you’re interested?” the stranger said following a short beat of silence.

Was he being teased? Taking a step back, he aimed for a more businesslike setting, trying to present himself as a trustworthy business partner. “I am,” he blurted out, swallowing a defensive ‘I swear I’m not a weirdo!’. “They’re good quality charms.”

A nod, face a blank slate. “Alright then! Do you wanna set up a contract for regular shipments or do you just wanna come by whenever you need a restock?”

Averting his gaze, Wooyoung felt his thoughts clear. “I own a tarot café near the town square. It’s pretty small, kinda unpredictable how many visitors I get each day. If I’m lucky, I can sell about a dozen charms within a week, so I don’t think regular restocks would work for me. Is it really okay if I just drop by every now and again?”

“Fine by me. I’m gonna go get you your first box then.” The stranger took a couple of steps back. “Would you wait right here for just a sec?”

“Of course.” Inclining his head in thanks, Wooyoung glanced up to watch the stranger disappear through a nearby curtained off doorway. 

Left alone with his thoughts, he could finally breathe evenly again. Why was he so full of adrenaline? What was wrong with him? Was it just physical attraction? The stranger’s energy? The magic embedded in those charms? Pressing a shaking hand over his heart, Wooyoung closed his eyes to center himself. “Embarrassing,” he mumbled.

“Anything else you’re looking for?” the stranger called, voice slightly muffled by the thick dividing curtain.

Looking up, then back at the wall of charms, Wooyoung processed the question. “Uh, Mr. Han often threw in some small sample batches whenever he had extras laying around! People like buying charms that fit the outcome of their readings!”

“I’ll put something together for you then!”

“Thank you! Seriously! I really appreciate your help!”

“You’re welcome!”

Within the following silence, Wooyoung became more aware of the store’s music again. An unfamiliar enchanting melody born from a steady drumbeat, flowing piano notes, haunting strings, and a pan flute. By simply listening, his thoughts slowed again, calmness settling back into his mind, his chest. “The music,” Wooyoung noted, “it’s also filled with magic, isn’t it?”

“It’s made to settle troubled minds, yup!” the stranger answered. “You like it?”

“It’s really pretty!”

“My covenmate, the one who makes the charms, he composed it together with another one of our covenmates!”

Blinking repeatedly, Wooyoung found himself stunned. “Woah, what the hell? That’s so cool!”

Bright laughter reached him from behind the curtain but no further information was offered.

A covenmate who specialized in more than one type of magic? Two who knew how to channel their power into music? That was insane! Most witches didn’t care for working with music at all and the ones who did were usually forced to be self-taught since it was viewed as useless, devoid of value since its effects were minor, tough to market. 

“Alright, I think I got everything.” Returning from what Wooyoung assumed to be the storage space, the stranger now carried a roughly thirty by twenty centimeter maroon box with the store’s name printed on the size in golden letters. “Come on, you can look everything over by the counter before I ring you up.”

Dutifully, Wooyoung followed the stranger back through the aisles.

“My name is San by the way.”

“Wooyoung.”

“Cute name. It suits you!”

“Thanks, I was named by my aunt!”

His words seemed to pique San’s curiosity, earning him a quick glance over the shoulder. “Not by your parents?”

“Nope, my mom always told me I was, like, the child my aunt never had so she got to name me.”

“Huh.” Reaching the small turquoise cash counter, San walked behind the cash register and turned to place the box on a largely empty desk pushed up against the wall. “Your parents must be really close with her if they let her name you.”

“They used to be,” Wooyoung said, stepping up beside San to peek into the box. A small blue chest labeled ‘protection’ looked back at him, resting atop a wide selection of individually packaged charms in various colors, all individually labeled by sloppy black handwriting. “This is perfect, San, thank you! I mean it. How much do I owe you?”

After some good faith negotiations, Wooyoung said his goodbyes, heading for the door, only to turn back around at San’s “I’ll see you soon!” and get attacked by a wide dimpled smile which nearly sent him crashing into the closed front door on his way out. 

Embarrassed, Wooyoung fumbled for the door handle, San’s bright laughter echoing behind him as he fled outside.

“What’s wrong with you, Minjae?” he complained the moment he walked back into his café, cellphone pressed to his ear as he dropped the addition to his inventory on the closest table. “Why the fuck didn’t you warn me about how hot this guy is? Or better yet, why didn’t you introduce us earlier if you already knew him?”

“I figured it wouldn’t be important.” Minjae’s voice sounded unbothered, if not distracted. Was he playing video games again? “And either way, him and his coven literally just moved here, like, two weeks ago. I only met him a few times when he was visiting grandma with one of his covenmates. A garden witch, I think?”

A garden witch too? Was this coven all made up of rare magic specialists or what?

“A good friend warns their friend about stuff like this ahead of time!” Wooyoung accused.

“I thought you wanted him for his goods, not his looks.”

“You’re neither funny, nor kind.”

“Love you too. Bye, Wooyoung!” With that, Minjae hung up, leaving Wooyoung to huff in annoyance and repocket his phone.

“Are you telling me I’m gonna fail my finals?” Yechan shrieked.

“No, I’m telling you what the cards are telling me, which is ‘focus on your goals’. That could mean anything.”

“So… it might not even be about my graduation?” 

Sighing, Wooyoung suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. “Well, what was the question you had in mind while you were shuffling?”

“I was thinking about the anime I’m currently watching with Hyunwoo.”

Left eye twitching, Wooyoung folded his hands over the remaining stack of cards laid out in front of him. “Get outta my shop, Yechan.”

“What, why?”

“You’re too dumb to follow basic instructions and therefore undeserving of free consultations. Now, please leave the premises before I’m forced to ask Nero to escort you out.”

“Nero adores me, she’d never!”

“Ah, sorry… are you open right now? Or is this a bad time?”

Startled, Wooyoung immediately shifted his attention to the gentle presence in his doorway. A stranger. Someone new in town? Tall, slim-built, dressed in a loose shirt and dress pants. A model? Even his hair was artfully mussed, nearly shoulder length. 

“Yechan, get out,” Wooyoung said under his breath.

“Seriously?”

Dragging his gaze away from the stranger, Wooyoung shot Yechan a pointed glare.

“Fine but I’m telling Minjae you were being ungrateful.”

“He knows you better than anyone. Trust me, I’m not worried.”

Sticking out his tongue, Yechan scooted back his chair before silently heading for the door. A small bow and mumbled “hello” for the stranger later, he was gone. At least he was polite. Maybe Wooyoung wouldn’t ban him from entering the café during business hours after all.

“Come on in!” After getting up with a cheerful smile, Wooyoung hurriedly gathered his cards so he could properly welcome his potential new customer. “What can I do for you?”

There was caution in the stranger’s movements as he approached. “I hope I didn’t intrude on a session.”

Waving the concern aside, Wooyoung huffed a chuckle. “Don’t mind Yechan. He’s just one of the kids who like to drop by every now and again. They keep me company between customers.”

“Oh.”

“So what can I do for you?” Wooyoung repeated.

“Right!” The stranger seemed a little sheepish. “My name’s Park Seonghwa. I’m new to the neighborhood and, as a healer, I like to introduce myself around town so people know they can call on me in case of emergencies. Here’s my card.” 

Electricity sparked, glowing pink, purple, exuded by Seonghwa’s fingers as he conjured a card, offering it to Wooyoung whose fingertips prickled, tingles shooting all the way up to his elbows as he silently accepted. The card was smooth, black, imprinted with golden letters and numbers.

“Thank you. I’m Wooyoung, by the way. And I’m definitely gonna keep this on hand.” Offering a small smile, Wooyoung was left breathless when he was smiled at in return, small, warm, reaching something deep within his chest. What the fuck? “Uh, do- do you also offer services for animals? I have a little cat who’s gotten into some trouble in the past…”

“Oh yeah, of course. I know how to heal most animals. Actually, all animals except for sea life.”

Hearing Seonghwa slip into a more casual tone, Wooyoung felt more at ease, his mind soothing, chest warming. What was wrong with him today? Shaking off the weird thoughts and feelings, Wooyoung focused back on Seonghwa’s dark round eyes. “If you just moved here, are you maybe also a member of that coven?”

Visibly surprised, Seonghwa blinked. “You’ve heard of us?”

“Uh, yeah, I just met San yesterday? ‘Auroras and Illusions’? He sold me a box of charms and told me he’s part of a coven.”

“Ah, our Sannie!” A shift, warmth, lightness, pouring out of Seonghwa at the mere utterance of San’s name. “Yes, he told us he just struck a deal with a local café owner. Must be you then!” 

Nodding, Wooyoung felt a thrill run through him, heart speeding up. San had mentioned him to his covenmates! Why was he so happy about this? “I really loved his store. Feels very homey there, especially for a place that just opened.”

“I’m happy to forward the compliment,” Seonghwa replied, smiling as his gaze traced the shelves embedded in the walls around him. “You’ve also created a very cozy atmosphere for yourself and I’m impressed with your crystal collection. Are you running the place all by yourself?”

“Yeah, but I had a head start. The building’s been in my family for generations. I just converted it into a café, repainted the walls and added the decorations.”

“That’s still impressive, don’t sell yourself short! We’ve got some coffee lovers in our coven who are probably gonna be dropping by at some point. I apologize in advance for their behavior.”

Cackling at the casual jibe, Wooyoung relaxed even further in Seonghwa’s presence. “I’m gonna keep an eye open for them.”

“Thank you,” Seonghwa said sunnily. “It was very nice to meet you, Wooyoung. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other!”

“You and your covenmates can drop by anytime!”

One last nod and wave and Seonghwa was gone, disappearing from sight with a few long strides, leaving Wooyoung alone with an internal buzz humming through his veins, a reaction he couldn’t quite explain.

“What’s wrong with me, Nero?” Wooyoung walked up to his cat, once again lounging on the dresser behind the cash counter. “Am I crazy or is this coven just weirdly magnetic?” Soft fur under his hand, a gentle purr. He tilted his head, thoughtful. “They’re unfairly beautiful, for one, but it’s more than that. Their magic hits different. You think they’d be willing to adopt me if I asked nicely?”

Nero closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.

“I shall take your purring as a good omen.”

Chapter Text

Two days passed and not a single sign of any other witches. Wooyoung would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed. Where were his promised coffee-loving coven members? He could use some excitement in his life.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Jung!”

Jumping in his seat behind the cash register, Wooyoung’s head snapped up, disappointment quickly sinking in when he realized who it was. “Hey, Junghoon.”

“Nothing boosts my confidence more than how happy you always are to see me.” 

Humming in acknowledgment, Wooyoung dropped his gaze back onto the countertop.

“My mom cooked extra tonight,” Junghoon reported, setting down a small paper bag beside Wooyoung’s elbow. “Here. So you won’t starve to death.”

Interest piqued, Wooyoung reached for the bag, peeking inside, finding multiple dishes packed up in various containers. Junghoon’s mother owned a local restaurant and it showed. “Dude, this looks amazing. Tell her thanks and that I love her.” Closing the bag, he hugged it closer and looked back up at Junghoon. “You know, you’re my favorite neighborhood kid.”

Junghoon frowned, nose wrinkling. “I don’t view that as a compliment.”

“You should.”

“Thanks then… I guess.”

“You’re welcome. Anything else I can help you with?”

“Not really.”

Pursing his lips, Wooyoung waited for Junghoon to turn around and leave. A second passed. Two. He stayed put. “No offense but why’re you still here then?”

“Don’t feel like going home right now.”

“Why? Did something happen?”

“No, but my mom’s got guests over.”

“Fair enough. Stay for a bit then.” Taking the bag off the counter, Wooyoung hid it in a largely empty shelf section beside his legs. “You want coffee? Hot chocolate?”

“Both if it’s free.”

“And if it’s not?”

“Tap water. I’m broke.”

Twenty minutes later, Junghoon was still lingering around the room, mug of hot chocolate in hand, and playing with Nero while Wooyoung’s next appointment wandered in. A younger woman, mid thirties, a frequent regular. Someone who’d made it very clear in the past that her interest in Wooyoung went beyond his services. 

He’d shot her down each time, as kindly as possible, but she kept coming back regardless and, well, telling her to go because she had a crush seemed like a weird business decision. Historically, sticking to polite small talk had kept things from getting too awkward, leading him to feel only slightly weird as he returned her smile when she walked in.

“Welcome back!” He shortly bowed in greeting as she approached. “Junghoon, can you flip the sign for me please?”

Luckily, Junghoon felt cooperative, willingly following his request without snark or complaint.

Leading by example, Wooyoung sat down on one side of the table central to the floor space, his go to when it came to performing readings. “Take a seat, please.” 

“I’m glad you could squeeze me in today,” his client said softly, folding her hands on the table’s edge. Wooyoung could feel her eyes on him.

“It’s no problem. What are you searching for today?”

“Another reading on my love life, please.”

Nodding in acknowledgment, Wooyoung pulled out his tarot deck from the hidden table compartment on his side and channeled his magic to his palms, feeling its charge prickle under his skin ever so slightly. 

Mentally setting his intentions, he let some of his magic flow into the stack of cards, weak but there, weak but invisible. He hated this part. Swallowing his discomfort, he cut the connection, waiting for his magic to naturally redistribute away from his hands before he placed the cards in the center of the table. “Please shuffle until you feel the need to stop,” he instructed, tone politely neutral.

Familiar with the proceedings, she picked it up without hesitation.

“Focus on your question,” Wooyoung went on, following his usual spiel, “repeat it in your mind, feel the magic, let it connect and guide your movements. Once you feel reluctant to continue, stop shuffling and return the cards to the center.” 

They’d been over this dozens of times, leaving him unsure of what she was even looking for. Every time she came back, it was just more of the same and this time was no different. Thirty seconds passed, she put the stack back down and Wooyoung laid them out for her, interpreting hidden meanings, pointing out connections and coming to the general conclusion of: “Remain patient and keep your eyes peeled. There’s someone out there waiting for you to find them.”

There was more he could’ve told her, like how she was about to make a big decision, one that could harm an innocent. It set off alarm bells in Wooyoung’s head but he chose to remain calm. “But for now, you should keep your mind open and focus on your personal growth. The world has much to offer you and, always remember, the more you experience now, the more you and your soulmate will get to talk about when the time comes and the universe brings you together.”

Within a few more minutes, Wooyoung deemed it polite to wrap things up by offering her usual coffee order and waiting for her over by the counter with Junghoon and Nero. From a distance, it was tough to read her face, but he could sense she wasn’t pleased with the outcome. She never was. Still, she got up and left with a polite smile, leaving him free to flip the sign back to open.

“I don’t like her,” Junghoon commented as soon as she disappeared into the pedestrian crowd outside.

“Me neither,” Wooyoung agreed, turning on his heel. “So how’s school?” 

“Awful as per usual,” Junghoon replied, offering no further explanation.

Waking up the next morning, Wooyoung felt weird, disgusting. His heart was racing, his stomach queasy with nausea, making him feel like throwing up at the mere thought of breakfast. Reluctant, he still crawled out of bed and headed downstairs, Nero hot on his heels, ready to prepare his café for opening hours. Maybe he’d start feeling better after a bit.

Two minutes after flipping the closed sign over, Wooyoung sat behind the cash counter, clutching his stomach as his least favorite regular floated in, light on her feet as she set off the doorbell, gaze zeroing in on him. Something was wrong, off. 

Sirens blaring in his head, Wooyoung narrowed his eyes at her bright, almost eerily wide smile.

“Darling!” she called out, fast approaching.

Feeling his pulse quicken, Wooyoung’s stomach churned, confirming his fears. “Please tell me you didn’t,” he blurted out.

The woman froze, smile dropping. “What?”

With a heavy sigh, Wooyoung slid off his chair, prepared to physically move her outside if needed. “Please leave.”

“What?” she repeated, unmoving, pale, visibly unwilling to face reality.

“Just… just get out before you embarrass either one of us any further. Please.”

Flushing, the woman stumbled back a few steps.

Wildly reluctant to touch her, Wooyoung went for the shooing approach, keeping his distance. Luckily, she obeyed, willingly moving back until she was out the door, stranded on the sidewalk, still watching him as if it were only a matter of time before he did a one-eighty and fell to his knees to confess his love. 

Keeping his eyes on her, cautious, he flipped the sign back over, locked the door and, finally, rolled down the blinds to get out of her sight.

“I hate my life,” Wooyoung informed his cat, catching her eyes across the counter. “Time to find a cursebreaker…”

Returning to his chair behind the cash register, he rested his hand on Nero’s back, needing comfort while he pulled out his phone and scrolled through the contact list.

“Family, family, child number three, family, hot healer, child number seven, friend, ah, here we go!” Tapping the screen, he brought the phone to his ear, listening to it ring while he scratched Nero’s chin with a slight smile, consciously ignoring the twisting of his gut.

“Hello?”

“Changbin!” Wooyoung burst out. “I got cursed and need your help!”

“Oh, that’s… unfortunate.”

“I know! It was that weird lady who gifted me those chocolates! Remember her?”

“Told you she was bad news! But that’s not what I meant by unfortunate.”

Getting a bad feeling on top of his general misery, Wooyoung looked away from Nero. “What?”

“I’m on vacation,” Changbin replied, sounding reluctant.

“Seriously? Right now? How far?”

“Maldives.”

“Fuck, Changbin! Terrible timing!”

“I know, I’m sorry. I could try to hook you up with someone else?” 

Curling into himself, Wooyoung focused on petting Nero’s fluffy back. “I never like your friends though…”

“First of all: rude. Second of all: none of my friends are curse breakers.”

Wooyoung frowned. “How do you know this person then?”

“Minjae’s grandma.”

“I see.”

“So? You want his intake form? I only met him once but his credentials are legendary. I’ve got no idea why someone like that would even move here.”

“Go ahead then. Thank you.”

Over the course of the next half hour, Wooyoung went from hanging up to impatiently filling out an online form, to pacing back and forth between chairs, tables and inbuilt wall shelves, awaiting the arrival of this supposedly renowned cursebreaker. 

As time went on, his heart kept pounding at an increasingly rapid pace, leaving him lightheaded, scared for his ribs, while his nausea worsened to the point where fetching a bucket from the storage closet seemed like a necessity he could no longer forgo. Making it out unscathed no longer seemed like an option.

“If I die, you’re gonna inherit everything, alright?” 

Nero’s response was to keep licking her paw, seemingly unbothered. 

“I admire your tenacity.”

A knock on the door, making Wooyoung pause mid-step, frozen in place. What if it was her ?  

“Who is it?” he called out.

“Uh, Jeong Yunho?”

“Are you asking or answering?”

“Answering! You sent in the request for a cursebreaker, right?”

“Yes!” Rushing over, as fast as his unsteady legs would carry him, Wooyoung hurried to flip the lock and rip open the door. Breath caught in his throat, Wooyoung’s eyes wandered across the tall… tall witch standing in front of him. With his heart already feeling like it might give out any second, it seemed unhealthy to be this up close and personal to such a handsome face. “I was cursed.”

“I gathered,” Yunho replied, visibly amused. “May I come in?”

Nodding through the dizziness, Wooyoung stepped aside.

“Your place looks lovely,” Yunho complimented as he brushed past him.

“Thanks.” Closing the door, Wooyoung kept clutching the handle, eyes briefly slipping closed as a spout of dizziness blacked out his vision. Not ideal. Slowly turning, he looked over at the nearest chair. He could totally do this right? Just a few steps. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, focusing on his legs, going for the walk of someone who was neither drunk, nor dying and clearly failing the moment Yunho caught his arm, keeping him upright as he near-carried him to the chair, slowly lowering him down.

Skin prickling where he’d been touched, Wooyoung flopped onto the table, fingers curled around the bucket handle, keeping it ready to go just in case. “I’m sorry,” he got out.

“It’s alright, don’t worry,” Yunho reassured him. “I’m gonna get started right away, okay? Just tell me everything you know about the curse while I work. It’s gonna help speed up the process.”

Wooyoung would’ve nodded if he didn’t fear the motion would make him puke all over Yunho’s neatly pressed slacks and fancy sweater.

“If you feel any sudden heat or numbness, don’t worry, it’s just part of the process.”

A half-assed thumbs up was all Wooyoung could manage, making Yunho chuckle. Cute.

The instant magic touched his skin, Wooyoung felt his symptoms alleviate. A soothing coolness swept across his face, his chest, sinking ever lower, reaching his stomach where it dampened his nausea and sent shivers up and down his spine, leaving him sighing with relief.

“Wooyoung?” Yunho’s voice was laced with concern. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m good,” Wooyoung mumbled. “Much better already. Thank you.”

“Do you feel ready to tell me what you know about this curse?”

“Oh. Oh! Yeah, right,” turning his head, Wooyoung pillowed his cheeks on his folded arms, “I- there’s this lady who comes by for tarot readings on the regular and she’s been dropping hints for a long time that she’s interested in me like that , you know?”

“I get the implication, yes.”

Nodding, Wooyoung watched the yellow sparkly glow emitted by Yunho’s hands, always shifting, moving, warping, raining down flecks of glitter on Wooyoung’s back. “So her vibe’s always been a little off, you know? But I never banned her from the store, I just turned her down when needed and she kept coming back for readings on her love life.

“Just yesterday, she came in again. Same thing as always but, this time, the cards also gave a warning about how she was about to make a choice that could harm an innocent. Obviously, I didn’t tell her that, but I kept it at the back of my mind and then, this morning, I wake up feeling like shi- I mean garbage and I don’t think too much about it at first, but then I come down here and she walks in right after I flip the sign, and she’s giving me this look. You know, a horror movie kinda look, and I realize: Oh! I’m the innocent!

“So I call Changbin because he’s my friend and a cursebreaker but the douche sailed off to the Maldives while I wasn’t looking so he’s gone and I still need help. But luckily, Minjae’s grandma told Changbin about you, who then told me about you, so that’s how I got my hands on your website and filled out that intake form.”

When Wooyoung glanced back up at Yunho’s face, already feeling a whole lot better, he was met with a surprisingly soft gaze and amused smile. “I’m glad I visited Minjae’s grandmother then. She’s a garden witch, right?”

Nodding, Wooyoung lifted up onto his elbows, testing the progress of the curse breaking and, yes, he could sit up again without blacking out his vision. Lovely. “Did you already know her before?”

“No, but my covenmate’s also a garden witch so he wanted to introduce himself.”

“Oh. Oh!” Shooting further upright, Wooyoung accidentally scooted back his chair, triggering a screech from the tiles, setting his cat skittering, Yunho’s magic flickering. Heart aching at the sound of Nero’s panicked scurrying, Wooyoung jumped to his feet. “Shit, Nero! I’m sorry!” 

But she already disappeared from sight, likely hidden away in a bottom shelf somewhere. 

“Crap, baby, I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to…”  Rolling in his lips, feeling guilty, Wooyoung scanned the room a second longer, finding nothing, before he looked back at Yunho.

Still watching him, wide-eyed, Yunho’s magic kept flowing, steady, unwavering, a pool of glittery yellow.

“Anyway, your coven!” Wooyoung sat back down. “I think I already met two of your covenmates? Seonghwa and San?”

Visibly caught off guard by getting addressed, Yunho blinked. “Uh… Ah, right. Seonghwa and San! Yes, they’re part of our coven.”

“Did you guys hold auditions?” Wooyoung blurted out.

Yunho frowned. “What? Why- no. Why’re you asking?”

“I- I don’t know, just- your faces? Must’ve been a requirement, right?” Clearing his throat, Wooyoung shifted his attention to his fingernails, feeling the embarrassment sink in. Impulse control, he should work on that. At least a little. “You think I should start painting my nails?” he pushed on, hoping to distract from his other rambling. “People claim it’s calming, right? So anyway, how’s the curse breaking going?”

A moment passed, leaving Wooyoung forced to steep in his humiliation while Yunho was likely just trying his hardest not to laugh in his face. “I’m done,” Yunho answered eventually, tone impressively neutral as the glow of his hands dimmed, fully vanishing as he lowered them. “You were hit with a love curse meant to imitate feelings of affection. It was pretty weak, all things considered, clearly cast by an amateur with no idea what they were doing. In the wrong hands, it could’ve killed you if you tried to fight it too hard but I think she may not even have inherent magic. She’s probably just a human who borrowed a charged item.”

“Ah, that’s good then. Thank you.”

“No problem. I’m glad you weren’t seriously harmed but I’d still recommend taking the rest of the day off and laying low, just to make sure you’re not putting any added stress on your heart.”

“Will do!” Wooyoung agreed easily, rising to his feet, Yunho’s hand immediately coming up to hover near his arm as if he were worried. “Would you like some coffee? Free of charge, of course.”

“Sure! Thank you!”

Shooting him a smile, Wooyoung made a beeline for the coffee maker, feeling Yunho’s gaze follow him.

“You responded surprisingly well to my magic,” Yunho said, leading Wooyoung to glance back, surprised to find Yunho walking after him, just a few steps behind.

“Huh?”

“Normally, people don’t recover this quickly, even from a minor curse that was treated right away.”

Thinking back, Wooyoung recalled his past experiences with Changbin, all the aches and pains which had come with it. Yunho had a point. He was feeling much better than he should. “Huh.”

“You’ve got magic of your own, right? I try not to be invasive but I can’t help but notice as I work.”

“I do. It’s weak but… it’s there.”

“I wouldn’t call it weak-”

“No, it’s alright,” Wooyoung cut in, forcing his tone to remain friendly, neutral. “I… I can’t really specialize in anything so that might be why it works well on me.” The intensity of Yunho’s watchful gaze led Wooyoung to avert his eyes, cheeks heating up, focusing back on the coffee machine, hands coming up to follow their well practiced routine to get it going. “Anyway, what do I owe you?”

“Given how short this session was… how about a cup of coffee?”

Whirling around, Wooyoung shot him a look, blatant disbelief. “You’re lying.”

Chuckling, Yunho shook his head. “I’m not. No need to look so flustered.”

Embarrassed, Wooyoung turned away, touching his warm cheeks. “Fine then. Coffee it is!” 

A couple of minutes ticked by, near silent, while Wooyoung positioned his best mug (dark blue, a cartoon version of Nero on its side, chasing a ball of yarn) and set off to prepare the most premium cup of coffee his averagely skilled hands could muster.

“Ah, I see, so this is how you met San!” Yunho called out.

Turning around, Wooyoung spotted him by the cash register, a silver protection charm dangling from his long fingers. “Ah, yes! He sold them to me recently. Crazy big selection! Once word gets out, his business is gonna be booming, no doubt!” Taking the steaming mug, near overflowing, he placed it on a saucer, adding some cookies to the side, ready for serving.

“He told us about you,” Yunho shared.

“Ah, yeah,” Wooyoung said, “Seonghwa mentioned that, yeah.” 

“You had a good chat with him?”

“Um…” Walking over, Wooyoung set the plate down in front of Yunho before he came to stand on the other side of the counter, forearms resting on its surface, giving him something to lean against. “I guess he mostly just introduced himself but he seems nice, very friendly. You’ve got good taste in covenmates, Yunho!”

One sip and Yunho nearly choked, sputtering, clearing his throat. “Thanks,” he got out.

“You alright? Is it too bitter?”

“No, it’s perfect, don’t worry.”

“Okay,” Wooyoung said doubtfully, “good.”

Immediately dowing half his mug in one go, Yunho set it back down before he met Wooyoung’s eyes again, face unreadable. “So… what are you planning to do about the woman who cursed you? Are you gonna sue her? I’d be happy to testify for you.”

“Ah, that…” Averting his gaze, Wooyoung mulled it over. She’d been very persistent for a long time, yes, but given how badly this curse had gone for her, she’d likely be gone for good. “I think I’m just gonna leave her be for now.”

“Are you sure?” 

Glancing back at Yunho, concern so apparent, so genuine, Wooyoung felt his heart flutter. “I am. Don’t worry, if she dares to come back, I’m gonna make sure to threaten legal action.”

“I’d recommend putting a protection spell around the building to fully ward her off. San can do it for you. I can call him if you’d like.”

Ducking his head, Wooyoung smiled at the kind offer. “That’s super sweet of you but, seriously, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m gonna be alright. But thank you!” Looking back up, he widened his eyes, wanting to ensure his gratitude came across. “Seriously, Yunho. Thank you. You’ve been beyond helpful today. Thank you for dropping by so quickly and for listening to me ramble and only asking for coffee instead of actual payment. You’re, like, genuinely so extremely kind and I really, really appreciate it.”

Surprisingly, Yunho’s cheeks reddened right there in front of Wooyoung’s eyes before he turned his head, clearly trying to hide it.

Laughing at the adorableness, Wooyoung leaned more heavily onto the counter. “Ah, Yunho, you’re actually quite cute, aren’t you?” he teased.

“Ah, Wooyoung, you’re actually quite a bit enamored with my covenmates, aren’t you?” Yunho fired back.

“Woah, what the heck!” Wooyoung threw up his hands in surrender, feeling his cheeks heat up. “Too far, too far!”

Yunho burst into laughter. “I’m sorry, I’m just teasing. I know what it’s like to meet Seonghwa and San for the first time. They leave an impression. A strong one at that.” Picking his mug back up, Yunho downed the rest of its contents before he picked up the cookies. “And speaking of which, I actually need to get back home.”

Reaching into his pocket, Yunho pulled out a dark blue business card, offering it to Wooyoung. “My number’s on there, just in case you need help again or experience any unforeseen side effects or reappearing symptoms.”

Nodding, Wooyoung lowered his hands, accepting the offering, before he glanced back up, watching Yunho back away, heading for the door. “Thank you,” Wooyoung rushed out. “Again.”

“No problem, you were a great patient!” Yunho smiled, one hand on the door handle as he offered a single wave, adorably dorky. “Take care!” he called out just before he crossed the threshold.

“You too!” Wooyoung shouted after him.

As soon as Yunho disappeared from sight, Wooyoung looked down at the card, tracing and retracing the silver numbers with his gaze and fingers.

Chapter Text

Something was wrong. That was Wooyoung’s first thought when he woke up in the middle of the night for seemingly no particular reason. He felt… off. The energies around him were all wrong and Nero seemed to sense it too while she was looking around the room, her ears shifting back and forth as if she were listening for something.

It had been less than a day since he’d gotten cursed and now here he was, sneaking around in his own home to see if some person or creature had snuck its way inside. 

“You wait here,” Wooyoung whispered to Nero after he’d completed his sweep of the room and found nothing out of order. 

He was cautious, dodging floorboards he knew to be squeaky, as he approached the ajar door leading out into the hallway. His hand was steady as he placed it against the painted wood and pushed. The door swung open. The dark hallway beyond was empty but the heaviness of the space didn’t diminish.

“What am I doing here?” he mumbled to himself and sighed. Refusing to become a horror movie protagonist, he leaned over and flicked on the hallway light. “I can sense you, you know? There’s no point in hiding.” He spoke in a conversational tone as he walked down the narrow hallway beside the railed off staircase leading down to the café. “I appreciate good company but, given how disgusting your vibe is, I don’t think that’s what you are so I’d like it if you fucked off right about now.”

There was no answer. It was to be expected but still disappointing nonetheless. 

Choosing to forego the bathroom for now, he walked into the joint kitchen and living room at the end of the hall where he immediately flicked on all the lights. No weird shadows popped out to him but, as he walked in deeper, he took note of his photo collage on the wall and found that one of the pictures in the center had been flipped upside down. The photo was taken years ago when he was around five years old. It showed him holding his mother and aunt’s hands as they were walking down a tree lined road inside a park area near his childhood home.

He leaned back and turned around to sweep his gaze across the room again but still, there was nothing. Frustrated, he threw up his hands and gestured at the picture. “How did you even do that?”

The night passed without him getting any answers and only one more hour of sleep.

His schedule was packed the next day, leaving him no room to get what he needed to cleanse his apartment which meant he was not just exhausted, but also full of dread while going through the motions. Luckily, nothing weird happened and he figured he’d be fine to head out early the next day to pick everything up but that was only until night time rolled.

It started off small. He was brushing his teeth in the bathroom while listening to music over his phone and had just bent down to spit out his toothpaste when he heard a dull thud and the music became muffled. Leaning back from the sink, he discovered his phone, previously firmly placed in the center of the counter, was now on the floor mat  beside his feet.

“Oh, come on,” he whined. “Don’t do me like that!” He bent down, picked it up and put it back in the same spot as a sign of protest. 

Twenty seconds later while he was washing his face, the same thing happened again. 

“You’re an asshole, you know that?”

The entity proceeded to let him finish his bathroom routine in peace, phone on the floor.

“We’re both heading over to ‘Auroras and Illusions’ first thing in the morning,” Wooyoung informed Nero when he returned to his bedroom and found her curled up on the pillow next to his own on their bed. “I’m not leaving you alone with this thing and we’re gonna need a lot of incense to cleanse the whole place.”

He crawled under the sheets beside her, leaving both the hallway and bedroom ceiling light on, and settled in for a sleepless night of doom scrolling. There was no point in trying to fall asleep while the atmosphere was this dense with filth. 

Ten minutes into a YouTube video essay on a movie he’d never seen, a strange sound began to emanate from somewhere down the hallway. Wooyoung paused the video and looked over at Nero who was already focused on the door. A few seconds of silence followed, then the sound returned. It was scratching, muffled but clear, emanating from further away. The bathroom? His hands turned clammy as a long buried memory resurfaced.

Subconsciously, his right hand came up to rest on the raised discolored scars twisting around his left side, marring the space below his ribs where his soulmark should have been. Forever a reminder of the claws which had once upon a time torn open his prepubescent body. He’d rather not experience a repeat of that encounter.

“Only five hours until sunrise, Nero,” Wooyoung whispered when the scratching subsided. “We can get through that, right? We’re both adults.”

Just then, a loud crack echoed down the hall before the sound of glass raining down on tile flooring pierced the air and sunk into his brain. Silence followed. 

“We’re getting out of here right now,” Wooyoung pressed out as he scrambled off the bed, grabbed an only mildly protesting Nero and gunned for the door, phone in hand. He pushed down the door handle with his elbow and ran straight for the stairs without sparing even a glance at anything else.

Luckily, he made it to the ground floor without tripping but, just as he was opening the door to the café, a sudden yank on his shirt had him stumbling back. His heel bumped into the bottom most step and, with his hands full, he had to throw himself forward to keep from falling. Fortunately, Nero only managed to scratch up his arm while remaining within his hold which allowed him to catch himself and finally burst out into the café.

He sprinted through the array of tables and skidded to a stop behind the cash counter. He kept a second set of keys in the top drawer which he’d need to get out. Dropping his phone on the counter and keeping his tight hold on Nero, he yanked it open and dug his hand all the way to the back to feel for the keys.

A loud clatter broke the temporary silence. It sent his heart plummeting as he realized that thing had just thrown a chair into the coffee counter. His fingers curled around the key. He pulled it out, ignored his phone and gunned for the front door. With one smooth motion, he pushed in the key, turned the lock and threw himself out onto the sidewalk. The door fell shut behind him without his input.

Wooyoung sent one last “fuck you!” the demon’s way before he set off down the street without looking back.

It was freezing cold and each step of his bare feet hurt. At least this late at night there weren’t too many people around who could throw him weird looks. The closest person who could help him still lived ten minutes away but he knew it would take him longer to get there since he had to walk carefully to avoid slicing open his feet on any trash or rocks laying around.

“What did we do to deserve this, Nero?” Wooyoung mumbled while providing head scratches for her as she vibrated with stress-induced purrs. “I’m sorry, baby, you’re really not having a good time with me recently, huh?”

Shivering and exhausted, Wooyoung watched his toes turn from red to purple as he navigated his way around several corners until a car heading his way came to a sudden halt beside him and rolled down its passenger window. 

“Wooyoung?”

He bent down, carefully cradling Nero to his chest, and peeked into the car. “S-Seonghwa?” It turned out chattering teeth made talking difficult, who’d’ve thought?

“What are you doing out here dressed like that?” Seonghwa’s tone was full of shock and concern as he leaned across the passenger seat to pop open the door on Wooyoung’s side. “Come in, please!”

Not about to turn down the offer of a fancy heated car, Wooyoung slid onto the seat and shut the door. “Th-thanks.”

“What happened?” Seonghwa asked as he fiddled with the dials on the center console, resulting in warm blasts of air firing at Wooyoung from seemingly all angles.

“Th-there’s a demonic en-entity in my house a-and it kinda k-kicked us out.” Wooyoung tried to force his jaw to stop trembling but with the warmth colliding against his freezing skin, it felt even more impossible than when he’d been back out on that sidewalk.

“A demonic entity?” Seonghwa echoed, sounding stunned. 

Wooyoung nodded. 

“Okay, let’s…” Seonghwa trailed off for a moment, his gaze searching as he looked out the windshield. “Let’s get you warmed up first and then we can get Jongho and San to evict that thing from your home. Sound good to you?”

“N-no idea who J-Jongho is but sure.”

Seonghwa offered him a sympathetic smile and reached over to pet Nero between the ears. She let out a pitiful mewl in response which seemed to spur Seonghwa back into action. One hand on the steering wheel, he turned the engine back on and pulled away from the sidewalk.

The coven’s home turned out to be a historic looking mansion situated on a massive forest side property fronted by a luscious lawn. The majority of lights were dark when they pulled up and parked next to two other black vehicles inside the separate three-doored multi car garage.

“Jongho often works nights so he should still be up but we may have to wake up Sannie,” Seonghwa informed him as he switched off the engine and unfastened his seatbelt. 

Following suit, a newly warmed up Wooyoung tried to mentally prepare himself for the freezing cold before he climbed out, a now sleeping Nero still cradled in his arms. Seonghwa had already unlocked the door and was ushering him inside by the time Wooyoung made it up the short flight of stairs leading up to large rounded double doors.

The moment he crossed the threshold, Wooyoung felt a surge of warmth, calm, and comfort wash over him. It reminded him of what it had felt like to walk into ‘Auroras and Illusions’ for the first time but amplified by a hundred. Awed, he looked at the intricately patterned walls and ornate wooden pillars, the thick rugs and dark wooden furniture, the tall walls lined with paintings and bookshelves, and the assortment of sheer stuff filling up everywhere he looked. It was clear a lot of people lived here and it seemed they all contributed with the decorations. Across from Wooyoung, on the opposite side of the large open space that made up the entryway, kitchen and living room, two curved staircases framed the large open doorway leading into a beautiful winter garden. 

“You can take a seat on the couch while I head upstairs to get you some warmer clothes,” Seonghwa said, his voice low. When Wooyoung turned to look at him, he’d already silently closed the door and taken off his shoes.

“Are you sure? My feet must be dirty and these floors look expensive…”

“Don’t worry about anything but yourself right now.” Seonghwa’s tone was as warm as the surrounding air when he stepped closer and unexpectedly placed a hand on the crown of Wooyoung’s head. “You should be about Hongjoong’s height,” he mumbled to himself before pulling back his hand. “Go ahead and take a seat, I’ll be back in a minute!”

With that, he disappeared up the curved stairs while Wooyoung was left behind with a tingling scalp and speedy heart. “One of these days, they’re gonna give me a heart attack,” he whispered to a sleepy Nero who merely yawned in his face. “Ew, your breath stinks.”

Clearly offended by the comment, Nero began to wiggle in his hold. 

“Wait, wait, no, I’m sorry,” he rushed out but she wouldn’t listen and a second later, she’d flopped to the ground, landing on soft paws before she immediately backed away from the unfamiliar surroundings and right into his shins. He snatched her back up. “See, you dummy? It’s better up here, isn’t it?”

He carried her over to one of the three couches and sat down, his suspicious cat on his lap. “It’s nice here, isn’t it?” he commented, making sure to keep his voice down. “Could you see yourself living here?”

“Are you planning on moving in?”

The foreign voice had Wooyoung jumping, barely suppressing a shriek as Nero’s claws dug into his thigh where she launched herself off his lap and straight under the nearby armchair. 

“Oh shi- I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Wooyoung was quick to say as he jumped up and bowed to the stranger whose home he was invading. “I’m sorry for letting go of my cat. I promise she doesn’t scratch on furniture or anything.”

“It’s alright, don’t worry about anything.”

Wooyoung straightened back up and was met with a smiling round face made of big eyes, a cute round nose and doll lips, all topped with fluffy hair. “I, uh, I’m Wooyoung. I promise I didn’t break in, Seonghwa took me here.”

The other laughed at his words, his cheeks bunching up adorably. “I know, I was in the kitchen when you came in. I’m Jongho.”

“Right, you work nights.”

Jongho seemed momentarily confused by the words before he smiled again. “I do. I’m a ghost hunter. Silly name, I know. Seonghwa said you may need my help with something?”

“Yes…” Wooyoung glanced back over to the armchair where round green eyes glowed back at him from underneath, black fur smoothly melted into the shadow. “I’m ninety-nine percent sure I’ve got a demon in my house.”

“Do you have any idea where it might have come from or when it attached itself to your home?”

“It’s only been there since last night and I’m pretty sure it used the bathroom mirror to get in. It was sealed before I moved in but it must’ve found a way to break through.”

Jongho frowned when Wooyoung met his eyes. “What kind of activity did you witness before you left?”

“Um, it threw my phone and a chair. It grabbed my shirt and yanked at me. I’m pretty sure it scratched the bathroom mirror until it shattered. That would mean we’ll have to trap it some other way, I guess? Oh, and it may have flipped one of the pictures in a photo collage I keep in my living room. Actually, I hung that up when I moved in so, if it had been upside down this entire time, I think I would’ve noticed. Random thing to do for a demon, isn’t it?”

“You’re right, demons usually act based on instinct and impulses. What kind of photo was it?”

“Just a family photo.”

“Who’s in-”

“Here you go!”

Both immediately turned to face Seonghwa who was making a beeline toward them with quick strides while carrying a small stack of dark clothing.

“I got you three pairs of socks, two of which are thick and insulated,” he informed Wooyoung when he came to a stop beside him. “Please wear them all, at least for a while. I wouldn’t want you to get lasting nerve damage from all that cold exposure.” He handed him the bundle of fabric and put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him in gently to show him the way. “Just head through the door over there to get changed and take a warm shower. Warm, not hot!” he reinforced. “Feel free to use whatever products you need. San should be down by the time you get back.”

Wooyoung nodded and went without complaint, eager to get rid of the discomfort and snuggle up in some warm clothing, even if it wasn’t his own.

The bathroom turned out to be as large and open as the rest but with a much different color scheme. It was fully tiled in light blues, gray and white with matching towels and white counters. A large open doorway in the center framed the milk glass window on the other side but left the remaining wall as separation between the sink area out front and the shower and toilet in the back. 

“These people live in luxury,” Wooyoung mumbled while heading deeper into the bathroom to begin his search for a towel.

Fifteen minutes later, he was fully relaxed from a nice warm shower and back in his own underpants as he stared at the bundle of clothes by the sink. It was weird to be lent the clothes of someone he’d never met, wasn’t it?

He reached out and felt the fabric of the thick hoodie on top between his fingers. Nice and soft. He picked it up and let it unfold in front of him. It was oversized and almost fully black with some unfamiliar brand’s logo and name printed in white on the front, back and sleeves. Finally getting over himself, he pulled it over his head and was immediately enveloped by the unfamiliar smell of the person who normally wore it. While this was to be expected, it still made him feel funny when he realized it smelled… nice. He shook off the thought and quickly stepped into the black sweatpants and balanced on one foot at a time to put on all the socks Seonghwa had brought him.

Now fully dressed, he applied the first moisturizer he could find and blow dried his hair before heading back out to face whoever was waiting for him at this point. He only hoped Nero hadn’t caused any trouble while he was gone.

“Oh, you look a lot better already,” was the first thing Seonghwa said when Wooyoung went to join the three people seated across two of the couches. “And you really are the same size as Hongjoong, that’s good. How do you feel?”

“Warmer.” Wooyoung felt a little awkward with everyone giving him a once-over as if he were on a catwalk but was quickly distracted by the sight of Nero curled up on San’s lap. “Baby!” he blurted out and rushed over to bend over San’s lap and run his hand over the fur on Nero’s back. “You came out while I wasn’t here?” He cupped her little face and brushed his thumbs along her cheeks as she began to purr. “Such a good baby! Oh, such a good fluffball.” He curled his fingers around her sides and picked her up to cradle her against his chest and press a kiss between her ears. “Did you warm up too? Hm?” She purred harder, making him laugh. “You did, didn’t you? The first pretty man you see and you’re all over him. Shameless, Nero, shameless.”

The sound of various chuckles had him squeeze his eyes shut as heat flushed his cheeks. He was such a dumbass for letting his cat distract him like this.

“Would you like some fresh tea or soup?” Seonghwa offered, graciously not commenting on what he’d just heard.

Wooyoung dared to look up but chose to ignore San’s deeply amused face and Jongho’s curious eyes in favor of focusing on Seonghwa. “Thank you for the kind offer but I think we should both be heading back home. I don’t want Nero to make a mess on one of your rugs because she doesn’t have access to her litter box.”

“If you’re sure. You can borrow Hongjoong’s shoes and then we’ll all take the big car.” 

It turned out, the ‘big car’ was a spacious van carrying two large chests behind the second row of seats. “Mine and Jongho’s equipment,” San explained when he noticed Wooyoung’s gaze while fastening his seatbelt next to him.

“Do you two always ghost hunt together?” Wooyoung asked and allowed San to take over as Nero’s seat cushion so he could strap himself in as well.

“I usually go alone,” Jongho answered from the passenger seat as Seonghwa started the engine. “San only joins me for bigger cases or when the client specifically asks for a spellcaster to come in and put up wards or something. And there are also situations where Yunho will tag along like when we need someone to seal a cursed object. You’ve met him too, right?”

Wooyoung nodded. “Yeah, just recently! He was really nice to me. You all are, actually. I mean it! You don’t even know me and yet your coven’s already getting dragged into my messes… sorry about that.”

“I wouldn’t call a demonic entity entering your home a ‘mess’,” San said. “We’re all witches, we’re bound to attract those sorts of things. That’s why we offer services like this!”

“Services like lending your covenmate’s clothes to a stranger?” Wooyoung teased.

“Point taken,” San admitted, “but that was the result of surrounding circumstances.”

“I see.”

“You must be very powerful to attract such a demonic entity without an intentional summoning,” Jongho commented with an accompanying glance over his shoulder.

The smile fell off Wooyoung's face as he turned to look out the window. “I’m not. I don’t know why it showed up. Maybe my client didn’t just try to curse me after all.”

“Has she been within your home since the curse?”

Wooyoung shook his head. “No, I haven’t even seen her since.”

“That’s unlikely then. The summoning would’ve had to take place on the property. Unless you brought in a cursed item from outside, the most likely reason would be an intentional attack on the demon’s part.”

“But why would it do that?” Wooyoung asked and turned to look at the back of Jongho’s head. “I wasn’t really doing anything different from normal.”

Jongho shrugged. “Who knows why demons really do anything? All we can do is try to find patterns in their impulsive behavior and from that, it seems like they mostly attach to people who are already emitting a lot of negative energy because of grief, anxiety, fear, depression, and such, or because they’re particularly powerful and could cause a threat to their kind, so generally strong witches, powerful mediums, witches with specialized magic like myself.”

“I don’t think I fall into any of those categories.” Wooyoung crossed his arms. “That’s so typical! I’m not doing anything and stuff still goes wrong for no reason! That demon can fuck right off and literally go screw itself! To a wall! And stay there for eternity!”

“I hope that’s not how you were actually telling the demon,” Jongho said but he sounded amused which made something in Wooyoung flutter.

“I may have had some choice words for it,” he admitted.

The laughter filling the car made Wooyoung smile along and wish the ride would last longer.

The demonic force that had taken over his home made Wooyoung feel just about ready to hurl. To an unsuspecting human, the building would’ve looked unassuming, an ordinary home no different from his neighbors’, but he knew better. He could sense it, vile demonic energies dripping along the outer walls, emitted by the entity within. 

“That’s… intense,” Jongho said as he looked up at the upper floor windows. 

“I’ve never seen such a complete takeover,” San admitted, “and you’re saying this thing just got here?”

Wooyoung nodded.

“I don’t think Nero wants to leave the car!” Seonghwa’s voice was distant, still within the van where he was petting a stressed out looking ball of fur.

“You should stay with her,” Jongho told Wooyoung who immediately turned away from Seonghwa to shake his head before Jongho had even finished speaking.

“It’s my home, I’m not gonna wait out here! I may not have much magic but I’m neither weak, nor a coward!”

“And no one’s saying you are,” Jongho said calmly. The concern was clear on his face as he searched out Wooyoung’s eyes who quickly deflated at the words and averted his gaze. 

“Sorry. I know. But I’m still coming. This thing invaded my home and took over a building that’s been in my family for a long time. I’m not gonna let it think it’s won by staying away.”

Jongho sighed but his expression wasn’t angry, simply resigned. “Alright. But make sure you’re adequately prepared before you go in. Clear your head, truly believe you’re safe and protected, and set your intentions. I don’t want to have to do an exorcism on you.”

Wooyoung, his mind long since made up, nodded and met Jongho’s earnest gaze. 

“Good. Let’s get the equipment then.”

Chapter Text

It was dark inside the café, even with the lights switched on, and the air felt denser than should be possible. Wooyoung was also quick to notice his vision had gone slightly blurry as if he were suddenly nearsighted but he tried not to let it distract him by focusing on the bright presence of the two witches next to him. Keeping his thoughts in check would be essential to his survival.

“Here, you’ll be in charge of this.” Jongho handed him a small bundle of incense and a matchbox.

Wooyoung was quick to light it and blow out the flame, leaving it to burn down slowly and create the smoke they’d need to cleanse the space. The action alone felt defiant to the forces pushing back against them from all sides.

While he’d been focused on the incense, Jongho had set his backpack on the nearest table and begun to pour frankincense resin into multiple burners which he handed off to San one by one. “We’ll need to light one in each room so how many will that be?” He glanced up at Wooyoung. 

“Six. Seven if we count the hallway.”

Jongho nodded and filled up one final burner just as a loud thump could be heard from upstairs. “Wooyoung, you stay near me the entire time. San, you focus on lighting all the burners first before you join us but don’t be a hero. If a space feels too dark, you stay away. Understood?” He looked between the two others until he received both nods. “Alright, let’s go.”

It was strange how much energies could change the appearance of a place. He’d spent years in this café, had even spent a good chunk of his childhood in the family home his great-grandmother had originally built before it became said café but, looking at it now, he could barely recognize it. 

The room seemed massive, colorless, and cold. He felt like he was intruding on a space that should belong to him but didn’t feel like his anymore. But most of all, he felt watched. The demon knew where they were, it was observing their every move, yet it wasn’t interfering. At least not yet. What was it waiting for?

Leaving San behind to light the burner in the backroom, they silently moved upstairs where the air seemed to grow ever denser. 

“The bathroom door is closed,” Wooyoung pointed out, fighting against the tightness in his throat and the pressure on his chest. 

“I’ll go in first,” Jongho said. “You stay back and focus on picturing the protective field around yourself. I can tell you’re starting to waver. A white light, Wooyoung, I’m sure you know how it goes.”

Feeling scolded, Wooyoung stayed back as ordered and recentered his thoughts. He was safe, he was protected by his magic, his soul could glow bright enough to push back the darkness and shield him. There was nothing to be afraid of if he believed in himself. He tried to drill the cheesy thoughts his mother and aunt had taught him into his head and took as deep a breath as he could given the circumstances.

“There we go!” Jongho cheered from up ahead where he’d already placed his hand against the door but had paused to check on him. “Keep that up and I won’t even feel the need to worry about you anymore.”

Wooyoung was unsure if he should feel praised or offended but, before he could make up his mind, Jongho tried to enter the bathroom and was knocked clean off his feet. The door had flown open by itself, yanking him along and smacking him into the wall with barely a second to react and dodge the impact of the repeated impact of the door right beside him. It jerked back and forth in its hinges, pounding against the wall over and over again until the door handle had carved a hole for itself.

“What the fu-” Wooyoung took a step forward but was immediately sent stumbling back when the door suddenly ripped off its hinges and hurled into the railing where it bounced off, crashed back into the wall at an angle, scarcely missing Jongho, and finally skidded at a diagonal along the wall and floor into the living room where it, at last, came to a rest.

Eyes wide open and heart racing, Wooyoung rushed forward to get to Jongho’s side, choosing to ignore the black mass he saw in his periphery through the open doorway as he passed by. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry.” Jongho luckily looked and sounded completely fine and proceeded to push Wooyoung behind him, away from the bathroom. 

“What happened?” San called out as footsteps rushed up the stairs. “Damn!” He paused before he’d fully reached the top, rushed out an inaudible sequence of words and flicked his wrist. In the blink of an eye, a golden sheen appeared across the open doorway. 

While Jongho moved closer to the bathroom, San hurried into the bedroom, presumably to light the next burner. “It’s a mirror demon!” Jongho called out.

“Ew!” San replied.

With a palm hovering across the golden barrier spell, Jongho began to concentrate his own magic into a purple pool of energy. It filled his palm and began to weave through the barrier in an intricate pattern, sending tendrils into the room beyond which began to swirl around the blurry darkness.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Wooyoung asked when San returned and knelt down beside him to place the next burner.

“You can help Jongho retain a clean aura while he’s working.”

Needing no further prompting, Wooyoung held out the incense and hovered it in a wave pattern along the part of Jongho closest to him, his right arm. He watched as the smoke pooled along his silhouette before it dissipated, taking trace amounts of dark energies with it. 

“You’re doing good!” San praised as he got up. “Second to last burner!” he then announced and sped off into the living room.

Meanwhile, Wooyoung tried to remain focused on his task to protect Jongho from demonic influence. It wasn’t much, he wasn’t even using his magic but at least he wasn’t completely useless.

‘Wooyoung.’

Blinking, Wooyoung looked up. What voice was that?

‘Wooyoung.’

His gaze settled on the shadowy mass barely visible through the purple and golden barrier of magic filling up the doorway. There was no doubt in his mind the slurred and deep voice was coming from that thing.

“I think it’s talking to me,” Wooyoung reported.

“Huh?” San’s voice was suddenly a lot closer than expected, making him jump. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

‘You want to be strong.’

Wooyoung tilted his head at the blurry mass. “Yeah, it’s definitely talking to me.”

“Don’t listen to it,” Jongho said simultaneously with San’s “We can’t hear it, what’s it saying?”

‘We can make you strong.’

“It’s offering to make me strong?” Wooyoung scrunched up his face in disgust. “Is this thing trying to recruit me?”

The words had even Jongho looking away briefly to check on him before he hurried to refocus on his task. “Don’t listen to it.”

“Since when do mirror demons try to make deals?” San asked.

Wooyoung shrugged and blinked repeatedly but couldn’t quite get his gaze to break free from the blurry dark shape. “I… I don’t know.”

‘You’ll be stronger with us. You can be rich.’

“I think it’s trying to switch up strategies now because it’s also offering me money.”

“Wooyoung, stop listening, just ignore it,” Jongho urged.

“Don’t worry, I’d never fall for that sort of bullshit,” Wooyoung reassured. “I’ve been told I’m very headstrong.”

“I don’t doubt that but demons are so dangerous for a reason. They’re sneaky.”

‘We know what you’ve lost.’

Wooyoung narrowed his eyes at the figure.

‘We can give it back to you.’

“Okay, time to shut up now.” Wooyoung tried his best to sound calm and uninterested, especially since he knew the thing was actively trying to provoke him, but the words still stung. Especially coming from one the creatures responsible for his losses.

“Don’t engage with it, Wooyoung,” San warned and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Wooyoung nodded and focused on their point of contact until he managed to look away and continued moving the incense along Jongho’s back. In his periphery, he could see the dark mass slowly disappear in a sphere of purple.

“Almost there. You’re doing good, Jongie!” San praised. “Just think of your heating blanket back home!”

“You’re not helping right now, San!” Jongho bit out, which was the moment Wooyoung began to notice the signs of fatigue in him. 

In an effort to help, he placed his free hand on the center of Jongho’s back to keep him steady. Focusing on the shifting energies around him, he could sense how much Jongho was draining himself to maintain the steady flow of banishing magic pouring into and around the demonic presence. There was no doubting his capabilities but Wooyoung began to wonder if getting rid of a singular mirror demon should be putting that much strain on a trained and specialized witch.

‘We are many.’

It was the last thing Wooyoung heard before the demon finally disappeared. At last, they should be safe to leave. 

San removed the golden barrier with another flick of his wrist and revealed the wrecked state of Wooyoung’s bathroom. There were mirror shards everywhere, the porcelain sink was missing a good chunk of its outer rim and the air was thick with the stench of sulfur and cigarettes. Part of him wished he’d never have to set foot in there again.

San on the other hand seemed to have no such qualms. He walked right in, lit the final burner and bent down to place it right in the center of the room where the demon had stood a mere few seconds ago. 

“Good job everyone!” Jongho said. He sounded happy even as he was leaning heavily against the door jamb. “Now let’s get out of here and let the burners do the rest.”

They didn’t talk as they headed downstairs but Wooyoung was relieved to see the other two both seemed relaxed and in no rush to get out. It helped put his mind at ease and allowed him to feel comfortable enough to fall behind a little in order to snatch up his phone from the cash counter on the way out.

“So what happens now?” Wooyoung asked once he’d caught back up to them and closed the door. He could now even lock it again since he’d found the keys still stuck on the inside.

“With the windows and front door all locked and sealed, the frankincense will smoke out all the corners and get rid of residual energies,” Jongho explained. “The only problem is it’s gonna take some time and neither you, nor Nero should be in there while it happens.” He opened the back door of the van and sat sideways on the backseat, facing outward. “Normally, we’d only have to do this to the affected room but given… everything, the full house cleansing is needed.”

While Jongho was giving his explanation, Wooyoung rushed over to Seonghwa who’d already stepped outside the vehicle to hand him his cat. A wave of calm washed over him at the sight of her and he immediately brought her close to his chest, nuzzling between her ears as he cuddled her close, even as she was wiggling in his hold and mildly protesting. “I’m sorry, baby, can you sense the demon?” 

Nero kept struggling.

“Sorry, sorry.” Wooyoung held her back out to Seonghwa who took her back without protest. She calmed down right away and began to purr. Watching her with a sense of betrayal, Wooyoung finally registered Jongho’s words. “Wait, we can’t sleep here tonight?”

“Or open the café tomorrow,” San added.

Wooyoung closed his eyes and sighed before he nodded in acceptance. With his gaze focused down on the sidewalk, he tried to gather his thoughts and figure out where to go from here. It must be close to sunrise by now which meant-

“You can sleep at ours for the night,” Seonghwa offered.

“Good idea!” San and Jongho’s voices blended together and had Wooyoung recoil in surprised confusion. 

“Um…” Wooyoung glanced between the three witches. “I- That’s so generous of you. I don’t really know if I can accept though. I mean… won’t it be uncomfortable for your other coven members?”

Seonghwa brushed the concern aside with his free hand while the other still held Nero in the same newborn cradle style Wooyoung tended to use. “They’ve all heard about you at this point and more than half of us have met you in person. No one would mind, believe me.”

Longing for a few hours of uninterrupted sleep and knowing how comfortable the coven’s home was, Wooyoung couldn’t find it within himself to decline the offer any further. “We’d be honored to crash at yours then.”

Wooyoung was back in the comforting presence of the mansion and happy to sink into the cushions of the largest of the three couches as he watched Nero curl up on the armchair she’d hidden under earlier that night. With little to no hesitation, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, her breathing evening out.

“I’ll head to the pet store and buy a litter box as soon as they open,” Wooyoung promised as the other three spread out across the remaining two couches.

“Don’t even think about it,” Seonghwa protested mildly. “Mingi will just conjure one up when he wakes up. He’s our best at those types of things”

“You’re back!”

The foreign voice had Wooyoung jump back out of his seat and turn to face the stairs where yet another person around his age was approaching. This one was around his height, dressed in elegant black pajamas, with a slim build, almost fairy-like features, and the most powerful presence Wooyoung had ever been confronted with which was saying something since he’d just come back from a demon banishing. Swallowing heavily, Wooyoung tried not to waver under the intensity of the witch’s gaze.

“You must be Wooyoung,” the newcomer said. “I’ve heard a lot about you over the last few days.”

Mind gone blank, Wooyoung was left staring as the witch stepped closer until he was a mere meter away from him. His sharp gaze trailed over him from head to toe before it resettled on his eyes.

“I can tell you’re exhausted so why don’t we all sit down and you can fill me in on where you’ve just been and why you’re here so late at night, hm?”

Wooyoung could feel his heart hammering against his ribs as he tried to come up with a response but his brain seemed to have shut down.

A crease appeared between straight dark brows as an expression of concern overtook the witch’s face. “Are you alright?” He stepped even closer and a hand came up to rest on Wooyoung’s upper arm. “You look a little out of it.”

Tingles bordering on an electric shock shot out from the point of contact and had Wooyoung shivering as if he were back out on that freezing sidewalk without shoes. What was wrong with him these days? Was he really that starved for contact? “I… sitting down sounds… good.”

The concern didn’t leave the other’s eyes but he did make an effort to nudge him to sit before he settled down next to him, leaving a polite distance. Only then did he shift his attention to the others in the room which gave Wooyoung the freedom to focus on his lap and try to get a hold of himself. “So what did I miss?” Hongjoong asked.

“I found Wooyoung walking barefoot on the sidewalk earlier tonight,” Seonghwa started. “A demon had appeared in his home and forced him to leave for his own safety so I brought him here and informed Jongho and San. We then went over there together and the three of them went in to banish the demon but…” 

“This one was… different,” Jongho went on. “It looked and felt like a mirror demon but banishing it took a lot more effort than it should have.”

“And if you’d felt that place, Hongjoong,” San jumped in, “you would’ve been shocked. It was absolutely drenched with demonic energy and that was after only, what? A day?”

Wooyoung nodded in confirmation but only glanced up briefly to meet San’s eyes. “Yes, it first appeared last night.” 

“We had to put burners in every room and get out but honestly?” Jongho continued. “I’m not even sure the place will be cleansed after that. We may have to refill them all and let it sit for longer.”

“So what are you saying?” the other witch, Hongjoong , asked. Inconveniently, it was then that it hit Wooyoung: he was wearing this man’s clothes while sitting next to him after just having met him for the first time. On top of that, he’d also made a complete fool of himself during their first interaction and was now about to spend the night in his home. This was a disaster.

“I’m saying this didn’t feel like a run of the mill demonic attack,” Jongho replied. “This felt planned out and targeted. The demon even tried to convince Wooyoung to join its side and, I’m telling you, in all my years of training and practicing as a ghost hunter, I’ve never heard of a mirror demon doing anything but wreak havoc for sheer entertainment.”

“So what you’re saying is…” Hongjoong repeated.

“I think the demon was being fed energy by other demons in order to make it more powerful so it can break the mirror seal, infest the home, and brainwash Wooyoung. I think they want to recruit him.”

The  moment Jongho stopped talking, Wooyoung could feel everyone’s eyes burn into him. His heart plummeted. He wanted to shrink and disappear but all he could do was avert his gaze and try to seem non-threatening as the reality of the situation sunk in. What if they now thought he was planning something? What would he do if they kicked him out and alerted the council? He was already on bad terms with them and now this? They’d no doubt lock him up, no questions asked.

“Why would they want to do that?” Hongjoong inquired but instead of angry or concerned, he just sounded confused.

“We don’t know,” San answered.

“You got an idea?”

Knowing the question was aimed at him, Wooyoung cautioned a glance over at Hongjoong whose expression was surprisingly soft and inviting. “Not really, sorry.”

“What about that photo it flipped?” Jongho jumped in.

Wooyoung turned to look at him and frowned as he thought back to the small incident.

“What was on it?”

“Just me, my mother, and my aunt.”

“Could it have something to do with them?” Hongjoong asked.

“I don’t think so,” Wooyoung said honestly. “My mother lives out of town and works as a healer and my aunt died years ago.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” The words were reflected in Hongjoong’s tone and face.

“It’s okay, don’t apologize. You didn’t know.” Wooyoung offered him a brief but genuine smile, now hopeful that his fears wouldn’t come true. “She grew up in the house I now live in so it’s like she’s still with me in a way. Her grandmother, my great-grandmother designed it and her husband owned a construction company so he could build it just the way she wanted. When they died, they left it to my grandparents but they chose to move out and leave it to my aunt when she was old enough. And when she… died, she left it to me but I was too young back then so grandma took care of it for a while again until I graduated and converted the ground floor to a café.” He averted his gaze as he recalled the current state of his home. “But of course it wasn’t enough to take her from us, those things also had to taint the only thing she left behind.”

“She died in a demon attack?” Jongho asked carefully.

Wooyoung looked over at him. “Yeah. She was a ghost hunter like you. She died on the job.”

Wincing, Jongho momentarily averted his gaze before he offered Wooyoung an apologetic look. “I’m sorry to hear that. That’s awful.”

“None of you have anything to apologize for so please stop feeling bad.” Wooyoung tried his best to sound more cheerful and lighten the mood. “If anything, I should be the one saying sorry for keeping you up so late on a work day. Please also let me know your fee so I can pay you for your services. And by the way, you should absolutely feel free to charge extra for the super-demon thing and sleeping arrangements!”

“Let’s not discuss money or any of that tonight,” Seonghwa said. “Right now, we should all only be thinking about heading off to bed.”

“I agree, but first I have one more question,” Hongjoong cut in.

“Which is?” 

“Why are you wearing my favorite hoodie?”

Wooyoung felt his face heat up, especially as he recalled his reaction to the smell of it.

Luckily, Seonghwa was quick to answer for him. “I found him in pajamas, he needed something warm to wear and you two have the same size.”

“Ah, good call.” Hongjoong reached out to tug at the sleeve closest to him. “It suits you! Do you normally dress like this too?”

“You can check out his fashion by taking more breaks from work and going to his café once it reopens,” Seonghwa cut in and pushed off the couch to stand. “Now everyone get up and get ready for sleep, chop-chop!” He turned to Wooyoung. “Since we’re so many people, we don’t really have a guest room but most of us don’t like to sleep alone so there’s always a free bed somewhere.”

“I usually sleep in Yeosang’s room so mine will be empty,” San offered.

Already overwhelmed by the conversation and the idea of sleeping in a room belonging to one of these powerful supermodel looking witches, Wooyoung was quick to brush the idea aside. “Ah, no, it’s alright. I’ll just sleep down here on the couch. Nero’s already comfortable here too and the cushions are-”

“You really need a good night’s sleep and with the kitchen right there, someone’s bound to wake you up in just a few hours,” Seonghwa interrupted. 

“But I can put up a silencing spell,” San said.

All the generosity was pushing Wooyoung into a state of panic which sent his hands waving in an effort to shut it down. “No, really, it’s alright! I’m good here, no spellwork needed! Please, you’ve drained yourself enough for me!”

“If you don’t like the idea of sleeping in someone else’s bed, you can take the sleep couch in my studio,” Hongjoong offered casually. “It’s soundproof too so our loudness won’t be able to bother you and it’s also right through that door over there so your cat won’t have to go upstairs.”

Wooyoung glanced from him to the others and back. “Thank you, I think I’d like that.”

He wasn’t sure if he was asleep or awake but his thoughts felt clear, even as his body and surroundings felt blurry and distant. He was facing the back of the couch, laying on his side, unable to move, and a calmness had settled over him, though it was nothing like the one he’d begun to associate with the coven’s magic.

‘Join us.’

Wooyoung felt pressure around his torso and looked down at the wrinkled ashen skin of the arm wrapped around him, long curved talons digging possessively into the hoodie shielding his flesh from injury. He felt nauseous but there was no adrenaline, no sense of urgency to get away. Instead he was tired, his limbs heavy with fatigue and the longer he tried to process what was happening, the more sluggish his thoughts became.

‘You’ll be powerful.’

Distantly, Wooyoung knew everything about this was wrong and he was aware he wanted no part in any of it but, more than anything, he wanted to fall back asleep, stop the ache in his limbs. He’d never felt so drained. He couldn’t even sense the magic in his core anymore.

‘We’ll break the seal.’

The momentary confusion allowed his thoughts to become a little clearer. What seal? What was it talking about? Who or what was speaking to him? He looked at the inhuman skin hanging off that bony arm and could feel hot moist breath brush against his ear as its hold on him tightened. Disgust began to creep up around the edges of his consciousness, chipping away at the surreal space his entire self had become trapped in.

‘We’ll make you strong.’

He was growing sick of listening to that ugly voice while that vile presence pressed up against him. Finally, a sprout of determination, of defiance began to grow in him. Gathering what little strength he had, he lifted his hands, trembling under the strain, and placed them on the loose dry skin of its arm, feeling the unnatural texture of something more reminiscent of latex than flesh. The thing didn’t seem to notice or, if it did, it didn’t react beyond starting to chant something in a language he didn’t understand. 

Opting to ignore it, he curled his fingers around the bony extremity, painstakingly conscious of moving every single joint, and squeezed with all his might which, at the moment, must have been equal to the strength of a three year old. The creature still didn’t move, it just kept on speaking, chanting. Wooyoung focused all his energy on his hands, centered his thoughts around the growing urge to break out of this hold and twisted his hands in opposite directions just like he’d always done to his cousins when they tried to mess with him as a child.

Finally, the being reacted by loosening its hold, if just a tiny bit. But the second it did, the spell broke. Adrenaline shot through Wooyoung and sent him hurtling across the demon and off the couch. With a single jump, he was at the door, threw it open and smashed it shut behind him before the demon could follow.

“What’s going on?” called someone from across the room. Yunho. He was in the kitchen.

“Demon!” Wooyoung shouted back, still feeling completely disoriented.

“Shit! I’ll get Jongho!”

Wooyoung didn’t bother to answer as he pressed the door shut, his teeth gritted, while the demon flung itself against the other side once, twice, before it stopped.

‘You’ll end up just like her.’

Shivering, he tried to not let the voice distract him and, luckily, he didn’t have to try for long before Jongho sprinted to his side and skidded to a stop right before he could collide with the wall. “Paralysis demon,” he mumbled as he began to feed his familiar purple magic through the milk glass window in the door.

Wooyoung moved aside to give him space to work and ended up bumping straight into someone else’s chest. He tumbled forward half a step and looked up to find Yunho already watching him with a worried expression.

“Are you okay?” He reached up to touch his shoulder and rubbed his thumb over the joint in a soothing gesture.

“I’m okay, I just- I don’t know how it got in? I swear, I didn’t do anything! I was just sleeping!”

“Don’t worry, I believe you.”

Wooyoung nodded and turned back to facing Jongho who was deep in his zone and pouring magic into the studio space at a rapid pace. “He shouldn’t be exerting himself like this after last night…”

“He’ll be okay,” Yunho reassured him. “Yeosang already gave him a potion to replenish himself.”

Relief smoothed across some of his panic and allowed Wooyoung to accept the comfort Yunho was offering him. The tingles spreading down his arm settled his racing thoughts to a more processable speed. 

“What’s going on? Is there a demon in the house?” Wooyoung looked over to find Hongjoong rushing toward them with wide eyes. “What happened?” He turned to Wooyoung and Yunho.

“I… I woke up and it was just-” Wooyoung brought up his hands, only to helplessly drop them again, “-there. It was like… spooning me? And saying a bunch of random things to try and talk me into joining their demonic cult or something…” He felt the frustration crawl up in him when he realized how he must be coming across to everyone else. “I know it sounds absolutely insane but I swear that’s what happened! I’d never mess with demonic rituals and I’m not powerful enough to summon anything, nevermind a paralysis demon!”

Hongjoong raised his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m not trying to accuse you of anything, I just wanted you to fill me in. That’s it, I promise.”

Feeling even more miserable at how he’d basically forced Hongjoong to defend himself in his own home, Wooyoung began to regret taking them up on any of their kind offers. He’d brought nothing but chaos into the lives of these innocent people who’d met him with nothing but kindness and generosity after literally just moving here. He should be the one helping them out, not the other way around. What was he even doing in their house? He should’ve crashed on Junmin’s couch like he’d originally intended. When had he become so selfish?

“I should make you a specialized protective charm.” Hongjoong’s tone was warm and thoughtful, derailing his train of thought. “Something that’ll disguise your aura so the demons can’t find you so easily. It would take some time to get all the materials for an enchantment that powerful but I think I could get it done within a week or so.”

Wooyoung was left gaping at the person across from him who, in turn, was pursing his lips in thought, his gaze staring off into empty space while he was clearly lost in his own head. With his adrenaline fading rapidly thanks to the touch on his shoulder and the calmness of everyone around him, Wooyoung was left a mess, and an anxious one at that. 

He was running on too little sleep, too much suppressed emotion surrounding recent events and dragged up memories, and a whole lot of confusing feelings aimed at the people around him who just wouldn’t stop being so damn kind to him for no apparent reason. He didn’t understand his own reality anymore and now, all he wanted was to curl into a ball, pet his cat, and watch movies until his brain felt less like a minefield, but that wasn’t even an option because he couldn’t go home and crawl into his own bed thanks to the goddamn superpowered demon who’d been sent after him for some fucked up reason.

“Wooyoung?” Hongjoong sounded cautious.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Wooyoung hadn’t even noticed Yunho step around him to look at him and now he was only noticing when his vision was weirdly blurry with what he feared to be tears. “Yeah, I’m good.” He hoped his voice didn’t sound as shaky as it felt and sounded to himself.

“I don’t think you are.” Yunho reached down to lightly grab his fingers. “Come on, let’s sit down while Jongho finishes up over here, huh?” Without waiting for a response, he began tugging Wooyoung over to the nearest couch.

“Where’s Nero?” Wooyoung asked as they passed the armchair and he, even with his blurry vision, could tell it was empty.

“I was feeding her when you burst through the door and scared her. She went to hide behind the curtains but I’m sure she’s still there somewhere.”

“Should I find her for you?” Hongjoong asked as he trailed after them.

Despite how pathetic it made him feel, Wooyoung still nodded and listened to Hongjoong’s fading footsteps before he allowed Yunho to nudge him down into the couch cushions before he sat beside him, still holding onto his hand. 

“You’ve had a really rough few days, it’s okay to be struggling.” Yunho’s tone was kind and gentle and it only made Wooyoung’s eyes well up further.

“I’m just really tired.” Wooyoung cleared his throat and looked up at the ceiling in an attempt to keep the tears from falling. “Thank you for feeding Nero, by the way.”

“No problem. Mingi conjured up all the essentials for her before he went off to hide in his studio.”

Concerned, Wooyoung quickly lowered his head back down to look at Yunho. “Did he hide because of me? I really don’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. Please let him know I’ll leave.” He made an effort to get up but Yunho was quick to pull him back down. 

“Slow down.” Yunho offered him a calm smile. “He hides out regularly when he’s working on a big project. It’s part of his process. I promise, it’s got nothing to do with you. He’s actually really worried about you. We all are after San filled us in about last night.” His expression shifted to something more serious as his focus momentarily dropped to their touching hands. 

“Wooyoung… I don’t think you should move back into your apartment. At least not right now when it’s so dangerous for you to be alone.” When their gazes met, there was a burning intensity in Yunho’s eyes that had Wooyoung transfixed. “Something’s going on and it’s revolving around you. You’ve got demons coming after you even while you’re asleep and, until we’ve figured out what’s going on, you could be attacked at any time and… what if you’re alone when it happens? You could get hurt. Severely. Even killed. And the same goes for Nero. So… I think it’d be best if you stayed here for a while. With all of us specialized in different fields, this might just be the safest place for you in the entire country. Please think about it, okay?” 

“Ha!” Hongjoong’s voice suddenly burst the bubble of tension and had Wooyoung peeking past Yunho’s shoulder at the kitchen where Nero was being raised into the air like a trophy. “Got her!” Hongjoong’s voice was filled with pride as he lowered the cat down to his chest and began to carry her over. “She’s a sneaky one but her weakness for treats was her downfall.” 

Falling into his one-track cat owner mindset, Wooyoung jumped up to meet Nero half way and took her right out of Hongjoong’s arms where her claws held onto Hongjoong’s baggy t-shirt for a lingering moment before unhooking. She let out a surprised little squeak.

“Sorry, baby,” Wooyoung mumbled before he held her up to inspect her for signs of injuries. Thankfully, she appeared fully unharmed, though quite a bit annoyed. He quickly brought her to his chest and repeatedly kissed her little head until she began to purr and brought tears back to his eyes. “I’m sorry the demon scared you. You must’ve been so terrified. You’re so tiny and that ugly-ass thing is so tall, right? Such an evil asshole.” His tears brimmed over at the thought of her tiny vulnerable body coming into contact with the sharp demonic talons he’d felt digging into himself mere moments ago. “I’m sorry I’m putting you in danger. I swear I’ll protect you no matter what. Those things can’t get to you, okay? Not while I’m around. Actually, even when I’m not around. Don’t ever worry, alright? You’re invincible and immortal and nothing will ever hurt you. You believe me, right?”

A gentle hand fell onto his head and brushed across his hair before it landed on his shoulder. “Neither of you will have to worry while you’re here,” Hongjoong promised. “We’ll keep both of you safe.”

“Did I miss something again?” An unfamiliar voice asked from the directions of the stairs.

“Just a demon.” Jongho sounded, fortunately, completely normal but Wooyoung still wanted to check on him so he took a deep breath and wiped his tears as best he could on his empty shoulder before he turned to look at him. Luckily, he appeared to be fully unharmed and even energetic as he walked closer with Yunho in tow and joined up with the stranger by the stairs.

“Another demon?” The stranger’s tone was horrified. He looked from Jongho to Wooyoung. “Are you okay? Was it after you again?”

“Uh…” Wooyoung sniffled and was momentarily baffled by the angelic witch’s face and deep voice. An oversized green sweater hung loosely on his frame, making him appear soft, underlining his features and the mussed appearance of his hair. He must’ve just gotten out of bed.

“Don’t mind him, he gets like that around new people sometimes,” Yunho stated.

Knowing he was being teased, Wooyoung pulled himself out of his stupor and narrowed his eyes at him which earned him a bright smile that, pathetically, sent his heart fluttering despite everything.

“I heard ‘demon’?” San’s voice joined the conversation as he hurried down the stairs and came to a halt behind the beautiful stranger.

“Does anyone else wanna order takeout for lunch?” Yet another deep voice spoke up but this time, it was coming from the direction of the open doorway beside the kitchen. “Oh. Is this a coven meeting? Why did no one text the group chat?”

“You know what?” Hongjoong asked, his voice slightly raised so everyone could hear him. “I’m making this a coven meeting. Everyone, move on over to the meeting table, it’s time we all get back onto the same page!”

Chapter Text

Wooyoung’s brain took a moment to catch up when everyone around him suddenly turned and began heading for the space between the two staircases.

“Come on, Wooyoung!” 

At the return of the deep voice, he looked up and met the eyes of a tall, maybe just as tall as Yunho, witch. His features were sharp and bordering on intimidating, at least right up until they shifted into a bright smile which seemed to transform even the air around him and fill Wooyoung with prickling warmth.

“We hold our meetings in the winter garden,” the witch said and reached out to lightly grab his elbow and tug him along, following the others. 

Sparks burst under Wooyoung’s skin at their point of contact but he could barely focus on it when his surroundings were making him feel like he was stepping straight into a fairytale.

The winter garden was bright but not just visually, even its energies were light and airy, reminding him of a childhood trip with his mother and aunt to a fairy glade in the woods. Three of the walls were tall and paneled with white wood while windows made up the remaining wall opposite the doorway. Looking up, there was no ceiling but a domed glass roof which allowed even more sunlight to stream in and a clear view of the back of the house. Around him, the majority of the space was filled with green vines, blooming flowers, herbs and small potted trees. Pots and small flower beds were not just spread across the floor and walls but also suspended from the ceiling by thin golden chains and all of them surrounded one large white table with eight matching chairs.

“This place is even more stunning up close,” Wooyoung mumbled.

“Thank you!” 

His head shot over to face the angelic looking witch from earlier. “Oh. Oh! You’re the garden witch then?”

A nod. “Yes, I use most of the plants in here for my potions.”

“You have two specialities too?”

The witch nodded again.

“Wow, you guys really must be the most overpowered coven ever.”

The cutest laugh Wooyoung had ever heard bubbled out of Yeosang and left him mesmerized while the witch responsible covered his mouth and turned away as if he were feeling shy. How was every single member of this coven so unreal? And more importantly, how was he supposed to be normal around them when they were making him feel like he was surrounded by celebrities and not just everyday people like himself?

“Stop flirting and sit down!” 

Hongjoong’s amused tone contrasted his order but Wooyoung still felt himself jump, flush, and even tug out of the tall witch’s hold to obey. Rushing over to the table, he discovered everyone but their small huddle of three had already sat down.

“This one’s empty!” San called out and pointed at the free chair beside him.

Wooyoung hurried to flop down in the offered seat and stood Nero on his lap with her front paws on the table so she could see everyone and comfortably inspect their surroundings while he soothingly stroked the fur on her back and sides.

Sitting right across from him, Jongho nearly laid himself out on the table just to reach over, boop Nero’s nose and run a finger across her forehead.

“Jongho, in your chair please!” Hongjoong called out from the head of the table.

“But the kitty-”

“Sit, please.”

With a pout and pointed glare, Jongho did.

“Thank you.” Hongjoong clapped his hands together even though everyone’s eyes were already on him. “I think it’s time we recap everything we know, anything that could help us help Wooyoung. Once we’ve covered that, everyone’s free to bring up whatever other issues or questions he has, alright?”

They all nodded.

“Good.” Hongjoong met Wooyoung’s eyes. “Would you like to start?”

With a bit of reluctance, Wooyoung nodded. After a moment of rumination, he retold his first encounter with the mirror demon, the cleansing with Jongho and San, and explained what had just happened with the paralysis demon. With his gaze focused on the tabletop and his hands brushing along Nero’s fur, he did his best to remember as many details as possible while everyone listened to him in complete silence.

By the time he was done and looked back up, he discovered everyone else had lowered their heads with a faraway look in their eyes while sporting matching thoughtful frowns.

“It said it would break the seal?” Yunho asked after a beat of silence.

Wooyoung nodded. 

Yunho met his eyes from across the table in his chair beside Hongjoong’s. “And both it and the mirror demon offered you power?”

“Yeah.”

Yunho leaned forward to look past the other tall witch at Jongho who’d already lifted his head and turned to face him. “You’re thinking what I’m thinking?”

With a quick nod, Jongho faced Wooyoung who was growing concerned. “Have you ever been taken to the council as a child?”

Frowning, Wooyoung glanced from Jongho to the others who were watching them intently, some with curiosity, others with confusion on their faces. “I- I don’t think so? Maybe?”

Jongho folded his hands on the table, the crease in his brow deepening. “Please think for a moment, it’s important.”

Averting his gaze, Wooyoung tried to recall his childhood encounters with authority. “I… I know I met the head of council at my aunt’s funeral and started beef with him but…” He shook his head when his mental search came up empty. “I don’t remember ever seeing the council building from the inside.”

When he looked back at Jongho, the ghost hunter still seemed thoughtful. “What happened at your aunt’s funeral?”

“Well…” Wooyoung cleared his throat, feeling embarrassment crawl up in him. “The head of council back then showed up at the wake and I got angry so I started yelling at him in front of everyone until my mom dragged me off into the kitchen and scolded me for a good twenty minutes straight.”

Laughter burst out of the tall witch next to Jongho. “ You yelled at the head of council?” He sounded delighted.

“He deserved it,” Wooyoung added. “He was the one who sent my aunt on that mission in the first place and he sent her alone. If he hadn’t done that, she would still be here.”

“Your aunt worked for the council?” Yunho prompted.

“Not really. She did commission work but I know the council was behind this one because she told me about it before she left. She was really proud of it too and look where it got her! Fucking assholes…”

“Did she ever tell you what the mission was about?” Hongjoong asked.

“No, but since she was killed by demons, it must’ve been an extermination of some kind, right? I mean, she was a ghost hunter”

“And a powerful one at that if she got hired by the council,” San added.

Wooyoung felt a wave of pride on his aunt’s behalf. “She was. I remember begging her to take me along on her hunts all the time when I was a kid but she always told me it was too dangerous. I only got to see her use her powers once when I was still really young and my imaginary friend turned out to be the spirit of a dead boy. She just talked to him like she would talk to me, summoned this white light, took his hand and led him to it. I remember crying because I didn’t want him to go.”

He felt a hand on his bicep and, when he looked up, discovered Seonghwa leaning across the table corner with a look of concern in his eyes. 

“Don’t worry,” Wooyoung reassured him, “I’m not sad about it anymore. I’m glad she could help him before he could be trapped even longer.”

Seonghwa lightly shook his head and, when he spoke, his voice was soft with sympathy. “You and your aunt were really close, I’m sorry for your loss.”

“She was the one who named you, right?” San added from his other side.

Wooyoung nodded and looked at Nero who, surprisingly, was still calmly resting on his lap, though with her paws now tucked away under herself, forming a little loaf. “Yeah. She was like a second mother to me.”

“Do you have siblings?” Jongho asked.

“No. I always wanted a younger sibling but my mother said I was already enough work for three.”

The chuckles breaking any lingering tension around them made Wooyoung feel lighter and a little proud of himself. He’d much rather be goofing around and playing games with them than recounting his childhood traumas. When did life get so serious? 

“So what now?” he asked and trailed his gaze across all the unfairly pretty people looking back at him. Heat rose in his cheeks at the casualness with which the thought had slipped into his head but he tried to ignore it. “Did anything I say help anyone get an idea of what’s going on?”

The positive energies mellowed a little as everyone shook their heads.

“Alright, then…” Hongjoong trailed off for a moment. “I’ll start working on a protective charm for you, Jongho will go back to your place this afternoon to check if the burners need to be refilled, San will come along to put up protective wards, and we get you situated here where we can keep an eye on you in case more demons show up. Any complaints?”

“If San’s gonna put up wards and the mirror is already broken so it can’t serve as a portal anymore, shouldn’t I be safe to sleep in my own bed?” Wooyoung asked.

Jongho was quick to shake his head. “You were just attacked by a paralysis demon and those manifest in the dream realm, no portal needed. On top of that, I’ve never even seen one become physical like that so there’s no way I’m letting you spend an entire night alone somewhere we can’t reach you instantly, especially not after that thing literally just hinted they’re gonna come to kill you with the whole ‘you’ll end up just like her’ thing.”

Wooyoung opened his mouth repeatedly to reply but couldn’t think of a valid argument so, ultimately, he had to settle for a simple: “Oh…”

“Glad we cleared all that up!” Hongjoong said cheerfully. “Is there anything else anyone wants to say?”

One hand immediately shot up.

“Yeah, Mingi?”

The tall witch sitting between Jongho and Yunho lowered his hand again as he began to speak:. “Are we not gonna talk about the soulmate thing?”

Tense silence splashed across the room in an instant, dousing everyone. Wooyoung could feel an imaginary ache in the scarred over claw marks covering his left as his heart squeezed with a familiar longing. He buried his emotions before they could well up and looked to Hongjoong who seemed… nervous?

“Aah… yes.” Hongjoong scratched the back of his head, his eyes averting everyone. “We should probably discuss all that, you’re right.”

One by one, everyone’s attention seemed to shift to Wooyoung who shrunk back instinctively, his shoulder blades digging into the back of his chair. “Why… why’s everyone looking at me?” His gaze shifted back and forth before he settled on Seonghwa to his left. “What’s going on?”

“You…” Worry etched itself into Seonghwa’s expression. “You haven’t felt it?”

Frowning, Wooyoung tilted his head. “Felt what?”

Seonghwa looked across the table at Hongjoong who, at this point, seemed more uncomfortable than anything else. 

“What does your soulmark look like, Wooyoung?” San asked, drawing everyone’s attention.

The urge to just up and leave was immediate but Wooyoung suppressed it and chose to look down at Nero instead. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen it.” He did his best to sound calm.

For a moment, it was quiet. There was only Wooyoung and his violently dragged up memory of fear, sharp burning pain, hot blood, his own screaming, tears streaming down his cheeks, his panicked mother’s voice, his aunt’s shouting, then darkness.

“What do you mean you’ve never seen it?” Mingi asked.

Keeping his head down, Wooyoung chose to be straightforward. “I was attacked when I was a kid and the scars happen to be where my soulmark later appeared. Or rather where it would’ve appeared. There are just some splotches of color on the scars now. Mom said there’s no way I’ll ever be able to form a bond like this but that’s okay. I’ve got Nero, my café and friends, what would I even need a soulmate for anyway, right? I’m already complete on my own.” Despite his well rehearsed words, he couldn’t bring himself to look up.

“Wooyoung, we…” San’s voice sounded unsure. 

Taking a deep, hopefully inconspicuous breath, Wooyoung met his eyes and forced himself to sound casual. “Hm? What’s up?” 

“We think you’re our soulmate,” Mingi blurted out.

His thoughts screeching to a halt, Wooyoung’s head whipped around to face Mingi. “What?”

With a noticeable wince, Mingi looked down and continued to pick at his nail polish. The resulting black flakes contrasted the table’s white wood.

Wooyoung’s gaze shot over to Hongjoong. “What- why would he say that?”

“Because we talked about it and think it’s true?” Hongjoong made it sound like a question and was visibly struggling to maintain eye contact.

“But… but I…”

“There’s more to a soulmate than a magic bond,” Yunho said with round trusting eyes that seemed to burn into Wooyoung’s being. “When we met, it felt different from meeting a stranger, right? Being around us feels familiar?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“Let me give you an example.” San nudged Wooyoung’s chin toward himself with a brief brush of his finger which had Wooyoung recoil with heated cheeks. Luckily, San seemed unfazed by the reaction. “To me, when I’m with you, it’s like… it feels comfortable but also exciting. It’s incomparable to being around anyone else but my coven members and they’re all my soulmates, hence…” He gestured toward Mingi.

“Wooyoung.” Seonghwa drew his attention and placed his hand palm up on the table between them. “Place yours on top, please.”

After a moment’s hesitation during which Wooyoung kept glancing back and forth between the offered hand and Seonghwa’s calm expression, he did as told and immediately felt the burst of sparks under his skin, though he tried to keep it contained.

“When any of us touch, it doesn’t just feel like physical contact, does it? It feels like a chemical reaction. That’s because it’s an exchange of energy. Our auras, our magic, they’re drawn to each other. It’s why our magic is more powerful when we use it on one another. Yunho said you already experienced that with him, right?”

Wooyoung recalled his first encounter with Yunho and how smoothly he’d managed to get rid of the curse, how quick and easy his recovery had been. “I did.”

“We’d never want to talk you into anything,” Seonghwa continued, making no move to pull back his hand or change the position of his fingers, simply holding as still as a statue. “We just want you to know how we came to this conclusion but it doesn’t have to mean anything or change anything if you don’t want it to. Whatever does or doesn’t happen from here on out is completely up to you.”

Slowly taking back his hand and placing it on Nero’s back, Wooyoung kept his gaze down and tried to rake the scattered thoughts in his brain into a logical decision or at least something sensical to say. He came up empty. “Uh… thanks. Thanks for telling me. I’m… um…”

“You don’t have to choose anything right now.”

“Oh… yeah… that’s- that’s good ‘cause, um…” Wooyoung trailed off again. He was beginning to think he’d temporarily unlearned how speech worked. To be fair, his worldview had just been majorly shifted but still, some higher cerebral functions would be of use right about now..

“Let’s just end the meeting here so you can have some time to think,” Hongjoong said after waiting a polite few seconds.

Wooyoung was quick to nod and got up, startling Nero who let out a squeak of complaint as she was roused from sleep and cradled back up against his chest. “I’ll be… uh… outside?”

Looking to Jongho for guidance, the ghost hunter shook his head.

“In the living room?”

Jongho nodded.

“The living room.” With that, Wooyoung rounded Seonghwa’s end of the table and headed back to the couch. On the way, he dropped Nero off on her armchair before he face-planted into the couch cushions with zero grace and maximum patheticness. After a couple of seconds, he turned his head to breathe. His vision was slightly blurry as he admired his sideways view of the coffee table, bookshelves and TV in front of him.

What in the world was going on? Did they really just try to convince him he was their soulmate? Why? They wouldn’t lie to him, right? Why would they? They had nothing to gain from it. So they believed it? They genuinely thought he was up to par with the rest of their coven? An equal? The thought was almost laughable if it didn’t make him feel so small. 

He knew he was a catch in the eyes of a lot of humans, he had eyes after all and he’d had his fair share of admirers over the years, even if he’d never reciprocated their affections, but these weren’t humans. They were witches. Extremely powerful and gorgeous witches who were already in a coven and soulmates apparently, hello? That had been a bombshell and a half. He’d never heard of anyone even just having more than two soulmates and he was now to believe all seven of them bore the same mark? Even if that were to be true, they had to be platonic, right? There was no way all seven of them-

“I hope you’re still alive down there.”

Wooyoung threw himself around and shot up to look at the garden witch standing near his feet.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s alright,” Wooyoung got out.

“I just came over here to properly introduce myself since I realized I never even told you my name.”

“Oh. Yeah, I- uh, I’m Wooyoung.”

The garden witch grinned. “I’m aware. I’m Yeosang.”

Wooyoung nodded.

With his gaze dropping, Yeosang began to fidget with his fingers. “That was a lot we just dropped on you, huh?”

“You could say that.”

“If you’re okay with it, I’d like to sit with you for a moment so I can share my side of the story.”

Unsure what he was referring to, Wooyoung observed Yeosang for a second longer before he tucked in his legs to make some room. “Sure.” Anything else would be impolite anyway, he figured, but he was also curious what the soft spoken witch had to say.

Keeping quite a bit of distance between them, Yeosang took a seat nearly pressed up against the armrest. “I was the last one to join before you,” he began as he brought up his right knee to angle himself toward Wooyoung.

“You didn’t all find each other at the same time?”

Yeosang shook his head. “We came together one by one. Well, except for Yunho and Mingi, they’d already found each other back in middle school but it was Hongjoong who wanted to start a coven.”

Tilting his head, Wooyoung frowned. “He chose to start a coven before he even had members?”

Yeosang chuckled. “Yeah. He was considered a prodigy at the witch academy, even dropped out of school to attend full time, but he didn’t like the other kids’ mindsets about abandoning the coven system so he announced to everyone he’d be head of his own coven and invited everyone who wanted to join to audition.”

“And no one showed up?”

Quick to shake his head, Yeosang laughed. “No, almost half the school did show up because he was known to be powerful and people thought he was cool and handsome and stuff, but he turned everyone down. Or rather, everyone except Seonghwa.”

“Did they already know each other?”

“Nope. Seonghwa had just heard of Hongjoong before but that audition was their first time meeting in person and talking to each other. Hongjoong was impressed enough to accept Seonghwa as a covenmate right there and then. Personally, I think it’s because Seonghwa healed his terrible eyesight but he denies it. Either way, according to them, both their parents were convinced it wouldn’t last up until their soulmarks showed up when they turned eighteen.”

Leaning closer as he grew more comfortable, Wooyoung pressed his hands into the cushion between them. “So what happened next? How did they find everyone else if they didn’t attend the same academy?”

For a moment, Yeosang’s gaze darted back and forth between Wooyoung’s eyes before he looked at a point past his shoulder. “They found Yunho and Mingi by complete accident. All four of them went to Everland in the holidays and happened to go at the same time. They obviously arrived in pairs but, at some point, they split up. Seonghwa bumped into Yunho while getting food and Hongjoong bumped into Mingi when they were trying to get the last empty table. Apparently they got into an argument over it and they were still fighting when Seonghwa and Yunho got back because Seonghwa pulled Hongjoong’s shirt to drag him away and, when it rode up, the other two saw his soulmark and realized it matched theirs.”

“If I’d been there, I would’ve laughed my ass off.”

Yeosang chuckled at Wooyoung’s deadpanned admission. “Me too probably.”

“So who came next?”

“San. Believe it or not but he was super shy when we all met him.”

Wooyoung thought about the man he’d met in the store. Cool, confident, witty, those were more so the words he would’ve used to describe him. But shy? “Seriously?”

Yeosang nodded. “He was a skinny sweet soft spoken boy,” he teased, “and very much not yet aware of the extent of his abilities. Yunho told me he first met him in a weekend dance class where San accidentally set his shoes on fire when he tried to put a spell on them to stop them from squeaking and drawing people’s attention.”

The visual had Wooyoung wincing. “Was he wearing them?”

“Unfortunately, yes, but Yunho poured his bottle of water on them to put them out so San didn’t get burnt or anything, it was just embarrassing. To make him feel better, Yunho went out shoe shopping with him after and they got talking. Then Yunho brought him along for dinner and they all quickly realized they were soulmates because of how well San fit in with them and how they felt around him. Sound familiar?”

Wooyoung was quick to avert his gaze and chose to ignore the attempted nudge toward his current mental struggle. “So Jongho was next?”

Accepting his avoidance, Yeosang ran with the prompt. “Yes, he was. He’s been freelancing with his parents’ guidance since he was, like, ten so… One day, when Hongjoong got followed home by a ghost, they were looking for a ghost hunter and found Jongho’s website. They called him in, he got rid of the ghost, Hongjoong shook his hand in thanks, they felt a spark and Hongjoong invited him to stick around for dinner since it was already late. Jongho accepted, everyone got along great and you know the drill.”

“And what about you?”

“I…” Yeosang seemed a bit reluctant. For a few seconds, it was quiet as Yeosang looked from his lap off to the side to Wooyoung and back down. All the while, his hands were fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. “I was in another coven before,” he said eventually, his voice lower but calm. “It was my family’s. The one I was born into. It’s an outdated structure but my grandparents are traditionalists and my parents… obedient, for lack of a better word. 

“They all wanted me to focus exclusively on my potion magic because it pays the bills. They always said ingredients can easily be bought online and are nearly as good as fresh ones so my garden magic should just be a hobby I can pick up after I’ve retired, but I…” A crease appeared between his brows as his gaze focused on a spot somewhere on Wooyoung’s hoodie. “I didn’t like the way they talked about my magic. I felt trapped and pressured. It was suffocating. So I left. I know that might sound selfish because they’re my family bu-”

“It doesn’t,” Wooyoung interrupted and met Yeosang’s gaze as it snapped up to his face. “I would’ve done the same if I were you.” He shrugged. “If they didn’t appreciate all of you and supported all your gifts, then they’re not the right coven for you.”

Yeosang upheld eye contact for another beat before he nodded and looked off to the side again. “I met Yunho first. We bumped into each other at the library where I was spending a lot of my time researching garden magic. We chatted for a bit, then he left but I couldn’t forget about him.”

“I know that feeling,” Wooyoung mumbled.

Yeosang nodded in acknowledgement but didn’t comment. “I came back to that library every day after that but, instead of Yunho, I kept bumping into everyone else and it was confusing to me how they all made me feel so…”

“Delulu? Unhinged?” Yeosang shot him a look that sent Wooyoung cackling against his better judgment. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Please go on.”

“Anyway,” Yeosang said clipped, “eventually Hongjoong said they all believed I was their soulmate, we showed each other our marks and I joined their coven. The end.”

“Your storytelling slacked off a little at the end, no offense.”

“Did you pick up on what I’m trying to tell you?”

“Life finds a way?”

Narrowing his eyes, Yeosang stared at him for a good few seconds. 

Wooyoung sighed and looked down at his hands. “Fine. A lot of you realized you were soulmates before checking your marks, I get it.” He wrung his fingers. “I just… I spent most of my life thinking I could never have a soulmate and now you guys are telling me I have seven?”

“I know it’s a lot to take in.”

His thoughts returning to his earlier musings, Wooyoung bit his lip as he wondered if he should ask.

“What are you thinking about? Are you worried you’d feel left out because you’re new?”

“You want me to be honest?”

“Of course!”

“Do you guys, like…” Wooyoung trailed off and tugged at his interlaced fingers “Do you guys kiss and stuff?”

Yeosang broke into a before unseen and sudden fit of laughter which did not just attract the attention of Nero by waking her up from her nap but also everyone else who now came trailing out of the winter garden to check on them from a safe distance.

Flushed with embarrassment, Wooyoung threw up his hands. “It’s a fair question!” he complained. “Stop laughing!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Yeosang visibly tried to calm himself and wiped his tears.

“What’s going on?” Hongjoong asked as he trailed closer.

“Wooyoung, he-” The explanation was cut short when Yeosang broke again and went into another fit of giggles.

“I just asked if you guys are romantic soulmates!”

The words had Yeosang sit up and put his hands on Wooyoung’s shoulder as he shook his head. “Oh no, no. You asked if we-” He took a deep breath to calm himself. “If we ‘kiss and stuff’.” 

Hongjoong audibly suppressed his own laugh which had Wooyoung look over at him with suspicion but all he found was Hongjoong averting his eyes with pursed lips as if nothing was wrong.

“Well, do you?” Wooyoung asked when he looked back at Yeosang who dropped his hands and shrugged.

“Some of us sometimes do. It’s… up to how we feel?”

“Yunho and I are dating for sure!” Mingi announced from all the way across the room.

“Does that make him off limits?” Wooyoung blurted out before the meaning of the question hit him and had him widening his eyes before he squeezed them shut and turned away in terror, a hand clasped over his own mouth. Why the hell would he ask that? He needed to learn some goddamn impulse control.

The resulting fits of laughter had him standing up and walking off to the nearby window seat where he curled up on the pile of pillows and blankets and thumped his head against the glass in shame.

Yeosang was stumbling breathlessly after him a moment later, his face flushed. “Wooyoung. Young-ah.”

“How do you know I’m younger than you?” Wooyoung mumbled but refused to look at him.

“You feel like it.”

“November ninety-nine.”

“June ninety-nine.”

Wooyoung cursed under his breath which had Yeosang snickering again.

“Jongho, he’s still older than you!” Yeosang called out.

“Fuck!”

The unexpected response startled a laugh out of Wooyoung before he composed himself again and tried to act like nothing had happened.

“Come on, Wooyoung, don’t pout. We weren’t making fun of you.” Yeosang paused. “We just think you’re funny! A funny little guy.”

“Little?” Wooyoung burst out and gaped at him.

Yeosang winced at the reaction. “I mean… Hongjoong’s clothes fit you and he’s pocket sized by his own admission.”

Defeated and with his ego bruised, Wooyoung looked back out the window at the wide lawn and fluffy white clouds overhead. 

“Would you like to have breakfast with us?”

Wooyoung thought about it for a moment. “What’re you having?”

“We haven’t really talked about it yet but I’m starving and most of the others just got up too.”

“I could make something,” Wooyoung offered. “I’m a pretty good cook.”

“Are you now?”

Feeling a little defensive, Wooyoung glared up at Yeosang again. “I am!”

“Guys, he can cook!” Yeosang called over his shoulders.

Some cheers erupted, coupled with a “Ask him to marry us!” which had Wooyoung’s cheeks flare back up in embarrassment.

“Why are you all so fucking weird?” Wooyoung shouted.

“Because we’re your soulmates, dumbass!” Mingi replied.

And Wooyoung didn’t know if he could argue with that any further.

Chapter Text

Fully made of carved wood with a dark finish and granite counter tops, the coven’s L-shaped kitchen was a thing of beauty. A cooking island with rounded corners separated the kitchen from the dining area and offered some additional seating with cushioned bar stools off to one side which reminded Wooyoung of his childhood when he used to watch his mother brew healing potions from the breakfast bar chair.

The memory dispersed as his attention moved over to the double-door fridge, induction stove, and as he discovered, thankfully, fully stocked cabinets which allowed him to easily whip up a quick breakfast for everyone gathered at the large dining table.

Soft music was playing over hidden speakers and served as background noise for not just him but also the hungry coven members, some of whom were playing games on their phones while others were watching videos together, and Seonghwa specifically was taking a massive amount of pictures of Nero who’d waltzed over at some point and kept clawing at the curtains, no matter how often Seonghwa asked her not to. 

While cooking was a nice distraction and gave Wooyoung something to focus on, it also gave him time to think. Mostly about the people gathered right there in front of him who kept shooting him looks they probably thought he didn’t notice. 

If he accepted them as his soulmates, it would change… pretty much everything about his life. Without his soulmark, they wouldn’t be able to conduct a bonding ceremony and fully link their magic, yes, but they were clearly asking him to join in regards to all social aspects which was a massive step in and of itself.

And then there was the thing Seonghwa had said: he needed to initiate it all himself. Him, Wooyoung. So what did he want their apparent bond to mean? Did he want them to be people he only saw occasionally after all this was over? Did he want them to be his friends, his best friends… more? 

Dating all of them seemed a bit of an insane thing to consider but, then again, they all seemed fairly open to the idea, didn’t they? They’d been dropping hints, at the least, that much he was fairly certain of. 

He’d really have to roll with his instincts here and hope he didn’t misread anything moving forward because, if any of them were to send him signals about wanting to kiss or go on a date, he wouldn’t want to miss them, but he also wouldn’t want to overstep anyone’s boundaries and make things awkward since this was very much an everyone or no one situation.

“Your head’s gonna start smoking if you keep thinking that hard.” Looking up, Wooyoung was met with Mingi’s glinting dark eyes as he slid onto one of the barstools lining his side of the cooking island where his attention quickly shifted to the newly steaming pan on the stove. “Did you actually go to culinary school or something?”

Wooyoung chose to only focus on the question. “I’m licensed, yeah but this is a super easy dish.”

“No shit, you’re licensed?” Mingi waited for Wooyoung to nod before he looked back at the kimchi and eggs which were beginning to come together. “I hope you’re gonna move in quickly then ‘cause most of us don’t enjoy cooking. Well, actually, Hongjoong did have fun with it once but we had to ban him from using kitchen appliances.” 

“You banned the head of your coven from using his own kitchen?” Wooyoung asked, not even trying to hide the shock and confusion in his voice as he turned to check on the rice cooker. Everything he’d ever heard and learned about covens had described the head of a coven as the most highly regarded among all members. They were the ones with the most power, the ones calling the shots, and the ones whose approval everyone else needed before they could do or decide anything that could negatively, or even positively, affect any coven member, including themselves. The head of a coven was an authority figure, or so he’d always thought.

“We voted on it and it was unanimous. It was for his own good, trust me.” Mingi replied as Wooyoung turned back around again and tried to wrap his head around this coven’s differing values. “So what were you thinking about before I came over?”

“What do you think I was thinking about?” Wooyoung returned in lieu of an actual answer.

“How much you lucked out in life by having us as your soulmates?” Mingi teased.

Refusing to embarrass himself any further, Wooyoung ducked his head and focused on seasoning their food. “Could you get me something to serve this in? Oh, and bowls and chopsticks for everyone?”

“Are you gonna answer me if I do?”

“No.”

“Harsh. You’re lucky you’re cute.”

The offhanded compliment had Wooyoung momentarily closing his eyes as he fought back a blush and listened to Mingi round the cooking island and rummage through one of the wall cabinets somewhere behind him.

“Anything else you need help with?” Mingi asked a moment later.

Clearing his throat, Wooyoung shook his head and opened the rice cooker. “No, all good.”

“Alright then.” Instead of heading right back to the dining table, Mingi made a big show of leaning into Wooyoung’s space while he put two large deep plates on the counter. “Neither I, nor Yunho are off limits by the way.”

Feeling his heart rate skyrocket, Wooyoung instinctively elbowed Mingi’s side, sending him stumbling back half a step, and looked up at him with fiery hot cheeks, only to find zero signs of regret on the face looking back. The complete opposite, Mingi was laughing loudly and full of glee as he brushed past Wooyoung and finally returned to the dining table without further comment.

“What the fuck, dude,” Wooyoung called after him, “you can’t just say shit like that! What is wrong with you?”

“I think we should take you to the forest and deep clean your energies.”

Wooyoung, dressed in yet another set of Hongjoong’s leisure wear, was standing over the sink with a toothbrush in his mouth as he looked up to meet Yeosang’s eyes in the mirror. With everyone worried about his safety (and in spite of his own protests), he’d been assigned a circling roster of guardians who were obligated to stick by his side at all times and Yeosang happened to be first in line.

“There are a lot of powerful trees near the forest’s edge so we wouldn’t even have to go in too deep. On top of that, I also felt the forest guardian’s energy when we first came here and it was very welcoming so I’m sure they’d be happy to shield you throughout the process.”

After spitting out his toothpaste, Wooyoung washed off his mouth and chin and looked back up as he reached for a towel. “Do you sense something off about my aura?”

“No, it’s more of a precaution. I mean, you’ve just come into contact with two overpowered demons back to back and one of them even escaped your dream. I’d suggest this to anyone who’s had a run in with dark forces of that caliber.”

“Alright then. I trust your judgment.”

Yeosang smiled happily. “Great! Because I’ve already told everyone else we’re going.”

“I appreciate your honesty and the fake sense of autonomy.”

When Wooyoung stepped out of the bathroom, the rest of the coven, all dressed to the nines and with set hair, was gathered near the door, huddled around Nero who was laying in the crook of San’s right arm. His left hand was glowing golden, powering a twisting and winding string of light dancing through the air which Nero kept unsuccessfully swatting at with her tiny paws.

There was something hilariously heartwarming about watching a powerful coven become fully entranced by the sight of a playful kitten. “You’ve got them all wrapped around your toe beans, don’t you?” Wooyoung cooed as he squeezed between Jongho and Hongjoong to poke at Nero’s fluffy chest.

“Well, she’s yours, isn’t she? Of course she’s irresistible,” Yunho commented.

Jongho’s chortle was loud in Wooyoung’s ear as he shook his head with heated cheeks. “You and Mingi, I swear…”

“Ah, your outfit.” The words had Wooyoung’s gaze dart over to Hongjoong who reached out to nudge Wooyoung back a few steps and give him a once-over. “I should’ve given you some accessories with that,” he mumbled as he moved closer and fixed Wooyoung’s collar.

For a moment, they were breathing the same air and Wooyoung couldn’t help but feel like they were the only two people in the world. Being that close to someone so powerful, someone he was starting to believe may be his soulmate, was indescribable. His heart was racing, his skin tingling, his stomach plummeting, and they were barely even touching. What would kissing Hongjoong feel like then? Wouldn’t he just disintegrate on the spot?

“Are you even breathing right now?” Hongjoong asked, his voice low and teasing

When Wooyoung instinctively locked eyes with him, his head went empty and his gaze dropped to Hongjoong’s mouth before he averted his gaze. “Uh…”

“I feel it too, you know?” Hongjoong went on as he adjusted the fabric on Wooyoung’s shoulders before reaching up to sort out his bangs. “We all do. We’re just more used to it because we’ve been living together for years.”

“How long did it take you to adjust?” Wooyoung asked, hoping his voice sounded more stable than it felt as the sensations flooded his senses from all sides.

“Hmm, I don’t know.” With how casually he was speaking and running his hands and eyes across Wooyoung, it was hard to believe Hongjoong was supposedly feeling the same as him. “It’s different for everyone. Mingi, Yunho, and San only took a couple months or so while Jongho and I struggled for quite some time. We both wanted to prevent unnecessary contact as much as possible to just straight up avoid the issue altogether but, when you’re surrounded by very tactile people, you eventually learn to adjust.”

“I’m normally all about physical affection…”

“I’m sure the others are gonna love hearing that.” Hongjoong grinned as he rested his hands on Wooyoung’s shoulders and took a step back to admire his work. “You look good in my clothes.”

There was not a doubt in Wooyoung’s mind that, right now, he resembled a tomato more so than anything else. 

His thoughts were only confirmed when Hongjoong patted his cheek before fully withdrawing from their shared space and turning around. “Let’s get going, everyone!” 

With that, everyone but San began heading toward the door. Wooyoung watched as he cut the flow of his magic which left Nero looking around helplessly in search of her missing toy until San put a hand on her tummy to distract her again. “Are you coming to the store today?” he asked her, baby voice and all. He was learning. Looking up to meet Wooyoung’s eyes, San passed the question on to him. “Mingi can keep her safe behind the wards while you’re up in the forest, then you can come pick her up again on your way back.”

Warmth pooled in Wooyoung’s chest at the suggestion and he found himself smiling. They were all really not just ready to welcome him into their lives, but also everything important to him which, of course, primarily meant his first born, light of his life, aka Nero. 

“Sounds perfect, thank you.” He reached out to scratch Nero’s chin and felt the goosebumps spread as their fingers brushed. “He’ll just have to be careful she doesn’t eat or destroy anything ‘cause she’s a curious one. Aren’t you, Nero? Yeah, you lovable little shit. I saw what you did to the curtains. Seonghwa may let it slide now but not forever.” He leaned down to boop their noses together despite the rush of adrenaline brought on by his proximity to San, and ran his fingers over her forehead one last time before stepping back. “Is Mingi really fine leaving his work like that?”

“I wouldn’t offer, if I weren’t sure, don’t worry. He helps with incoming shipments all the time so he already knows the store inside out. Trust me, he’s happy to help set everything up for Nero and babysit her.”

“You already planned this before you even asked me, didn’t you? Sneaky bastards.”

San shrugged as a dimpled smile spread across his face. “I knew we couldn’t just leave her here,” he began heading for the door, Wooyoung by his side, “and most of us have to travel around between appointments all day so the store seemed like the safest and most convenient option. Especially since it’s right down the road from where you’ll be heading.”

“Thank you. Genuinely. She’s… everything to me. It means a lot that you thought of her.”

Glancing over, San sent him a warm look and pulled him into a loose side-hug that sent Wooyoung stumbling and chuckling as they kept walking. “No need to thank me or any of us. She’s family now.”

His heart still fluttering, Wooyoung wrapped an arm around San’s surprisingly slim waist as he shifted his attention to the cars parked further ahead. “If you keep proving yourself worthy like this, maybe I’ll let you guys sign some adoption papers in the future.”

“It would be an honor.”

Thirty minutes later, Wooyoung was waving goodbye to Mingi and Nero before he kept heading up the road alongside not just Yeosang but also Hongjoong who’d apparently insisted on coming along before he started working on the protective charm. 

A few slivers of sunlight managed to pierce through the overcast sky and illuminate the day as their route took them to a small parking lot separated from the forest’s edge by a slim river which needed to be crossed by an aging pedestrian bridge. But just as they’d set foot on it, Wooyoung felt a sudden vibration against his leg. 

He reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone and discovered a familiar caller ID flashing on the screen. “Sumin, what’s wrong?” he asked the second he picked up.

“That’s what I wanna ask you! Why the hell is your house all barricaded shut, are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, don’t worry, we’re not even there. I had a little demon problem and crashed with some… friends.” Wooyoung glanced over at Yeosang and Hongjoong who were both looking everywhere but at him while failing miserably at appearing like they weren’t eavesdropping.

“A demon problem?” Sumin shrieked to which Wooyoung flinched and lifted the phone away from his ear.

“Yes,” he answered after a beat. “But it’s all taken care of. In fact, someone should be over soon to check on everything. If you wait around, you can meet them.”

“Who are you talking about? I thought Changbin’s on vacation.”

“They’re from the new coven.”

“Those ‘handsome boys’ Minjae’s grandma keeps talking about?”

“I… I guess?”

Something in Sumin’s tone shifted after that. “Oh, I see. Wooyoungie-”

“Watch your language!”

“Oh, Wooyoungie, you’ve found yourself smitten with some handsome witches, haven’t you?”

Wishing he’d never picked up, Wooyoung lowered his head into his hands and turned his back on Hongjoong and Yeosang. “Kid, if you don’t shut up right now-”

“Don’t worry, I’ll text everyone you’re safe!”

“If you tell your friends anything, I swear to-”

“Bye, Wooyoung, have fun with your new boyfriends!”

“Sumin!” Wooyoung shouted uselessly at the dial tone. Staring down at the darkened screen of his phone, he clenched his jaw. “You absolute son of a…” he hissed before he straightened back up and consciously relaxed his shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he pocketed his phone again and turned around to meet the deeply amused faces of Hongjoong and Yeosang. “Don’t even- just don’t.”

They both nodded but wouldn’t stop looking like they were trying not to laugh.

A few minutes later, with the forest’s energies now wrapped around them like a safety blanket, Yeosang led them off the forest path into the underbrush where Wooyoung and Hongjoong kept stumbling into and over each other while trying to dodge the roots and branches attacking their ankles and faces, neither of which seemed to even remotely be an issue for Yeosang who seemed to almost glide through all obstacles. The perks of being a garden witch, it seemed.

“Focus on expanding your senses to your surroundings,” Yeosang instructed from up ahead. “You’ll eventually feel drawn to the tree with the right energies for your needs.”

Behind him, Wooyoung was in the process of getting whacked in the face by a dried branch that nearly stabbed him in his right nostril. Spluttering, he nearly fell on his ass but was luckily caught by Hongjoong. “How am I supposed to focus on anything like this?” he complained under his breath.

“Let’s just hope the tree knows how to send strong signals,” Hongjoong replied, voice low so Yeosang couldn’t hear him.

Wooyoung nodded and kept walking, and walking, and walking some more until they eventually reached a little stream weaving its way between the trees. It was lined with the first flowers of the year and even home to a few fairies which were zooming between blossoms faster than the eye could see.

“Should I ask them for directions?” Wooyoung asked.

“That would be rude,” Yeosang said and turned left, following the stream while Wooyoung and Hongjoong followed him.

Another ten minutes passed before Wooyoung happened to glance up and notice a tree trunk largely hidden under a thick layer of ivy vines, a splotch of color in the largely brown, dried out landscape. 

“I’m surprised those vines are still green,” he commented off handedly.

Yeosang paused mid step and turned to face him before he followed his line of sight. “You mean around that tree?”

“Yeah.”

“You found your tree then! Let’s go!” 

The other two hurried to keep up with Yeosang who’d crossed half the distance by the time they’d taken a mere three steps across some thick roots.

“I just pointed out the vines, how are you so sure it’s the right tree?” Wooyoung called after him.

“It’s the first time you pointed something out in the entire forest! It caught your attention!”

Glancing over his shoulder, Wooyoung met Hongjoong’s gaze and was offered a simple shrug.

The ‘chosen’ tree was visibly old, tall with massive roots covered in thick moss, but there wasn't anything particularly remarkable about it aside from the aforementioned vines. Yet, Wooyoung somehow still found himself admiring the intricacies of its structure so maybe that meant something.

“Place your hands against its trunk and your feet on its roots,” Yeosang instructed before his hands found Wooyoung’s waist to help him maintain balance on the bumpy roots weaving in and out of the earth. “Now close your eyes and mentally ask the tree to cleanse you. Be friendly with your words. If the tree’s spirit welcomes you, you’ll start to feel its energies flow into your hands while all negative energies trapped in you get pushed out through your feet and into the roots where they’ll be cleansed and given back to the earth.”

With his eyes fluttering shut, Wooyoung consciously shifted his focus to his palms pressed against rough bark and smooth cool leaves. He could feel the tingles caused by Yeosang’s hold on him but tried not to let it distract him from his mission. ‘Hey tree,’ he thought a little awkwardly, ‘what’s up? So I’ve had a bit of a run in with some demons recently and, Yeosang’s worried now, so if you could help me cleanse my aura and magic and such, that’d be really helpful. But only if you’re up to it, of course. I’m sure you’re pretty busy with photosynthesis and-’ 

A blast of energy shot into his palm and rushed all the way up to his shoulders. He wavered in Yeosang’s hold, on the brink of withdrawing his hands just to get rid of the sensation, but chose to trust the process. “Holy shit, you didn’t warn me about this.”

“What do you mean?” Yeosang sounded confused as his fingers dug slightly into Wooyoung’s skin.

Eyes still closed, Wooyoung could feel a hand come to rest on his mid-back which sent additional sparks up and down his spine. Hongjoong. “I just- I thought this entire thing would be more… gentle, I guess?”

“It’s not?”

A headache began to form, pushing down against Wooyoung’s skull while a bout of dizziness forced him to rely even more on the others so he could keep standing. “Not really, no. I think I’m getting a little lightheaded already.” 

“Then I’m glad we brought you here when we did. Any later and the negative energies may have sunk into your bones and made this process painful.”

“It’s kinda painful already,” Wooyoung admitted as the arches of his feet began to ache which quickly turned into shooting pains firing up his legs. He suppressed a wince. “Can I sit down for this?”

“We should stop and let Seonghwa look at him,” Hongjoong said, audibly concerned.

“He’s got clients and he’s on emergency duty for the first time here.” It was comforting to hear Yeosang’s soft voice remain calm despite the circumstances. “The tree spirit won’t hurt him. It’s a healer too. We should trust it.” He was already guiding Wooyoung to sit with his back to the tree trunk as he spoke.

All the while, Wooyoung tried his hardest to remain calm and keep his eyes closed.

“Oh, you can open your eyes any time by the way,” Yeosang said offhandedly. “I only asked you to do that so you could focus better.”

Embarrassed, Wooyoung threw a glare at Yeosang who smiled a little sheepishly while Hongjoong stood off to the side, seeming a little helpless.

“Sorry.” Leaning forward into his space, Yeosang momentarily interlaced their hands to press Wooyoung’s palms back against the bark and ivy. “Even when you’re sitting against the tree, you still need to keep your hands against it too, otherwise the energies won’t flow right.”

Nodding a little breathlessly, Wooyoung waited for Yeosang to stand back up before he attempted to gather his thoughts again. Without the sensations brought on by the proximity of the other two, his focus shifted to the pain coursing through his body. “Is it really normal for this to feel so shitty?”

“I’ve only ever seen it with victims of full on long term possession,” Yeosang admitted while his gaze traced across Wooyoung from head to toe, his eyebrows drawn together in deep thought and potential concern. “I can only assume the paralysis demon did something to you before you became aware of it.”

“That’s reassuring then,” Wooyoung said with false cheer.

Crouching down beside him, Hongjoong drew his attention. “Seonghwa’s gonna give you a full check up when he gets back this afternoon. If anything’s outta the ordinary, we’ll find out about it then, alright?”

An intended nod turned into a wince when Wooyoung felt a headache stab into his temple and blur his vision. “Sounds good.”

Worry edged itself deeper into Hongjoong’s face. “Are you sure this is necessary?” he asked as he observed Yeosang who’d lowered himself down and pressed a hand to the trunk beside Wooyoung’s shoulder.

Yeosang nodded but his eyes seemed far away for a lingering moment. “The tree’s spirit is asking you to stay as long as possible. It says it wishes you'd come sooner. I think it’s worried about you.”

“You can hear it?” Wooyoung was stunned by the idea. He’d never heard of anyone able to directly communicate with plantlife.

“Not the way I can hear you. It’s more so that sentences pop into my head and I know I didn’t think of them on my own.”

“I’ve never heard of anyone who can do that before.”

“Not many garden witches develop their powers this far,” Hongjoong explained, “our Yeosang is special.”

For the first time, Wooyoung got to see Yeosang blush. It was an adorable sight but unfortunately, instead of accepting the flattery, Yeosang was quick to brush it aside. “He’s saying nonsense. There are many garden witches more powerful than me.”

“Historically, maybe, but not currently,” Hongjoong shot back. “Don’t listen to him,” he told Wooyoung, “he’s too humble for his own good.”

“He just likes bragging about his coven,” Yeosang argued.

“So? I’ve got every reason to!” The smile on Hongjoong’s face was filled with pride, his voice warm and happy. “You’re all insanely talented and hardworking, why wouldn’t I announce that everywhere?”

Again, Yeosang dodged the offered compliment. “What happened to the ‘humble and kindness’ slogan you recruited Seonghwa with?”

“That still stands,” Hongjoong said easily. “I can be humble about myself and brag about all of you at the same time.”

Yeosang shook his head which seemed to signal the end of their discussion. He looked back at Wooyoung who’d been watching them intently, using the opportunity to get a feel for their dynamic. “Sorry about… all that. How’re you feeling?”

“Why’re you apologizing? I appreciate the distraction but yeah, don’t worry, I’m alright. I’ll say something if anything starts feeling off. Or well, even more off, I guess.”

“Good.” Yeosang leaned back in to gently push against Wooyoung’s hands, pressing them fully back against the bark where his fingers had begun to curl up in discomfort. “Sorry, but you really need to keep them flat, otherwise it’ll take even longer.”

Wooyoung nodded in acknowledgment and watched as Hongjoong rose to his feet and patted down his pockets. “So… what’re we gonna do here while we’re waiting for this to be over?” 

Their eyes met as something bordering on guilt spread across Hongjoong’s face. “We didn’t exactly plan for this to take this long,” he admitted and pulled a phone from an inner pocket in his tailored jacket. “Both Yeosang and I had other stuff planned today so I’ve gotta make some calls and make sure the others are covering for us.”

“Oh.” The guilt now spread to Wooyoung who dropped his gaze. This was the second time he’d come to realize his own tendency toward self-centeredness. Why was he like this around them? Shouldn’t they be the top priority in his mind at all times if they really were his soulmates? Shouldn’t he be putting them first automatically? What kind of shitty soulmate was he? Maybe it was a good thing after all, the loss of his mark. At least that way, they wouldn’t suffer if they ever wanted to get rid of him. “I didn’t even think of that. You two should go ahead and head back to the car then. I can just stay here until this is done with and then head down to the store by myself.”

The shift in Hongjoong’s expression and tone was instantaneous. “If you think either of us is gonna leave you by yourself in the middle of the woods, you haven’t been paying attention at all.”

Wooyoung glanced from Hongjoong to Yeosang who suddenly seemed just as determined as Hongjoong had sounded. “There’s… there’s no way I’ll win this argument, is there?”

“No,” Yeosang replied easily.

“I see.”

Exhausted and achy, Wooyoung was starving by the time he made it out of the forest with Yeosang and Hongjoong’s hands hovering around him in case he tripped or stumbled again. His hands and feet were still tingling from the constant energies cycling through him and his vision was blurry from the headache which had just begun to fade. However, he did feel pretty alright emotionally after hours of baseless chatter about everything and nothing to keep him distracted from his physical discomfort.

“Seonghwa should already be waiting for you at the store,” Yeosang reassured him as they set foot on the bridge. “You’ll feel much better once he’s gotten his hands on you.”

Wooyoung was nodding in reply when his eyes landed on a round yellow leaf resting on the first wooden bridge plank just ahead of them at the end of the forest path. “One sec.” He gently nudged both their hands aside as he leaned down to pick up the leaf and immediately felt energy shoot up his wrist. Stunned, he froze for a second until Yeosang’s hand touched his shoulders and emitted its own tingles. He stood back up. “This thing is carrying a charge.”

“What?” Yeosang reached for the leaf but stopped before he actually came into contact. “What do you mean?”

“It’s charged.”

“In what way?”

“I think my headache is gone. I feel more… energized?”

“You got a gift from the forest guardian!” Yeosang sounded excited as he moved to stand in front of Wooyoung and cupped his hands under the leaf, though he still refused to actually make contact with it. His cheeks were bunched up with a bright smile as he looked back up to meet Wooyoung’s eyes with something akin to awe. “They chose you!”

“Huh?”

Yeosang dropped his hands and bounced up and down a few times as if he needed to rid himself of excess energy before it could explode out of him. “The forest guardian is connected to all living things in its forest so they can feel anyone who walks in and out and sometimes, when they really like or feel for someone, they’ll offer them a little gift!” He curled his fingers around the back of Wooyoung’s hand which was still holding onto the leaf and tingling under the steady flow of incoming smooth and cooling energy. “This is one of those gifts!”

“Damn.” Looking back at the forest, Wooyoung felt a newfound sense of comfort and admiration coursing through him. He traced his gaze across the trees and smiled before he looked back at the little leaf and the powerful charge it was carrying. “Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“You can thank them by coming back and taking care of yourself. They like it when people who appreciate them come to visit.”

Wooyoung nodded in understanding but couldn’t quite seem to tear his gaze away from the leaf. What did the forest guardian see in him? And on top of that, what did the tree from earlier pull out of him? He hadn’t felt or shown any signs of demonic possession so why had the cleansing process been so violent and long lasting? At this point, he was starting to wonder if he really knew anything about himself at all or if everything he’d thought he knew was just stuff others had told him about himself.

“Come on, let’s keep going,” Hongjoong said gently as his palm came to rest against Wooyoung’s back again. “I’m glad you’re feeling better but Seonghwa should still look you over.”

A few minutes later, when the store’s doorbell announced their arrival, Wooyoung only spared a brief glance to Seonghwa behind the cash counter before his gaze was captured by Nero who was busily chasing after a piece of string Mingi was dragging across the floor between the shelves.

“Ay, my little baby!” Wooyoung crouched down and pocketed the leaf before he clapped his hands to draw the cat’s attention. The second her green eyes found him, she seemed to fully forget about everything else and walked up to him. However, she wouldn’t let him touch her. Instead, she dropped to a seat and meowed. “I’m sorry, Nero, I know I was gone for a while.” She meowed again, scolding him. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m back now. Can I pet you?” She watched him for a moment, contemplating. Then she stood back up and walked closer, brushing against his hands and legs. 

“This cat has more personality than some people I’ve met,” Mingi observed.

“That’s ‘cause she’s a genius!” Wooyoung cooed as he picked her up and lifted her up into the air so they could admire her the way she deserved. “Tell her she’s amazing!”

“A total genius,” Mingi confirmed.

“A beautiful cat,” Seonghwa added.

“Ten outta ten,” Yeosang said.

“She sure is… fluffy,” Hongjoong offered.

Wooyoung cuddled her closer for a few seconds, feeling and hearing her purr, before he sat her down on the cash counter where Seonghwa began to scratch her behind the ears. She closed her eyes and relished in the attention and compliments.

“Such a big brained baby,” Wooyoung told her, “ay, such a cute fluffy little baby.” 

Her purring intensified.

“She’s even more of a princess than Mingi,” Seonghwa teased.

“What?” Wooyoung’s head shut up to look at Mingi who was still watching Nero with zero change in expression. 

“Yunho calls him princess,” Yeosang explained.

“Seriously?” Unable to keep the surprise out of his voice, Wooyoung’s gaze traced across the tall witch decked out in loose-fitted clothes with messily styled hair and figured it didn’t exactly mesh well with the traditional image of a princess. Was it his personality then? So far, Mingi had mostly just been teasing him.

“I’m not gonna explain why,” Mingi said before Wooyoung could even ask.

“Oh.” 

“Don’t pout.”

“I didn’t!” 

The expression on Mingi’s face made it clear he thought otherwise but he looked away instead of challenging him further so Wooyoung let the matter drop.

“You don’t look all that exhausted,” Seongwha spoke up to draw all their attention.

At the reminder, Wooyoung pulled the leaf from his pocket and felt its charge continue to flow into him. “I’m not anymore thanks to this.”

Instead of reaching for it, Seonghwa merely looked at the leaf. “ A gift from the forest guardian?”

“You know about that stuff?” Wooyoung questioned as his hand shot up so Nero’s claws couldn’t shred his leaf.

“I’ve stumbled across them during my time at the academy. They’re really quite the mystery to witchcraft as a whole since they don’t have an effect on anyone but the person they were meant for, which should be impossible based on how we normally think of healing energies and charmed objects.”

Mingi walked up beside Wooyoung and leaned into his space so he could, with a light grasp around Wooyoung’s wrist, bring the leaf up to his face. “Huh. It really just looks like a leaf. I always thought these gifts would look a little more, y’know, magical.”

“Why would you think that?” Hongjoong replied. “You’re a literal witch and look like a normal human, don’t you?”

Even after dropping his hold, Mingi remained in Wooyoung’s space. “I don’t know. It just sounds like it should look special, dontcha think? And what do you mean I look like a normal human? I’m your soulmate, you should think I look ethereal or something!”

The deadpan look on Hongjoong’s face had Wooyoung cackling, the sound of which sent Nero fleeing into Seonghwa’s arms but Wooyoung couldn’t bring himself to feel too bad about it.

“You’re really handsome, Mingi,” Yeosang complimented.

“Thanks, angel.” Mingi sent him a quick smile before he tugged Wooyoung aside to make space for himself to point at Hongjoong with a dramatically outstretched arm like a cartoonish lawyer. “As for you, your Mingi’s Movie Monday rights are revoked! Jongho gets the next pick.”

“Fine by me, I always fall asleep anyway,” Hongjoong said nonchalantly.

Mingi scoffed at him but before he could say anything else, Seonghwa interrupted them. “Can you two put this show on pause for a second so I can focus on Wooyoung?”

“Right, sorry.” Taking a step back, Mingi physically moved Wooyoung closer to the counter again by grabbing his arms and pushing him forward. His casual way of manhandling him, had Wooyoung feeling small but not in an unpleasant way. Maybe there was a reason why Hongjoong didn’t mind referring to himself as short around his covenmates. 

“Would you like to sit or lie down on the couch in the back while I check you over?” Seonghwa asked in his familiar kind and warm tone.

Thinking back to his incident with the tree, Wooyoung nodded and brushed past Mingi on his way to join Seonghwa as they headed to the back of the store and through the doorway San had disappeared through during Wooyoung’s last visit.

The back room turned out to be only a slight bit smaller than the store’s main floor. The wall to their right upon entering was fully taken up by ceiling high shelves stacked full of boxes and crates, while to their left, there was an area with a kitchenette, a small table with two chairs and a comfortable looking couch. Aside from the doorway they’d come through, there was only one more door, labeled as the restroom, and a large window fitted with a curtain, both off to the left beside the kitchen.

Wooyoung made a beeline for the couch and immediately dropped into the cushions with a great sigh. It was the most comfortable he’d been all day. “I’m glad you guys still care about comfort despite being rich.”

“Thank you?” Seonghwa sounded unsure.

“You’re welcome.”

Pulling up one of the two dining chairs, Seonghwa chose to sit across from him and rest his elbows on his knees. “Do you have any questions before we begin?”

“Yeah, actually.” Wooyoung felt a bit like a child because of what he was about to ask, but he felt it was necessary after today’s events. “Could it hurt? Because Yeosang didn’t say anything about pain and then there was a whole lot of it and I’d rather know ahead of time if that may be the case again, you know?”

“If you feel any discomfort, I’ll stop right away. All you need to do is tell me.”

“Good to know.”

“Are you ready then?”

Taking a deep breath, Wooyoung nodded. “I’m ready.”

Chapter Text

Seonghwa’s magic was ever changing as it began to flow. Appearing pink right against his skin, it extended into faint magenta and purple rays of light which faded to a dark blue as they sank into Wooyoung’s chest. He’d expected to feel an electric tingling or maybe a soothing balm but what he got instead was something more akin to freshly cooked soup on a cold winter day, a soothing heat pooling inside him and spreading outward until it was just on the right side of too hot.

Exhaling in relief, Wooyoung sank further down into the couch cushions until he was laying flat on his back with his head on the armrest. He glanced over to Seonghwa and found him frowning in concentration, his back ramrod straight and elbows digging into his knees as he leaned forward, palms facing Wooyoung. The urge to ask if something was wrong was strong but he held back, afraid to break Seonghwa’s focus.

Seconds ticked by and turned into minutes, meanwhile Wooyoung began to struggle with staying still. His joints begged for movement and he felt he could no longer ignore their call. Slowly, he began rolling out his wrists, flexing and pointing his feet, just to give his muscles something to do while he carefully observed Seonghwa’s expression. So far, no change.

He rolled a little onto his side, stretching his back a bit but as he rolled back, the couch made an unexpected farting sound which had him nearly choke on his own laughter. The heat in his body dissipated as Seonghwa dropped his face into his hands and burst into chuckles.

“Sorry, sorry,” Wooyoung got out between fits of giggles as he sat up.

Seonghwa waved the apology aside. “It’s alright, don’t worry.”

“Did you find something?” Placing his feet back on the ground, Wooyoung rolled back his shoulders to appear a bit more professional which was a little tough given the circumstances.

While stretching each of his fingers, Seonghwa averted his gaze and took on a more serious expression. “There’s… a lot.”

Frowning, Wooyoung tried to dampen the fear in his gut. “What… what do you mean?”

Seonghwa met his eyes with an unreadable expression. “First of all, I don’t want you to worry. There’s nothing life threatening going on with you. If- if you were human, you’d be a perfectly healthy young man. The… concerning parts come from the flow of your magic. Or rather, the lack thereof.”

“Huh?”

For a moment, Seonghwa pressed his lips together before he moved to sit beside Wooyoung and took his hands. Frozen and confused, Wooyoung watched as Seonghwa’s thumbs rubbed circles into the back of his palms, evoking a shower of sparkles which he found reflected in the large dark eyes looking back at him as he looked up.

“I don’t think there’s a right way to say this so I’m just gonna tell you.” Seonghwa’s voice was back to being gentle and calm, his words spoken clearly like the healer he was. “Your magic is concentrated right here.” He reached out to place his palm against Wooyoung’s solar plexus, his long fingers allowing his hand to span from Wooyoung’s ribs all the way to his belly button. “It’s almost… trapped there. Only bits and pieces of it manage to escape and flow through your system. It’s honestly a miracle you can use your magic at all.”

“So what you’re saying is…”

“I think your magic has been sealed within your own body by someone powerful. I don’t know why but the only one I know to have ever used that kind of magic is the council but even they only use it  as punishment for convicted criminals. I have no idea why they would use it on a civilian witch, especially one as young as you must’ve been when it happened.”

Wooyoung’s gaze darted back and forth between Seonghwa’s eyes, across his entire face, looking for signs of a lie or uncertainty but all he found was open concern and sympathy. “Why… but… I don’t understand. You-” He closed his eyes and ducked his head for a moment, his breath shuddering as he tried to sort out his thoughts.

Seonghwa’s hands both found his again and squeezed lightly in a show of silent support.

Focusing on the sensations brought on by the contact, Wooyoung managed to calm his mind enough to look back up. “What this means is…  there’s far more magic locked away in me?”

With the slightest of lift to the corners of his lips, Seonghwa nodded.

Gulping, Wooyoung felt an uptick of adrenaline in his system. “How do I unlock it?”

“We’d have to find someone who works for the council and has done this type of magic before.”

“So we need to get an audience with the council?”

“Either that or we need to track one of them down in their private time.” There was a hint of mischief in Seonghwa’s voice that seemed out of place for the picture Wooyoung had created of him in his mind but was a welcome surprise he was happy to embrace.

Relief and hope washed over his worries, carrying some of them away, as Wooyoung realized the magnitude of this discovery. He now had seven powerful witches on his side in addition to his pre-existent support network which meant there was actually a chance he may get to break this seal and-

“That’s what the demon meant!” Wooyoung burst out, causing Seonghwa to jump a little at the sudden increase in volume. “Sorry.” His fingers found Seonghwa’s as he shifted in his seat, bouncing slightly on the soft cushion. “The demon said they’d break the seal and make me powerful! They knew about this before we did!”

“It really concerns me how invested the demonic side is in you.”

“Honestly? It fucks me up more how the council is apparently involved in this. How did they even get their hands on me? Why would they seal away a child’s magic?” His vision unfocused as his thoughts began to race again.

“Do you think your parents know about this?” Seonghwa’s tone was carefully neutral.

Wooyoung quickly shook his head. “There’s no way. They wouldn’t do that to me.”

“Okay, I believe you. You know them best.”

Nodding in appreciation, Wooyoung got to his feet and tugged Seonghwa along with him. 

“You wanna go tell the others?” Seonghwa asked, a smile in his voice as he let himself be pulled along toward the curtained doorway.

“Absolutely! And then we can brainstorm how I can get my hands on a council member!”

It was early afternoon, they’d just arrived at the mansion with a giant order of takeout they’d picked up on the way back and now, everyone sat crowded around the dining table. Finally, they were all in one place and Wooyoung was silently bursting with the news he still hadn’t gotten to share.

“I think you can tell them now,” Seonghwa informed him as he leaned into his side.

“I’ve got something to say!” Wooyoung shouted before Seonghwa could move back from him.

Everyone but Jongho jumped in their seats, their heads whipping around to look at him while Nero’s claws skidded across the floor somewhere nearby. For once, he didn’t bother to look for her but instead looked around at everyone with newfound excitement as he realized this could make him an equal in their eyes, something he hadn’t thought he could ever be.

“You’re finally gonna tell us what Seonghwa found?” Mingi asked.

Nodding eagerly, Wooyoung stood up so he could see everyone. “Now that everyone’s here, I can tell you Seonghwa found… drumroll please-” To his left, San actually began drumming his fingers against the edge of the table which caught Wooyoung by surprise and him laughing. “Thanks, San. Seonghwa found… a seal in me! Which means, guys, I’ve got more magic! It’s locked away right now but it’s there so if I can break the seal, I can get it back! I might end up just as strong as you guys, can you imagine?”

Looking around, he was met with more concern than happiness, though San and Yunho were offering him gentle smiles and even a small “Wow, Young-ah” on Yunho’s part. 

His happiness dampening, Wooyoung frowned at them. “Why aren’t you excited? What’s with the rotten mood?”

“I was afraid of that,” Jongho said. “Remember when I asked you if you’d ever been taken to the council before?”

Deflating, Wooyoung sunk back into his chair and dropped his gaze. “Oh.”

“It’s not that I’m not happy for you,” Jongho was quick to add. “I’m happy you’re excited about this but I’m worried about what it means for you.”

Wooyoung began picking at the edge of the table in front of him. “Yeah, I get it.”

“But you’re pouting.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“Am not.”

“Cute.”

“ You’re cute!” Ducking his head, Wooyoung felt his cheeks grow hot for the nth time that day. “That’s not what I meant!”

Delighted laughter filled the room and eased the tension, brightening the atmosphere to his chagrin. They all enjoyed it a little too much when he was feeling flustered. 

“We met Sumin, by the way,” San mentioned.

“Oh no…” Dread settled into Wooyoung’s gut as he looked at San and found him grinning, dimples and all. “Do I wanna ask?”

Impossibly, San’s smile seemed to grow. “He lingered around outside while we were refilling the burners. You gotta stay closed another day, just FYI, but the wards turned out great. Anyway, he had some… interesting information for us.”

“Share with the class!” Mingi spoke up.

“Apparently, our Wooyoung is very popular with the locals,” Jongho said.

Relieved it was only that, Wooyoung smiled a little proudly and began filling up his bowl with a scoop from every container in his vicinity. His own topic of discussion momentarily forgotten in the face of food. “What can I say, parents love me!” 

“And apparently, so do grandparents,” San added, “and many of them have tried to snatch him up for their grandkids. Understandable, right? So… how many blind dates have you been on?” It was audibly a leading question.

“Ah…” Wooyoung faked casual laughter as he mixed up his food with his chopsticks and felt a series of embarrassing and uncomfortable memories flash through his mind. “I wouldn’t call them blind dates…”

“Really? Sumin told us you’re a serial heartbreaker,” Jongho said, his tone full of implications.

Mentally, Wooyoung took a note on all the ways he was going to make Sumin suffer for this, starting with banning him from the store and forcing him to pay for all the free pastries he’d gotten over the years while, around him, everyone began to hand around take out containers.

“According to him,” San went on, “you’ve accidentally dated at least three people since you two have known each other.”

“How do you even accidentally date someone?” Hongjoong asked.

“I was just being friendly!” Wooyoung defended himself while pointing his chopsticks from Jongho to San and finally, straight at Hongjoong. “It’s not my fault they can’t differentiate between friendly teasing and flirting!”

“Did you treat them anything like you treat us?” San sounded genuinely curious.

Thinking back to it, Wooyoung shook his head quite forcefully before he stuffed his first bite into his mouth. “They didn’t make me nervous and I wasn’t attracted to them so it was nothing like thi-” The second he realized what he’d been saying, he cut himself off and shielded his face behind the hand clutching his chopsticks. He kept chewing as everyone laughed at him with great delight.

“On behalf of everyone here, we’re glad to hear it, thank you for your honesty!” Hongjoong teased.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” Dropping his hand, Wooyoung looked over at him. “But seriously, I was never interested in anyone else.” He focused back on his food and picked up his next bite. “I’d be lying if I said I felt loyalty toward my soulmate or anything ‘cause I never thought I’d get to meet them, but everyone else always seemed so… boring. Or I only felt friendship for them. You guys are the first…” Embarrassed by his own honesty, he shoved another bite into his mouth and kept his head down.

Surprisingly, there was no laughter, just Seonghwa reaching over to lightly pinch his heated cheek until he lightly smacked his hand away. “So cute.”

“Are we dating now?” Jongho asked.

Wooyoung choked on his food for a good few seconds until he managed to swallow it down and downed a full glass of water.

“Is that a no?”

Pounding against his sternum, Wooyoung tried to clear the last of his airways. “You move fast,” he got out.

Shrugging, Jongho stuffed some food into his mouth.

Next to him, Yunho moved some pieces of meat to Mingi’s bowl. “It’s nice to get the ball rolling quickly when everything already feels so familiar and right,” he explained.

It made sense, Wooyoung figured. This already felt like home and he’d only spent a single night so far and it hadn’t even been in one of the bedrooms. Normally, it would make him a little concerned for his own sanity but really… wasn’t this just what they always described a soulmate connection to be like?

“Did all of you go on dates when you first met?” Wooyoung asked, both to distract himself from his own messy thoughts but also because he was curious about the answer.

“Some of us did, some of us didn’t,” Yunho answered.

Frowning at the vagueness, Wooyoung cocked his head and shoved some more food in his mouth before he chewed in thought. “You guys are pretty mysterious when it comes to your relationships. What’s up with that?”

“Shouldn’t we be talking about what’s going on with you instead?” Hongjoong asked, his elbows on the table and hands steepled together as he looked at Wooyoung. He was so obviously trying to change the topic, it was hilarious.

Quickly shaking his head, Wooyoung nearly choked again as he swallowed his bite and tried not to laugh. “We can get back to that in a bit but right now, I wanna know about this. Are you trying to hide something from me?”

With an audible sigh, Hongjoong sank back into his chair and stabbed at the food in his bowl. “We’re not trying to hide anything. It’s just a little… hard to define?”

“Why? Are some of you platonic soulmates or something?”

“Not really?” Hongjoong said awkwardly.

“You’re making this sound worse than it is,” Seonghwa accused before he turned to look at Wooyoung. “Some of us are just a little awkward with each other when left alone together.”

“Like Mingi and Yeosang.” The way Jongho said it made it very clear this was a longstanding joke and the way Mingi immediately lunged across Yunho to get at him only reaffirmed it. The bright laughter bubbling out of Jongho as he dodged Mingi’s hands had Wooyoung chuckling alongside him.

“We’re really all very close!” San called out, drowning out the sounds of the squabble and drawing Wooyoung’s attention. “We love each other and we’re always happiest together. It’s just that some of us connected in that kinda way immediately and others prefer taking it more slowly. I…” He scratched at his temple a little awkwardly. “I honestly don’t know how to talk about this without making it sound weird or uncomfortable.”

While San had been speaking, Yunho had managed to maneuver Mingi back into his chair and stuffed a filled perilla leaf in his mouth to keep him preoccupied.

“I get it, don’t worry!” Wooyoung swept his gaze across all the people sitting around him, all of whom divided their attention differently between him and their food, ranging from San who was watching him intently to Yeosang who was on a mission to get the last eggroll at the same time as Jongho. There was no way to describe how they all made him feel without going on a long winded rant but even he, who didn’t know them that well yet, could already understand his connection with each of them was strong, yet incomparable. It was impossible to predict how all these new relationships in his life would develop but he knew they wouldn’t grow at the same pace or in the same ways. That was the nature of relationships. “I can feel your bond with each other, I never doubted that at all. I was just curious.” He took another bite and chewed behind his hand for a moment before he kept talking. “So who’s officially dating who already? Or is it only Yunho and Mingi over there?”

Mingi shot him a thumbs up, his cheeks still puffed up with food while Yunho patted his back.

“Hongjoong and Seonghwa are basically married,” Jongho said conversationally which earned him a glare from Hongjoong right next to him who proceeded to snatch forward and steal his last eggroll, the one he’d just won in his chopstick battle against Yeosang. “Hey!”

Under steady eye contact, Hongjoong shoved it in his mouth and began to chew while Jongho watched with a blank expression.

While Wooyoung was laughing at them, Seonghwa slightly leaned in and tapped his shoulder to capture his attention before he cupped his mouth as if he were sharing a secret. “We’re sort of a couple,” he explained, low enough for Hongjoong not to hear. “As of now, it’s unlabeled, especially since we’re all intending to date each other and Hongjoong and I were the first ones. When we found San, he was quite clearly worried about intruding so I had to sit him down and Hongjoong never wanted to have those kinds of conversations so-”

“What’re you telling him?” Hongjoong burst out.

Wincing at getting caught, Seonghwa sat back up straight and shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Wooyoung?”

With Hongjoong’s gaze boring into him, Wooyoung focused back on his bowl but couldn’t bring himself to outright lie, especially not to the head of the coven.

“Be honest,” Hongjoong pushed.

“I, uh… He just told me it was a little difficult since you were the first two.”

“Actually, Yunho and I were the first-” Mingi started but was interrupted.

“Don’t start again!” Hongjoong spoke up.

“We met years before you two did so technically-”

“I wanted to start a coven-”

“But you met far later so-”

“No, no, I’m the one who wanted to start the coven so we were the first in said coven so therefore, as the head of the coven, I declare that Seonghwa and I started. This. Coven.”

Mingi raised his hands in surrender and allowed Yunho to stuff another perilla leaf into his mouth while Hongjoong watched and nodded in satisfaction before he shifted his attention to refilling his bowl.

“Hongjoong once tried to prank us about dissolving the coven,” Yeosang shared, “Yunho went off to cry in the bathroom while Mingi declared himself the new head of the coven. It was a bit of a mess.”

“I still think it was funny,” Hongjoong said before he leaned down to slurp up a mouthful of noodles.

“It was a bit irresponsible,” Seonghwa responded and pointed his chopsticks at him.

“But funny,” he somehow managed to get out between bites.

“You made Yunho cry.”

“We’d just found Yeosang!” Yunho spoke up defensively.

“It sounds a little bit funny,” Wooyoung offered.

Hiding the lower half of his face behind his hand as he chewed, Hongjoong offered him a thumbs up.

“You’re welcome!”

After swallowing, Hongjoong dropped his hand back down. “But after all that, let’s get back to the main topic: how’re we gonna get a council member to break that seal in you? Any ideas?” He looked around at his covenmates.

“It would be best to find out why it’s even there before we try to break it,” Jongho replied.

Frowning, Wooyoung watched as Jongho set down his chopsticks, clearly growing serious at the change in topic. The motion by itself seemed to shift something in the atmosphere of the room. The air grew heavier, the brightness of the mood dimmed. It was a weirdly powerful thing after the levity of the last few minutes. Wooyoung found himself doused with a shower of darker emotions as the words sunk in: confusion and worry. “Why? Can’t we find that out later?”

“There might be a good reason for it. And I’m not saying it’s justifiable!” There was an unexpected and sudden intensity to Jongho’s eyes and Wooyoung knew his words were meant to reaffirm Jongho was on his side. “But I don’t think even the council would just pointlessly seal someone’s magic, especially a child’s. There’s gotta be more behind it and unless we know what it is, we don’t know if breaking the seal could do more harm than good.”

“How could my own magic harm me?”

“Since you couldn’t use it as you were growing up, your body’s not used to regulating its flow,” Seonghwa answered. Like Jongho’s, his presence had also adjusted to the heaviness of the topic and resembled the professional aura he’d carried when Wooyoung had first met him in his café. “I don’t want you to be unprepared so I’m gonna be honest but I also want you to know that we’ll be with you every step of the way when the time comes. So…” He paused for a moment and when he continued, his voice was softer. “After your magic has been unlocked, it’ll expand rapidly. We’ve seen in released convicts how this can bring along certain symptoms like fatigue, body aches, and nausea. But in their case, we’re dealing with people whose magic was sealed when they were already adults. You, on the other hand, don't even remember it happening so you must’ve been very young which means there’ll likely be a lot of side effects we can’t predict. If we’re lucky, it’ll just be magic outbursts like we see in kids when they first get their magic. But if we’re unlucky, you might end up with internal injuries as your body struggles to adjust to something it never had to deal with before.”

With every word, Wooyoung could feel his mood plummet lower until he put down his chopsticks and dropped his hands into his lap, his gaze unfocused as he let the meaning of the words sink in. “So what you’re saying is… even when I get to break the seal, I may still not be able to actually use my magic. In fact, I could end up what? Forced to seal it again? In a coma? Dead?”

The room was silent as Seonghwa put a hand under his chin to make him look up again. “Hey, no,” he said softly, “don’t think like that. We’ll figure it out. I only told you because I want you to be prepared when the time comes and I want you to understand why Jongho said we need to be careful with how we go on from here.”

Nodding in understanding, Wooyoung felt the sparks under his skin fade as Seonghwa withdrew his touch. “So how do we go on?”

“How about we ‘accidentally’ bump into the council members?” San asked, a hint of mischief in his tone and even more evident on his face when Wooyoung turned to look at him and gave him a once over.

Interested, Wooyoung raised his eyebrows a little. “What’re you suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting we all use our connections to the council to get invitations to the upcoming ball where we get to mingle - and potentially corner - as many council members as we like until we get the answers we’re looking for.”

“You’ve got connections to the council?”

Hongjoong laughed as he folded his arms on the table. “Darling, we’re the most powerful coven in the country and the fourth most powerful one in the world, not that you should tell that to anyone. What I’m saying is, yes, we’ve got connections to the council. They call on us all the time.”

Stunned, Wooyoung blinked repeatedly and glanced at the others, only to find them visibly avoiding eye contact with him. “Wait… for real?”

“For real,” Hongjoong confirmed, amusement in his tone.

“Wha- How?” After sliding down in his seat a little as he let the realization sink in, Wooyoung shot back up in his seat. “Wait, why didn’t you tell me that earlier? I thought you love bragging! And what do you mean I shouldn’t tell anyone? Shouldn’t this be public knowledge?”

“We’re not celebrities, Wooyoung. We don’t wanna get hounded by millionaires and billionaires who wanna buy San’s services to put up wards for them or experiment with Yeosang’s potions. A media fabricated image would destroy our chance at a peaceful life. It’s enough that the council knows so they can contact us when actually important issues crop up but otherwise, we lay low and help the locals who are free to refer us to whoever else may need us.”

“Right, I get it. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” Frowning, Wooyoung crossed his arms. “But…” He mulled this newfound information over. “Since you’re all so damn powerful, it really must mean I am too, right?”

Hongjoong shrugged. “Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. To us, it doesn’t matter. Either way, you’re one of us.”

His face heating up, Wooyoung nodded, though he still couldn’t quite believe in those words. He just had to hope his assumption was true and his connection to them meant he was more powerful than he could have ever even dreamed of, health implications be damned. It’d all just have to work out somehow so he could have the perfect life he’d always longed for.

“So you officially accept it now?” Mingi asked, a grin growing on his face.

Pausing to take a deep breath, Wooyoung gave another nod and smiled. “I do.”

“Wow, this feels like wedding vows,” Jongho clutched his chest and gasped with theatrical exaggeration, ”and you said I was going fast!” 

“You may now kiss the soulmate!” Wooyoung threw back and made a kissy face his way which had Jongho cringing and Wooyoung subsequently cackling. Maybe he should start taking this approach more often instead of always giving in to the squishy feelings in his chest.

“So back to the ball invitations,” San spoke up, getting the conversation back on track.

“Oh yeah, right!” Wooyoung refocused his attention. 

“I’ve already got a warding scheduled with Mustache tomorrow. Seonghwa?”

“I’ve got a regular check up with Eyebrows three days from now to ensure his colon cancer hasn’t come back. Yunho?”

“Pinstripe gets cursed on the regular since he announced increased prices for potion disposal so he’ll likely call me in some time tonight or tomorrow. Jongho?”

“Cape invited me as a lecturer for the BDPM the day after tomorrow. Hongjoong?”

“I heard Shoes got a new dog so he’ll no doubt ask for a charmed collar soon. Yeosang?”

“I’m delivering a potion to Bowling Shirt tomorrow.”

“Do these people all not have names?” Wooyoung asked.

Chuckling, Hongjoong shook his head. “We kept getting their names mixed up so we switched to defining traits.”

“And it’s fun to disrespect oppressive authorities,” Mingi added. Propping his elbow up on the table, he looked at Wooyoung with round searching eyes. “Y’know, I was a little defiant when they all started raving about you one by one. I thought you couldn’t possibly be all they said you were. But then came the coven meeting and you told us you yelled at the head of council in front of a large group of people and I knew right there and then I could never let you go.”

Temporary confusion quickly turned to happy laughter as Wooyoung remembered telling them about the incident at his aunt’s funeral. “Nice to know I didn’t get lectured by my mom for nothing.”

“When’s the ball again?” Jongho asked.

“Two weeks from now,” Seonghwa answered.

“So everyone knows what they gotta do?” Hongjoong looked around at everyone.

While they were all nodding, Wooyoung frowned. “What about Mingi and I?”

“All invitations allow for a plus one,” San reassured him.

“Ah, alright then.”

Clapping his hands together, Hongjoong smiled brightly at all of them. “Perfect! Then let’s finish eating and get ready for bed. We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow.”

Freshly showered and dressed in a set of midnight blue pajamas and fluffy socks (once again, courtesy of Hongjoong), Wooyoung exited the bathroom to find Jongho, presumably his currently assigned guardian, standing a couple of meters from the door where he was waving his hand back and forth so Nero could chase its shadow on the floor. Her movements were quick and jerky where Jongho’s snickering was bright and infectious.

“Having fun?” Wooyoung asked.

Dropping his hand to Nero’s disappointed confusion, Jongho looked over at him and smiled. “Yes, she’s really cute. How old is she?”

“Four years, a grown adult.” Wooyoung knelt down to pick her up and tickled her tummy as he cradled her in his arm to which she wrapped all four legs around his hand. “She’s the smallest of the litter and, somehow, just stayed this tiny. Right, Nero? You’re eternally baby-sized! So small and cute!” He winced a little as she bit his finger but smiled again as she licked across the bitten skin. “And all without fucked up breeding practices, isn’t that right, baby? Yay, so cute and healthy!”

“You should bring her along to the bedroom.”

“Bedroom?” Wooyoung asked as his attention shifted over to Jongho who nodded.

“You didn’t think we’d let you sleep down here by yourself again after what happened last night, right?”

“Uh… I- I actually just didn’t think about it at all.”

Chortling, Jongho stepped forward and loosely wrapped an arm around Wooyoung so he could lead him toward the stairs and up to the first floor. All worries regarding sleeping arrangements left his brain as Wooyoung got to take in this newly revealed part of the coven mansion. 

The opening for the stairs was lined with an ornate wooden railing which gave the walkway going all around the opening the appearance of a balcony. The walls surrounding them were lined with antique looking bookcases, all as tall as the ceiling, and each filled with not just books but also sporadically placed decorations and uniquely shaped lamps. The only spaces left empty were two windows near the top of the stairs which framed a set of balcony doors, another door on the opposite side, and two open hallways leading off into the remaining two directions. 

“This way,” Jongho said as he steered him toward the hallway on the right. Spacious and lined with rugs, the hallway felt as much a part of the home as the remaining areas which was rare in Wooyoung’s experience. As someone very sensitive to energies, he was used to feeling a little uncomfortable in hallways, storage rooms, and other rarely frequented areas since they tended to leave spaces for negative and dark energies to gather and settle. But he guessed he should’ve known such powerful witches would take care not to let that happen.

His musings were interrupted as movement on the window seat at the end of the hallway drew his attention. Converted into a little reading nook framed by fairy lights and a set of curtains, the cozy space was currently occupied by Mingi and Yunho who were sitting curled up under a shared blanket with Mingi halfway on Yunho’s lap. 

They were both looking at the phone in Mingi’s hand while Mingi was gesticulating wildly at the screen and talking rapidly. Presently, they were still too far away for Wooyoung to hear what was being said, but he could very much see the moment Mingi was suddenly interrupted mid word by Yunho’s lips at the corner of his mouth. It was a short kiss, one that had Yunho grinning and Mingi breaking out into happy laughter before he leaned in to return the favor, phone momentarily forgotten.

Meanwhile, several meters away, Wooyoung only kept walking because Jongho physically pulled him along. He was a little shellshocked. It was the first time he’d actually seen anyone in the coven show each other romantic affection and, while he’d known this kind of stuff was going on between them, it was a whole lot different to actually see it with his own two eyes.

“Keep it appropriate for all audiences, please!” Jongho called out in a teasing tone as he dragged Wooyoung closer.

At his words, the kiss was broken, an action Wooyoung could hear and which brought his thoughts to a screeching halt. Yes, actually experiencing physical affection between them was definitely different from just hearing about it. 

“Ah, Wooyoung, you’re bunking with Jongho tonight, right?” Yunho asked, his voice friendly and normal as if he hadn’t just rocked Wooyoung’s world by kissing his own boyfriend after it had previously been implied Wooyoung himself was free to do the same in the future. And okay, that sounded wild. What even was his life at this point?

“I, um…”

“Yes, he is, come on, Wooyoung.” With that, Jongho tugged him through the last door on the left and into a space that left Wooyoung in awe and pulled his thoughts away from what he’d just witnessed out in the hallway. 

There were multiple levels to the room, all connected by short staircases, allowing for separation between the office, bedroom, and relaxation area. Everything was decked out in the same ornate wooden furniture found throughout the rest of the mansion but here, a modern twist was added thanks to the gaming setup in the office area. In addition to all the floor space, Jongho also had access to his own balcony via a set of double doors on the second level and an open door to the right led to an ensuite bathroom.

“You guys really are rich-rich,” Wooyoung mumbled as he looked around, his gaze continuously getting caught on more and more details.

“The council pays well when you play your cards right,” Jongho said conversationally as he left the door ajar, presumably so Nero could go in and out as she pleased, and walked deeper into the room. He headed up to the level with the bed where he disappeared through a curtained-off doorway Wooyoung hadn’t noticed before.

Still too distracted and overwhelmed to fully function, Wooyoung allowed Nero to jump out of his arms and go exploring on cautious paws while he went off by himself to investigate Jongho’s gaming setup to distract himself from his thoughts which kept returning to the couple out in the hallway. 

He was still peeking at figurines and post-it notes when Jongho flicked on the nightstand lamp by the bed with an audible click. Turning around at the sound, Wooyoung found him standing beside the bed in a pair of pajamas matching the ones Hongjoong had given him.

“You guys have coven pajamas?” Wooyoung teased as he gave him a once over.

“A Christmas present from Seonghwa,” Jongho offered as an explanation. “Now  get up here so we can sleep.”

The implication had Wooyoung’s gaze zero in on the wide but not that wide mattress. His heart rate picked up before he could even start imagining things. “You… you want me to…”

“Get up here and between these sheets, yes.”

Wooyoung shook out his hands to get rid of at least some nervous energy. “Are you sure…”

“I know how to stick to my side, don’t worry. It’s only so I can step in if the demons try something again.”

Nodding, Wooyoung cleared his throat. “Right.” He tried to reclaim his confidence as he headed up the stairs and rounded the bed. Looking over at Jongho, he tilted down his chin to warn him: “I’m a sleep cuddler.”

“You’re not,” Jongho deadpanned.

“I am.”

Narrowing his eyes, Jongho gave him a once over. “You’re sticking to your side of the bed.”

“I can’t control that!” Wooyoung protested. “That’s what sleep cuddling is all about!”

“I could have San put a spell on you or Yeosang give you a sleep potion that would knock you out and keep you paralyzed.”

Gaping, Wooyoung stared at Jongho with wide eyes. “You wouldn’t…”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Jongho grumbled as he switched off the ceiling lights, lifted up the covers and climbed into bed. “Just stick to your side.”

“No promises,” Wooyoung said honestly as he followed his example and tried to lay as close to the edge as possible for politeness sake. Before he’d even fully settled in, he could feel a small weight land near his legs, closely followed by the sound of purring as Nero walked up to him and sniffed at his face, her whiskers tickling his skin. “Hey, you.”

“She sleeps on the bed?” Jongho asked before he turned to flick off the nightstand lamp.

Wooyoung hummed in agreement. “She’s also a sleep cuddler.”

“The universe knows no mercy,” Jongho mumbled as he slid further down the mattress and began to get comfortable.

“You know, for someone who said earlier he wanted to start dating, you sure pull back any time I mention physical affection.”

The mattress shifted some more as Jongho rolled onto his side to face him, a motion which had Nero back away until she bumped into Wooyoung’s hip and curled up into herself. To help her calm down, Wooyoung petted her head as he looked back up to meet Jongho’s eyes in the dim light falling through the curtains and still ajar door.

“I view dating as a chance to get to know someone and that’s exactly what I wanna do with you,” Jongho said as a means of explaining the dissonance.

Glancing down at the ball of shadows purring against him, Wooyoung found himself agreeing with the sentiment. “I like the sound of that too, maybe you’re onto something here.”

The little chuckle Jongho emitted spread warmth and lightness in Wooyoung’s chest, a sensation which only intensified at the sight of the adorable gummy smile accompanying it. “Yeah?”

His cheeks warm, Wooyoung returned the smile. “Yeah. Let’s date, Jong-ah.”

“Alright. Let’s.”

Laughing, Wooyoung shook his head and reached out to pinch Jongho’s cheek as the urge to touch became too overwhelming to ignore. The tingles shot up his fingers and spread in his palm as his heart pitter-pattered a good deal faster. “You’re actually so cute, how did you even think of becoming a ghost hunter?”

Jongho grabbed his wrist to pull his hand away, causing the sensations under Wooyoung’s skin to shift. Surprisingly, Jongho let the hold linger, allowing their mingling energies to pool and settle as he dropped their linked hands into the space between them, their gentle impact cushioned by soft pillows. “I’ve always liked to feel strong so I can protect the people around me. This seemed like the perfect extension of that.”

Shuffling a little closer, Wooyoung shot out his free hand to squeeze Jongho’s bicep once, feeling surprisingly large muscles, before he quickly withdrew his hand with a delighted chuckle. “Ayy, you’re actually shredded, dude.”

Jongho lightly kicked his ankle, though he was audibly trying to bite back a laugh. “Bastard.”

“It’s a compliment!” Wooyoung shot back, still chuckling. “But seriously, that’s a really noble reason to pick ghost hunting. Most people just stumble in thinking they'll get to punch demons.”

“Oh, that too.”

Laughing, Wooyoung squeezed Jongho’s hand once before he tried to calm back down so they’d actually be able to fall asleep at some point. “Ah, Jong-ah, remind me this is real life, please.”

Jongho squeezed back his hand. “This is real life, Wooyoung. You’ve found your soulmates and a coven. We’re yours for as long as you want us, as cheesy as that sounds.”

Nodding, Wooyoung focused on all the sensations firing through his body from just their touching hands. “How long did it take until you could believe that when it was happening to you?”

“Only a few days, to be honest. I never would’ve dreamed of such people as my soulmates so it could only be reality.”

The laughter burst out of Wooyoung again and this time, it sent Nero jumping off the bed and walking away, presumably to a much more peaceful place. “Ah, sorry, baby!” he called after her. But he couldn’t find it within himself to regret it since he could now settle back down on his side and get more comfortable than previously possible without disturbing her.

“Four years with you and she still hasn’t gotten used to your volume,” Jongho lamented, “what does that foretell for our future?” 

Wooyoung lightly smacked his arm which had Jongho laughing again. “Keep going like that and our first date will be me locking you in the car while I go eat by myself and pay with your card.”

Squeezing his hand again, Jongho chuckled a little longer before a comfortable quiet settled across them as a gentle thumb began drawing circles against Wooyoung’s skin. The mansion was quiet and outside, the hallway light switched off, dousing the room fully in dark blues, grays and blacks with only the occasional rays of silver moonlight falling across them through the balcony doors and curtained windows.

Quite quickly, it began to feel like they were the only two people in the world as Wooyoung began to notice the comforting smell of the sheets, the warmth seeping into him under their shared covers, and the ever present sensation of their shared touch in the space between them. His thoughts slowed as his mind settled into the fatigue which he’d been fighting off for the sake of spending more time talking to Jongho. Still, he kept his eyes open and looked at their linked hands. It looked so right. His stomach swooped at the thought. He got to have this now.

“It’s been a while since we met Yeosang,” Jongho whispered, his eyes nearly shut as he, too, watched their hands with a voice so soft it washed across Wooyoung as if it were magic by itself. “When we met him, we all thought he’d be the last one. The magic number seven. But then San met you and the way he talked about you… I immediately knew he thought you were one of ours. And then I met you, and you were…” He broke into soft chuckles. “You were cute and obsessed with your cat and brave and determined and caring and I could see it, a forever with you by our side.”

“Are you trying to make me cry, Jongh-ah? Because you will.”

Another breathy laugh escaped Jongho before he squeezed their hands again. “I just thought you should know,” he said earnestly. “I have no doubts about you. Soulmark or not, unsealed magic or not, you belong with us and, even if you wanted to go, I’d try to stop you because I know neither of us would find happiness apart.”

Actually tearing up now, Wooyoung sniffed and felt his chest tighten. “I know you said to stick to my side but I kinda don’t want to right now.”

“Hugs are a date two kinda thing for me.”

“Seriously? You drop that speech and then you come at me with this?”

“We’re holding hands before the first date, that’s already huge for me, ask Yeosang and Yunho.”

“Fine… I’m honored then. But just know: in my mind, we’re hugging right now.”

“I can live with that.”

Chapter Text

It was morning when Wooyoung’s eyes opened to slits and his brain remained wrapped in cotton as he slowly became aware of his own body. Vision blurry and only registering muffled noises, he felt hot, nauseous, and most prevalently, a pain in his hip. There was a pressure against his side, something heavy digging into him which kept him from moving while multiple sharp points buried into his flesh just above the bone. But he could barely feel it, and most concerningly, he couldn’t move. Another paralysis demon? Too tired to lift his head but just about strong enough to move a shaking hand, he slowly reached down and pushed. He put all his strength behind, pressing against the weight, trying to lock out his elbow for help. There was no way for him to know what he was touching, with his hand too numb to feel textures, but he could tell there was resistance to his pushing. 

“Shit!” Jongho. He’d woken up.

Suddenly, the world around him seemed to shift. As he struggled to keep his eyes open and unblur his vision, the weight was brutally torn off him, leaving a fiery burn and pooling warmth in its wake. An inhuman wail shredded the silence of the mansion as his mind refocused. He shot up to kneel and moved back to the other side of the bed as his gaze finally caught sight of what had been attached to him. 

It was a creature about the size of a one year old baby. The size fell in line with its overgrown head and round belly, but its bony wrinkled limbs, grayish skin, hollow eyes, lipless mouth and pointed teeth spoke of its true demonic heritage. As did the stench of sulfur which now spread through the air as the creature lay momentarily dazed on the ground by the nearby shelf where Jongho had just flung it against the wall, a mere meter behind where Wooyoung had been sleeping.

“What the fuck is that?” Wooyoung breathed out.

“Get behind me!” The creature was already submerged in a purple glow when Jongho gave the order and, at the same time, moved across the bed on his knees with his glowing palms raised to chest height. Somehow, he wasn’t getting tangled up in the sheets in the process.

Rolling to rapidly cross the remaining distance, Wooyoung climbed off the mattress and moved to the footboard where he could keep an eye on the creature without getting in the way. The nausea was still rolling in his stomach when he observed the way the creature had curled into itself and seemed to consciously be watching Jongho. “What is that thing?”

“A demon,” was all Jongho said as he slowly set foot on the rug.

“Do I get San?”

“He should already be at Mustache’s.”

“Shit. What then?”

“Just stay back.” 

Jongho barely got the words out before the demon launched itself straight at him, speed abnormal, gunning straight for his chest in a blur of gray. His heart frozen in his chest, Wooyoung watched as Jongho threw up his right arm just in time to use the demon’s momentum and fling it into the nearest corner of the room. Its wailing shriek cut off as it smacked into the wall, limbs spread before it fell off and to the ground where it was immediately bombarded with a flash of purple light. The bright glow quickly dimmed, appearing to solidify into a more tangible state, becoming almost metallic.

The demon began to struggle in its confinement before it had even recovered its voice. Wooyoung took a step closer just before it let out a wail so loud and warped it caused a shiver to run down his spine. It sounded almost like a human baby. His thoughts began to race and fear coursed through his system as he slapped his hands over his ears. “What the hell is going on?”

Several steps away, Jongho merely shook his head and it was then that Wooyoung recognized the state he was in. He was pale, sweating, and there was blood dripping onto the floor from his right arm where the demon had jumped him.

“Fuck, you’re bleeding!” 

“It’s okay.” But Jongho’s voice sounded pressed and ragged, barely loud enough to be heard over the nonstop wailing of the demon. “Seonghwa will take care of it. Just stay back.”

Feeling not just helpless but also useless, Wooyoung did as told but luckily, mere seconds later, the door far behind him collided with the wall and a voice shouted above the noise.

“What’s happening?” Seonghwa asked just as Wooyoung had turned around.

“Another demon, it must’ve come from my dream again!”

“Jongho!” The shock was evident in Seonghwa’s voice as he caught sight of his covenmate and immediately began pouring pink and blue magic into him before he’d even fully made it to his side.

“Stay back, Seonghwa.” Jongho’s voice was low, strained, hardly audible through the demonic cries. “It’s still dangerous. I don’t know if I can keep it contained long enough to even scatter it.”

“You can do it, Jongho,” Seonghwa said, his voice calm but urgent as he moved up to Jongho’s side and hovered his hands right across the wounds in his flesh. “I know you can.”

“It’s not a normal demon, Hwa.”

A beat of silence filled the air as the demon’s voice trailed off and Seonghwa smiled at his soulmate. “And you’re no normal ghost hunter.” His tone was so warm, so reassuring, no ounce of fear or doubt behind it.

Jongho nodded once, twice. The back of his pajama top was soaked with sweat. Past his shoulder, Wooyoung could see the demon kicking twisted bony legs against the floor as if it were still trying to get back up and keep fighting.

It was then that Wooyoung remembered a long since forgotten memory. He crossed the short distance between him and Jongho and put a gentle hand on his wet back. For a second, he just felt the sensations caused by their point of contact before he closed his eyes and concentrated. Something he’d learned to do as a teenager, taught to him by a boy he’d been friends with for a while, would hopefully be helpful to his soulmate now. 

He channeled his own energy, regulating its flow with his magic, and let it pool under his skin before he pushed it into Jongho. It was for him to use as his body needed. Their physical connection now became a bridge and the one way stream of energy would hopefully keep Jongho replenished until he was done without leaving him drained to the point of harm.

“What… Wooyoung? What’re you doing?” The confusion in Jongho’s voice was clear but he already sounded more stable.

“Just focus, it’s alright,” Wooyoung said softly, forcing his own voice to sound normal even as he was already starting to feel tired again.

Seconds turned into minutes as Wooyoung watched the creature grow tired, then full limp, all while the wounds on Jongho’s arms grew shut, then turned to scars which smoothed out to unblemished skin, proving Seonghwa was powerful enough to not just heal the wounds but also leave no trace of them having ever been there, something Wooyoung had always believed to be a myth.

His hands now lowered just as Jongho’s magic appeared to squeeze the creature, causing it to drop back its oversized head as its entire being seemed to warp and grow fainter. It blurred, slowly dissipating into a dark featureless shape while a metallic purple sheen melted across it from all sides, eventually swallowing it whole. Jongho dropped his hands as the corner of the room became empty once again.

His own hand falling away, Wooyoung swayed on his feet for a moment before he caught himself and blinked repeatedly to overcome the rush of dizziness. “I’m sorry,” he said after a short moment of silence had settled across them.

Jongho and Seonghwa immediately turned to face him with equal looks of confusion.

“Me being here, it’s putting you in danger.”

“Something’s wrong.” There was a crease in Seonghwa’s brow as he reached out to cup Wooyoung’s cheek. Warmth spread across him at the touch and from the corner of his eye, he could see the pink and blue glow which was clearly being emitted by Seonghwa’s palm.

When shaking the touch off was unsuccessful, Wooyoung reached up to grab the healer’s wrist but Jongho was faster and snatched up his hands before he could reach it. “You don’t need to check on me. Jongho’s the one who got hurt!”

“That’s why I healed him,” Seonghwa said simply. His gaze dropped to Wooyoung’s hip where he was quick to tug up his pajama top with his free hand. For a second, he was visibly distracted by the sight of old scars before his gaze darted over to the fresh wounds. “It bit you,” he reported before he looked up to give Wooyoung a stern look. “You wouldn’t have said anything if I hadn’t checked, right?” He shook his head and gently nudged Wooyoung to sit on the bed where he pushed him further until he laid back. Only once his head hit the wrinkled covers, did Seonghwa’s palms come up to hover across his right hip and address the wound with a focused beam of magic.

“That’s not all, is it?” Jongho asked, something new in his voice that Wooyoung hadn’t heard before. “You’re hiding something else too, right? I know you did something when you were touching my back. I could feel it and it wasn’t just our soulmate bond.”

Looking up at the intricacies of the coffered ceiling, Wooyoung shook his head like the liar he felt the need to be in that moment. “I was just showing support.”

“You didn’t. You were…” Jongho trailed off and something in his tone shifted, speaking of realization, as he continued. “You were pouring energy into me, weren’t you?”

“You were what?” Seonghwa exclaimed. His fingers brushed against Wooyoung’s skin and sent shivers up and down his spine as tingles exploded along his side and sent his stomach swooping. 

“I didn’t do anything,” Wooyoung pressed and remained still even as he wished to put some distance between them. His thoughts kept flashing back to the moment the demon had launched itself at Jongho, how easily it could’ve landed in his face instead, how it could have ended his life altogether. And what then? The coven would’ve lost him, their soulmate, someone they loved so deeply, someone they’d magically bonded their souls to, and it would’ve been Wooyoung’s fault.

“You poured your magic into me and drained yourself,” Jongho accused, interrupting Wooyoung’s thoughts and leaving him frozen in a different kind of fear. “But- but why? Why would you do that? What if you- What if-” He was stumbling over his own words as he broke off, audibly overwhelmed by his own emotions. “You could’ve died, Wooyoung, are you aware of that? What if it had taken me longer to destroy that demon? What then? Would you have cut the bridge? Could you? I didn’t know it was happening so what- What if I-” He stopped himself again, his breathing growing ragged. “You’re crazy, Wooyoung, crazy! I could’ve drained you fully! You would’ve died and I would’ve been the one who- You would have been gone! Forever! Your blood would’ve been on my hands! I would’ve had to live with that for the rest of my life! I would’ve killed my own soulmate, do you understand that? You would’ve been dead! Dead! Not even Seonghwa could’ve fixed you then! We would’ve lost you before we even really knew you and for what?”

Tears brimming in his eyes at hearing Jongho so upset, Wooyoung shook his head. “I was just trying to help…”

“Who even taught you that?” Jongho pushed.

“Some kid at school when I was younger,” Wooyoung said quietly.

“This is demonic magic! Did you know that? Do you even know what it was used for?”

Fully crying now as everything that had just happened crashed into him, Wooyoung shook his head against the mattress and closed his eyes for a moment to keep himself together. 

“Demons use it to enslave their own!” The words seemed to burst out of Jongho, making him sound almost desperate. “They use the weaker, lower class women to grow their numbers and then they drain them of their energy, their lives, once they grow old so they themselves can grow even stronger. They passed that magic on to witches through possession where the evil and powerful started to use it to enslave their own. And now you’ve used that magic on yourself. Do you understand why I’m upset?”

Wooyoung wiped the tears off his face and nodded. “Yes.”

“Shit, Wooyoung.” His voice lower but no less emotional, Jongho climbed on the bed, the mattress shifting under his weight, until he could nudge aside Wooyoung’s hands and wipe the tears himself. “Why would anyone teach you that kind of magic?”

“I had a friend at school. He was the only other witch in my class and he was weak like me. He said his father taught him and then my friend taught me so I could help him perform spells. He wasn’t there long but we got along well.”

“There, all healed,” Seonghwa said softly, brinking on a whisper as his magic stopped flowing and his hands smoothed across Wooyoung’s hip before he tugged down the pajama top and crawled up to sit on Wooyoung’s free side. Instead of speaking, for a moment, he merely searched out Wooyoung’s eyes and brushed back his bangs with a small reassuring smile. “You’re all good now but you’ll need one of Yeosang’s potions to replenish your energy. And… I’m sorry. I can’t heal your old scar. I can only help with recent injuries.”

“It’s okay.” Wooyoung captured one of Seonghwa’s hands in his own and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you.”

“I hope you don’t think I’m angry at you.” Jongho reclaimed his attention. There was still a lingering intensity in his eyes as his gaze darted across Wooyoung’s face and his hands slid down to rest on the side of his neck then over his heart before they fell away. “But please just… promise me you’ll never use that kind of magic again. On anyone. It’s not safe. It should never be used under any circumstances.”

Feeling the adrenaline begin to fade from his system, Wooyoung nodded as he looked into round dark eyes.“Okay.”

Following a large heaving exhale, Jongho finally seemed to let himself relax a bit as his gaze dropped and he sat back. “Good. Thank you for promising me. Now let’s get out of this room. I don’t feel like being here any longer.”

The rest of the mansion was quiet as they headed down the hallway but the atmosphere was no less warm or comforting than the night before. Within moments, the entire demonic encounter felt like more of a bad dream than an actual real life event. 

“Where is everyone?” Wooyoung asked as they descended the stairs into yet another fully vacated area.

“Yunho, San, Yeosang, and Hongjoong are away on appointments and Mingi is locked in his studio,” Seonghwa reported. “Which also means we should be getting the first invites today.”

“About that…” Swallowing through a tight throat, Wooyoung set foot on the floorboards and turned to face the others who were still watching their step on the staircase. Taking a few steps back to give them space, he mentally prepared himself for what was to come. “I don’t think you should involve yourself further,” he said evenly before lowering his gaze so he wouldn’t have to see their reactions. “It’s dangerous to be involved with me right now and-”

“I’m gonna cut you off right here,” Jongho interrupted. He sounded… offended? “Did you already forget everything I said last night? Did you even listen to me just now?” He was pushing with his words, his voice strong. “I can’t believe you would even start with me like that.” He put his hands on Wooyoung’s shoulders, his touch surprisingly gentle and contrasting his tone, as their magic connected and vibrated under his skin. Jongho leaned down until he could meet his eyes. “You can’t get rid of me anymore, or any of us for that matter. There’s no pushing us aside and trying to do things on your own. We’re in this together so don’t even start to pull back from me now, I won’t let you, do you understand?”

Tearing up again, Wooyoung shook his head. “But-”

Jongho pulled him into a hug and Wooyoung’s resolve crumbled as his nerve endings fired up and left him feeling boneless. It was like being submerged in a hot bath, shivers rushing up and down his spin, spreading goosebumps across his entire body. He was tingling and shaking as his arms came up to wrap around Jongho’s neck to keep himself from falling. With his nose buried in Jongho’s shoulder, he no longer felt able to keep a single train of thought.

“I’ll go get started on breakfast,” Seonghwa said softly. When Wooyoung tilted his head to look at him, he merely leaned in to press a kiss to Wooyoung’s temple before his footsteps faded toward the kitchen. 

“I can’t believe you got me to hug you after less than two days,” Jongho mumbled close to his ear.

A good few seconds passed during which Wooyoung worked to form a logical sentence. “How can you even think right now?” 

A huffed small laugh and Jongho slowly removed himself from the embrace but kept his hands on Wooyoung’s shoulders who struggled to stand with weak knees and could only watch him with a dazed expression. “Come on, let’s go find Nero.”

“Nero…” Wooyoung mumbled. “Nero!” Suddenly alert as the image of his cat formed in his head, his eyes opened wide as he whipped around to look at the back of the armchair. He sprinted over on unsteady legs, a hand on the backrest as he rounded it and caught sight of a tiny ball of shadows. Falling to his knees, the impact cushioned by a thankfully thick rug, he watched carefully as his baby’s side lifted and sunk in a rhythmic pattern. She was okay. A weight lifted itself off Wooyoung's chest as he fell back on his seat and watched her while Jongho walked closer and patted his head before sinking into a crouch beside him.

“Are you feeling a little better now?” he asked softly.

“It’s good she wasn’t in the room with us,” Wooyoung whispered. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if she…”

“Hongjoong will finish those charms today and then you’ll both be safe.”

“But you said it yourself, that wasn’t a normal demon. What if the charms aren’t enough?”

“Are you doubting the leader of your coven right now? He won’t be happy to hear that.” 

Horrified, Wooyoung’s gaze shot over to Jongho who broke into a fit of giggles which earned him a light slap on the shoulder. “Screw you.”

“I just fell asleep in the studio, can you believe it?” 

The sudden appearance of Mingi’s voice had both Wooyoung and Jongho rising to their feet. They spotted him all the way across the room where he was walking out the open doorway beside the kitchen and, unlike the rest of them, he was already dressed, wearing black cargo pants and an oversized gray t-shirt.

“Morning, Mingi!” Jongho greeted.

“Ah, morning you two. Decided to sleep in today, huh? Lazy asses.” Mingi’s tone was teasing as he moved further into the room and took a seat at the kitchen island. 

“I’ll have you know I just physically threw a demon twice and destroyed it!”

For a moment, Mingi just stared at them. “What?”

Following Jongho past the front door to join the others, Wooyoung began to wring his hands as yet another type of fear settled into his chest. Would Mingi still be on speaking terms with him after he found out how much danger his presence was putting them in? And, more pressingly, how much danger his covenmates had already been in just now? So far, it had been all fun and games between the two of them but he didn’t know Mingi well enough to know how he’d react to this type of situation. What if he got angry? What if he wanted to kick Wooyoung out? Would it cause Jongho to change his mind? Or worse, would it cause a rift in the coven?

“Another dream demon attacked Wooyoung while he was sleeping next to me,” Jongho explained, keeping Wooyoung from spiraling further. “It was a tiny ugly thing, almost… almost fetus-like.”

“A demon baby?” Mingi sounded stunned.

“Yeah, basically. I just grabbed it and hurled it against the wall and when it jumped at me, I threw it into the corner and pinned it with my magic. Super insane, you should’ve been there!”

“I could’ve conjured an anvil and dropped it on its head like in a cartoon,” Mingi joked.

Wooyoung was struggling to catch up with the shift in mood. Suddenly, the air around them felt light and happy, as if all the tension had just up and disappeared when they entered Mingi’s vicinity. Was this a magical thing? A soulmate thing? Or was it just an effect Mingi happened to have on people around him?

“I don’t think anyone would’ve liked to see a demon baby get crushed by an anvil,” Jongho replied as he slid onto the barstool beside him.

“It could’ve been funny,” Mingi responded, “but I guess we’ll never know.”

“The stuff that comes outta your mouth sometimes really concerns me,” Seonghwa said as he stirred the pot on the stove in front of him.

“Are you making seaweed soup?” Mingi asked, ignoring the comment. He sniffed the air and leaned across the counter to take a peek. 

“It’s been a stressful morning so I thought it might help.”

“That doesn’t look like it’s enough for four.”

“You already ate, Mingi. I saw you when I came downstairs to say goodbye to everyone.”

“That was hours ago!”

Seonghwa glanced down at the oven clock. “Two hours,” he deadpanned.

“Yes, like I said: hours.”

“Get the leftover rice from the fridge then.”

Victorious, Mingi pushed off the counter and rushed to do as he was told.

They spent breakfast chatting about what the others had been up to that morning before they’d left which gave Wooyoung the opportunity to sit, enjoy his food, and mostly listen while his mind slowly found its way back to itself and normalcy.

Once they were done eating, Seonghwa conjured a tiny flask, its shape unique with twisting vines of tinted glass wrapped around its sides, which appeared in his palm in a sparkle of pinks, purples, and blues, and was filled with a red liquid. “It’s from Yeosang’s stock upstairs,” he informed Wooyoung. “It should help replenish your energy and works best after a meal.”

Chuckling at the potion’s cartoonish packaging, Wooyoung accepted it. “It’s got a tiny cork and everything,” he commented with a happy smile as he unplugged the flask and smoothed his thumb across the label glued to the side. “That’s so cute.”

“Yeosang always says there’s no point in selling potions if he’s not gonna make them look like potions,” Jongho explained, a smile in his voice.

Tilting back his head, Wooyoung downed the whole flask in one gulp and enjoyed the sweet taste as a surge of tingling warmth traveled from his throat to his stomach and all the way out to his fingertips and toes, causing a full body shiver so unexpected, he nearly dropped the flask and cork still in his grasp.

“You’ll feel a little tired when it wears off in a few hours,” Seonghwa said as he observed Wooyoung’s reaction, “but it shouldn’t be anything like before.”

“This stuff is delicious.”

Leaning forward, Mingi smiled brightly. “I know, right? But somehow he still sucks at cooking!”

“He’s like Hongjoong,” Seonghwa replied, “super talented but lacking basic life skills.” 

Twenty minutes later, Jongho and Seonghwa had to say their goodbyes and head out for their own appointments, leaving Wooyoung with his bodyguard for the upcoming few hours: Mingi. There was an adorable eagerness to him as he guided Wooyoung to his music studio and proceeded to push him down on a dark gray couch near the door which he left ajar, presumably for Nero. 

The room was modern, with padded walls covered in black and light gray foam, black carpet floors, and a large window opposite the door which allowed golden sunlight to stream in and illuminate the large L-shaped desk pushed up against the wall opposite the couch which was where Wooyoung was still sitting and trying to take in his new surroundings. The space was somewhat reminiscent of Hongjoong’s studio which he’d spent the first night in but also wildly different from any other rooms inside the mansion. 

As opposed to wood, the desk was made of glass and metal, topped with a dual screen set up, mixing pult and an electric piano. Additionally, it was framed by two doors which led to further sections of the studio: the recording booths. Something Wooyoung hadn’t seen in Hongjoong’s studio which had to mean all recording took place here. They were of wildly different sizes: one small and merely containing a microphone, presumably for recording vocals, and the other spacious and filled with a full band setup, likely to record the instrumental track. The entire space was impressive to say the least.

“Pretty sick, right?” Mingi said as he observed Wooyoung’s reaction.

“Hell yeah it is!” 

Laughing, Mingi quickly went to sit down in the black desk chair which he spun to face Wooyoung. “Do you wanna hear what Hongjoong and I have been working on?”

“Of course!” Wooyoung burst out which had Mingi grinning and turning back around to tap the computer keyboard, causing it to wake up from energy saving mode.

A complicated looking recording software appeared but Mingi ignored it in favor of another window showing the contents of a folder titled ‘Treasure’ consisting of three audio files, each labeled ‘Track’ followed by its respective number. Mingi double clicked on the first, bringing the nearby speakers to life, and before Wooyoung knew it, he’d fallen in love.

It wasn’t just an instrumental like the music he’d heard in San’s store. There were vocals and rapping. It was bursting with charisma and filled him with drive and determination on a level he’d never felt before. He knew it was the result of the magic woven into the words and notes but the awareness didn’t diminish the influence on his emotional state in the slightest.

Glancing up at him, Mingi grinned. “You okay?”

“I think I could punch a hole through a brick wall right now,” Wooyoung replied.

Visibly delighted, Mingi let the rest of the track play out while Wooyoung stared off into nothing and let the music wash over him. 

“You guys are… insanely talented,” was all he could say as the effects of the song began to fade and leave him with a lingering sense of awe.

“So you liked it?”

“Dude, I love it. And not just the way it made me feel because of the magic but because of everything. Seriously. It’s… mesmerizing. I didn’t know you two did more than instrumentals. How have I never heard of you before?”

“We’ve never released anything to the public.”

“Why not?”

Mingi shrugged. “It just wasn’t a priority. We’ve got enough money coming in and we can’t risk getting public attention by performing in front of an audience anyway since it could endanger the coven so… we’ve just been composing instrumentals for San’s store or background music for the dining room and stuff. Hongjoong has more experience with recording vocals than me since he can do charm speak but he was always worried about the effects it’d have on people. But I figured it out for myself now so we’ve started experimenting with these tracks.”

“Well, I think you’re depriving the public of your raw talent but I’m not about to talk you into anything. However…” Wooyoung got up to crowd Mingi’s chair. “How about you show me everything you’ve ever worked on so I can enjoy my privilege of knowing you personally, hm? Pretty please?”

“Sure, come here.” Mingi swiveled his chair a little until his knees bumped into Wooyoung’s legs.

“Huh?”

“Sit.” Patting his thighs, Mingi raised his eyebrows at him expectantly.

The heat blooming in Wooyoung’s cheeks was no doubt visible but for the first time, he just laughed and hid his mouth behind his hand as he twirled and flopped into Mingi’s lap whose arms came up to catch him. The sparks and tingles, the swooping in his stomach, it was all expected but Wooyoung still found himself momentarily overwhelmed as he sat up a little straighter to keep at least some distance between his back and Mingi’s chest.

“Comfy?” Mingi asked as he brought them closer to the desk with a kick of his foot. His arms came up around Wooyoung to settle back onto the mouse and keyboard, 

“Sure,” Wooyoung breathed out, his cheeks flaming hot, yet he couldn’t help but chuckle at the sheer amount of sensations coursing through him. “It’s so insane though.”

“What?”

“All of this. I- It’s just hard to believe you’re feeling all this too when you act so normal.”

“Oh, you mean this?” Wrapping his arms around Wooyoung, Mingi squeezed him close for a moment as if it were nothing.

“Yeah,” Wooyoung squeaked at the increased influx of sparks and goosebumps. 

Leaning back again with a gleeful snicker, Mingi’s hold fell away as he brought his hands back to the mouse and keyboard. “It’s pretty intense, right? Took me a while to get used to as well, trust me. If you’d been there when Yunho accidentally bumped into me for the first time, dude… I must’ve jumped at least four meters, it was embarrassing. But to be fair, he was red like a tomato too. It was adorable.”

Without giving Wooyoung time to comment, Mingi started the next track and turned Wooyoung’s mind into a temporary blank slate. The melody was beautiful, slow at first. Emotional. The fast spoken lyrics spoke of loneliness and pain, culminating in the urge to disappear and leave the world behind. It felt raw and soul bearing. Memories of the wounded child he himself had once been were dragged to the surface as he remembered Jongho’s words from earlier and recalled his childhood friend, the one who’d been taught by his father to become nothing more than a battery. It made Wooyoung wonder if his friend was even still alive.

When Mingi hooked his chin over his shoulder, the memories faded while the song crescendoed into the bridge. Hongjoong’s impressive and raw high note filled Wooyoung’s ears and left him shivering as a tear rolled down his cheek.

“Wow,” was all Wooyoung got out as the final note faded and silence settled back down around them.

“We were both working through some stuff when we wrote that one,” Mingi shared.

In an effort to bring comfort, Wooyoung leaned back into Mingi’s chest and let the touch linger. “I hope you’ll never feel that way again.”

“Don’t worry, it’s in the past. But thank you.” Mingi nudged their heads together. “You’re cute.”

“Yeah?” Wooyoung teased.

Chuckling, Mingi bumped their heads a second time before he double clicked the third and final track. Immediately, Wooyoung froze in his seat to listen.

This one felt… different. Stronger, even more immersive. The audio tracks were layered, including not just instruments but also other sounds from the world around them which seemed to pull Wooyoung out of his body and into another reality. Around him, there were clouds. Beautiful pastel clouds, leaving him floating in the sunset until his bare feet sunk into soft cool grass and he turned to see a sprawling field of flowers filled with glowing fairies fluttering through the air and dancing in the warm breeze. Words of warmth, happiness, and love enveloped him and guided him to its center where a pavilion, alight with lanterns and string lights, awaited him. His fingers trailed across the cool wood of one of the pillars as he stepped inside and took a seat on one of the benches where he pulled up a knee and rested his elbow on the railing. His gaze drifted back to the direction from which he’d come and found the wide open sea had been just behind him then. And now, it reflected the sky as the clouds began to rush by and rapidly darken to purples and blues and, finally, a deep black littered with bright stars and a crescent moon so sharp and beautiful it took his breath away.

As the music faded, so did the stars. The world around him darkened further, then fell away, leaving him stranded for a moment before he fluttered his eyes open and found himself disoriented and wrapped back up in Mingi’s embrace.

“Wooyoung? Are you alright?”

Looking around himself to re-familiarize himself with the studio, Wooyoung nodded. “That was… something else.”

“Sorry, I didn’t consider how much stronger our magic would work on you since you’re not a music witch and our soulmate on top of that. For us two, humans, and other witches, it should only evoke some images in their head but you were in a full on trance, weren’t you?”

Blinking repeatedly to clear his mind, Wooyoung turned sideways on Mingi’s lap to look at him. “Dude, that was amazing!” he burst out and laughed when Mingi recoiled a little at his volume. “Seriously, that was so cool! I was, like, floating and then I was in this field with these fairies and there was a pavilion with pretty lights and the sky whooshed by over me and it got dark and then the stars, there were so many stars, and they were brighter than I’ve ever seen them before and-”

He stopped talking as Mingi began to shake with laughter.

“What?” Wooyoung complained, affronted.

“Nothing, you were just being really cute.”

Blushing and laughing at the cheesy compliment, Wooyoung framed his own face with his hands and fluttered his lashes. “Yeah? How cute? Adorable?”

Shaken by another fit of giggles, Mingi had to hold on to Wooyoung to keep him from falling off the chair. “Ah, I wish I could keep you here all day.”

“You’ve gotta leave too?”

“Yeah, but I’ll drop you off at ‘Auroras and Illusions’ on the way so you can stay there with Nero. San gets bored between customers so he’ll be happy to see you, no doubt.”

“I feel like a child of polyamorous divorce.”

More sunny laughter burst out of Mingi as he dropped his forehead on Wooyoung’s shoulder. “No one here sees you as their child, trust me.”

“Good, ‘cause that’d be an issue.”

“I’m pretty sure we’re all on the same page with how we feel about you. But let’s get back to the music. I’ve still got some showing off to do.” With that, Mingi placed his hand back on the mouse so he could return to the recording software from earlier. “How would you like to see me record some lines?”

“Uh, hell yeah, duh! That’d be sick as hell!”

“Then sorry, but you’ll have to sit directly in the chair for a while.”

“Bummer,” Wooyoung joked as Mingi rolled back so he could get up. 

After some more clicking around, Mingi placed a pair of large headphones over Wooyoung’s ears and headed into the smaller recording booth.

“And when he started rapping, the microphone glowed this grayish blue color and I could physically feel his emotions,” Wooyoung reported as he followed San around the store who was currently restocking the shelves. 

“I can’t believe he let you help with recording!” There was an audible pout in San’s tone which had Wooyoung leaning left and right in hopes of catching a glimpse of it. No luck, unfortunately. “The only ones who’ve ever seen that before were Hongjoong and Yunho! And no one but Hongjoong has ever gotten to hear those tracks either!”

A little giddy, Wooyoung added a skip to his step. “So I’m his favorite now?”

Turning to face him, San chuckled at something in his expression. “Sure, I guess you could say that.”

Wooyoung grinned back at him and let a few moments pass during which San completed his restock before he guided them to the backroom where Nero was cleaning her paws in the middle of the small dining table.

“So what have you been up to so far?” Wooyoung asked as he whipped out his phone to film a short video of Nero being her adorable self which he sent off to the coven group chat Mingi had added him to earlier.

A few steps away, San’s phone pinged in his pocket. “Mustache’s wards are almost as strong as ours at home now,” he began as he pulled out his phone and tapped the screen,” but more importantly, he’s gonna send out invites to the ball later today and one of them will be arriving in our mailbox.” He paused and glanced over at Nero with a little grin. “Cute.” 

Wooyoung’s phone vibrated in his palm and, when he looked down, he found a heart under the video he’d just sent.

Pocketing his phone again, San headed over to the fridge where he got two water bottles, one of which he handed to Wooyoung. “He wasn’t even suspicious when I brought it up. Actually, that’s an understatement, he looked happier than I’ve ever seen him. I think that he thinks we finally gave in and actually wanna be openly supportive of the council now which is funny because that’s the complete opposite of what we’re trying to do.”

“The council wants you guys as their little poster children, huh?”

San nodded as he took a sip of water. “If it were up to them, we’d be plastered all over the country and social media like propaganda puppets. But the only reason we keep any connection with them is so we can serve as first responders when large scale events shake the country.”

“How did they even become aware of you guys?”

“Ah.” A sardonic laugh escaped San as he leaned back against the counter and set down his water. “When we had the bonding ceremony to add Jongho, it set off this burst of energy. Supposedly, all the witches within a forty kilometer radius could feel it so they all alerted the authorities who then alerted the council who then triangulated our location and came knocking at our door three weeks later. They tried to recruit us right there and then but Hongjoong shot them down so fast their eyes bulged out. And honestly? One of the top three funniest moments of my life and I wish someone had filmed it.”

“Me too,” Wooyoung mumbled off-handedly while his gaze darted across San head to toe. The thought of this man in front of him containing that much power, it was still insane to think about. “But… what do you mean it was felt by witches?”

“Apparently, and I’m going off of internet reports here, they all felt a sudden rush of energy. It only lasted a few seconds and didn’t really do anything. Even some humans have claimed they felt a rush of heat or something but they only posted about it online, no authorities involved, and everyone eventually just wrote it off as aliens or something.”

“Did all that happen when you brought in Yeosang as well?”

“No, actually, I added some other spells to the wards beforehand to ensure no energy pulses could get through. The last thing we would’ve needed would’ve been some internet sleuths knocking on our door to see what happened.”

“Damn.”

San nodded and pushed off the counter. “But come on now, let’s open the store!”

Chapter Text

“Are you looking forward to opening your café again tomorrow?” San asked after he’d flipped the door sign to open and moved to join Wooyoung behind the cash counter who, in turn, was busy playing with Nero on the cat tree Mingi had conjured up for her during their last visit.

“It feels like ages since I’ve set foot in there,” Wooyoung realized, “I can’t believe it’s only been a couple of days.”

“A lot has happened since,” San acknowledged, his voice now a lot closer and his presence near enough to send a prickling sensation across Wooyoung’s skin.

Choosing to leave Nero to her own devices for a bit, Wooyoung took a seat on the nearby cashier chair and turned to face San who was leaning onto his elbow on the counter. “I don’t even feel like the same person I was back then. It’s so surreal.”

“They say time’s a social construct.”

“And I’ve never felt that more than now.”

Shaking off his musings, Wooyoung stacked his hands atop each other between his knees on the seat of the chair and leaned forward. “So, Sannie,” he said, not trying to hide his eagerness, “Tell me, how are you doing all this spell work without ever actually saying any spells?”

Visibly caught off guard by the sudden shift in mood, San blinked a few times before he answered. “I just think them.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Is that… a problem?”

“No, it’s just impressive as hell, I’ve only ever seen that in movies and dramas.”

“Thank you?”

“What made you decide to open a store instead of only working freelance?”

Cocking his head, San frowned a little. “Is this an interview?”

Pouting at the accusation, Wooyoung did his best to look innocent and cute like Changbin had taught him, all while thinking back to the list of questions he’d written into his notes app on the ride over. “Why would you ask that? I’m just curious.”

The way San’s expression visibly softened made something in Wooyoung melt but also grow a little restless with the urge to get closer, to reach out and touch, maybe even hug, but he held back. There were more things he wanted to learn about San first. “Alright… So, you know, before the council became aware of us, we needed a way to make money and Yeosang had all these excess potion ingredients he was growing for himself, Hongjoong had the ability to create charms, and I knew how to put permanent spells on objects so the obvious solution was to open a store where we could sell all of that. It started as an online business, but once we had more money, I decided to open a physical location where we’d all leave our business cards at the cash counter so the locals learned about all the services we had to offer and that way, word got around and we started to get booked more and more, and we’ve done it like this ever since.”

“So you move around a lot?”

“Yeah, we tend to move when we start attracting too much attention locally. For the sake of privacy, you know?”

Nodding, Wooyoung looked over at Nero to avert San’s eyes. “How long do you usually get to stick around?”

“The longest we’ve had was six months.”

A sinking feeling in his gut, Wooyoung lowered his head even further and looked down at the small gray rug under their feet. “So you all just… leave your friends and family behind?”

“We still go to see them regularly, at least the ones we want to.”

“But… what if I don’t want to move away?” Wooyoung asked, his voice low, almost scared to hear the answer.

“Then we’ll try to find a way to make this town work for us permanently.”

The casual statement had Wooyoung’s head shooting up to stare at San with wide eyes who, in turn, chuckled and shook his head a little. 

“Did you seriously think we’d just move on without you or what?”

“I…” Embarrassed, Wooyoung pursed his lips and looked off to the front door. “I don’t know…. Maybe. It was just a thought.”

San reached over to lightly flick his forehead. “Dummy.”

Hand shooting up to cover the mildly aching spot, Wooyoung threw him a glare and was met with a happy dimpled grin. 

“So, any other questions you need me to answer for the blog post you’re writing?”

Huffing, Wooyoung dropped his hand. “I’m not writing a blog post,” he complained, “I just wanna know more about the people I’m gonna be spending the rest of my life with.”

“Oh? Does that mean I get to ask you questions too?”

“I’m not that interesting but sure, go ahead.”

“‘Not that interesting’, are you kidding me?” Laughing, San stepped forward to grab Wooyoung’s face between his hands. “You’re just about the most fascinating person I’ve ever met.” Blushing furiously at the shower of sparks trickling from his cheeks down his neck, Wooyoung found himself transfixed by the honesty in San’s eyes and tone. “You’re like a walking mystery we’re currently trying to uncover and you’re telling me you don’t think you’re interesting?”  Lightly squishing the face cupped between his hands, San chuckled as his gaze darted down to Wooyoung’s lips which had to resemble a fish’s mouth right about now. “You need to catch up with reality, Wooyoung.”

Curling his hands around San’s wrists, Wooyoung removed the hands from his face. “There might be mystery around me but I haven’t done many interesting things I could talk about,” he argued. “But if you don’t wanna believe, I’ll prove it to you! Go ahead, ask me anything!”

Tugging his wrists from Wooyoung’s hold, San dropped his hands to Wooyoung’s knees and slightly leaned into him with a pondering expression. After a couple of seconds, he met Wooyoung’s eyes again. “How’d you meet Sumin?”

“He just walked into the café one day. There isn’t much to do around here so he and his friends started coming by after I took over from grandma. They used to only come in to study but some of them fell in love with Nero and started chatting to me about her and eventually, we sorta became friends. But really, they’re more like little brothers who enjoy bullying me.”

Chuckling, San removed himself from Wooyoung’s personal bubble. “I’d love to hear more about all that but it seems like we have a customer.”

“Huh?” Confused, Wooyoung followed San’s eyes to the door where, indeed, a customer was just stepping up to the door and set off the little doorbell as they entered under its chime and greeted them. After a polite welcome, Wooyoung looked back at San.  “How’d you know? You weren’t even looking that way.” 

“I’ve got wards around the store and I can see them shimmer when they’re breached. “

Glancing out the window over his shoulder, Wooyoung could only see some of the windchimes outside. “I never noticed anything when I came here.”

“Only spellcasters can.”

“Damn.”

“Don’t pout, you’re not missing out on much.”

Humming in acknowledgment, Wooyoung looked over at Nero who’d turned herself into a little loaf and was tracking their lone customer with her eyes. It was a position she remained in for the next half an hour during which questions kept getting tossed back and forth between them while about a dozen customers dropped by, most of them only buying one or two items. Since they weren’t big on small talk, they were generally in and out fairly quickly which meant Wooyoung got to keep San largely to himself. And then came Yunho.

“Good afternoon everyone, I’ve brought lunch!” he greeted brightly as he walked up to the counter, a large paper bag held out in front of him which he dropped off in front of San who eagerly peeked inside. With San preoccupied, Yunho took the opportunity to lean onto the counter in front of Wooyoung, his weight pressing onto his elbows to level their eye lines. “Wearing more of Hongjoong’s clothes, I see.” He glanced down at the black and white button down shirt partially hidden under an unzipped black jacket.

Suddenly, Wooyoung was very aware of the two buttons he’d chosen to leave undone to reveal some collar bone. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t make him a bit nervous but maybe he could have fun with it. Maybe it was time to be a little daring “I am. He left it out for me. Do you like it?” 

Yunho met his eyes with a smile. “Very much. It suits you.”

“Our soulmate has good taste, doesn’t he?” Wooyoung pushed a little further, tone openly flirty, eyes searching and curious to see how Yunho would react.

“He does,” Yunho replied, voice a little deeper, “but I’m also looking forward to seeing how you’ll dress yourself again.”

“You wanna see me dress up for you guys?”

“If you’d like.”

His cheeks absolutely on fire, Wooyoung broke into giggles and had to avert his gaze for a moment before he scooted forward on his elbows, leaving their faces mere centimeters apart. “Are you gonna dress up for me too then?”

Smiling, Yunho’s gaze dropped to Wooyoung’s lips before flickering back up to his eyes. “What would you like to see me in?”

“I think suits can be very sexy.”

“I hope you’ll look forward to the ball then,” Yunho whispered. “I know I certainly will.”

No longer able to contain himself, Wooyoung dropped his head and burst into laughter as he hid his face in his folded arms. Why was this fun but also so deeply embarrassing? Above him, he could hear Yunho join in with his own chuckles as he patted the back of Wooyoung’s head with his unfairly large hand. 

“You fought hard,” San said, his tone openly teasing and amused as he rubbed circles into Wooyoung’s back. “This guy is shameless. He’s the only one who can still get any one of us flustered without even trying.”

“It’s a gift!” Yunho confirmed.

“The first time he tried to hold Hongjoong’s hand, Hongjoong fled the scene and couldn’t look him in the eyes for three days straight.”

“It was adorable!” Yunho recalled, a smile in his voice.

Feeling composed enough, Wooyoung lifted his head back up, relishing in the slightly cooler air touching his heated cheeks, and gestured toward the paper bag. “What’s for lunch?” he asked, hoping they’d go easy on him and let him change the topic.

Pushing off the counter, Yunho straightened back up. “Oh yeah, let’s go eat!”

“So you guys secured the invites from Pinstripe, Mustache, and Bowling Shirt, and I’ve got the one from Shoes,” Hongjoong concluded while they were gathered in the living room and waiting for their take out to arrive. “That leaves only Cape and Eyebrows!” He looked over at Jongho and Seonghwa who were both sitting to his right. “You’ve got the lecture for the board tomorrow,” he confirmed with Jongho who nodded, “and you’ve got the check up with Eyebrows the day after.” He looked at Seonghwa who also nodded. “Perfect! Then we’re right on schedule!”

“I can’t believe they’re making you talk to that room full of ignorant old farts,” Mingi commented, his right ankle resting on his left knee as he looked at Jongho who put on a wide fake grin in response.

“But Mingi, it’s an honor, don’t you know that?”

Chuckling, Mingi straightened out his posture and solemnly pressed a hand over his heart. “Apologies, how dare I say something so disrespectful about the esteemed members of the Board for Demonic Prevention Measures who are, of course, always right and never indirectly and directly caused the deaths of millions of people across the country and then proceeded to blame civilians who didn’t know any better because the board wouldn’t update their guidelines based on their own researcher’s findings.”

“Apology accepted!” Jongho declared, copying the gesture.

Meanwhile, San leaned into Wooyoung’s side, causing sparks of warmth to trickle down his arm and side. “And this is why we always turn down requests from the council when they try to hire Mingi,” he mumbled, which had Wooyoung cackling and drawing everyone’s attention.

“Ah, Wooyoung, that reminds me, I’ve got something for you!” Hongjoong said and got to his feet. “Please come with me for a sec.”

Pulling away from San and patting his knee as he went, Wooyoung went to follow Hongjoong up the stairs and into the first floor hallway on the left, away from Jongho’s room and the memories of the demon baby. The hallway itself looked almost identical but instead of a window seat, it had a set of balcony doors at its end, allowing for a clear view out onto a grand balcony overlooking the sprawling forest behind the house.

“My room’s through here,” Hongjoong announced as he opened the last door on the right and proceeded to leave it wide open for Wooyoung to follow.

The room was just as massive as Jongho’s but consisted of only two levels, one significantly higher than the other but both also connected by a set of stairs, though this one stood out. Its railing was delicately carved, giving it more so the air of an art piece than a regular part of interior design. Its motive of twisting vines and flowers carried into the fence along the outer edge of the taller platform.

Through the fence, Wooyoung could spot a bed and curtained doorway which presumably led to the walk-in closet, if Jongho’s layout was anything to go by while, down on the lower level, one wall was fully lined with shelves reminiscent of the ones out by the stairs. Filled with books, trinkets, and glass cases containing various objects, all presumably charmed by Hongjoong himself, the shelves’ contents mirrored the chaos on the massive desk which took up the whole center of the room and was littered with objects ranging from vintage looking containers of all shapes and sizes, to a modern day macbook.

“Excuse the chaos but I had San put up special wards so Seonghwa can no longer come in and start organizing,” Hongjoong spoke up as he made a beeline for the only cleared area on the massive desk which happened to be right in the center by the desk chair. 

Following him, Wooyoung stepped onto the thick blue rug covering the space under the desk and its immediate surroundings. “Is that Nero’s fur?” he asked as a dark splotch caught his eye.

“Oh yeah, she kept me company last night while I was working on this !” Twirling to face him, Hongjoong raised up both hands, each presenting him with a shiny pendant.

‘They have an aura,’ was the first thing Wooyoung noticed as he walked closer in something akin to a trance. The pendants were close to identical but varied in size with the larger one being attached to a thin silver chain while the other was fully built into a tiny dark green collar. Made of silver, both pendants were round and contained a pentagram carved into the back, which Hongjoong made sure to show him, while the front was made up of a pattern of untreated crystals laid out in an intricate pattern. 

The moment Hongjoong set them down on Wooyoung’s palm, sparks shot past his elbow to his shoulder in a shockwave strong enough to send him stumbling back as shivers rushed up and down his spine and caused even the soles of his feet to tingle.

His gaze flew up to Hongjoong who was watching him intently. “Holy shit,” Wooyoung blurted out.

Visibly amused, Hongjoong set aside the collar and stepped forward into Wooyoung’s space. “May I?

Looking into his coven leader’s eyes, Wooyoung wondered if he enjoyed this tension between them or if he simply didn’t think anything of it. Either way, Hongjoong seemed to underestimate the effect he had on him. “Will I survive wearing that?”

Expression dropping to something more deadpan, Hongjoong raised his eyebrows and opened the necklace with practiced nimble fingers without needing to look at it. “I didn’t spend all night making this as some messed up plot to kill my own soulmate if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Come on, you know that’s not what I meant, but… I mean, did you feel the energy coming off that thing? It’s intense. Like, intense intense. Like, more intense than any of the charms San’s selling! How am I gonna get anything done with that on me?”

“You’ll live,” was all Hongjoong said before he reached around Wooyoung, wrapping the chain around his neck and fastening it at the front. His fingers kept brushing against Wooyoung’s skin, leaving him tingling and breathless, as he moved the delicate chain into place so the clasp sat at his nape and the pendant at the front right above his sternum and a few centimeters below his collar bones. “I picked a good length,” Hongjoong complimented himself.

Meanwhile, Wooyoung turned into a bit of a wreck. The energies Hongjoong had channeled into the pendant were vibrating against his skin, sinking into his heart, his very being, and making him feel, yes, warm and protected, but also full of nervous energy, much like being in the presence of Hongjoong himself did, except amplified by a million. 

“You look like you’re about to pass out,” Hongjoong observed, finally somewhat noticeably concerned as he grabbed onto Wooyoung’s shoulders to keep him steady.

“I did warn you,” Wooyoung replied as he stumbled a little, his heart racing as he fought to breathe properly. 

“Oh boy,” Hongjoong mumbled and hurried to wrap an arm around Wooyoung’s waist. Struggling under the added weight, Hongjoong clumsily lowered them both down onto the plush rug where they fell into each other like puppets with freshly cut strings. 

Leaning sideways, heavy against Hongjoong’s chest, Wooyoung felt the humiliation wrap around him like an unwanted and suffocating blanket. “Is this what a heart attack feels like?” he mumbled, his hand wrapping around the pendant to give the skin on his chest a moment of respite.

“So… maybe I overdid it a little bit,” Hongjoong allowed.

“Yeah, maybe.” It was a miracle Wooyoung got the words out when he was still trying to get some air back into his lungs while his temple was resting against Hongjoong’s shoulder and their legs were all tangled together. He should be putting some distance between them but his limbs wouldn’t move.

“But to be fair, it works better than any other protective charm I’ve ever created and Nero is neither a witch, nor my soulmate so it shouldn’t feel like much of anything to her.”

“That’s nice,” Wooyoung got out and closed his eyes to try and calm himself.

“How long do you think it’ll take you to get used to it?”

“I- I don’t know.” Attempting to sit upright, Wooyoung pushed his hand into the floor and tried to put some distance between them but, even then, his legs remained crossed over Hongjoong’s and the pendant still sparked against the hand he’d clasped around it. He shivered as he met Hongjoong’s eyes and felt the power behind his gaze.

“I know about the demon baby and about what you did to help Jongho so, in all honesty, I don’t wanna see you take it off,” Hongjoong admitted, a whole cluster of emotions underlying his words which Wooyoung couldn’t even begin to unravel in his current state. But given how Jongho and Seonghwa had reacted, he had an idea of what Hongjoong probably thought of his actions. “None of our soulmates can protect you from the dreamscape but this can so it’d be best if we could find a way for you to keep it on twenty four seven.”

Letting go of the necklace, Wooyoung let its energy flow back into his chest and tried his best not to appear like he was having a panic attack, even as his fingers dug into the rug and his head hung between his shoulders. “I- I’d love to but… shit.” This was ridiculous. How would he have ever been able to withstand a soulmate bond if wearing a charmed item was already doing this to him? “Why’re you so goddamn powerful?” 

“Because it comes in handy?” Hongjoong joked as his finger nudged against Wooyoung’s chin to make him look back up. His round dark eyes searched Wooyoung’s face for a lingering moment before a small smile tugged at his lips. “Ah, what am I gonna do with you…” He tilted his head and let his fingers dance across Wooyoung’s jaw, who was left even more shaken by the added contact. “Alright… Let’s fix this.”

“Huh?”

“I’m gonna use charm speak on you,” came Hongjoong’s unexpected answer and Wooyoung’s mind was left struggling to comprehend its meaning. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna hurt you or try to control you. I don’t use hypnosis in general and I won’t put you under. You’ll be conscious the entire time and it’ll be quick, I promise.”

“Is it… Is it gonna feel like the music?”

Tilting his head, Hongjoong seemed a little surprised. “Hm?”

Pressing his palm flat against the pendant, Wooyoung pressed his lips together for a moment as he breathed through his nose in an effort to collect himself. “Mingi, he- he showed me your three songs.”

“Did he now?” Hongjoong’s face was unreadable as he tucked his legs below himself before he leaned forward to lightly push against Wooyoung’s chest, adding to the overwhelming amount of sensations already flowing through him. “Lay back for me, please. And yeah, it might be like that for you, I… I’m not really sure, to be honest. I’ve never used charm speak on a soulmate before, only on clients and objects, but it’s the same basic principle I use when I record my lines.”

It must’ve looked a little goofy from the outside, Wooyoung realized, laying on the rug beside the desk with Hongjoong kneeling beside him, but as the one being bombarded with another person’s energy, he couldn’t say he cared. By now, the steady flow rushing out of the pendant had spread through his entire system as if it were trying to ensure it truly was protecting every micro millimeter of him, but instead of shielded, he was more so beginning to feel like he did under the love curse which was far from a pleasant thought.

“I’m gonna do my best to convince your body the energy of the pendant is your own,” Hongjoong explained, his voice calm and gentle, almost professional as if he were talking to a client. “That way, it’ll stop reacting and the charm will feel like just another piece of jewelry. Is that okay with you?” 

The idea sunk into Wooyoung’s overstimulated brain and left him shaking his head against the rug. “What- What would that mean for how it feels when I touch you?”

“What do you mean?”

Reaching out, Wooyoung dropped his hand on Hongjoong’s which was pressed into the rug near Wooyoung’s hip. The point of contact brought with it the familiar tingling which piled atop all the other sensations already coursing through him but was, by itself, far less harsh than the direct connection of energies within his body at the present moment.

“Ah, well, um… No, it wouldn’t feel like that anymore.”

“Then I don’t want it.”

With a sigh, Hongjoong pulled out his hand from under Wooyoung’s. “Don’t be stubborn.” He knelt up and pressed two fingers to Wooyoung’s neck, his brow furrowed. “Your heart’s racing like crazy already. Let’s be quick about this.”

“I don’t wanna lose this,” Wooyoung rushed out, panicking. The thought of no longer having that part of their relationship, something that physically distinguished him from any other person to Hongjoong, was awful. If them being near each other, touching each other, no longer felt like being around his other soulmates, then what? He was already denied knowing what it was like to have a soulmark and getting to have a permanent magical bond, and now he was supposed to lose this too? And all because of some goddamn demons? How was that fair?

“Your safety is more important than-” 

“How can you say that?” Wooyoung cut in, his throat beginning to feel tight as he fiercely stared into Hongjoong’s equally determined eyes. “It already sucks enough that I can’t bond with you because my stupid soulmark got fucked up and now you wanna take this from me too?”

“Wooyoung-”

“No, I don’t want it! You said you wouldn’t force me, now keep your word!”

Sighing, Hongjoong dropped his gaze and fell silent. Wooyoung could basically see the wheels in his head turn as he was trying to come up with another solution. Seconds went by, then minutes. How many, Wooyoung couldn’t even begin to estimate, not in his current state at least. “I’ve got another idea,” he finally said and met Wooyoung’s eyes, though he didn’t look too happy. “It’ll be less effective and I don’t have the time to plan it out first, but I might be able to guide you and, by extension, your body into getting used to the charm instead of fully neutralizing these side effects.”

“And that won’t change how it feels?”

“No, but it’ll hopefully stop your heart from trying to break your ribs.”

“That sounds promising.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Hongjoong took a deep breath. “Alright, close your eyes and focus on my voice.”

Wooyoung did as told. Without his sight, the sensory impressions seemed all the more overwhelming. Unable to even just feel the rug under him anymore, it was like he was trapped in his own body and the sparks, the tingling, the swoop in his stomach, everything crashing into him were all there was to his existence.

“Now let my words guide you. Can you do that for me?”

The words washed over Wooyoung, seeping through his skull and cradling his mind like a heated blanket. He welcomed the embrace. “Yes.”

“Good because it’s time to leave this reality behind it. You don’t need it right now but you’ll come back to it and to me when it’s time, when you’re healed. All these sensations you’ve been feeling, everything that’s been overwhelming you, it’ll no longer be an issue where you’re going, so just follow my voice and go to the white space. Can you see it? It’s white as far as the eye can see. Like freshly fallen snow. But it’s warm here, isn’t it? Warm and safe. You’re protected here and nothing can harm you so relax. You’re calm. Your heart is beating steadily. You can breathe deeply again. It’s pretty nice here, isn’t it, Wooyoung?”

“Hmm.” Weightlessness. That was what Wooyoung was feeling. His body was no longer his vessel and by leaving it behind, all those sensations fell away, disappearing one by one. Now, he just floated in Hongjoong’s voice, guided by his words, each syllable a caress against his mind, molding his reality. It was nice to let go, to feel at ease. Was this what meditation was supposed to feel like? Because then he’d finally understand the hype. “Warm and safe like Jongho’s hug…”

Hongjoong’s chuckle was melodious. ”Just like Jongho’s hug. Look around yourself again. Can you see the clouds floating around you? There are only a few of them but they’re fluffy and just a little taller than you. Quite cute, aren’t they? Each one has a different color and they’re hovering just above the floor like they’re waiting for you. But before you get to interact with them, look down at yourself first. You’re dressed in all white now, just simple pants and a t-shirt. Pretty boring, isn’t it? But soon, you’ll get to paint yourself with the colors of all those clouds. Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it? Are you looking forward to wearing the colors, Young-ah?”

“Yeah, it looks pretty,” Wooyoung mumbled. “Like a sunrise.”

“That does sound lovely. So let’s get on that! Walk toward the first cloud, straight toward it. Don’t be afraid, there’s nothing to fear. As you get closer, you start to notice different shades of the color. Quite pretty, right? Let’s see what it looks like when you’re inside. Step forward, let the color surround you and let the sensation it represents wash over you. How do you feel?”

“It’s like an electric current running through me.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No, it’s nice. Tingly.”

“What color are you standing in?”

“Blue,” Wooyoung answered as he kept finding different shades and variations in the colors floating around him. “Light blue. Like the sky.”

“Sounds really pretty. So, how about you take some of that blue and use it to dye the fabric you’re wearing? Just paint it on, use it like finger paints and have fun with it. Let it become part of your clothes, part of your shield. Let the color help protect you from the world around you.”

With the words shaping the world around him, Wooyoung let his instincts guide him and reached out to poke the colored air around him. In awe, he watched as his finger was tinted various shades of blue, perfectly blending it into his surroundings like the world’s best camouflage. From there, he crouched down to touch his dyed finger to the white denim covering his right shin. A single poke and the fabric became background to an opaque blue dot as if his clothing were paper and his finger a brand new marker. Childlike wonder filled his mind as he began to doodle. 

“Are you done?” Hongjoong asked after a few seconds of peaceful silence had passed.

“I tried to draw a dog but, honestly?” Wooyoung tiltedhis head at his leg. “It looks more like a dinosaur.”

“That’s… not exactly what I pictured you doing but this is your world so… go ahead. Try again. Maybe it’ll look better this time.”

“I’d rather try a cat. Should I draw Nero?”

“You can do whatever you’d like.”

Letting his imagination run wild, Wooyoung plopped to the ground and began covering his whole right leg with different approaches to a cat - cartoonish, realistic, standing up, laying down, playing bongos. Once he ran out of space, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter as he took in the finished product. “Ah, Hongjoong, I wish you could see this. It’s so fucking ugly!”

“Alright, you’ve had your fun but it’s time to keep going. Take a moment to shake the color off your skin, it’ll slide right off, but keep it on your clothes. Then step out of the cloud and take another look at your surroundings. While you do that, take stock of the electricity still running through you. It’s less intense but it’s still with you, isn’t it?”

“It’s tingly for sure.”

“And you know why? It’s because you chose to paint yourself with it. You made it a part of your protective barrier which means you control it. It cannot control you. Makes sense, right?”

“I guess so!” Wooyoung said as he rocked on his heels and looked out at the clouds still waiting for him. They looked cute and fluffy, like a mix of cotton candy and colored smoke.

“Now it’s time to move on and pick your next color. What’s the one closest to you?”

“Green. The light and shimmery kinda green.”

“Interesting. Go ahead and walk toward it. It’s inviting, isn’t it? Take it up on the invite and step inside, let the new feeling join you. Don’t try to fight it or analyze it, just let it wash over you. Can you tell me what changed?”

“My heart’s beating faster.”

“Does it hurt?”

Wooyoung shook his head. “No, it’s like…” He tilted his head. “Like I’m excited?”

“Doesn’t feel so bad then, right? You should keep it around. Take some of the green and paint something else on yourself but… make it simple this time. Our food’s gonna get here pretty soon and I’m hungry.”

“Woah, Hongjoong, what the hell? Way to ruin the immersion.”

“Just paint some green on yourself.”

“Fine, but since you’re making me rush, it’s gonna be ugly.”

“You could just dip your palm and make it a handprint, that would be easiest.”

“I’m not a toddler,” Wooyoung complained and traced some stars diagonally across the front of his shirt by stretching the fabric away from his belly with his free hand. “Ah, it looks so shit now.”

“It doesn’t have to look perfect. It’s about the intent. You’re choosing to make the green, the excitement, a part of yourself. It’s becoming a part of your clothes, your protective barrier. And even if it’s a little wonky, it’s still pretty, isn’t it? You’re wearing your art, all these beautiful clouds, this sunrise. Step by step, it’s becoming a part of you, and you’re becoming a part of it. So, when you’re done with the green, leave it behind and search for the next cloud, your next color.”

“I’ve got yellow!” Wooyoung reported. “And it’s… making my stomach feel weird.”

“You already went ahead and walked inside?”

“Yeah. And now I’m not just tingly and excited, I’ve also got stomach problems.”

“But you’re still good?”

“I am, no worries. And I just dyed my sleeve yellow so you can’t go complaining about me taking too long.”

Hongjoong audibly took a deep breath. “You’re really difficult to guide, you know that?”

Cackling, Wooyoung hopped out of the yellow and looked for the nearest cloud he had yet to visit. “It’s my stubbornness, I think.”

Hongjoong hummed in acknowledgment. “Alright, but let’s not get ahead of yourselves. I’m in charge for now. So, tell me, where are you now?”

“I’m heading toward purple,” Wooyoung reported dutifully as he slowed his approach of the cloud and let himself get fully lost in Hongjoong’s voice again. 

“Tell me how you feel as you approach this purple cloud.”

“All those other colors are still there so… I’m excited. I really like purple. And black. But honestly, all colors are nice. They give off different vibes.”

“How many colors are still around you? Let’s take stock.”

“There’s also light pink left but that’s it.”

“Good, you’re almost done then! Keep that in mind as you go ahead now and walk toward the purple, just as planned. But before you step in, take one last moment to feel everything you’re feeling now. Look into all those swirling shades of purple and breathe in, hold the air in your lungs, and breathe out. Now step forward. You’re surrounded by purple and a new sensation has joined the others. How do you feel?”

Shivers rushed up and down Wooyoung’s spine, making him instinctively shriek with laughter as he arched his back, stuffed a hand under the back of his shirt to wipe his skin, and twisted and twirled around himself in an effort to get rid of the source but, of course, there was none.

“Everything okay?” Hongjoong asked, breaking character as amusement flooded his voice.

“Yeah, all good. It’s just weird.” 

“Let the sensation settle into you, whatever it is. It’s a feeling you’ve chosen now, so nothing to fret about. It can’t hurt you so paint it onto yourself and own it. It’ll look nice with all the other colors, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Wooyoung mumbled as he shook out his limbs and calmed himself. After dipping his finger into his environment, he traced the rainbow of purples onto his left thigh, one of the only places still fully white. Snickering at his own childish idea, he completed his little doodle. “You wanna know what I drew?”

“Sure.”

“It’s a great big heart and I wrote our names inside.”

Following a prolonged pause during which Wooyoung bit his lip to keep from laughing, Hongjoong’s sigh came powerful enough to move the air against his face. 

Cackling, Wooyoung shook his hand to get rid of the purple. “Are you implying you don’t do this typa stuff when you have a crush on someone?”

“We can talk about your crush on me when this is over but, for now, refocus your mind and live in the moment. Allow all those shades of purple to mesmerize you and let the sensations take over for a second. Just be. Feel. Exist. Breathe in. Hold the air. And breathe out. Now step out of the purple, take your time, don’t rush, and once you’re out, take stock of how you’re feeling, how it’s just ever so slightly different. It might be a bit overwhelming but it’s not so bad, is it?”

“Hm, no… I’m all good.”

“Great, you’re doing amazing. Only one more cloud left, right?”

“Yup!” Wooyoung clapped his hands together and rubbed his palms for a moment before he began to head over to the lone puff of pink floating ahead of him. “Can I go in?”

“I’m the one who should be asking the questions here but yes, go ahead. Step into the pink and let the feeling wash over you. Take a moment to accept it and let it align with everything else you’re already experiencing.”

An intense prickling settled into Wooyoung’s hands and feet, strongest at his palms and the arches of his feet. Within seconds, the needling sensation caused the affected areas to become uncomfortably clammy. For a moment, he wished he could step back out without painting it on but then he realized it’d feel a little unfair to leave just this one behind, completely unused, especially when it looked so pretty.

“How do you feel?” Hongjoong asked when Wooyoung still hadn’t reported to him after a few beats of silence.

“Uh, sorry, I’m alright. Everything’s a-okay.”

“Do you feel ready to accept the pink?”

“Yeah,” Wooyoung was quick to say as he swirled his finger through the pink and looked down at his leg, “and I’m gonna use it to draw more hearts around our initials,” he teased as he began to do just that. “If I could, I’d take a picture of this and show it to you.” 

“You… do that. Take your time. Let me know when you’re done.”

Wooyoung hummed in acknowledgment as he added more and more pink ‘v’s of various sizes around the purple heart. Once he’d covered even the back of his thigh by twisting himself around, he deemed it enough and relaxed his posture, shaking out his limbs as he bounced on his toes. “Alright, I’m done!”

“Great, then you’re done! Take a moment to breathe and step out of the pink cloud before you turn around and look back. Look at all the clouds, all the colors you’ve walked through, how each of them has left its little trace on you and become a part of your protective barrier. It feels pretty good to see how much you’ve accomplished in such little time, doesn’t it? You took on all these sensations, all these colors and you’re still okay. It’s not so bad anymore, is it? They even feel familiar now.”

“I… You’re right,” Wooyoung realized. The sensations were all there again but he didn’t feel the need to panic anymore. He could distinguish them now because he’d gotten to build up to them, add them on one by one instead of getting flooded with everything at once.

“You’ve embraced the colors now, Wooyoung, which means it’s time to wake up. Close your eyes and count down with me.”

Doing as told, Wooyoung’s eyelids fluttered closed and the sensations became, once again, more noticeable, but not nearly as overwhelming as they had been. Now, he could tell them apart with ease, each one with its designated color, all painted onto himself by choice.

“Three…”

Dizziness set in as Wooyoung began to lose his sense of orientation. Instinctively, he knew he was no longer with the clouds.

“Two…”

He was lying down instead. And there was a rug under him.

“One.”

He could sense the protective embrace of the mansion. Hongjoong’s room. His head hurt a little from laying on nothing but a rug for so long.

“Open your eyes.”

The first thing he saw was a beautiful carved ceiling but as Wooyoung turned his head, his gaze landed on pretty features and expectant dark eyes partially covered by long bangs and, looking at that gorgeous face, Wooyoung couldn’t help but smile brightly as pure joy spread through him. 

“I see, you really are okay then?” Hongjoong asked before a small breathtaking smile bunched up his slightly rosy cheeks.

Sitting up, Wooyoung ignored the way the world unexpectedly spun all around him in a bout of dizziness and wrapped his arms around Hongjoong’s neck in a tight hug, squeezing him close. “It’s so good to see you and not just hear you.”

“It’s only been a few minutes.”

“Felt like hours.”

Chuckling, Hongjoong brought his arms around Wooyoung’s middle, his hands rubbing light circles and sending out blue tingles and purple shivers which Wooyoung accepted eagerly alongside the ones he’d already been feeling from still wearing the charm over his heart.

“Sucks that I didn’t get to keep the clothes,” Wooyoung mumbled and buried his face in Hongjoong’s shoulder to let the warmth wash over him. For a moment, he just let himself melt against the slim frame of his soulmate.

“I would’ve also liked to see it, to be honest.” The amusement was bright in Hongjoong’s tone, almost palpable. It seemed to fill the room with added light and when Wooyoung looked up…

“Wow.” In sheer awe, Wooyoung watched as tiny silver and golden spots of light began to rain down from the ceiling like raindrops on a warm spring day. Though more like sparks, they disappeared with a twinkle before they could collide with them or their surroundings. “Are you…”

“Since I used a lot of magic, the emotions behind my words may affect my surroundings for a bit,” Hongjoong explained. “But don’t worry, it usually wears off fairly quickly and it doesn’t affect people.”

Leaning back to cup Hongjoong’s cheeks and look at his warm eyes, Wooyoung found himself longing to feel more. “You’re amazing!”

“I know. They’ve been telling me that for a decade.”

Laughing, Wooyoung closed his eyes and brought their foreheads together, just feeling what he was feeling, all the colors washing over him. “You said we were gonna talk about my crush on you,” he said, his heart racing and cheeks flushing hot.

Hongjoong made no move to pull away. “You want to?”

“Maybe.”

“We don’t have to.”

“I kinda want to.”

“Yeah?” The giggle escaping Hongjoong was teasing and gave Wooyoung a thrill.

“I really like you.”

“Do you now?”

“Can we date?” Wooyoung could feel his heart race as the words slipped out.

“Sure.” The teasing, the amusement, Hongjoong still sounded more entertained than affected and it made Wooyoung want to push further.

“How about kissing?”

“Before we even went on a date?” Hongjoong’s tone was jokingly scolding.

“There’s nothing I can do to make you flustered, is there?” Leaning back a little, Wooyoung kept his hands on Hongjoong’s cheeks, tracing his thumbs back and forth as those deep dark eyes watched him with open curiosity and unveiled happiness.

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“You’re impossible,” Wooyoung muttered.

“You’re one to talk, Mr. Walking Mystery.”

Huffing a laugh, Wooyoung bumped their foreheads together again before he leaned back once more to dart his gaze from Hongjoong’s eyes to his lips. 

“You can if you want to,” Hongjoong said softly, invitingly, the smile still lingering. 

“I really want to…” Leaning in ever so slowly, Wooyoung let his eyes flutter shut and-

“Food’s here!” Jongho’s voice echoed all throughout the house, causing Wooyoung to flinch back and withdraw his hands from Hongjoong’s face.

Around them, the rain of sparkles turned into a rain of black and gold thumbtacks which, thankfully, also disappeared before they could land anywhere.

“Ay, that little shit,” Hongjoong muttered and chuckled to himself as he leaned back onto his palms, Wooyoung still on the brink of straight up sitting in his lap.

Cackling at the sudden shift in mood, Wooyoung couldn’t find it within himself to be mad or disappointed. They’d get their chance, surely, and until then… He darted forward to press a kiss to Hongjoong’s cheek, leaving him wide eyed and a little flustered. Delighted at finally being able to cause a reaction, Wooyoung chuckled and climbed to his feet before reaching down to offer his hand to Hongjoong. Around them, the thumbtacks turned to a rainbow flurry of flower petals. “Oh, Mr. Coven Head, am I making you feel like the lead in a romantic drama?”

Chuckling, Hongjoong shook his head and allowed Wooyoung to pull him up before he leaned into Wooyoung’s space to snatch up the cat collar from the desk right behind him, all the while making eye contact. “I recall you being the one who asked to kiss me.”

“I’m pretty sure I just asked you how you felt about it,” Wooyoung mumbled, though his gaze was already dropping back down to Hongjoong’s mouth. The atmosphere was just so perfect, wouldn’t it be a waste…

This time, it was Hongjoong who leaned in first. Their heads tilted, Wooyoung’s eyelids fluttered shut, there was that first spark of lips brushing and-

“Didn’t you hear me call you down because the food’s here?”

They both jerked back and turned to look at Jongho who was standing in the open doorway with the biggest, most mischievous smirk Wooyoung had ever seen on a person. 

Around them, the flower petals turned back into thumbtacks.

Chapter Text

For the first time in days, Wooyoung woke up fully recharged. Surrounded by soft sheets and the feeling of gentle puffs of breath fanning against his hair, he realized San must’ve wrapped him up and pulled him closer at some point during the night because, when his eyes fluttered open, he was looking at a wide chest covered by a thin black t-shirt. 

Smiling as his cheeks flushed hot, he let himself bathe in the soothing tingles which had joined the by now familiar sensations of his charmed necklace, and lightly pressed his forehead to San’s sternum, feeling his heartbeat and the strength of his lungs. This was real, they were both alive and here. Amidst the chaos that was his life, this was what mattered most. His soulmates.

“Hm… Young-ah?”

Relishing in getting to hear San’s sleepy voice first thing in the morning, Wooyoung huddled even closer and draped his arm around San’s waist. “Mornin’.”

“No demons?”

“No demons.”

“Good.” San hummed and tightened his hold around Wooyoung with a gentle squeeze which had Wooyoung giggling and curling his fingers against San’s back.

A comfortable silence settled around them as Wooyoung closed his eyes and listened to their steady breathing in the peaceful silence of the rest of the mansion. Beyond the warm golden glow of sunlight falling through the windows, there was no way to tell what time it was exactly, but he trusted San would let him know when they needed to get up and head out to the café.

“I think Nero is kneading my calf again,” San mumbled, sounding on the brink of sleep.

With a slight lift of his upper body, Wooyoung peeked down to find his daughter had stretched herself out behind San’s leg and was, indeed, baking biscuits with the sheets. Snickering, he dropped back down and looked up at his soulmate’s sleep-soft face. “She’s being very adorable.”

“Her claws are tearing up my skin.” Yet, San neither looked nor sounded like it.

“It shows how happy and comfortable she feels.”

“Hope she doesn’t get that from you.”

Laughing, Wooyoung lightly smacked San’s waist and felt him slightly shaking with his own snickers. 

“But seriously…” The gentleness in San’s tone instantly captivated Wooyoung who leaned back just enough to better make out San’s sleepy eyes which were aimed right at him. “I’m glad you two are safe now. Seeing those charms on you is… it’s such a relief. I swear, it absolutely sucked to leave the house when I knew I might end up getting a panicked phone call because either of you got attacked… or hurt… or worse.”

“Aw, Sannie…” Reaching up, Wooyoung brushed back San’s long bangs and lingered as he felt the sparks tingle his fingertips and watched San’s eyelids flutter. “I didn’t know. We could’ve face timed all day if you’d told me.”

A sweet smile spread across San’s face as he grabbed Wooyoung with both hands and pulled him right back up against his chest in a maneuver more reminiscent of how someone may treat a plush or pillow instead of a person. “How’re you so cute?” San muttered as he tucked a snickering Wooyoung under his chin.

“I’m just lovable like that!” came the no doubt muffled reply.

San’s unexpectedly loud burst of laughter sent Nero skittering off in the direction of the walk-in closet.

“Now you’ve done it, you scared the baby,” Wooyoung complained.

The urgency in San’s voice was lost in his breathy giggles. “Oh no, Nero!”

“You monster.”

“I didn’t mean to!”

Even as he pulled back and slowly shook his head, Wooyoung had a tough time suppressing his smile. “Big, big minus points today, dude. You’ll never get to sign the adoption papers at this rate.”

“It’s been, like, two days.”

“You disappoint me.”

Rolling his eyes with visibly fond amusement, San brushed his finger across the bridge of Wooyoung’s nose, causing his eyes to widen as blue tingles sparked across his face. At his reaction, a soft smile settled onto San’s face before he withdrew his hands entirely and tucked them close to his own chest. “I’m sorry.”

Still a little stunned by the small gesture, Wooyoung blinked at him. “You’re forgiven.”

The dimples in San’s face deepened as he chuckled again. “Yeah?”

“Yes. But! You’re lucky you’re in her dad’s good graces.”

“Am I now?”

Nodding, Wooyoung adjusted his position, folding his arm under his head, so he could comfortably look at San. “Which reminds me… Jongho told me you were talking about me in a special way after we first met.”

“That little snitch…” San made the words sound like a loving nickname.

“He’s a little shit for sure,” Wooyoung agreed, chuckling. “He totally ruined my chance to smooch Hongjoong.”

After a beat of stunned silence, San clapped a hand over his own mouth to muffle his laughter.

“It’s not funny!” But Wooyoung couldn’t stop himself from smiling either.

It took a good few seconds but, eventually, San calmed down enough to steady his breathing. “No, it’s not funny at all. It’s hilarious.”

Wooyoung reached over to smack San’s chest. “Asshole.”

Chuckling, San resumed his former curled up position. “But seriously, I didn’t expect Hongjoong to be the one to get to you first. Sneaky bastard.”

“Did y’all place bets or something?” Wooyoung asked, affronted.

“Of course not! He’s just normally last in line. Actually… I’m pretty sure Jongho’s never kissed him.”

“The rest of you have?”

“I’ve caught him twice.” There was actual pride in San’s voice that had Wooyoung chuckling. “But other than Seonghwa and Mingi, he doesn’t really kiss any of us regularly.”

“Wait, wait, hold up. Hongjoong and Mingi?”

Laughing at Wooyoung’s shock, San nodded. “Yeah, they tease each other a lot but, when it comes to praising Mingi, Hongjoong’s always first in line with Yunho.”

“Damn. I didn’t see that one coming.”

“Who’d you think got Mingi into pursuing music despite how discouraged it is? That big studio downstairs? When we found out Hongjoong had it put in, he let us believe it was for himself, but then we moved in and he immediately claimed the smaller one. Then he went up to Mingi and told him to go ahead and live out his passion to the fullest. Since then, Mingi’s been holed up in there day after day. Neither of them would ever say it with so many words but they absolutely adore each other.”

Wooyoung could feel the warmth spread in his chest as he listened to San’s words and thought back to Mingi’s eagerness when he showed him his studio. “That’s so cute, what the fuck.”

“I know, right?”

“But it won’t get me to forget about my question from earlier,” Wooyoung continued. “What were you telling everyone after we first met?”

“I…” 

“You?”

Dropping his gaze, San’s cheeks flushed a little as his voice grew lower, softer. “I told them I met someone at the store who came in to buy charms for his café. Someone cute and pretty, who managed to make my heart race and stomach flutter just by being there. Someone who made me laugh and feel curious, with expressive eyes and a big personality. I told them I met a young man named Wooyoung and I think he might be our soulmate..”

Reliving their first meeting like that, Wooyoung was left blushing as his pulse quickened. “You wanna know what I did after I left your store that day?”

Glancing over at him, his cheeks still a little rosy, San offered him a “yes.”

“I called Minjae and yelled at him for not warning me about how hot you are,” Wooyoung admitted and was instantly met with laughter which he happily joined. “It’s true! I was genuinely upset, like, how dare you keep this guy from me?”

Clutching his stomach, San struggled to get his words out as he held up his palm. “Stop, stop! You’re telling me- “ he paused to breathe “-I went home and told everyone how perfect you are while you were yelling at a kid ‘cause you thought I was hot?”

“It’s a compliment!”

Shaking his head, San kept snickering. “Gosh, how did we ever live without you?”

His chest filled with happy adoration, Wooyoung rolled onto his back and looked up at the bespelled ceiling which reflected the beautiful sky above the house. Fluffy clouds drifted by, their edges glimmering in the pastel tones of the rising sun. He was a little sad to have lost the twinkling stars he’d gotten to see as sleep crawled up on him the night before, but this was no less breathtaking. “I should be the one asking you that,” he said softly.

“I don’t think you understand how precious you already are to all of us.” San’s tone was still light but there was a newfound earnesty behind his words as he reached out to nudge Wooyoung’s jaw his way, setting off sparks with his fingertips. “I can’t imagine living without you anymore. None of us can.”

His gaze darting back and forth between San’s deep brown eyes, Wooyoung let the words sink in before he blinked slowly and felt the corners of his lips tug up. “Okay. Then we’re on the same page.”

Returning the smile, San let his hand drift to cup the side of Wooyoung’s head. “I think you’re hot too, by the way.”

Instantly breaking into full on cackles, Wooyoung threw himself across the bed and flopped fully onto San with zero consideration. The impact audibly knocked the breath out of San but his gleeful laughter returned right away as he wrapped his arms around Wooyoung to get him to stop squirming.

“I hope you know I’ll keep bringing that up for the rest of our lives,” San teased as Wooyoung kept shaking with laughter on top of him.

“I stand by it!”

“I’m glad.”

Calming down, Wooyoung came to rest on San’s chest as warmth and tingles washed over him. Getting to hear the effect he had on someone else was a powerful thing. The fast pitter patter of the heart beating against his cheek, the quickened breathing rushing in and out of San’s lungs. It gave him pause and made their entire situation feel more real, more meaningful, as his mind began to put their circumstances into context. They were laying in bed together, cuddling, and they were soulmates with obvious and even openly acknowledged attraction to each other, so… how much faster would that heart beat if he were to lean up right now and-

“What’re you thinking about?” There was a mischievous edge to San’s tone, as if he’d read his thoughts.

“What do you think I’m thinking about?”

“Hm, I don’t know.”

“No ideas? How boring, Sannie-” Breaking off into a burst of shrieking laughter as a finger poked his side, Wooyoung squirmed in San’s hold for a moment. “Alright, I’m sorry!”

“So what were you thinking about?”

“What do you think I was thinking about- and no tickling!”

Suddenly chuckling, San answered. “I think you were thinking about ‘smooching’.”

Lifting his head, Wooyoung smacked San’s chest again. “Stop making fun of me!”

“Make me!”

“Ha, I don’t fall for those tropes. You’re gonna have to come down here and kiss me yourself.” Even as he was saying it, Wooyoung could feel the heat rise in his cheeks which only served to brighten the teasing grin on San’s face.

“Sorry, I can’t reach you like this. You’re kinda laying halfway on top of me.”

“That’s it, I’m gonna go get breakfast by myself-” Looking away, Wooyoung rose to his knees, but quickly found himself getting yanked back down as intended. Within seconds, he went from laughing to landing with his forearms on San’s chest and their faces only centimeters apart. Mentally, he thanked Yeosang for developing toothpaste that completely eradicated bad breath. “You need something?”

Tilting his head, San looked up at him with searching eyes and a small smile, his hands still cradling the sides of Wooyoung’s ribcage. “I…” His gaze kept darting from Wooyoung’s eyes to his lips and back as his cheeks grew noticeably flushed. 

The sudden shift in the air between them caused Wooyoung to soften. Reaching up, he slid his fingers through San’s messy bangs, his gaze following the motion as he heard San’s breath hitch. He imagined a beautiful sky blue, first tinting the strands, and then following his fingertips as they danced across San’s cheekbone until they reached the corner of San’s mouth and brushed against the bottom lip just once. He smiled again as he met San’s dazed eyes. “Anything you’d like to ask for?”

Beautiful dark eyes blinked once, twice, as San seemed to come back to himself. Silently, he slid a hand between them and reached up to cup the nape of Wooyoung’s neck. The touch was warm, prickling, until he pulled ever so lightly.

Smiling at the unspoken invitation, Wooyoung leaned down and pressed their lips together. As they touched, electricity sparked, bringing with it a flood of adrenaline that made his heart race fast enough he could barely feel anything else. And yet, he didn’t feel the urge to pull away, rather he wanted to press closer. So he did. His lips parted as San breathed out between them and slightly angled his head-

Wooyoung shot back up as claws sank into his foot. Fully rolling off San, Wooyoung whirled around to find Nero sitting at the foot of the bed with big innocent green eyes. 

“Ow, what the fuck, dude?” he whined at his cat who slightly tilted her head in response. 

He took a moment to close his eyes and calm himself before he checked in on San who was still just laying there on his back, a palm now pressed over his heart as he panted and turned to meet his eyes.

Laughing, Wooyoung shook his head and fell back into the sheets. “That was her revenge for earlier, no doubt.” He ran a hand down his face. “But why am I getting punished?”

“You were in alliance with the enemy,” San joked.

They both broke into a fit of giggles which didn’t stop for a good few seconds as the adrenaline slowly wore off. Eventually, Nero walked up between them and began to purr as she bumped her nose into San’s side, then Wooyoung’s. Fully incapable of having resentment against her, Wooyoung reached up to scratch her little head.

“You hungry, baby?” Wooyoung asked. “You wanna go down for breakfast?”

Walking up onto his chest, Nero brought their faces close together and booped their noses before she sat back and looked into his eyes. 

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He looked over to San and smiled at his still flushed cheeks. “Are you coming with?”

“I’ll be down in a few minutes. I’ve just gotta answer my emails first since I’ll be at the café with you today.”

Nodding, Wooyoung glanced back down at Nero and cradled her to his chest as he darted forward to peck San’s cheek before he fled the scene, giving him zero time to react.

When he arrived downstairs a few seconds later, he found Seonghwa sitting on one of the barstools at the counter with Hongjoong standing between his legs, his hands draped across Seonghwa’s shoulders. They were speaking softly, the atmosphere around them warm and peaceful as they smiled and laughed until Hongjoong leaned in to press the most fleeting of kisses to Seonghwa’s lips. The second he pulled back, he turned around and headed to the nearby counter where he readied the coffee maker as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, Seonghwa was left to follow him with soft eyes and an even softer smile.

“Morning, guys!” Wooyoung announced himself, a little gleeful at having witnessed a stolen moment between the two. 

“Ah, Wooyoung, how was your night?” Seonghwa asked as he slid off his seat to approach him.

While Nero wiggled out of his arms, Wooyoung looked over to check her food bowls which were placed under the window behind the dining table. He found them empty, but luckily, Hongjoong must’ve also noticed her predicament because he’d already bent down to open the newly established cat food cabinet.

Relaxing, Wooyoung focused back on Seonghwa. “I just passed right out for, like, ten hours straight so I feel great.”

“We’re happy to hear it!” Hongjoong said, a smile in his voice as he crouched down to refill Nero’s bowls.

“Are you looking forward to reopening the café?” Seonghwa asked.

“Sannie asked me the same thing…” Wooyoung rounded the kitchen island and walked his fingers across the smooth surface. “It’ll be nice to get some sense of normalcy back, I guess, but it’ll be weird to just start doing readings for customers again as if nothing had changed.”

“That’s understandable.”

Nodding, Wooyoung rested his elbows on the counter. “But how about you guys, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“Hm, Jongho’s got his lecture,” Hongjoong began as he tossed the empty cat food package into the trash compartment under the sink behind Wooyoung. “Mingi and I are gonna work on some music and stay here with Nero, San’s coming with you of course, and the rest all have client appointments.” After washing his hands, Hongjoong stepped up beside Wooyoung and leaned against the counter, his arms crossed as he gave him a slow once over. When his eyes met Wooyoung’s, he tilted his head a little. “I’m really gonna miss seeing you in my clothes.”

“Yeah?” Angling himself toward Hongjoong, Wooyoung grinned and shuffled a little closer, hyper aware of the energy emitted by the charm resting over his heart. “I’m already carrying this piece of you everywhere I go but it’s still not enough for you? Possessive much?”

A smile tugged at Hongjoong’s mouth as he shrugged. “Maybe I am.”

“Hm, I see. Maybe I’ll just move my clothes into your closet then. A shared wardrobe, just boyfriend things…”

Muffled laughter had Wooyoung glancing over to find Seonghwa standing there with a palm over his mouth as he quickly averted his eyes.

“How do you feel about sharing clothes?” Wooyoung asked him.

Clearing his throat, Seonghwa dropped his hand. “I’m fine with anyone wearing my hoodies and stuff but anything that’s fitted is off limits.”

“I can respect that.”

Shaking his head with another small chuckle, Seonghwa rounded the island and patted Wooyoung’s head in passing. “Let’s get started on breakfast so you can open your café on time.”

“What are we having?” Hongjoong asked as he turned to follow Seonghwa with his eyes.

“Whatever we have the ingredients for.”

They both trailed over to Seonghwa who began checking the cabinets. 

“Go sit at the counter, Joong-ah, you know the rules,” Seonghwa said off-handedly.

Cackling in delight, Wooyoung watched an actual pout settle onto Hongjoong’s face as he wandered off without argument.

“The place still feels weird,” Wooyoung complained as they stepped into the café and the smell of frankincense overwhelmed his senses, weighing down the air he was trying to breathe. “Ugh, I fucking hate how this stuff absorbs everything, even the good vibes. It’s gonna take ages until it feels like it did before.”

Flicking on the lights, San followed him deeper into the building once he’d carefully closed the door behind them. “Better that than demonic activity,” he reminded Wooyoung.

“Yeah… I guess.”

For a few minutes, they just wandered around the lower, then the upper floor, collecting burners as they went and inspected every nook and cranny. Thankfully, the only demonic reminder still to be found were shards from the broken bathroom mirror, some of which had gotten dragged out into the hallway.

“We can take care of that later,” Wooyoung said in passing. “I’m gonna get everything set up for the customers first.”

“Anything I can help with?” San asked. 

“Hm, you can open all the windows up here and then come down and help me with the chairs.”

“Nice.”

An hour and five newly lit scented candles later, Wooyoung flipped the door sign to open and claimed his seat behind the cash counter while they settled in to wait for the first customer.

It was fairly easy to fall back into a routine. Even with someone new there, it felt like he’d traveled back in time, welcoming customer after customer while San navigated the space with an inexplicable sense of familiarity. It left Wooyoung second guessing his own reality, had it really not always been the both of them? Was he maybe remembering things wrong and they’d actually known each other for years? Because that was sure what it felt like as they moved effortlessly around each other like it was second nature. Even the customers smiled at San as if they already knew and trusted him. Suddenly, the idea of opening the café every day for the next few decades didn’t seem so bad anymore.

“Lunch break!” Wooyoung announced brightly as he flipped the door sign and twirled around to look at San who now stood a few meters in front of him with a happy dimpled smile. “What do you feel like eating?”

Tilting his head, San seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Korean barbecue?”

“Let’s go then, there’s a place just down the street!”

Heading out, Wooyoung made sure to lock the door firmly before he stuffed the key into his pocket and reached out to take San’s hand, relishing in the sparks and tingles adding onto the sensations brought on by the charm. He glanced up to gauge San’s reaction and, luckily, found nothing but a happy little smile before San lightly squeezed his fingers as they began their little stroll.

“It’s like a date, isn’t it?” Wooyoung prodded as he swung their hands between them. “Us going out to eat. Alone. Holding hands.”

“I guess it kinda is,” came San’s reply, a teasing undertone in his voice.

“Maybe we should call it that then, what do you think?”

“Hm… I guess we could.”

Frowning at the unclear answer, Wooyoung turned to face San’s side profile, noting the little grin. “You’re messing with me on purpose, you ass!”

Breaking into laughter, San tugged Wooyoung closer before he unlaced their hands in favor of fully wrapping his arm around Wooyoung and tucking him into his side.

Warmth and comfort, like a hot shower on a cold winter’s day. For a second, Wooyoung felt his eyelids droop as he relished in the feeling before he caught hold of himself and wrapped his own arms around San’s middle to cuddle even closer in reminiscence of that morning, forcing them to slow down and stumble along, the few pedestrians be damned. The majority of the townsfolk would be nothing but happy for him anyway.

“It already feels like I’ve known you for at least half my life,” Wooyoung mumbled, echoing his earlier thoughts.

“Pretty nice to find your soulmates, isn’t it?” San replied, his voice low before he pressed a fleeting but tingling kiss to the crown of Wooyoung’s head. 

Chuckling, Wooyoung nodded against San’s chest. If he could have this for the rest of his life, he knew he’d be able to handle any demons coming his way.

By the time the sun began to set in a spectacle of pinks, blues, and oranges, they were nearing closing time and San had gone off to his client a couple of hours ago while Jongho had come in to take over as Wooyoung’s guardian since he’d already wrapped up his schedule for the day. With the charm now in play, Wooyoung wondered if the guardian thing was still necessary or merely a justification for spending time together but he wasn’t about to voice the thought and potentially ruin a good thing.

“Why the fuck would you have that thing delivered to my address?” Wooyoung asked as he looked down at the package on the cash counter between them which Jongho had just accepted from the delivery person.

“Yeosang, Mingi, San, and Seonghwa hate it when I order these,” came the casual answer as Jongho ripped off the tape and unfolded the top of the blank cardboard box. There was no brand name anywhere, no logo, just a handwritten address on the top.

“The vibe of this thing is so off,” Wooyoung muttered as he shook out his tingling hands and felt the clamminess of his palms grow with his increasing anxiety.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.” With steady hands, Jongho took off a layer of plastic filling which uncovered the main attraction of the box’s contents: a doll. A fairly small thing, maybe the size of Yunho’s hand. It was clearly hand crafted with a lot of attention to detail, vintage, if not antique, and wore a beautiful dress covered in fine stitching that gave its layered skirts shape and volume befitting its elegant updo and delicately painted features.

“That thing’s haunted, isn’t it?” Wooyoung stated.

“Yup.”

“Jongho.” Taking a deep breath, Wooyoung tore his gaze away from the doll. “Why did you get a haunted doll delivered to my café which we literally just got demon free?”

“I told you, some of the others don’t like it when I buy these.”

“But why do you buy these?”

“I don’t like the thought of random humans keeping them for entertainment or social media content. I’d rather have them come to me so I can free the spirits. They shouldn’t have to live out their afterlifes trapped on this plane.”

“Oh… I didn’t think of that.” Wooyoung glanced back down at the doll. “Sorry, spirit chained to this beautiful, masterfully crafted doll, I absolutely do not mean any disrespect.” He looked back up at Jongho. “Please tell me you’re not gonna bring it back home and force us to sleep in the same house.”

“Jongho, no!” Yeosang whined the moment he caught sight of the box in Jongho’s hands. 

“Don’t tell me he did it again!” Seonghwa called out before he stormed over from the seating area. “Jongho! We just had a meeting about this!”

Slowly and under steady eye contact, Jongho stepped back behind Wooyoung to use him as a human shield. “It needs my help!” he defended himself.

There was visibly conflict on Yeosang’s face as he looked from Jongho and Wooyoung over to Seonghwa who maintained a stern frown. “You said that last time too and then the spirit destroyed my fairy garden! You know how hard it is to regain nature spirit’s trust once it’s been broken! They thought they were safe with me and that grumpy guy ruined everything!” 

“And I’m still really sorry about that but this time is different!”

Sighing deeply, Yeosang visibly deflated. “Fine.”

“Thank you. Seonghwa?” Jongho’s cheek rested against Wooyoung’s shoulder as he peeked around him while the box pressed to Wooyoung’s back caused the protective charm to spark against his chest. It had to be warding off the darker vibes emitted by the haunted doll.

“Fine, but if it won’t go into the light peacefully, you better not confront it in the house!”

Bouncing back, Jongho gleefully rushed past them and up the stairs which he took two steps at a time until he disappeared from sight. While absolutely unable to relate, Wooyoung still couldn’t help but smile at Jongho’s eagerness and excitement.

Clearly, it was the same for the other two since they’d also turned to watch him go and were now shaking their heads with fond smiles as their attention returned to Wooyoung who pointed over his shoulder at the driveway. “Do either of you wanna help me unload the car? I brought a bunch of stuff from my apartment.”

Later that evening, when they were all gathered around the dining table, it was San who waltzed through the front door with two large plastic bags full of take out and immediately zeroed in on Jongho. “You forced one of those cursed dolls through my wards again, didn’t you?” he accused.

“It’s haunted, not cursed,” Jongho and Yunho said simultaneously.

“That’s not the point!” San fired back as he toed off his shoes and hurried closer with Wooyoung getting up to take one of the bags from him to place it on the table where Hongjoong began to unpack its contents. Clearly, he didn’t care too much about the conversation which was a rather surprising development.

“What do you mean, he brought one of those things home again?” Mingi burst out, jumping up. “How could you? Traitor!”

“The spirit needs my help and Yeosang and Seonghwa already agreed.” The words were spoken casually and with a blank face as Jongho crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.

“What the fuck, you two?” 

“Where’s that thing now?” San asked as he handed the second bag off to Wooyoung who passed it onto Hongjoong again. 

“Upstairs in my room in the smoke case,” Jongho answered.

With a drawn out sigh, San flopped onto the last empty chair beside Wooyoung and ran a hand down his face. “I swear to everything that’s magic, Jong-ah, if I find a single damn ghost standing over my bed when I wake up tonight, I’m gonna-”

“No threats over dinner!” Hongjoong warned.

“Fine.” Folding his arms, San dropped his gaze and pouted.

Patting his shoulder in sympathy, Wooyoung sat back down and settled in for dinner.

“How was the lecture, Jong-ah?” Yunho asked as Hongjoong began handing around containers. 

Immediately, the atmosphere shifted to the familiar comfort and coziness which they all seemed to instinctively settle into at the prospect of delicious food. There was something inherently lovely about getting to share a meal with his soulmates, Wooyoung found. It felt like peace, like belonging, like home.

“Frustrating as always,” Jongho answered, annoyance underlying his tone as he picked up his chopsticks and began filling up his bowl. “None of them have any idea what they’re even talking about and yet, they’re the ones making the rules.”

“Classic!” Mingi commented.

“Did you get the invite?” Hongjoong asked.

“Yeah, Cape’s gonna send me one.”

“Which only leaves…” Trailing off, Hongjoong looked to Seonghwa.

“Eyebrows.”

“Right. And you’ll see him… tomorrow?”

Nodding, Seonghwa reached out to drop some vegetables onto Hongjoong’s pile of rice, triggering a disgusted nose scrunch which he strategically ignored to Wooyoung’s amusement. “It should be fairly easy to get an invite outta him. He loves me.”

“You did heal his cancer.”

Huffing a laugh, Mingi began mixing the contents of his bowl. “Yeah, I guess that’d do it for most people.”

“I have a proposal!” San spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention. “I propose we move Mingi’s Movie Monday to tonight so the ghost can’t catch any of us alone!” 

“You’re still thinking about that?” Jongho asked, laughter in his voice.

“It’s not funny, ghosts are scary!”

“They’re just people.”

“They don’t follow the laws of physics!”

“Maybe not Newtonian but when you follow Einstein’s-”

“You follow one astronomy channel-”

“They’ve made a lot of videos-”

“I know! You’re smart, we know , but-”

“Jongho,” Yunho spoke up, interrupting both of them, “you can discuss your favorite theory of everything some other time-”

“I wasn’t even talking about quantum field-”

“Right now, San gets to ask for votes on his proposal,” Yunho continued with a pointed look.

“I wasn’t trying to stop him from getting votes,” Jongho defended himself.

“I’m with Jongho!” Hongjoong announced.

“You’re only mad ‘cause you lost Mingi’s Movie Monday privileges!” Mingi complained, his chopsticks stabbing in Hongjoong’s direction.

“I didn’t even say we shouldn’t move it to tonight!” Jongho argued.

“I’m with San!” Yeosang said before he shoved a bite of food in his mouth.

“Since when can we even ask for votes outside of coven meetings?” Seonghwa asked.

Cackling as he filled his bowl, Wooyoung shook his head. “Dinner conversations in this household are a fucking mess.”

“And that’s exactly why we started the coven meetings,” San replied with a sigh.

“Show of hands for who’s in favor of moving Mingi’s Movie Monday to tonight!” Yunho called out.

Everyone’s hands went up.

“Why’d you even say you were with Jongho then?” San complained at Hongjoong who shrugged with a mischievous little grin.

Hours later, Wooyoung and Seonghwa were the only ones still awake while the fifth episode in a row began to auto-play on the projector screen in the seating area. Wooyoung hadn’t even noticed the rolled up screen before and, with the beam projector itself also sneakily hidden in a wooden ceiling compartment, his excitement had kept him hyped and snacking for quite some time before he’d fully snuggled in between Seonghwa and Yeosang. 

“I’m calling it right now, he’s gonna die,” Wooyoung commented as he pet Nero who’d curled up on his lap about an hour ago. 

“He better not,” Seonghwa replied as his fingers absentmindedly played with Hongjoong’s hair. Their coven head had curled up halfway through the first episode and proceeded to fall asleep with his head in Seonghwa’s lap no more than ten minutes later. “What was that?” 

“Huh?” Looking up from Hongjoong’s sleeping face, Wooyoung followed Seonghwa’s gaze to somewhere near the bathroom door. “What do you mean?”

“I thought I just saw-” Seonghwa broke off as a cold breeze blew across them, ruffling their hair. 

“Shit,” Wooyoung whispered as a shadowy figure began to materialize just behind the empty armchair Nero usually slept on. There were no features, no dimensions, it was merely a mass of shadows. A figure made of absolute darkness, just hovering there and, despite its lack of eyes, Wooyoung simply knew it was looking right at him.

“Crap.” Unable to look anywhere else but the spirit, Wooyoung could only hear as Jongho moved around in his seat on the couch somewhere to his right. “Hello, my name is Jongho and these are my soulmates. May I know your name?”

Glancing over, Wooyoung watched as Jongho got up and approached the figure with a friendly smile and nonthreatening body language. 

“Do you not want to talk?”

Feeling the spirit’s attention move over to Jongho, Wooyoung could breathe a little easier and glanced down at Nero who was intently watching the spirit but, surprisingly, without fear. There was merely apprehension. 

“If you’re having trouble communicating directly, maybe-”

“Wooyoung.”

Jongho’s head turned to look back at Wooyoung whose eyes widened as he realized his name had been whispered by the shadowy figure. “Huh?”

Chapter Text

“Did… did you just say my name?” Stunned, Wooyoung reached over to place Nero on Yeosang’s lap without ever looking away from the spirit, ignoring how Yeosang startled awake as a result.

“Help.”

Another whisper, barely audible even after Seonghwa had paused the drama on a bright scene, presumably to provide a source of illumination in the room where each of them was too far away from the nearest light switch.

“I think you may have an easier time manifesting after I remove your vessel from the smoke case,” Jongho informed the spirit. “Would you like to come with me so we can do that together?”

As Jongho was holding the spirit’s attention, Wooyoung slowly approached them on unsteady legs, his eyes unblinkingly set on the mass of shadows. 

The closer he got, the harder it got to suppress his fear and fully focus on what he was sensing about the spirit itself but, to him, it was getting quite clear the spirit wasn’t evil like the demons were, thankfully, though it certainly didn’t feel like it belonged in this world either which made sense given its status as a long-dead human. 

As a witch specialized in the realm of the paranormal, Jongho must’ve already drawn all his conclusions the second he opened the box in the café, but Wooyoung hadn’t dealt with this type of being in a long time, so for him, it was only now that he could actually feel with his heart what he was facing: a lost part of a soul. Someone who’d died and gotten trapped on this plane, willfully or not, and more importantly, someone who wasn’t happy with the cards they’d been dealt with. The emotions wafting off the spirit were intense.

“Wooyoung,” the voice whispered again.

“How do you know my name?” Wooyoung asked as he stopped near the armchair the spirit was standing behind.

“You can talk to them after they’ve had the chance to fully manifest,” Jongho told him as he brushed past him on his way to the stairs. “Feel free to come along if you want!” 

Unsure if Jongho was talking to him or the spirit, Wooyoung awkwardly made what he assumed to be eye contact with the black mass standing opposite him.

“If Jongho thinks it’s safe to leave us here with them, we should trust him,” Hongjoong spoke up somewhere behind him and proceeded to yawn. “He knows what he’s doing.”

Glancing over his shoulder for just a second before he focused back on the spirit, Wooyoung caught a glimpse of Hongjoong scratching Nero behind the ears in passing as he came closer. The cat, meanwhile, was still seated on Yeosang’s lap.

“Everyone up?” Seonghwa asked into the room at large which resulted in mumbled confirmations from all sides.

“Welcome to our home!” Hongjoong greeted as he folded his hands on Wooyoung’s shoulder and leaned into his side while facing the spirit. “We can properly introduce ourselves after Jongho has finished doing his thing upstairs. I, for one, am really curious how you know our Wooyoung.”

“Should we just be assuming they’re friendly?” The concern was clear in San’s voice.

“It doesn’t feel or appear threatening,” Hongjoong said lightly.

“The vibes coming from the box the doll came in were a bit off though,” Wooyoung mumbled near Hongjoong’s ear, his worries and nervousness lessening with every second Hongjoong spent by his side.

“That’s not their fault though,” came Hongjoong’s reply as he gestured at the spirit. “And look at Nero, she’s not hissing. As an animal, she’d be able to sense evil.”

“Fair point.”

Behind them, Yunho walked closer until he was directly facing the spirit who still seemed to just be watching them, completely unmoving and unresponsive. A simple silent presence like a three dimensional statue made of nothing but shadows.

“I love you for your faith in our abilities and our cat’s judgment,” Yunho began, “but you know Jongho’s had misplaced faith in ghosts’ good will before and yes, none of them were ever evil, but most of them caused us quite a bit of trouble, not to mention how much they always scare-”

“They were distraught, you can’t blame them for that!” Jongho called out between panting breaths as he dashed down the stairs, the doll clutched in his hand. By the time he’d skidded to a stop on Wooyoung’s other side, his breathing was labored. He must’ve truly sprinted the entire way there and back. “I’ve got your vessel here but it might still take a couple of minutes before you can become a full body apparition.”

“I can’t believe we have to deal with this after we just woke up,” Mingi complained from somewhere behind them.

“Who do you think it is?” Yeosang’s voice was low as he raised the question but likely not low enough to not be heard by the spirit.

There was a shift in the opaque shadows. Movement. Behind Wooyoung, someone gasped as the figure lifted their hands and angled their head to look down at them. Light, which was previously fully absorbed, began to refract off parts of the spirit, highlighting its features and seemingly breathing life into it. The spirit began to move more, taking a step back and looking down at their own body as, ever so slowly, Wooyoung could begin to make out a face, hair, and clothing.

The first thing he realized was it was a modern spirit, someone who must’ve died within the last decade or so, going by their clothing and hairstyle. And no less than a few seconds later, he realized he knew exactly who he was looking at.

“Yeonjun?” Wooyoung whispered, his heart sinking as he involuntarily stepped forward and reached out his hand.

“Wooyoung?” the spirit replied, voice now louder and clear as if it were coming from a living, breathing human. With eyes as large and round as when he’d still been alive, Yeonjun met his friend’s eyes.

“Who… when… how?” Frantic, Wooyoung looked the spirit over, taking in every part of its body and trying to figure out what had happened and how his friend had ended up here.

“Yeonjun?” Jongho echoed. “Is that your name?”

“I- I haven’t seen you in so long,” Wooyoung stammered, “how did you…”

Instantly, Yeonjun’s entire demeanor changed. His brow furrowed, his eyes darkened, his entire being became less translucent, took on more color to the point where he now appeared fully and solidly human. In that moment, it became clear it was his rage  which tethered him to this plane. “It was my adoptive father.”

“Oh…” was all Wooyoung could whisper as his mind was dragged back to the short time they’d known each other and the realization he’d had just recently.

“He was the friend you told us about, wasn’t he?” Jongho said softly to which Wooyoung could only nod. 

It was tough to listen to what everyone was saying when his mind was so ensnared by memories as his gaze darted across his dead friend’s features. He recalled how attached at the hip they’d been the second they discovered each other’s status as a witch. All those shared lunch breaks, the secret spellcasting practice, the weekends spent on playgrounds and in parks, exchanging whispered secrets and confessions about feeling inadequate and left out in their own families, it was all dragged back to the surface. And now all he could do was feel guilty about the rarity with which he’d thought about that time over the years.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Jongho said, now addressing Yeonjun, “but you can’t dwell on your life if you want to ever find peace.”

“I can’t find peace when I know he’s still alive and breathing!” Yeonjun shot back, his normally soft features warped with fury.

“Would it help you if you could tell us what happened?” Jongho asked calmly.

“I’m here to talk to Wooyoung but…  you guys seem close so he’d probably tell you later anyway.”

His thoughts racing, Wooyoung could feel himself spiraling as more and more information and memories piled up. Eventually, all he could do was physically shake his head in an attempt to clear it but even then, it was tough to get the words from his brain to his mouth. “Where- How’d you know you’d find me here?” 

“I didn’t but I could hear you while I was in the box.”

“So Jongho finding that specific doll was just a coincidence?”

“I guess so.”

“Souls who need us will eventually find us,” Jongho explained. “Energy lines in particular lead lost souls to the nearest person powerful enough to open portals so they can find their way home. The only problem is the outsiders constantly interfering with the process by trying to profit off of haunted items and buildings. It’s why I started buying up any legitimate looking haunted objects I can find.”

“What about me then?” There was an unreadable emotion behind Yeonjun’s question,  tugging at Wooyoung’s heart strings. “Where was I sold?” 

“A third party seller.” By Jongho’s tone alone, it was clear he’d also sensed the shift in Yeonjun’s attitude. His tone was full of empathy, worry, care, even as his words remained factual. “They accept anonymous packages from people who wish to… discard a haunted item and then verify the donation’s validity.”

Turning away from them, Yeonjun threw back his head and ran a hand down his face. “He fucking bound me to my mother’s doll and shipped me off to some random guy.” His tone was brinking on hysteria. “I can’t fucking believe this.”

Pulling away from Hongjoong whose gaze was palpable as it followed him, Wooyoung rounded the armchair and stepped up to Yeonjun’s side, leaving a mere meter of space between them. Seeing his friend this up close, a realization came to him, one which made the reality of the situation all the more brutal. Their height difference, it was just too big, and Yeonjun’s features, they were still so round with baby fat. They were no longer the same age. He must’ve only lived a few more years, no more than five, after they were forced apart in their childhood. His throat tight and chest heavy, Wooyoung dared to ask what they’d likely all been wondering. “What happened, Yeonjun?” 

As their eyes met, something within Yeonjun  shifted again. His expression became more sorrowful, his gaze searching. “He killed me to save himself. But, Wooyoung, it wasn’t just him who was there. Your aunt was too.”

Stunned, Wooyoung could feel his jaw and shoulders drop and lips part. “What?”

Yeonjun nodded repeatedly. “It was her, my adoptive dad, and I. We were in the council’s basement, and I don’t know what they were doing, but I know it was unsanctioned.”

Blinking repeatedly, Wooyoung tried to straighten out his thoughts. “What- But- How- How did that lead to you…”

“Listen to this,” Yeonjun started, his tone already shifting back to something more vicious. “That day, my dad comes into my room in the middle of the night, drags me right outta bed, barefoot, in pajamas and all, and drives me to his work, to the council building, right? So, the place is completely empty which means he can just drag me straight through the lobby and throw me into some empty meeting room in the goddamn basement without anyone noticing. 

“So I’m in that room, I’m confused as fuck, all my questions have been getting ignored, I don’t have my phone, and I was just thrown against the edge of a damn glass table, and all he tells me is ‘wait here’ before he fucking locks the door so I can’t leave, even if I wanted to. Hours later, he storms in all frantic, grabs me again and drags me down the hall into some giant room where I see your aunt lying on a bed with her eyes closed. 

“She’s, like, shaking and covered in claw marks, drenched in sweat and blood and breathing super loudly, and my father tells me to kneel down next to her. Obviously, I try to get away but the guy is strong as fuck and I know he’s trained in combat magic so there’s only so much I can do, so I end up kneeling down. 

“‘Create a bridge’ is what he tells me. I’m like ‘What?’. He goes ‘Create a bridge and feed her your energy!’ and I realize he wants me to do that thing I taught you when we were younger. That thing we used to do so we could try out spells together, remember? Except, the problem here is, she…” His voice trailed off for a moment. “She wasn’t really conscious which meant she didn’t know when to stop…” 

Watching his friend with wide teary eyes, all Wooyoung could get out was a whisper. “I- I’m so sorry…”

“I don’t blame her at all,” Yeonjun was quick to say, “it’s him I’m pissed at. Like, what the fuck was he doing there?”

“Who’s your father?” For the first time  in a while, Jongho made himself known and drew both their attention. “Or what’s your last name?”

“Choi.”

“Fuck,” Jongho whispered. 

“Is that Bowling Shirt?” Yeosang asked, now a part of the crowd which had gathered around Hongjoong and Jongho. Where Nero had wandered off to, Wooyoung could no longer tell but she was likely still somewhere nearby.

“No, no, it’s Shoes,” Hongjoong replied.

“Guys, it’s Mustache!” San spoke up, even as he was wiping tears from his cheeks. “Right, Yeonjun? That asshole has this massive uneven mustache?”

“He does,” Yeonjun confirmed, visibly perplexed.

“Don’t mind them,” Wooyoung quickly interrupted and reached out to grab Yeonjun’s shoulder, only to watch his hand pass right through him, leaving it cold and prickling. “Sorry…”

“It’s okay.”
“Do you remember what date this happened?” Hongjoong asked.

With a frown, Yeonjun’s gaze dropped. “I… I’m not sure.”

“Do you remember how old you were?”

“Fifteen.”

“Yeonjun…” The whisper escaped Wooyoung before he could hold it back. They didn’t get to be friends for long but they’d been close, bonded by their shared fate. Knowing the child he’d known would never get to be his age because of his own damn father nonetheless, adopted or not, knowing he’d died while slowly getting drained of his own life force, it made his heart clench and lungs ache as if he were suffocating.

“I know why you’re angry, and trust me, you have every right to be,” Jongho said softly, “but you have to let it go and trust Wooyoung, trust us, to handle it and get justice. You’ve been trapped here long enough and it’s time you move on and find peace in the light like you should’ve gotten so long ago.”

The longer Jongho spoke, the more violently Yeonjun shook his head. “No. No! You don’t get it! I can’t rest until I see him die!”

Stepping closer, his hands raised in a placating gesture, Jongho rounded the armchair to join Yeonjun’s other side. “I know you wanna see him brought to justice and you will, but it can’t be on this plane. It’s not safe here for you. The longer you stay here, the more tainted your energy will become and eventually, you could become tethered to a demon.”

“Then keep me safe here until it’s over if you’re so sure you can handle it!”

“He’s got a point,” Mingi stepped in. “We can keep him safe until he’s had the chance to serve as a witness in his own murder trial. It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened.”

“He’s right,” Yunho agreed, “post-mortem witness testimony is permissible in a criminal court. We could get a lawyer and take Mustache down the legal way.”

Looking around at everyone, Wooyoung could witness the moment the gears began to turn in Hongjoong’s brain. His gaze dropped and brow furrowed, about half a minute ticked by until he finally nodded to himself and spoke up: “He’s part of the council and they’re gonna try everything within their power to protect one of their own which means all those reinforced wards San put up over the last few days will come in handy in case they send someone to come looking for Yeonjun. 

“We’d also have to make sure we get a lawyer who’s known to take on similar cases so they’ll be immune to council bribery and threats. But the biggest problems are, one, we don’t get to choose the judge, two, building the case and getting through the trial could take years, and three, we’d have to take it to the press too so they can’t just pay off the right people and sweep it all under the rug.”

“But we can’t go to the press without drawing attention to ourselves,” Seonghwa added. 

“Which means we’ll have to find someone who’d be willing to stand in as the plaintiff in court and take on all that public attention.” Looking up, Hongjoong met Yeonjun’s eyes. “Do you have family who’d do this for you? Someone you know would believe you over your father?”

“Can’t I do it?” Wooyoung asked. “Especially when my aunt was involved too?”

“The last thing we need is the council’s attention on you when we’re about to pry them for information at the ball,” Hongjoong replied. “This is a golden opportunity for us to shake their foundation from the inside before we bring in an outsider who’ll publicly accuse one of their own of murder. Murdering his own son, even.”

“In the council building,” Mingi added.

“In the council building,” Hongjoong echoed. “And whether unsanctioned or not, there’s no way no one else knew about this. It’s a cover up, I know it. And chances are, they used your aunt, Wooyoung, just like they used Yeonjun.”

“But why would they then seal my magic?” Wooyoung asked. “What’s the point in that?”

“I don’t know. Not yet, at least. But we’ll find out.”

“If you’re talking about the annual charity ball, my adoptive mother’s likely gonna be there,” Yeonjun said.

“You’re sure she’s got nothing to do with this?” Hongjoong asked, his tone more gentle than his words would suggest.

“I know she didn’t because she was on a business trip in Japan at the time and she only left the day it happened.”

“Ah, that’s gonna look great in court.” Nodding, Hongjoong looked back and forth between Yeonjun and Wooyoung as an encouraging smile began to form on his face. “We’ll figure this out and get justice, you can trust me on this, okay? But Wooyoung, have you ever met his adoptive mother?”

“Yeah, she and my mom were friends. The four of us often went out together on weekends and they’d talk on the bench while we’d run ahead and play.”

“So she’d remember you if she saw you?”

At those words, Wooyoung realized where this was going. “You want me to talk to her at the ball?”

Hongjoong nodded, his expression serious.

Straightening his posture with determination, Wooyoung offered a nod in return. “I can do that. If I say I wanna catch up with her, I’m sure I can lure her away from the crowd and talk to her.

“Are they even still together?” San asked. “I’ve never seen her when I was at Mustache’s mansion.”

“We’d have heard about it if a council member got divorced,” Yunho replied, “but she might go on a lotta business trips and stuff to get away from him.” He looked at Yeonjun. “Are you sure she’d still go to that ball, even if she’s on bad terms with her husband?”

“Yeah, a hundred percent. The ball was her idea and she’s super proud of it. She organizes everything herself. I can’t see her letting anyone else do it ‘cause she always complained to me about how greedy and selfish everyone in the council is.”

“And then she marries one of them?” Mingi questioned.

Yeonjun shrugged. “I guess she thought he was different.”

“In a way, she was right. He’s worse.”

“Yeah,” Yeonjun scoffed.

“You’re starting to fade.” The softness in Jongho’s voice rendered his words nearly inaudible. “Yeonjun-ah, you need to rest for a bit.”

Looking down at himself, Yeonjun visibly deflated. “Right…”

“We can talk more once you’ve recharged,” Wooyoung said, forcing brightness into his tone when really, all he wanted was to cry. “It’s the weekend now so I’ll be here all day.”

The way Yeonjun looked at him then, all Wooyoung could see was the child he’d played with nearly every day for those short months. “Yeah, let’s talk more then.”

And then he disappeared and Wooyoung was left staring at the doll in Jongho’s hands.

“It feels like everything is happening at once.” Wooyoung’s voice was low as he sat out on the balcony at the end of the upstairs hallway. Surrounded by plants hanging from the overhang and string lights wrapped around the pillars and railing, it was easier to calm his mind than if he were still inside where the air had begun to feel suffocating. 

Even just finding his way back to what had become his new definition of normalcy was growing increasingly difficult now that he knew how truly unaware he’d been of the messed up state of the world around him. There had to have been signs even before all this, right? Especially surrounding his aunt’s death, so how had he been blind for so long? Had he just been caught up in his own misery and self-pity? 

But then again, even now, instead of gaining more clarity, all he’d been getting were more hints toward questions he hadn’t been asking but were now beginning to pile up in his mind. He felt like the only thing keeping him together at this point were his soulmates and, in that moment specifically, it was Seonghwa’s calming presence on the cushioned bench next to him which kept him from fully spiraling down into a pit of despair.

They were currently experiencing the aftermath of a sleepless night. Just a few minutes ago, everyone had finally decided to split up and try to catch some shut eye while Yeonjun remained in the doll Jongho had taken back to his own room for safe keeping. There was no doubt in Wooyoung’s mind that Jongho’s storage system was more secure than anything money could’ve bought so his mind was at least at ease in that regard.

“Do you think it’ll all work out?” Wooyoung asked to keep himself awake.

“With the murder trial?”

His drooping gaze fixed on the sky, Wooyoung nodded.

“It will,” Seonghwa replied, his voice low and soft but still full of conviction. “Yunho’s been an expert witness in many court hearings so he’s got many lawyer contacts. We should easily find someone who’d be willing to take on Yeonjun’s case, especially since we have no financial issues that could push us to accept an early settlement. It’s only a matter of time until council member Choi ends up convicted behind bars with his magic sealed. And when that time comes, Yeonjun can finally find his peace.”

“Council member Choi sounds too official. I prefer you guys calling him Mustache.”

Beside him, Seonghwa chuckled. “I can’t believe you ever doubted you were one of us.”

Happiness flooded Wooyoung at the adoration in Seonghwa’s voice, filling him with the urge to close the distance between them and seep up even more of the comfort Seonghwa always offered so freely. Luckily, nature had given him the perfect excuse to do so. “It’s cold,” he complained, slightly exaggerating the whine in his voice as he wiggled closer, first pressing their shoulders together which already sent a shiver down his spine, then fully lowering his head onto Seonghwa’s shoulder, relishing the magical buzz under his skin as his temple came to a rest, finding peace in the knowledge Seonghwa would never push him away.

“Wouldn’t you rather go to bed then?” The softly spoken question, the deep pleasant voice, fanned against the top of his head due to their proximity, warming his scalp, making him hyper aware of how close they now were. 

Wooyoung’s pulse quickened. “I wanna stay here with you a bit longer,” he replied honestly, knowing he wouldn’t be teased, not by Seonghwa.

“Let’s keep you warm then.” The words alone already made him feel warm, so full of happiness and adoration, but they were incomparable to the gentle arms now wrapping around him, one around his back, the other reaching down around his knees, leaving him temporarily stunned as he was physically manhandled, his legs hiked up onto Seonghwa’s lap, ensuring his feet remained safely tucked under the blanket while his temple came to rest against Seonghwa’s collarbone, ultimately leaving him fully curled up on Seonghwa’s lap. “Comfortable? Or are you still cold?”

Fully cocooned in soft cotton and safety, goosebumps and tingles, Wooyoung couldn’t do much more than shudder and try to calm himself in Seonghwa’s hold. He’d aimed for getting closer but hadn’t expected full on cuddling on the bench, though now he never wished to leave. “I’m good,” he got out, hoping he sounded fairly normal. “Thank you.”

Seonghwa sounded faintly amused as his hand rubbed against Wooyoung’s shin, spreading further warmth and eliciting another shudder. “You’re welcome.” 

Lost in a rainbow of sensations, Wooyoung accepted his temporary state as a dazed puddle while he watched the sun rise above the forest line in a beautiful show of golden hues against pastel shades, stretched shadows and brightly lit treetops, all accompanied by the sound of awakening birds calling out to each other.

“It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” Seonghwa mused, voice warmer than the first rays of sunlight. 

Feeling the vibrations of the words against him, Wooyoung could only hum in response and think about how lucky he was to get to have this moment. Amidst the chaos of the world, all the dangers and cruelty, he got to sit on the lap of his soulmate who was willing to stay up with him until sunrise, who cuddled him in the cold without second thought, who’d so far only ever treated him with nothing but unconditional care. By letting his eyelids flutter shut, Wooyoung gave himself a few lingering seconds to just feel and enjoy all the ways their connection manifested itself. “I like your perfume,” he whispered as he noticed a flowery scent.

“Hm? Oh. Thank you.” The smile was audible in Seonghwa’s voice. “It’s a gift from Yeosang.”

“That’s nice,” Wooyoung mumbled, comfortable in his bubble of warm comfort and gratitude.

A soft chuckle shook him then, bubbling out of Seonghwa right before he pressed a kiss to the edge of Wooyoung’s forehead, just below his hairline. Flushed and a little dazed by the intimacy of the gesture, Wooyoung took a moment to process the tingling sparks above his brow, the sudden hammering of his heart, before he looked up at Seonghwa’s eyes which were glittering in the morning sun as he snickered at the reaction. “Cute.”

Huffing, Wooyoung shook his head. “You’re cute.”

“That’s not an insult, Young-ah,” Seonghwa teased.

“Wasn’t meant to be.”

Laughing, Seonghwa hugged him a little tighter, making Wooyoung shiver but, unfortunately, getting the wrong idea. “Are you still cold?” he asked, sounding worried as his hands already began to rub further warmth into him.

A little flushed, Wooyoung shook his head. “No, no, don’t worry.” But as he was uttering the words, Seonghwa’s hand had already slipped under the edge of his hoodie and accidentally brushed the edge of his scar before it was jerked back with a rushed “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

Quickly shaking his head, Wooyoung hurried to reassure him. “It’s alright, I don’t mind,” he  said softly, keeping his tone calm as he reached down to take Seonghwa’s hand and press it back to his side, though this time, above his clothing. “Doesn’t hurt at all, see?”

Nodding slowly, Seonghwa seemed to calm back down. “Do…”

As he trailed off, Wooyoung’s curiosity was piqued, making him lean back just enough to look at Seonghwa’s profile, so beautiful in the golden hues of a new day. “Hm?”

Blinking, Seonghwa turned to look at him, his expression tainted by uncertainty.

“What’s wrong?” Wooyoung asked.

“Have you ever… wanted to see what it looks like?”

“Your soulmark?”

“ Our soulmark,” Seonghwa corrected softly as his fingers tightened ever so slightly on Wooyoung’s waist, making his eyes widen not just with the action, but also the earnestness in his expression. 

As he was letting the implication sink in, Wooyoung took a few seconds before he could get his thoughts on track to answer the question. “I have. Many times.” Looking away from Seonghwa’s face, Wooyoung’s gaze wandered across the trees, the beautiful sky. “When I was younger, I used to draw on myself, try to connect the few discolored patches left behind, you know? School pens, mom’s make up, nothing was safe, no matter how often mom and dad scolded me but, no matter what I did, it never seemed to fit together in a way that made sense. Those demons were… quite thorough when they took the mark from me, I guess.”

“I’m sorry,” Seonghwa said, voice low, “I’ve been trying to find a way to heal your skin and allow you to see it for yourself, but I… I couldn’t find anything useful.”

“Don’t apologize,” Wooyoung mumbled, underlining his words by watching Seonghwa’s eyes as he reached up to cup his cheek, the way they widened, dark and glittering. Feeling the tingling warmth against his palm was nothing compared to the look on Seonghwa’s face as he traced his thumb across soft skin. “I still found you, didn’t I? That’s what matters most.”

Darting his gaze back and forth between Wooyoung’s eyes, Seonghwa eventually nodded. “Okay. But… would you like to see it?” 

Gaze darting down at the blanket wrapped around them, Wooyoung frowned with concern as he withdrew his hand. “Isn’t it too cold out here?”

A smile followed by a small headshake. “It’s only for a moment so I’ll be fine.”

After another moment’s hesitation, Wooyoung nodded and leaned back just enough for Seonghwa to tug up his shirt, withdrawing his hand from Wooyoung’s leg to do so. What was revealed was smooth skin and delicate black linework, a black compass rose with the eight principal winds, its points alternating in length, four long, four short.

“It’s always been hinting we were meant to be eight,” Seonghwa said softly as Wooyoung was left spellbound, “we’ve always thought it was metaphorical, a mark guiding us to come together but we were wrong.” 

Lifting his gaze, Wooyoung found himself met with round dark eyes. “Thank you for showing me. It’s really beautiful.” He gently lowered Seonghwa’s shirt back down and drew the blanket across him to warm him up again.

“It is but… maybe it’s time we also get rings.”

“Are you proposing right now?” Wooyoung teased.

“Would you accept?” came Seonghwa’s reply, matching his tone.

Giggling at the unexpected response, Wooyoung dropped his temple back against Seonghwa’s shoulder while his hand remained on Seonghwa’s side, gently running his thumb back and forth in an effort to warm up his skin. “Hm, maybe? I mean, I’d be wildly stupid to let someone go who’s so tall, gorgeous, talented, caring-”

“Are you working on your vows already?” 

Bursting into laughter, Wooyoung’s hand shot up to muffle his voice so he wouldn’t disrupt their peaceful early morning atmosphere.

Watching him with open adoration, Seonghwa’s hand came up to brush back Wooyoung’s hair which had gotten a little messed up by his sudden movement of the blanket. “I think it’d be nice to wear matching rings,” Seonghwa circled back. “A symbol for all eight of us, not just a mark we didn’t get to pick ourselves, you know? What do you think?”

Fully calmed down, Wooyoung smiled, cheeks flushed as he nodded. “I like the idea, yeah.”

“We can post it in the group chat later then.”

Nodding again, Wooyoung brought up his hands to cup Seonghwa’s face on an impulse, acting on a need to just touch and hold and show his gratitude. A face so beautiful, a person so kind, so warm, gentle, and caring. How lucky he was to call such a person his soulmate, a person he was allowed to not just look at from afar but see up close and even cuddle? 

“What’re you doing?” Seonghwa whispered, looking a little dazed and pink under Wooyoung’s hands who couldn’t help but smile at the realization.

“You’re so beautiful.” And he didn’t just mean in appearance. Tracing his thumbs against Seonghwa’s heated skin, Wooyoung was beginning to realize he longed to feel more. Trailing one hand just a little lower, he dared to let his thumb brush against the corner of Seonghwa’s lips before his gaze darted back up to Seonghwa’s eyes which widened in response. “Adorable.”

The fingers which had brushed back his bangs earlier now held onto the fabric covering the side of his ribs as Seonghwa’s lips parted in visible surprise. 

“I want to…” Wooyoung trailed off as his gaze darted from lips to dark eyes. “Can I?”

It took a second but then, Seonghwa nodded as his gaze, too, darted down.

His heart suddenly beating much faster, Wooyoung let his eyes flutter closed and leaned in, gently guiding Seonghwa’s face to his until they shared the same air, until their lips brushed, once, twice. A gentle caress, a spark of sensations, a taste of what was to come. Thumbs tracing across Seonghwa’s heated skin, he let the tension linger for just a moment longer. Then, a pillow soft pressure, warmth and comfort, a shower of goosebumps. All his adoration for the man in his hold washed across his mind as he felt him melt under his touch, leaning into his hands, parting his lips. One small kiss to Wooyoung’s bottom lip before he gently pulled back, leaving Wooyoung dazed.

“I think your kiss broke the curse,” Wooyoung whispered after a moment when his eyes fluttered open.

The words had Seonghwa chuckling. “What?” 

“Every other one got interrupted.” 

Seonghwa shook his head, smiling adorably. “No miracle, just good timing.” 

“Hm, no… I think you might’ve been a prince in another life.”

More soft laughter ending in a kiss pressed to Wooyoung’s forehead. “We should go to bed now if we wanna get any sleep.”

Dropping his hands from Seonghwa’s face to his shoulders, Wooyoung wrapped his arms around Seonghwa’s neck to hug him close. “Just a few more minutes.”

And because Seonghwa couldn’t deny him anything, it seemed, he was met with nothing more than a soft “alright” followed by a chuckle filled with adoration.

Chapter Text

After two weeks of collecting invites, separate suit fittings for all eight of them, and collecting information about the guest list and schedule for the night, the charity ball would be taking place in the council building in less than ten hours. It was sickening to think they’d be walking into the very building in which both Yeonjun and his aunt had died but Wooyoung knew it’d all be worth it if they could even just get some answers.

“Yeosang, distract me!” Wooyoung whined as he burst into the garden witch’s room and stormed through the round entry area onto the raised platform containing the bed, desk, and half a dozen shelves covered in plants. “Where are you?” he called out as he brushed aside some of the leafy vines which dominated the pillars and railing, not to mention the ceiling and, actually, pretty much anything besides the apothecary cabinet.

“In the closet!” Yeosang replied, his voice slightly muffled. 

Turning around, Wooyoung followed the curved railing until he reached the curtained off doorway to the right of the door. 

“I’m losing my mind!” he exclaimed as he threw aside the curtain and headed into the only plant-free area in Yeosang’s room. 

With its plush green carpet and extravagant ceiling height dressers, the closet, which was about a fifth the size of the main room, was no less impressive than the rest of the mansion but Wooyoung was slowly starting to get used to that. However, he had yet to get used to the sight of Yeosang in nothing more than a pair of sweatpants and tank top.

“Hello!” Yeosang greeted cheerfully and with a sweet smile before he went back to sifting through a small beautifully carved chest filled with jewelry.

“Are you already getting dressed?” Wooyoung asked as he wandered close enough to wrap himself around Yeosang’s back, chin hooking over Yeosang’s shoulder, and arms tight around his waist, letting the shower of sensations wash over him and quiet his racing thoughts.

“Not really,” came the casual answer as Yeosang didn’t even falter in his movements. “I just wanna pick everything out so I won’t have to stress about it later.”

“I’m already stressed out…”

“I’m nervous too,” Yeosang admitted and reached up to pat Wooyoung’s head, scratching lightly at his scalp for a lingering moment, sending out tingling shivers to get his eyes to droop and make him melt that extra bit. It was a small gesture, one he’d picked up during their first sleepover when Wooyoung had been struggling with insomnia. Since then, he’d been giving out head scratches whenever he deemed him too tense or panicked. They both understood Nero a little better now.

“It sucks we can’t all stick together tonight,” Wooyoung mumbled.

“I know,” Yeosang’s voice was soft with sympathy, “but you’ve got your charm and Yunho and you know he won’t let you outta his sight for even a second, so you’ll be safe, don’t worry.”

“It’s not about safety, it’s about comfort…”

After receiving a gentle tap to his arms, Wooyoung loosened his hold just enough for Yeosang to turn around and face him. One sweeping, calculating look across his face, that was all it took before Yeosang reached up to cup Wooyoung’s nape and send a shiver trickling down his spine.

Curiosity peaked, Wooyoung tilted his head. “What’re you up to?” 

A gentle little tug at his nape was his only answer before Yeosang leaned ever closer, their noses brushing, eyes slipping shut and- Wooyoung’s brain went quiet a split second before their lips touched. 

Petal soft, a light and gentle pressure, just enough to send out warm tingles like the first rays of sunlight on a spring day. Yeosang smelled like flowers and having him so close was like touching the essence of the world itself. He could feel the power under his skin, flooding him with an exhilarating rush of adrenaline, as his magic caressed Wooyoung’s. So much raw gentle power in such an angelic person and he was freely offering his kiss to Wooyoung. His fingers curled against Yeosang’s back, trying to pull him even closer but instead, Yeosang moved back.

In wise foresight, his hand was already pressed to Wooyoung’s sternum, making him unable to lean back in which was the moment Wooyoung’s eyes fluttered open. A small mischievous, yet somehow still angelic, smile was aimed right at him. 

“Better?” Yeosang asked, voice just above a whisper. He was still close enough for their breath to mingle and brush across Wooyoung’s lips in a tingling hot breeze. 

“I…”

Tilting his head, Yeosang looked amused and so adorable, Wooyoung was struggling to grasp a single thought. “You should go downstairs and get breakfast,” Yeosang told him. “I know you haven’t eaten yet.”

“But…”

The smallest headshake, the cutest little smile and Yeosang swayed forward for another, even more fleeting peck, like a caress against his bottom lip. Wooyoung got lost in a sprinkle of sparks and tingles with no chance to process anything. “Come on.” Yeosang gently pushed him back, putting an arm's length of distance between them.

To Wooyoung, it was like getting his covers ripped off him when he’d just laid down to sleep.

“Go eat, Wooyoung, go on.” Yeosang physically angled and nudged him toward the exit until Wooyoung caught on and looked back over his shoulder.

“You play dirty,” he accused, though it came out more whiny than intended.

A few steps behind him, Yeosang cocked his head. “Weren’t you on your way to the kitchen?”

Full on pouting now, Wooyoung huffed and left Yeosang’s gleeful giggles behind him. 

On his way out the door, Wooyoung caught sight of Nero who just came strolling out of Seonghwa’s room, her tail held high and pace slow as if she had no care in the world. Which was probably because she didn’t. 

“Baby!” he greeted cheerfully to which Nero stopped, turned, and meowed, waiting for him to catch up so she could wind between his legs until he leaned down to pick her up and cuddle her close. “Did you have a good nappy nap just now?”

The resulting purr and drooping eyes had Wooyoung grinning and petting her fluffy little tummy. 

“Come on, let’s go get some food together, huh? You’d love that, wouldn’t you? A little snacky after your nap? Ay, you’re so cute!”

He could already hear the commotion downstairs before he’d even made it fully out of the hallway. It was a combination of screaming, laughter, and complaints which had him speeding up, nearly tripping over his own feet on his way down, only to be confronted with an absolutely unexpected scene. Truly nothing could’ve prepared him for the sight of Jongho with Hongjoong thrown over his shoulder while Mingi, Yunho, and Seonghwa were nearly on their knees with laughter.

“What did I miss?” Wooyoung called above the noise as Nero jumped from his arms and fled the scene by running toward the living room where San seemed to be preoccupied with his phone, noise canceling headphones in place, completely oblivious..

“Hongjoong tried to make himself breakfast so I called on Jongho to remove him from the premises!” was the explanation Mingi provided, his expression bright with joy while Hongjoong kept on struggling to no avail.

“Just put me down already…” 

“Okay!” Jongho replied easily, zero signs of strain in his voice or on his face, and simply leaned forward to deposit Hongjoong on the only pulled out dining chair. He flopped onto it like a sack of flour and suddenly, Wooyoung understood what they all meant when they said Hongjoong was pocket sized.

“Ah, Mr. Coven Head, it seems like your youngest subject is calling for anarchy,” Wooyoung teased as he moved up behind Jongho and hopped onto his back where he was caught with, by now, practiced ease.

His comment earned him a glare from Hongjoong to which he smiled sunnily. “You’re getting too comfortable too quickly,” Hongjoong mumbled before he got up and lightly smacked Wooyoung’s backside on his way to the seating area where he’d likely end up with San all over him, showing him all the videos he’d been spamming in the group chat that he knew Hongjoong never watched.

“Says the one touching my butt!” Wooyoung called after him before he dropped his chin onto Jongho’s shoulder. “Let’s go get breakfast.”

“As you wish,” was Jongho’s cheerful reply as he carried Wooyoung over to the stove where Seonghwa was scraping at the mass of… something in the pan.

“What was that even supposed to be, Joong?” Wooyoung shouted across the room, his gaze transfixed by the burnt mushy lump.

“None of your business!”

Unsatisfied with the answer, but forced to accept it, Wooyoung slid off Jongho’s back and spotted Yunho over by the fridge. For just a moment, he allowed himself to pause and simply appreciate Yunho’s physique in the skin tight gray t-shirt he was sporting before he moved closer as a memory resurfaced in his brain.

“Ah, Yunho.” Wooyoung drawled as he walked up into his space and tipped back his head just enough to meet his eyes. “Today’s the day, isn’t it?” he said pointedly.

Cocking his head, Yunho frowned a little. “Of the ball?” 

A quick head shake before Wooyoung reached out to tug at the hem of Yunho’s t-shirt and lifted his eyebrows.

“Ah,” Yunho made, the realization clear on his face as he broke into a knowing smile and chuckled. “Right.” He raised a hand to tickle Wooyoung’s chin, making him squirm and giggle as the shivers ran down his spine until he could escape by flattening himself against Yunho’s front. A solid strategy. Worked every time. At least for him. “You’re gonna dress up for us today?” Yunho prompted between snickers while he draped his arms around Wooyoung, fully encasing him in a wave of warmth and tingles which left him dazed and happy. “How was your suit fitting yesterday?”

“I’m gonna be irresistible,” Wooyoung mumbled, closing his eyes as he fully leaned into Yunho, “you have no idea.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

Humming in acknowledgment, Yunho swayed them slightly on the spot. “Then I can’t wait!”

“Just a few more hours…”

“A few more hours until what?” Mingi asked, his voice suddenly right beside them.

Blinking his eyes open, Wooyoung glanced up to meet his curious eyes. “Until I leave you speechless with my dashing good looks.”

“You already look pretty every day.”

Blushing a little at the earnest tone behind the cheesy compliment, Wooyoung shook his head. “I can do even better, you’ll see.”

“Can you go slowdance somewhere else?” Seonghwa interrupted. “I need the fridge.”

“I need you to get ready in someone else’s room!” Wooyoung announced four hours before they needed to leave for the ball and right after throwing open the door to Hongjoong’s room.

“Excuse me?” 

Making a beeline for the desk which Hongjoong was currently sitting at with his legs crossed while scribbling in a notebook, Wooyoung made quick work of turning the swivel chair he was sitting on so they were facing each other. “I need you to leave so I can get dressed.”

“Why don’t you get dressed in the bathroom downstairs?”

Pouting, Wooyoung reached down to take the pen and notebook from Hongjoong’s hands, carefully placing them aside, before he pressed their palms together and interlaced their fingers. It was easy to spot the goosebumps traveling up Hongjoong’s arms but Wooyoung chose not to comment on it, though he did have to suppress a smile. “It doesn’t have a full length mirror and… you were the one who offered to share the closet with me, weren’t you?” He tugged at their intertwined hands, getting Hongjoong to his feet so they were on eye level and breathing the same air. “It’s for a good cause, trust me.” There was that familiar tension again, the one that had been lingering ever since their interrupted first kiss and always came back when they were alone. “I’m gonna put on a pretty suit… and jewelry… and make up…” Lowering his voice with each word, he could watch Hongjoong get captivated and repeatedly look down at his mouth as Wooyoung moved ever so slightly closer. “And I’m gonna set my hair and show off the charm you made for me so everyone knows whose coven I belong to… But I don’t wanna ruin the surprise for you by getting ready while you’re here, you know?”

It took a second before Hongjoong’s attention shifted back up to Wooyoung’s eyes. “So my payment for leaving you my entire bedroom for hours is getting to see you dressed up?”

Their noses brushed, triggering sparks, as Wooyoung swayed closer and dropped his gaze to Hongjoong’s mouth. The promise of what could be was right there, temptingly close and promising, but, with Hongjoong, the adrenaline rush of the almost kiss was so addicting, he hadn’t yet been able to bring himself to actually give in to the urge. “It is, unless… you have other ideas?”

“Hm… how about giving me back my favorite hoodie?”

With his eyes now fully closed, Wooyoung’s lips ghosted across Hongjoong’s as he shook his head ever so slightly. “Sorry, it’s mine now. Also…” He rested their foreheads together, relishing in the small explosion of sensations triggered by such a simple touch. “I see the way you look at me when I wear it and I’m not giving that up.”

“Tease…”

“You’re one to talk.” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Hongjoong mumbled as he bridged that final millimeter and pressed the sweetest, most fleeting of pecks to the corner of Wooyoung’s mouth. 

A flush of heat, rushing tingles and complete mental vacancy. Wooyoung was dazed as he tightened his hold on Hongjoong’s hands to ground himself. 

“Sorry, too tempting,” came Hongjoong’s unapologetic and whispered reply. It shook Wooyoung back to reality. 

“Fuck it,” he muttered and gave in to his desire. His brain shut down right there and then as his hands flew up to loosely cup Hongjoong’s cheeks and feel the heat pooling there. 

It was unreal how much he could feel without passing out, all the sensations flooding his senses as Hongjoong parted his lips and brushed his nails against the bare skin of his lower back, leaving him shaking. He could feel his magic reaching out, drawn in by Hongjoong’s, could feel the charm’s energy pulsing through him, vibrating with recognition. 

“You okay?” Hongjoong whispered after he’d pulled back just enough for their lips to still be brushing as he spoke.

“Talk later, kiss me now,” Wooyoung rushed out and leaned down just enough to capture Hongjoong’s bottom lip between his own. It was an absolute headrush. He was pretty sure he wasn’t even in his body anymore. Maybe when he woke up, he’d be back in that white void with the clouds, lost in Hongjoong’s voice. He’d be okay with that.

“Damn guys, again?” Jongho’s voice was like a record scratch in Wooyoung’s brain, causing him to physically force himself back and turn to face him with fast blinking eyes as he tried to straighten out his thoughts while Hongjoong was physically holding him up by the waist.

“Seriously, Jongho?” Hongjoong complained, his voice a little unstable, a little rough.

A bit of pride filled Wooyoung at the realization.

“I just wanted to ask about the rings but I can see you guys are… busy.” The smugness was thick in Jongho’s words, almost palpable.

“You could also come here and join us,” Wooyoung suggested, adrenaline still rushing through his system with Hongjoong’s hands still on him.

“Wow, one at a time,” Hongjoong cut in, a hint of panic in his tone which had Wooyoung breaking into laughter and stumbling forward into Hongjoong’s chest as the hands on his waist steadied him again.

“I’ll be leaving then!” Jongho said quickly, his footsteps fading down the hall and shifting Wooyoung’s focus fully back onto Hongjoong.

“It’s like he’s just lurking out there, waiting for us to lock lips,” Hongjoong muttered, his gaze still focused over Wooyoung’s shoulder in the direction of the door.

“Let him watch,” Wooyoung replied, making it clear with his tone that he was teasing.

“I’m not into that, it’s weird. Like, either you’re all in or all out, what’s with the indecisiveness?”

Bursting into full on cackling, Wooyoung wrapped his arms tightly around Hongjoong’s neck and pressed their bodies flush, maximizing their contact and relishing in the resulting sensations, even as they left him feeling a little out of control. “Ah, Hongjoong, what am I gonna do with you?”

“I should be the one asking you that.” There was audible breathlessness to Hongjoong’s words. “You’re hugging really tightly there, Young-ah. Have you been working out with that little gremlin?” 

“Once or twice,” Wooyoung mumbled as he loosened his hold ever so slightly and turned his head so he could press a kiss to Hongjoong’s neck and feel him shiver. “I only go with him so I can take him out to dinner after. He says he doesn’t kiss until the fifth date.”

“Talking about kissing others right after…” Hongjoong muttered, trailing off.

Snickering, Wooyoung showered Hongjoong’s neck with more kisses until he was left squirming and laughing.

“Didn’t you wanna start getting ready for the ball?” 

Wooyoung hugged him a little tighter again. “Just gimme a moment.”

“Okay.”

“I need to look absolutely drop dead gorgeous, Nero, you don’t understand,” Wooyoung told his cat where she was sitting on the throne-like chair in the corner of the closet right next to the floor-to-ceiling backlit mirror. 

While Mingi’s newest demo was playing over the speaker in the corner of the ceiling, Wooyoung was busy fastening the final silver stud to his earlobe to complete his line up, which included a delicate dangling chain spanning from his earring to his helix. Tracing his gaze across his work, he knew this could be considered his final touch, but there was one more thing he could add.

“Choker or no, be honest?” Wooyoung asked Nero as he tied a short black silky scarf around his neck, leaving its ends standing up like bunny ears above his shoulder. The color matched his fitted dress pants, partially unbuttoned shirt, and cropped jacket while the silver and black embroidery, glitter, and rhinestones on his lapels, sleeves, and shoulders sparkled alongside his jewelry, even in low lighting. Witches in the tailoring industry truly were a blessing because, wow, the amount of quality detailing truly was mind blowing for just one week of work. 

“Too much?” he wondered aloud, gesturing at the scarf.

Nero watched him for a moment before she closed her eyes and began cleaning her paw, really working her tongue between her toes.

“Thanks, that helps.” Taking a deep breath, Wooyoung ran his gaze across his meticulously styled hair, the flawless foundation, the smoked out lashes and hint of glitter, and of course, the little mole under his eye which he never forgot to accentuate with a dot of dark brown to match his eyes. 

It’d be a lie to say he didn’t think he looked amazing because he had eyes… and a brain. And honestly? If his soulmates didn’t end up tripping all over themselves to get their hands on him, he’d be withholding affection for at least a week. Actually, scratch that. He’d demand affection from them every waking moment for at least a week. After all, why make himself miserable when it would be them he’d be trying to punish?

“Maybe I should replace it with a second necklace?” Wooyoung wondered aloud as he took off the scarf. “But it could end up taking away from the charm…”

Dropping the scarf idea, Wooyoung adjusted his shirt collar and undid one more button so the charm sat perfectly in the v-line of his shirt.

“Am I showing too much skin?” he asked his cat while slightly swaying his shoulders and leaning forward to see how much he may end up flashing uptight murderers. “Hmm… maybe two less?”

He quickly fastened the buttons, then snapped a selfie and sent it off to Changbin who should be back in the same time zone by now. Luckily, the reply came quickly. A simple question mark. 

‘I’m trying to impress someone,’ he sent back to which he got a thumbs up and emoji with pink heart eyes. He sent back a simple heart and clicked off his phone screen.

“Showtime,” he told Nero and turned away from his reflection, shaking out his hands to dry the clamminess forming there. He was starting to get a little embarrassed by the strength of his nervousness. 

Heading out of Hongjoong’s room, he went straight to the neighboring door where he knocked once, twice, before entering, only to find Seonghwa nowhere in sight. However, after calling out to him, a muffled voice could be heard from the bathroom. 

Heading on over, he opened the second door and found Seonghwa and San standing in front of the large backlit mirror above the sink, both very visibly busy with figuring out their hair situation. 

“Can I help?” he asked, chuckling as all the tension melted out of him at his soulmates’ goofy expressions, so very animated as they sorted out every single strand.

At the sound of his voice, they both whirled around and froze almost comically in sync, their gazes tracing across him from top to bottom and back up where they zeroed in on his delighted grin. 

“How do I look?” he prompted, admiring them in return. Their suits matched his, though their jackets were longer and embellished with different designs. Like him, Seonghwa sported delicate glittery eye make up while San had leaned more into the smokey look. 

“Beautiful,” Seonghwa said.

“Pretty,” San added.

Happy with the compliments, Wooyoung snickered as he walked closer and reached up to mess with San’s bangs until they fell just right before he moved over to Seonghwa and angled him back toward the mirror. Grabbing a hair tie, he stepped behind him, pulled back the longer front strands with delicate hands, and then peeked across his shoulder so their eyes could meet in the reflection. “Good?”

Nodding once, Seonghwa reached out to grab some additional clips to add some extra sparkle on the sides before he adjusted the few shorter strands in the front while Wooyoung watched, enjoying the mundanity of the moment.

“You two look amazing,” Wooyoung said softly as he pulled back from Seonghwa and brushed past San. “But I’ve got more hot men to see!” he added teasingly before he darted out the door followed by teasing complaints, and left for the next room. 

Closing in on Yunho’s closed door, Wooyoung realized he should leave him for last and continued on to Yeosang where he entered without knocking like he usually did. Wandering in, he found Yeosang seated on an armchair near the stairs where he was currently scrolling through his phone, legs crossed at the knees and looking like a picture perfect marble statue.

“Wow,” Wooyoung breathed out, garnering Yeosang’s attention and a quick once over before Yeosang rose to his feet and approached him.

“Look at you!” Yeosang said with one of his soft small smiles. Reaching up, he lightly flicked Wooyoung’s styled bangs with just one finger as his gaze searched Wooyoung’s face, truly taking in every part of his makeup.

“You like it?” Wooyoung prompted after a moment.

Yeosang’s hand dropped to his shoulder as he nodded. “You look super cute.”

Chuckling, Wooyoung reached up to pinch Yeosang’s cheek. “You’re adorable.” But as Yeosang teasingly smacked his hand away, Wooyoung noticed something about the makeup on Yeosang’s temple. “Why’d you cover your birthmark?”

He was met with a shrug. “I always do. It’s easier.”

Frowning a little, Wooyoung cupped the side of Yeosang’s head and pressed his thumb to the spot where he knew the red patch of skin was hiding. “Do you have pink blush or red eye shadow or something?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Can I draw it on for you?”

Blinking repeatedly, it took a moment before Yeosang nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

Ten minutes later, Wooyoung left the room after earning himself a small kiss of gratitude right on his cheekbone. Knowing San was with Seonghwa, Wooyoung’s next stop was Mingi’s room where he happened to also find Hongjoong as the two of them sat together on Mingi’s rug, a small box of nail art supplies set out between them.

“Hey, you two!” Wooyoung announced himself, only to be met with a small yelp from Mingi who must’ve gotten startled by his sudden appearance and had now drawn a thick black line across Hongjoong’s fingers. “Sorry!” Wooyoung rushed out as he came closer and knelt down beside them.

“Nothing happened, don’t worry,” Hongjoong reassured him as he reached for the nail polish remover without even looking at him first which was a little disappointing, Wooyoung had to admit, though the feeling quickly faded as he heard Mingi’s sharp inhale nearby.

Looking over, he found Mingi’s wide-eyed gaze trailing across him. “You look…”

“As pretty as you?” Wooyoung teased when Mingi wouldn’t finish his sentence and after taking in Mingi’s perfectly styled hair, the sharp eye makeup and fitted cut of his ornate sparkling suit.

A wide grin broke Mingi’s stupor as he shook his head ever so slightly. “I wanted to say stunning.”

“Thank you,” Wooyoung replied just as a soft fingertip brushed against the corner of his eye, making him jump at the sudden spark of electricity. Turning to Hongjoong, he found his hand still hovering in the air between them. 

“It was a little smudged,” he said with a wide smile. “But now it’s perfect.”

Chuckling, Wooyoung lightly nudged his hand away. “You just wanted to get my attention, be honest.” Tracing his gaze across Hongjoong’s surprisingly elaborate makeup and the cropped cut of his jacket, Wooyoung met his eyes again. “You look gorgeous.”

“So do you.”

Dropping his gaze to the tools laid out between them, Wooyoung tried to ignore his heated cheeks as memories from earlier came back to him. “Now that that’s settled,” he rushed out. “Let’s paint our nails!”

“You wanna paint yours too?” Mingi asked, sounding excited.

“I’ll let you have the honors.”

A few minutes later, Wooyoung left the room with one freshly dried black nail and headed over to Jongho’s door where he knocked a couple of times before wandering in and following the sound of soft music to Jongho’s walk-in closet. There, he discovered Jongho all sharply dressed in a fitted suit and crisp black shirt with intentionally messy looking hair and smoked out eyeliner.

“Damn Jongho, you look dashing!” Wooyoung called out and burst into laughter when Jongho jumped ever so slightly before throwing him a glare in the mirror. “Sorry.”

“You’re not,” Jongho shot back before he turned around and gave him a once over. “You’re lucky you’re beautiful.”

Snickering as he walked closer, Wooyoung poised the question “Is that my only redeeming quality?” and was met with a theatrically thoughtful expression which earned Jongho a light smack on the chest before Wooyoung reached up to undo another two buttons on Jongho’s shirt. “How about showing some skin?”

“Hey, stop it!” Jongho whined as he nudged his hands aside and redid the first button, only to have Wooyoung push his fingers aside and undo it again, resulting in Jongho retaliating by reaching for Wooyoung’s shirt and popping his next button. Ultimately, after a lot of back and forth bordering on wrestling, Wooyoung jumped back with a bright laugh to straighten out his jacket and fix his hair which Jongho began to mirror on himself a second later.

“Alright then,” Wooyoung finally said. “I’ve gotta go check on my date.”

“Yeah, go undress him,” Jongho teased.

Raising his eyebrows, Wooyoung darted his gaze down to Jongho’s neckline. “You wanna be my date for the night?”

With that, Jongho laughed and stepped forward to turn him around and push him toward the doorway. “Just get out already!”

Happily cackling, Wooyoung let himself be shoved through the curtain. Once back out in the hallway, he retraced his steps all the way to the other side of the mansion and back to Yunho’s door where he rapped his knuckles on the door in a short sequence before strolling in to find Yunho already halfway to the door as a power ballad played over the speakers. 

As his eyes met Wooyoung’s, they widened, his gaze quickly tracing across Wooyoung as he froze mid step. Instantly filled with self satisfied glee, Wooyoung wandered closer and teasingly nudged his finger against Yunho’s lower jaw, though it wasn’t even open. 

Breaking into a small chuckle, a slightly pink Yunho took a step back and placed his hands on Wooyoung’s arms to look him over up close. “You look gorgeous, Wooyoung.”

“Date worthy?” 

“Husband worthy.”

Laughing brightly at the over the top compliment, Wooyoung shook his head before taking a moment to look over Yunho’s tall frame, the perfect fit of the suit, how it accentuated his waist and long legs, the delicate eye makeup and artfully messy hair. “You look like, hm, fiancé material, I’d say.”

“One step closer to victory!” Yunho said, holding up his fist between them, which Wooyoung pushed aside with a teasing giggle.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Hmm, I don’t know…” Dropping his hands to Wooyoung’s waist, he tugged him a little closer, leaving Wooyoung’s eyes widening in surprise as his breath hitched. “I think my date and I should probably see if we’re ball qualified first.”

Catching on, Wooyoung chuckled as he reached up to place his hands around Yunho’s neck. “Oh yeah? What does that entail?”

As the song, fittingly, changed to a softer love ballad, they both broke into a fit of laughter. “Slow dancing?” Yunho suggested to which Wooyoung dropped one hand and slid it along Yunho’s arm to his waist where their fingers interlaced before they held them out beside them, the classic couple’s dancing position.

“I can waltz but that’s about it,” Wooyoung warned as he looked down at their feet and immediately burst into cackles the moment Yunho began taking extra wide steps, leaving Wooyoung on the brink of jumping to keep up as they strode across the room, goofing and spinning around until confetti burst above them and left them momentarily stunned as it rained down. 

When they looked over to the door, the explanation was easily found in San and Seonghwa who were watching them with visibly fond amusement.

“Ready to go?” Seonghwa asked as a wave of San’s magic washed across the floor, cleaning up the fallen confetti.

Looking at Yunho, Wooyoung nodded and chose to leave their hands interlocked so they could walk downstairs together where everyone, including Yeonjun, was already waiting for them.

“I know you’re also looking for answers about your seal,” Yeonjun said softly, “but please don’t forget about me when you’re there, alright?” 

“I could never,” Wooyoung reassured him. “You can trust me.”

They held eye contact for a moment, before Yeonjun nodded. “Alright. I do. I trust you.”

“I’m glad. Thank you.”

“I’ll summon you when we get back,” Jongho promised to which Yeonjun sent him a small smile and nod before he disappeared with a small breeze of cool air.

“Ah, Nero!” San called out. “Just in time!” 

Turning around, Wooyoung could watch as he dove down to scoop up the little cat, holding her up to his face and booping their noses together, his dimples on bright display. 

“You’ll be okay on your own for a few hours, right?” Wooyoung asked her as he tugged Yunho around so they could get close enough for him to pet her between the ears as she was lowered down to San’s chest. “You can sleep anywhere you’d like, even Mingi’s anime body pillow.”

“Don’t give her ideas!” Mingi complained.

“Stop worrying,” Hongjoong said, “that Japanese guy is printed on cotton, claws can’t hurt him.”

“That’s not the part I’m worried about!”

“Could you please just go out and conjure the car?”

Huffing his complaint, Mingi left the room.

“Everyone ready to go?” Hongjoong asked. “It’s gonna be a long drive.”

The council building towered above its surrounding landscape like an ugly sharp edged mountain of hypermodernity. With its shiny foundation of seemingly nothing but glass and metal, it left little space for privacy and personality and seemed to clash with all of its surroundings while emanating an aura of crushing dominance. Wooyoung absolutely hated it.

As they pulled up in the black limousine Mingi had conjured up (impressive as hell), Wooyoung could already hear the instrumental music wafting through the air and sneaking into the car through the cracked window.

“You’ll be okay,” San whispered into his ears but Wooyoung could only clutch his hand more tightly. “If anyone says anything or if there are any signs of trouble at any point, we’re outta there.”

“I can’t leave without getting any answers,” Wooyoung replied, turning his head to meet San’s eyes which were watching him with an unexpected fierceness.

“Your safety comes first. There are other ways to get answers.”

“Are there?”

“Time to get out!” Hongjoong called from the driver’s seat.

Holding San’s eye contact for another beat, Wooyoung squeezed his hand one last time before he pulled away and exited the car into the cool night air right behind Seonghwa and Yeosang. 

A dark blue rug had been rolled out for the ball’s guests and stretched from the sidewalk, where they arrived, all the way to the massive double-door entrance which was presently wide open in invitation and flanked by six people dressed in black and white attire. A similarly clad individual had also been parked right in the arrival zone and was now watching them with uninterested eyes until they were gathered. 

Glancing over his shoulder, Wooyoung watched as Hongjoong joined them, completing their group and nodding at the service worker who bowed to them and waved them toward the brightly lit entrance. After they’d all returned the greeting, Mingi waved his hand and the limousine they’d just rode in disappeared in a silent burst of white sparks. Amazed, Wooyoung’s gaze followed as they rose up into the sunset and flickered out of existence.

“Come on,” Yunho whispered, his hand coming to rest on the center of Wooyoung’s back, halfway under his cropped jacket, leaving him shuddering at the unexpected contact. “Sorry.”

Shaking his head, Wooyoung let himself be guided up the stairs to the entrance where they all went single file to hand in their invites with yet another black-and-white dressed witch. Aside from Wooyoung, it was only Mingi who was waiting alongside someone else, in his case Jongho, who’d won rock paper scissors on the way over. 

Being the last two in line, Wooyoung and Yunho got the privilege of watching each of their invites ignite into blue and turquoise flames as they were carelessly tossed aside by the ticketing witch, but only once the sixth and final one had burnt away to nothing, were they told to go ahead to the ballroom.

Their path took them through the foyer, with its unreasonably tall ceilings, before they were met by yet another duo of bored looking people who opened a second set of oversized doors for them, an action which brought on a significant increase in background noise, adding a cacophony of indistinguishable voices to the now much louder instrumental music. 

The second they stepped onto the ballrooms tiled for, Wooyoung was flooded with a rush of adrenaline as everyone’s energies washed across him. There was no doubt in his mind they’d just been greenlit to pierce someone’s wards and the unwanted vibes pushing against him from all sides and seemingly out of nowhere were already making him a little nauseous. His hand came up to clutch his charm which vibrated against his skin. 

There was evil in this room, no doubt about it. He’d known that ahead of time but feeling it now was a whole different thing.

“We’ll stick together for the first few minutes and split up after,” Hongjoong said as the doors fell shut behind them.

Wooyoung nodded in acknowledgment and let his gaze sweep across the room. Too tall ceilings covered in too many oversized chandeliers, boring clothes, boring people, unpleasant vibes all around but at least the food over on the buffet looked amazing. But instead of heading toward it, Yunho led him closer to the center of the room which was surrounded by a large circle of standing tables, many of which were already occupied by people’s fancy champagne and wine glasses. 

“Wait, no way!” Hongjoong sounded cheerful as he brushed past Wooyoung and sped toward a witch seemingly around their age who was smiling brightly as he stepped out of his own circle of people and opened his arms to wrap Hongjoong up in a giddy embrace.

Confusion and curiosity washed across Wooyoung as they followed their coven head who pulled away from the witch but left an arm around his waist as he made the introductions.

“Byounggon, those are our new additions, Yeosang and Wooyoung! Guys, this is Byounggon! He went to the academy with Seonghwa and I.” Hongjoong’s smile was infectious, cheerfully bright, as he looked between them all and squeezed his old schoolmate a little tighter before stepping back. “He auditioned to join my coven but I turned him down because he was trying to come for my crown.”

“I wasn’t! I just wanted some friendly competition. And, to be fair, I did start my own coven later on and they all voted for me!” Byounggon replied, gaze aimed at Wooyoung as he threw his thumb over his shoulder. 

The four witches he’d just been standing with seemed rather unimpressed by the statement, offering up snorts of amusement and eyerolls, but did choose to come closer and share little polite nods and smiles with Hongjoong’s coven.

“Be honest,” Wooyoung said as his gaze raked across the strangers across from him, “you guys really only associate with people who look like supermodels, right?”

Byounggon’s laughter was bright and gleeful as he reached out to shake his hand with a small bow. “Ah, flattery will get you everywhere with me.”

Chuckling, Wooyoung bowed back and watched as Byounggon went on to shake Yeosang’s hand before he himself did the polite thing by stepping forward to join the other coven. “Damn, you guys are tall!” Wooyoung said as he tipped back his head to meet their eyeline and offered up his hand. “I’m Wooyoung!” 

Meeting him with warm smiles and friendly handshakes, Wooyoung could quickly tell they, obviously, weren’t his soulmates but there was still palpable power thrumming under their skin, telling him they were barely any less powerful than his own coven which was impressive to say the least. After introducing themselves as Hyunsuk, Seunghun, Jinyoung, and Yonghee in order, Wooyoung was just about to give in to his curiosity and ask them about what fields they specialized in when Hongjoong’s voice caught all their attention.

“So… why the fuck are you here?” he asked which instantly made them all huddle a little closer together. “You hate these events just as much as we do!”

“Rumor had it you guys were actually gonna show up this time so we got curious,” Jinyoung explained, keeping his voice low enough to be drowned out by the music for anyone further away.

Chuckling, Hongjoong shook his head. “I see.”

“So… what’s going on?” Byounggon asked. “Spill.”

Glancing back and forth between the two coven heads, Wooyoung felt a small spike of adrenaline as he began to wonder how close they truly were. Could they trust another coven with Yeonjun’s situation? Wasn’t it too risky? No matter what Hongjoong chose, they’d go with, no questions asked, that much he knew, but-

“Sannie?” Hongjoong prompted almost instantly, his gaze trained on San who nodded and flicked his wrist, triggering a small shower of golden sparks, letting it rain down on them. Right away, the noises around them became muffled, as if there were an invisible wall isolating them from the rest of the room. Realization hit Wooyoung: San had put up an actual privacy ward in the middle of a council function. If their circumstances were different, Wooyoung would go over there and kiss him right now. “Go ahead, Jongho,” Hongjoong said, his tone still warm and friendly.

“I found a doll recently and it’s haunted by the spirit of Mustache’s adoptive son,” Jongho shared matter-of-factly, his gaze trailing across the other coven who were crowded just behind and to the left of Wooyoung.

“You talked to his dead son?” Hyunsuk blurted out.

Nodding, Jongho looked at the witch towering over Wooyoung’s shoulder. “And he’s saying Mustache killed him in some weird ceremony.”

“My aunt was also there and she likely died on the same day in the same ritual,” Wooyoung added when he realized Jongho wouldn’t do so out of respect for his privacy. When he turned to look at the other coven, he found all of them watching him with wide eyes.

“What the fuck, that’s crazy!” Byounggon burst before he looked from him to Hongjoong. “What’re you gonna do about it? Are you gonna openly accuse him here? ‘Cause dude, I love your flair for the dramatic, but I think that’d be taking it a little too far.”

Hongjoong quickly shook his head, visibly amused. “No, no, don’t worry. We just wanna see if we can talk to the kid’s mother and get her to stand in as a plaintiff so we can build a legal case against Mustache.”

“Ah, good idea, she hates his guts!” Seunghun said.

“You know her?” Wooyoung asked, fully turning to face him with wide eyes and hope growing in his chest. If Hongjoong trusted them, he knew he could too, and if they could offer him any insight beyond what vague childhood memories he still had and what little Yeonjun had been able to share during his short lived moments as a full body apparition, it’d mean not having to go into their upcoming conversation basically blind.

“Oh yeah, she went to high school with my parents!”

“My mom was her roommate at the academy,” Jinyoung added off-handedly. 

Glancing back and forth between them, Wooyoung began to smile. “Tell me everything you know about her! Do you think there’s even a small chance she’d rat us out to her husband if I tell her about this?”

They both shook their heads.

“She’s been trying to divorce that asshole ever since Yeonjun died,” Seunghun said. “It’s, like, the number one source of gossip in the upper class circles.”

“How have you heard about it then?” Yonghee questioned.

“My mom likes to go to fancy parties and chat around.”

“So that’s where you got that from!” Hyunsuk exclaimed.

“You really do kinda know everyone,” Byounggon agreed.

“Are you sure you’re not talking about Jinyoung?” Seunghun replied.

“Mustache’s wife lived with my parents for a bit to get away from him,” Jinyoung cut in, his eyes set on Wooyoung who’d been watching the whole exchange like a tennis match. “She hasn’t been able to afford her own place because he refuses to sign the divorce papers, probably to avoid a scandal.”

“Has she ever talked about suspecting him of killing Yeonjun?” Yunho asked.

“Not that I know of but I’ve also never talked to her one on one,” Jinyoung answered. “I’ve only seen her in passing.”

“So… you’re pretty sure she’d help us if I told her about Yeonjun?” Wooyoung spoke up again.

Jinyoung and Seunghun both nodded with earnest expressions.

“Do you know where I can find her?”

“She’s usually near the stage where everyone drops off their donation pledges and stuff,” Yonghee said as he leaned to the side and gestured above the heads of the crowd at the unnecessarily oversized maroon curtains which had to be at least five meters long and hung from a curved wall opening that reached about half a meter below the ceiling at its peak. 

“Maybe I can just keep an eye on her and catch her on the way back from the bathroom at some point?” Wooyoung suggested a little nervously.

“We can try,” Yunho replied in an optimistic tone to which Wooyoung nodded in relief.

“For now, let’s see if we can’t chat with some of the other council members first,” Hongjoong said, his eyes already scanning the crowd.

“Anything we can help with?” Seunghun offered.

“Maybe,” Seonghwa began just as his eyes found Wooyoung and silently checked in with him. Upon his nod, Seonghwa continued, “Have you ever heard a rumor about a child’s magic being sealed?”

“A child’s?” Hyunsuk echoed, shock clear in his voice.

“I could text my mom and ask her if she’s heard anything about it,” Seunghun requested.

“Did this happen recently?” Jinyoung asked.

Shaking his head, Wooyoung felt multiple pairs of eyes settle on him. “It happened when I was a kid. I don’t know how old exactly ‘cause I don’t remember any of it, and my childhood memories are a bit blurry in general, but I must’ve been younger than ten for sure, so it would’ve been, I don’t know, at least thirteen, fourteen years ago, if not longer?”

“They… to you?” At Jinyoung’s faltering question, Wooyoung looked up to meet his wide-eyed stare and nodded. “Damn. I’m so sorry, that’s terrible.”

“It’s okay.”

But the sympathetic frowns on all five of the other coven members’ faces didn’t fade.

“I swear, it’s alright!” Wooyoung reassured them, but even more so himself. “We’re on a mission to fix it so I’m gonna get it back and expose them for sealing it in the first place!”

“Alright!” Byounggon cheered. “Then we’ll be here for encouragement and backup if you need us!”

“Thanks, guys, seriously,” Hongjoong said, his smile and tone soft around the edges.

“Don’t worry about it!” Byounggon shot back. “You’d do the same for us! Also, what even just halfway decent person doesn’t love fucking with the council?”

“I hear ya!” Mingi called out.

The pressure on Wooyoung’s chest was just beginning to ease as the heaviness of the conversation began to dissolve and move away from him when Seunghun suddenly spoke up and instantly drew everyone’s attention.

“So, I just texted my mom…” 

Shifting his attention back to him, Wooyoung found Seunghun fixated on his phone screen which seemed to be displaying an ongoing chat conversation. “What is it?” Wooyoung prompted as his gaze darted from the screen to Seunghun’s face.

Glancing up, Seunghun met his eyes, a crease in his brow. “She says there was a rumor going around when I was a kid, about a mother who took her child to the council and had his powers sealed.”

Numbness spread across Wooyoung as his eyes widened at the implication. “What?”

Chapter Text

“She- She wouldn’t…” Lowering his head, Wooyoung shook his head, his thoughts racing as he, once again, tried to think back to his childhood and remember anything that’d help him figure out the truth but there was nothing. Just random snippets of being at school or in his room or on a family trip, nothing that’d indicate his mother had done something so unforgivable.

“And maybe she didn’t!” Seunghun was quick to say. “It’s just a rumor that went around!”

“We’re attracting too much attention, time to split up!” Hongjoong suddenly cut in. “San!”

The ambient noise instantly picked up in volume as the privacy ward dissolved in a barely noticeable flicker of light.

“Mr. Kim!” a deep unknown voice said way too close and quickly for comfort.

“Ah, yes, Mr. … hello,” Hongjoong replied as he took a step back, moving out of their circle to join the newcomer Wooyoung couldn’t see from his position. Voice dripping with fake politeness to match the most dishonest smile Wooyoung had ever seen on anyone’s face, Hongjoong allowed himself to be guided away by the hand the stranger had placed on his arm.

“Shit, Cape got him,” Seonghwa muttered.

“Let’s just split up and talk to anyone we bump into,” Mingi said quickly, “see if we can get anyone to spill some secrets.” 

“You’re the last person I’d trust to talk to any of them alone,” Jongho replied. “You’re sticking with me, come on!” With that, he hooked his arm through Mingi’s and dragged him away.

“We’re gonna head over to the stage,” Yunho said right before Wooyoung felt a large hand press against his mid-back, nudging him toward the gap left behind by the other three.

Disoriented and confused, Wooyoung suppressed the shiver caused by the unexpected contact and looked back, catching the others’ eyes who were all watching him go with badly masked worry and small waves. When he turned back around, he got to observe the ease with which Yunho weaved their path through the crowd, handing out polite nods and small greetings here and there. It didn’t take long for them to reach the only part of the room left largely empty, which luckily happened to be right by the stage, likely to leave space for anyone who wished to go up there and hand in their donation pledge.

“Are you okay?” Yunho whispered, his breath fanning right against Wooyoung’s ear and neck as he leaned down. 

Shivering, Wooyoung nodded.

“I’m sorry we got interrupted.”

“Not your fault,” Wooyoung replied, voice low. “And Seunghun was right, it’s just a rumor.”

In his periphery, he could see Yunho nod before he straightened back up to his full height.

Presuming this marked the end of their conversation, Wooyoung looked up at the stage and watched as a woman in a green and black dress sorted through a small stack of queue cards while standing between a speaker's podium and large table covered in flyers, ribbons, a clear box filled with button pins, and other random stuff, all in the same color scheme.

“It’s weird to see her again after all this time,” Wooyoung whispered. “She barely aged but I can still barely recognize her.”

The hand on his back fell away as Yunho stepped around him to cover his view of the stage, leaving Wooyoung confused until he noticed Yunho wasn’t looking at him, but rather at someone behind him. Before he could turn around and find out who it was, Yunho’s hand already found his waist and tucked him into his side protectively, turning him in the process and thus revealing to him the person Yunho was now greeting with a smile no less fake than Hongjoong’s had been. One glance and Wooyoung already knew: Bowling Shirt. The guy was even wearing one now, right under his dark blue suit, which was fully unbuttoned as if he were trying to show off his lack of fashion sense.

“Mr. Jeong!” Bowling Shirt called out with widespread arms, a booming voice, and big bright grin.

“Ah, yes, hello,” Yunho replied, a lot less enthusiastically.

“It’s so good to see you!” Bowling Shirt went on as he grabbed Yunho’s hand and patted his shoulder strong enough for even Wooyoung to feel the impact on Yunho’s other side. “And you’ve brought a date!”

Feeling dirty just by having those eyes on him, Wooyoung could only muster a fake smile of his own and offered his hand which was instantly grabbed in a strong dry palm. “Hello, I’m Jung Wooyoung.”

“Jeong? Are you two married?” Bowling Shirt asked, his grin not faltering.

“Ah, no, it’s Jung, not Jeong.”

“Ah!” Breaking into booming laughter, Bowling Shirt dropped his hand and, luckily, didn’t seem to notice Wooyoung’s flinch at the sudden explosive sound, neither did he pick up on the fakeness of Wooyoung and Yunho’s own laughter as they leaned back into each other to regain a sense of comfort among the sea of awkwardness.

“So, Mr. Jeong, what brings your coven to this charity ball? I was surprised Mr. Kang requested an invitation when you kids normally avoid these sorts of events!”

“We just moved to a new town, really small and cozy,” Yunho replied, “but we’ve been missing the bustle of the city, you know? So we thought it’d be nice to get out and mingle a bit with our own kind, catch up with some people, all of that.”

“Ah yes,” Bowling Shirt went on with his everlasting smile, “I saw you stand with Mr. Lee’s coven earlier! It’s good to see so many young witches interested in giving to the less fortunate.” He tapped the button pin on his shirt. “I already pledged my own donation, you see?”

“How very gracious of you!” Yunho said with such fake politeness Wooyoung wished he were allowed to laugh. “But, Sir, tell me, it’s been so long since we’ve been to one of these functions and you know how quickly things happen when witchcraft is involved, is there any truth to the rumor that the Head of Council won’t be up for re-election this coming voting season because he’s begun pushing the idea of permanent magic seals as punishment for for non-violent crimes?”

Dropping his gaze to hide his stunned reaction, Wooyoung could see Bowling Shirt’s ugly brown shoes come a little closer before he answered in a much lower voice. “It’s true,” he said conspiratorially, his words easing the fear in Wooyoung’s chest. Yunho must have known this guy was a big gossip and wouldn’t read too much into the question. “You didn’t hear this from me, but… he’s been going off the rails in all sorts of ways recently. But you know what I think? I think it’s because of this sudden increase in demonic possessions amongst the humans and such, you know? He must be feeling the pressure from neighboring councils.”

“Increase in demonic possessions?” Yunho prompted as he hunched his shoulders a little to get closer to Bowling Shirt’s eye level which was a little lower than Wooyoung’s.

“You haven’t heard? Everyone’s talking about it tonight.” After a quick look around, Bowling Shirt leaned even closer to the point where Wooyoung could smell his aftershave. Too close for comfort. “Demonic activity reportedly picked up over the last month all around the globe and no one knows why. They say it’s like the demons are trying to subjugate humanity. 

“But honestly, we all know there’s always been possessed people ruling nations so what’s the difference? That’s what I asked Ms. Wang, and you know what she said? She said a Chinese government medium predicted it could escalate like it did back in the nineteen hundreds with all those human nations at war.” Suddenly, Bowling shirt leaned back and raised his voice: “Ah, may I have one please?” He reached for a passing waiter and grabbed himself a drink from the serving platter balanced on the waiter’s hand. “You too, gentlemen?”

“Ah, no thank you,” Yunho was quick to say while Wooyoung also shook his head and thanked the waiter who left with a disinterested expression. 

“So you think the demons may be trying to destroy the planet?” Yunho asked, keeping his voice low.

Bowling Shirt shrugged as he sipped his drink. “Who knows what they want… Ah, Ms. Han!” And with that, he ran off as if they hadn’t just been in the middle of a conversation.

Wooyoung watched him go before he whipped around to look back up at Yunho. “What the fuck is happening, dude?” he hissed.

“I don’t know,” Yunho muttered. 

“Mr. Jeong!” a high but masculine voice called out as a lanky old man in a pinstripe suit came striding toward them, bumping into a short witch dressed in an unflattering golden gown along the way. He offered her a quick apology which was met with a polite smile of acceptance before he continued on toward them. “Mr. Jeong, it’s nice to see you again after such a short time! I’d like to thank you again for helping me with my… little problem recently.”

Mentally, Wooyoung thanked the guy for identifying himself as Pinstripe, the guy who kept getting cursed recently because he’d been making himself unpopular with potion witches.

“It’s no problem,” Yunho said quickly, “but listen… I was just talking to Bo- your colleague, and he was talking about an increase in demonic possessions among humans?”

“Ooh, yes, terrible thing…” Pinstripe trailed off for a moment before he leaned a little closer. “But honestly, we haven’t seen it affect too many people around here so there’s no real reason for concern. It’s happening largely outside the country. Though, if you’re lucky, maybe it’ll spread to the locals.” He nudged Yunho with his elbow. “Would be very lucrative for your covenmate’s business, wouldn’t it?” He laughed as if he’d told a great joke.

Yunho and Wooyoung faked their own laughter for a moment before Wooyoung looked down at the floor for a moment and cleared his throat. What the fuck was wrong with these people?

“But seriously,” Yunho said while his voice remained laced with fake cheer, “shouldn't we be a little concerned about what this could mean for the fate of the planet?”

Pinstripe shrugged. “It’s the humans’ business, isn’t it? We only need to take care of our own people.”

“We do live on the same planet,” Wooyoung pointed out.

“Oh, where are my manners,” Pinstripe said as he looked at him. “Who might you be?” 

“Jung Wooyoung. I just joined Kim Hongjoong’s coven?”

“Ah, I heard they brought someone new tonight!” Darting forward, Pinstripe grabbed Wooyoung’s hand and shook it with a loose, slightly moist grip and barely there bow which Wooyoung returned before he moved closer to Yunho again and secretly wiped his hand on the back of Yunho’s thigh. Somehow, Yunho managed to have no visible reaction which was wildly impressive. 

“So the council has no plans of investigating?” Yunho prompted. “Not even the BDPM?”

“We did hold the board meeting recently, as you surely heard from your covenmate, but for now, there’s little we can do unless the human government is willing to further cooperate with us.”

“And what would this cooperation encompass?” Wooyoung pushed.

Pinstripe shrugged. “You know the deal, witches should hold down at least one hundred and seventy seats in the National Assembly, the removal of the current president so he can be replaced by our next Head of Council, that kind of thing.”

Absolutely flabbergasted, Wooyoung could only stare at the idiot in front of him.

“Oh, Ms. Han!” and with that Pinstripe ran off as well.

“Ms. Han is popular tonight,” Wooyoung muttered as he tried to process what they’d just been told. Blinking repeatedly to clear his thoughts, he looked up at Yunho. “Did… did this guy seriously just say the council wasn’t gonna do anything to protect our fucking planet until they were allowed to rule this country?”

“Something like that…” Yunho replied, his voice low as he turned to look back at the stage. “There’s no one on stage anymore and I’m pretty sure I just saw Mrs. Choi heading through the crowd about a minute ago.”

“Shit!” Wooyoung hissed and grabbed Yunho’s hand. “Let’s go find her!”

They came across Hongjoong, Yeosang, Jinyoung, and Seonghwa on the way, all of whom were caught up in unpleasant looking conversations with other guests and only shot them fleeting looks as they passed by. Once they made it to the buffet, they lined up against the wall so Yunho could keep some distance from the mass of people and sweep his gaze across the crowd. 

“I don’t see her,” he reported. “She might be outside somewhere.”

“Do we split up, one here, one outside?” Wooyoung suggested.

Yunho’s hold on his hand tightened. “No, you’re staying with me. Let’s just wait by the doors so we can-”

“There she is!” Wooyoung interrupted and set off in a quick stride as his gaze zeroed in on green-and-black dress he’d just spotted on the person heading through the doors with a group of three witches dressed like all the other service workers.

By the time they got to her, she was already dismissing the small group and setting off toward the stage. 

“Mrs. Choi!” Wooyoung called out instinctively, capturing her attention. Confusion was clear on her face as she looked at him. “Mrs. Choi, do you remember me?”

“Um… should I?” The frown on her face looked a little disgruntled.

“My name is Jung Wooyoung, I was friends with your adoptive son when we were in about third or fourth grade? Do you remember me?”

As she took in his words and visibly tried to align her memories with the person in front of her, her entire expression slowly began to transform, growing softer, more familiar, making him feel the urge to smile at her, though he tried to remain neutral for just a bit longer. “Wooyoung-ah?”

He nodded quickly, the corners of his mouth tugging up against his will at the way she said his name, motherly, like she knew him. “Yes, Mrs. Choi. I’m the kid that used to bite Yeonjun on the playground when he tried to lick my ice cream.”

She seemed caught off guard by her own laughter and quickly brought up her hand to cover her mouth. “Oh wow…” She dropped her hand and looked him over again, this time a lot quicker and with a newfound light in her eyes. “It really is you, isn’t it? You’ve grown so tall!” A smile broke across her face as she stepped closer to him, her hands reaching up to hover across his cheeks as she kept looking him up and down in visible disbelief. “It’s so good to see you! And so healthy and well! I never expected to see you again after we had to move away so suddenly for my… husband’s work! And to find you in such a place and with a member of the Kim Coven, nonetheless!”

Feeling proud, much like he did as a kid when he managed to impress his mother, Wooyoung grinned as he looked over at Yunho. “I recently became a member, Mrs. Choi!”

“Look at you, Wooyoung-ah!” she said with the same tone she used to use when they showed her their drawings and sand castles as children.

Chuckling as he swayed his shoulders a little, he watched as the woman across from him seemed to deage by about a decade until he truly felt like he’d traveled back in time, though now he had to look down to meet her eyes instead of up. 

Unfortunately, after just another second of warm eye contact, there was another shift in her expression, one accompanied by her slowly withdrawing hands and a wave of heavy air which washed across their little huddle and left Wooyoung’s chest heavy under its pressure. He knew what she was going to say before she’d even opened her mouth.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, Wooyoung-ah, but…”

“I know, Mrs. Choi,” he said softly and reached out to gently squeeze her hand. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Her gaze dropped, she nodded and cleared her throat before the smile returned to her face, though now it was a lot smaller and felt a lot less genuine. “I organize a Candlelight Vigil in his honor every year to protest and raise awareness about the discrimination against witches with less magic, if you’d like to join this year. We’ve been holding it in a different city each year and this year, it’ll be in Busan.”

“We’d love to attend, Mrs. Choi,” Wooyoung was quick to say. “But, there’s actually something else I’d like to discuss with you in private if you could spare us some time.”

Glancing in the direction of the stage, her smile slowly faded before she looked back at him. “I’m really sorry, Wooyoung-ah, but I don’t have much time at the moment. Maybe after the event?”

After a quick glance up at Yunho, Wooyoung met her eyes again and nodded, smiling. “Sure, how about we meet over there by the buffet later? Then we can sneak some leftovers.”

Her features softened again, making way for an almost motherly smile. “That sounds lovely, Wooyoung-ah. I’ll see you there. You too, Mr. Jeong?”

“Of course, I can’t just leave without my soulmate,” Yunho said, an upbeat tone to his voice that made her chuckle as she offered them a small bow and friendly wave before she disappeared among her guests.

All the adrenalin left Wooyoung’s system as he turned to look up at Yunho. “Wow, that went so much better than expected.”

“But now we have to stick around until the end of this entire thing.”

“Shit.”

“If I hear anyone call me by my last name one more time tonight, I’m gonna riot,” Byounggon muttered as he joined their little huddle beside the buffet table, as far away from the stage as possible.

They were nearing the end of the event and the lights had been dimmed for hours now while one council member after the other went up on stage, each holding yet another pointless speech full of big words and bigger lies, all not even remotely revolving around the charity their money was supposed to be going towards. In short, it was boring, upsetting, and quite frankly insulting to everyone’s intelligence, but the people around them seemed to eat it up, applauding at all the right moments, dropping a polite chuckle here and there, nothing but self congratulatory garbage. 

Though, to be fair, all that nonsense wasn’t even the worst part about their current situation. What was truly nerve wracking was how, every few minutes, some random guest would wander up to them and steal one of them away for a quick sneaky chat which kept on happening so, by now, only four of them were left. The only reason Wooyoung was one of them was Yunho who’d sent him off to fetch them some snacks, allowing him to hide out at the buffet.

“Tell me about it,” Wooyoung replied, leaning against the wall beside the extensively long table. “I feel like I’m developing facial blindness as we speak. If they lined up everyone in this room, I couldn’t tell you who I’ve met and who I’ve never seen before in my life”

To his right, Mingi crossed his arms. “Honestly? The amount of tax evasion in this room alone-”

“Mr. Bae, I thought I spotted you in the crowd earlier!”

Whipping his head around, Wooyoung caught Jinyoung flinching at the sound of his name. “Fuck,” he gritted out through his fake smile before he stepped forward to approach the middle aged woman currently waving him closer. 

And thus, they were three.

“Not Mrs. Chae…” There was actual pain in Byounggon’s voice as he scooted closer, taking Jinyoung’s place, his shoulder bumping against Wooyoung’s whose gaze was trained on Yunho a few meters ahead.

Feeling his heart ache in sympathy, Wooyoung sunk deeper against the wall. “Poor Yunho’s still with Eyebrows.” 

“Moment of silence for our soulmates,” Byounggon replied solemnly.

“You too?” Wooyoung blurted out.

“Huh?”

“Your coven, you guys are soulmates too?”

“Oh yeah, all five of us.”

A smile spreading across his face, Wooyoung straightened up a little. “Really?”

Chuckling, Byounggon gave a single proud nod. “We even stole Jinyoung away from another coven.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, pretty crazy story actually- Holy shit… No, wait a second, is that?” Faltering, Byounggon’s gaze was stuck on a point past Wooyoung’s shoulder.

Whipping his head around, Wooyoung instantly realized what, or rather who, he was looking at. It was a man. A man sporting a bushy mustache who’d just wandered through the front doors and now stopped near Yunho, his gaze trained on the massive projector screen framed by the heavy maroon curtains behind the stage. Even just looking at him made Wooyoung feel sick to his stomach as disdain flooded his system like poison.

“And here I’d been hoping he wouldn’t show,” Byounggon muttered.

“Come on, let’s go outside for a bit.” With those words, Mingi stepped in front of Wooyoung, blocking his view with earnest eyes and a hand that slowly reached out to grab his elbow.

Glancing over, Wooyoung exchanged a quick nod with Byounggon, who returned it with a small smile, before he allowed Mingi to lead him out the room and past the security personnel parked right outside the doors.

As they left behind the noisiness of the endless speeches, Mingi led him down a wide corridor to the left which contained the signage for the bathrooms so they at least wouldn’t arouse any suspicion just yet. Without exchanging a single word, they followed along the straight path until they were given the option to take a right turn into a short, narrow hallway, which left them parallel to the foyer and finally completely out of sight of anyone involved with the event. 

“There’s a staircase leading up to the balcony over there,” Mingi revealed, his voice barely above a whisper as he brought up his free hand to show him a finger heart which was broken almost instantly as a silver key appeared between his fingers, glittering until it dulled to a regular metal sheen.

Glancing up to catch Mingi’s mischievous little grin, Wooyoung chuckled under his breath as he shook his head and allowed Mingi to lead him up the stairs and down a hallway to a huge set of glass doors which was quickly unlocked. Thankfully, without setting off any alarms or wards.

The moment a cool breeze ruffled his hair, Wooyoung could feel the stress easing off him just a smidge. It had to be enough for now. A gentle hand grabbed his wrist, touching bare skin and making him shiver as he was tugged out onto stone tiles and presented with a view of the sprawling city under a moonlit, starless night. Behind them, the heavy doors fell shut with no more than a small click.

His fingers remaining on Wooyoung’s pulse point, Mingi led him straight toward the center point of the half wall protecting them from the deep drop to the well manicured lawn below, only to then suddenly turn on his heel with a dramatic swish of his suit jacket, and observe the emptiness of the balcony. Gray tiles flanked by a milk glass wall and more gray. No furniture, no plants, no nothing. Just a few circular floor lights.

“Something wrong?” Wooyoung asked.

“Not for much longer.” With a wave of Mingi’s hand, light static suddenly filled the air, prickling against Wooyoung’s skin as a cloud of glowing white butterflies manifested in front of them and illuminated the night. They rose up, one meter, two, then silently erupted like the smallest of fireworks, dissipating the nauseating atmosphere of the building and leaving behind a shower of silvery white glitter which rained down on a brand new cushioned porch swing that hadn’t existed a mere second ago. Its legs were wrapped in fairy lights and blooming leafy vines, reminding Wooyoung of the ones in Yeosang’s room and matching the colors of the pillows and blanket spread across its cushioned seat and backrest.

Blinking repeatedly, Wooyoung was mesmerized by the little show, all the horrors of the last few hours forgotten as he slowly looked over at Mingi who was watching him with sparkling eyes and a sweet smile.

“Mingi…” Glancing back at the swing, Wooyoung felt giddiness climb up in him and tugged his wrist from Mingi’s hold so he could wrap his arms around him and squeeze him close, bathing in the sweeping tingles and warm shiver rolling down his spine. “You’re amazing, you know that?” Chuckling, Mingi brought a hand to his back, rubbing small circles between his shoulder blades. “How about we actually sit on it?”

“Feels kind of illegal.”

“They were asking for it when they failed to furnish this thing.”

A few minutes later, cuddled up under a blanket and leaning into Mingi’s side, Wooyoung preoccupied himself with Mingi’s hand in his, enjoying the magic sparking against his own with every brush of his fingertips along the intricate silver rings on each of Mingi’s fingers. 

“How’re you holding up?” The words vibrated against Wooyoung’s side where they were pressed together.

“Honestly? I don’t even know anymore…” There was too much going on in his head to even begin to sort it out without sleeping on it for a night. “I started off just wanting to unseal my magic and now they’re saying the world might end soon, so what does it even matter anymore, right? Now we’ve gotta find a way to… I don’t even know…” he took a deep breath as he wracked his brain “...mobilize all ghost hunters on earth and get them to exorcize all demons or something.”

“So you’re saying Yeonjun’s death doesn’t matter anymore?”

Shooting up, Wooyoung stared at Mingi downright horrified. “What? Of course not! What’re you even-”

“Well, you’re saying your magic doesn’t matter anymore because of all that shit we just heard about the demons, right?” Mingi cut in. “So by that logic, Yeonjun’s fate doesn’t matter much either anymore because what’s one life compared to eight billion?”

Realizing he’d been played, Wooyoung deflated and sank back against Mingi’s side, letting the warmth and comfort wash over him. “Fair enough…” he admitted reluctantly.

And with that, Mingi extended his free palm, conjuring up yet another white glowing butterfly which rose up half a meter and poofed into a sprinkle of sparks, leaving behind a familiar smartphone.

“You couldn’t just keep that in your pocket for the night, you little show off?” Wooyoung teased.

“It ruins the sleek silhouette,” Mingi argued as he unlocked the screen and opened his music folder.

“What’re you looking for?” Wooyoung asked, curiosity peaked.

“Hongjoong and I finished a new song and I think now’s a good time for you to hear it.”

“Right here, right now?” 

Mingi nodded and gently tugged his hand from Wooyoung’s hold, leaving him free to drape his arm fully around Wooyoung and ruck him firmly into his side. “Close your eyes for me?”

Knowing the kind of effect their songs could have on him, Wooyoung followed the request willingly and allowed Mingi to move him halfway onto his lap where his temple could rest against the meeting spot of Mingi’s shoulder and collarbone. With their proximity came the familiar little sparks which burst behind his eyelids and joined all the other sensations flooding him. He let it wash across him and carry him away, right until the first notes of an unfamiliar song began to play.

It began with a steady beat vibrating against his chest, sinking through his ribs, into his heart as a frosty shower rolled down his shoulder blades and tucked him out of his body and up, up, closer to the stars where he first opened his eyes and found himself standing on the surface of an inky black lake under a sky bursting with color. Like northern lights the colors streaked across the darkness but instead of the signature green, they consisted of sparkling colors he’d never seen on pictures of them before. Pinks, blues, purples, gold, red, all so unbelievably beautiful he longed to reach out and touch them, feel them under his fingertips, though rationally, he knew he couldn’t.

Around him, his soulmates’ voices filled the air, filling him with love, with longing. Their words sunk into his mind, piercing into his heart, into that part of his past where he’d wished so deeply to get to experience such a connection, such a bond with another person, the part of himself which, to this day, kept him questioning his worth as a person, a witch, a soulmate. Did he deserve to have all these wonderful people love him like that? Though just as the thought entered his mind, squeezing his heart and lungs painfully tight, his feet took him to the edge of the lake where he quickly came to realize there was no shoreline, no land, just a rushing waterfall plummeting into nothingness. 

It was freezing cold here, strong winds brushing across his hand as he reached out past the edge of the lake, out above the waterfall, his curiosity getting the best of him. The lake was an island and it was all there was as far as his eyes could see, just a tiny world floating in the vastness of space among the stars. The sight didn’t leave him scared, though he rationally knew he should be. It more so filled him with loneliness and that persistent longing for the northern lights above and… something else. What, he wasn’t sure. He withdrew his hand, looked at his near frostbitten fingers and wished for warmth. Turning back around, he looked up, up at those northern lights and knew everything would be okay if he could just be with them. But how could he go to them?

In his periphery, a flash of light caught his attention, making his head jerk back down. There was a silver blur rushing through the inky depths of the lake, circling ever closer to its center. As he tried to follow its trail with his gaze, warmth and love washed across him but also longing so deep it left him breathless. His frozen fingers twitched, longing to reach out and feel its inherent glow on his skin. As the beautiful melody flooded through his veins and his soulmates’ loving voices washed across him, Wooyoung watched the silver light break through the surface of the lake, escaping the inky blackness, and rise up like a tiny white star, shining ever brighter the taller it rose, the longer he looked at it. He watched frozen, in awe, as his body grew ever colder so close to the lake’s edge.

With its silver tendrils winding and pulsating across its surface, the light seemed to physically push back the darkness, the loneliness surrounding him, and even brighten the northern lights above his head, filling him with warmth, with hope, reminding him of his soulmates’ touch and making him crave that love, that comfort, that warmth even more than he thought possible after a life of persistent loneliness. As he took a step forward, closer to the star, a spike of adrenaline rushed through his veins and made him feel giddy. Deep down, he knew all that remaining loneliness was about to go away, all that longing was about to be fulfilled.

His feet began to move, taking him closer, ever closer to the light as his heart suddenly burst with joy, excitement, happiness, and love so deep, so pure, he could barely comprehend it all. For a moment, he was too overwhelmed to take another step. Wasn’t this too much for his heart to handle? But the words filling his ears made him wish to take another step, to walk ever closer, ever faster, outright run so he could embrace this light as soon as possible, so he could rid himself of the freezing loneliness and feel for himself all the love, joy, and warmth it radiated.

With his soulmates’ voices urging him on, he allowed himself to feel his longing and follow its call, finally taking another step, then another, moving his feet quicker, faster, outright setting off into a sprint, knowing everything would be better than he could even imagine when he reached the light. The closer he got, the giddier he felt as warmth flooded his body, his heart, eradicating all the lingering loneliness and longing, making him feel free and so, so very loved. Closing his eyes against the brightness, he kept running, kept rushing, embracing the rush of adrenaline, the swoop in his stomach, and just as he’d thought, no collision ever came but suddenly, he realized his feet were no longer touching the ground and, fluttering his eyes open, he was right there among the northern lights where he’d longed to be all along. 

With all these beautiful colors brushing against his skin, he suddenly realized why he’d wanted to be here so badly. It was his soulmates’ magic. He could feel the spark of connection, of familiarity, of home. Finally, he was free. Freer than ever before. Reaching out, he could touch his soulmates’ magic while bathing in their voices, warmth, love, joy, excitement flooding through his body, not a spark of loneliness remained. But it was then, looking at his hand touching the colors, that he realized it was him. He was glowing. He hadn’t just passed through the silver light, but fused with it, become it. He was the silver light. All that love and longing, all that joy and excitement, it was aimed at him. If the colors around him represented his soulmates’ magic, then the silver light now glowing from within him…

Finally, he understood. When the song came to an end, it was his own light that began to shine so unbelievably bright he had to close his eyes and trust the fading melody to safely carry him back to his body and his soulmate.

“Everything alright?” Mingi whispered, his voice no longer accompanied by instruments but in exchange, much more intimate than before as his breath caressed Wooyoung’s face with every syllable.

Opening his eyes, Wooyoung found himself curled up against a broad chest as he struggled to adjust back to reality. “I’m the silver light,” he said, awe undoubtedly clear in his voice as he blinked repeatedly and looked around himself, wiggling his fingers and toes to get a feel for his real body again.

“You are,” Mingi said softly, and this time, Wooyoung could hear the hint of uncertainty in his tone.

“What’s wrong?” Wooyoung asked, leaning back to better make out his face.

“When we were writing the lyrics, we were channeling a lot of our own memories and emotions.” There was an intensity to Mingi’s words and even more so to his gaze as it darted across Wooyoung’s face, clearly trying to gauge his reaction.

‘He’s worried,’ Wooyoung realized, his heart aching slightly at the realization. Reaching up, he pressed a gentle palm to Mingi’s cheek, feeling the heat of his skin, the tingle of his magic, the spark of connection just as he’d felt when reaching for those northern lights. At his touch, he watched Mingi’s eyes widen and his lips part in what? Surprise? Hope? Wooyoung wasn’t sure but he knew he needed to fix it. 

“What I felt looking at that silver light, that’s what you feel looking at me?” he said softly. Tracing his thumb across the soft skin of Mingi’s cheek, he hoped his next words would reach Mingi the way those lyrics had reached him. “I feel the exact same way about you.”

“I’m glad…” His hand coming up to cover the one pressed to his cheek, Mingi leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. For those two silent beats, Wooyoung could feel something in him ache with that exact same longing he’d just felt, a feeling which only intensified as Mingi’s eyes fluttered back open and looked right at him. “When we wrote that song, we were hoping to help you see yourself the way we see you, you know? But I gotta be honest, I really, really didn’t expect all this would happen before you could hear it.”

“What do you mean?” Wooyoung replied as he traced Mingi’s features with his fingertips. 

“You know, I can’t see what you see when you listen to one of our songs. I only know you can feel what I felt when I was recording my voice. Hongjoong is the one who creates the images with his charm speak. So while you were listening, I was thinking and it made me wonder…” The words were mumbled and followed by several seconds of silence as Mingi frowned, lost in thought, and Wooyoung brought his smile back by booping his nose. 

“Wonder about what?” Wooyoung prompted.

“We found you just as everything was escalating, so it has to mean something, right? It’s like the universe brought us together for a reason. We picked this town at random because Yeosang wanted to live near the forest again and then we found you and now… this.”

Snatching back his hand and sitting back, Wooyoung gaped at Mingi who looked more startled than anything. “Dude, did you just call me a bad omen?” 

“No!” Mingi argued, visibly panicked. “I was just laying out facts!”

“What the fuck?”

“No, wait, don’t- don’t be mad. I was just being all romantic!”

“Well, don’t call me a bad omen then!”

“I wasn’t! You’re putting words in my mouth.”

“There you are!”

Jumping at the appearance of a new voice, Wooyoung whirled around to find Yunho standing with his hand on the door handle, looking out at them with raised eyebrows.

“Sorry to ruin the mood, I guess? Though, honestly? I don’t even know what the mood here is, but they just wrapped up the final speech and people are starting to leave so you really need to come back down.”

Pulling away from Mingi, Wooyoung nearly face planted as he got tangled up in the blanket on his way over to Yunho. “He made me feel beautiful and important and then called me a harbinger of death, can you believe this shit?”

Wide-eyed with confusion, Yunho glanced from him to Mingi as he opened the door for them. “Uh…”

“I swear, I didn’t!” Mingi defended himself.

Hooking his arm through Yunho’s, Wooyoung began to drag him away while Mingi was left to stumble after them, magical static filling the air as he dissolved his creation along the way.

Chapter Text

“Where are Byounggon and the others?” Wooyoung asked as they joined the rest of their coven gathered by the buffet.

“They’re keeping Mustache distracted out in the foyer so we can get Mrs. Choi outta here without him noticing us,” Hongjoong said, his tone rushed, tension squaring his shoulders and a small crease in his brow. “The goal is to have her agree to coming with us as fast as possible and then we can text the others our address so they can come after us.”

“Here she comes!” Yunho cut in, making all of them turn around and face the woman in black and green as she approached them with curious searching eyes.

“Good evening, gentlemen!”

As they exchanged a round of greetings, Wooyoung caught San put up another privacy ward upon Hongjoong’s nod, the small twinkle of gold so faint Mrs. Choi doesn’t even seem to notice it.

“So, what did you wish to talk about?” Her eyes searched out Wooyoung who did his best to smile and hide his nervousness.

“I… Something happened to us recently,” he began with no idea where his sentence was even going because, how do you tell someone their husband killed their child? What was the protocol? Should he just come out and say it directly? Was there a way to ease the blow? Did he even need to explain everything right here, right now or was it enough to just tell her about Yeonjun and the doll?  “Something I think you should know about.”

Frowning, she stepped closer to him, her hand beginning to reach for his arm. “What’s wrong? Do you need help?”

Shaking his head, Wooyoung looked at her soft concerned eyes and then forced himself to look away so he could say what needed to be said. “Jongho, he… He found a haunted doll and…” Swallowing, Wooyoung looked back at her confused worried expression and his heart ached. “On the first night, the spirit attached to it… it showed itself to us and it’s Yeonjun.”

Her eyes widened even further as she grabbed onto his arm. “Yeonjun? What… what do you mean, he’s…”

“His spirit’s attached to the doll, his mother’s doll,” Wooyoung forced out, his throat tight as he saw the shock on her face.

“He’s still here?” Her voice was soft, barely audible.

Nodding repeatedly, Wooyoung felt his eyes burn as he recognized the horror in her eyes, the devastation. “He told us how he died and he… he needs your help.”

Looking from him to the others and back, Mrs. Choi visibly struggled to process what she was hearing. “How did you find this doll? What did Yeonjun say? Where is he now? Did you bring the doll here?”

“We left it back home where it’s safe, but if you come with us, you can talk to him.”

With uncertainty so very clear on her face, she looked off to the side again but Wooyoung kept his gaze only on her, hoping to reassure her through their shared connection to Yeonjun, to make her believe him where the others couldn’t. They needed her to be on their side, on Yeonjun’s side. Without her, things would end up a whole lot more difficult, so when her eyes aimed back at him again, he held his breath, awaiting her answer. “Please take me to my son,” she said softly.

“I don’t know if it was right to make him be the one to tell her,” Wooyoung said as he paced up and down between the dining table and entry way.

They were all gathered in the kitchen, Byounggon’s coven having arrived shortly after them while Yeonjun was already with his adoptive mother in Hongjoong’s studio, talking in private. They hadn’t told her much more on the way over, only sharing with her how Jongho found the doll, what it looked like, how Yeonjun looked and if he still talked like himself, all without ever telling her about the way he died. Wooyoung just couldn’t bring himself to get the words out and the others probably didn’t feel like it was their place to tell her, leaving him to make the call as the one who knew her best among them.

“It’ll be different coming from him.” Soft reassurance flowed in Yeosang’s tone. “I think it’s best this way.”

Slowing his steps, arms crossed, Wooyoung sighed. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Speaking of mothers…” Hongjoong’s voice trailed off as he met Wooyoung’s eyes with concern marring his features. Standing perched against the dining table, he’d been following Wooyoung with his gaze ever since he’d started pacing.

“Right,” Wooyoung muttered, hunching into himself. “I should call her.”

“You could invite her over,” Yunho suggested.

Nodding slowly, Wooyoung glanced over at the still closed door leading to Hongjoong’s studio before he pulled out his phone to check the time. “She’ll be asleep right now.”

“Tomorrow then,” Seonghwa said softly.

Another nod and Wooyoung felt all energy leave his body as the exhaustion of the day finally caught up to him. Defeated, he walked over to the last free barstool and sat down, soon to be joined by San who wrapped an arm around his waist, leaving Wooyoung free to lean against him in a comforting half-hug, half-cuddle situation.

“Alright, everyone! So, what have we learned today?” Hongjoong asked, reminiscent of a kids show host as he turned around to face everyone.

“First of all,” Jongho said, pulling in everyone’s attention, “why do they even call it a ball when there was no dancing at any point? Are they that far removed from human customs? Did witches historically not have dancing at balls? Second of all,I find it ironic that we thought we’d have to corner people and then they ended up cornering us. Third of all, we planned on shaking things up but they already managed to do it on their own on a much grander scale than we could’ve done in one night. And fourth of all, this amount of gossip should count as a threat to national security. I’ve just learned so much unnecessary stuff about people’s marriage statuses and their rebellious kids that I wish I could just eject from my brain and-” He cut off, wildly throwing his hands around as he acted out, with self made sound effects, how he’d scrunch up the ejected information, chuck it aside and set it on fire in one big inferno. Then his entire body fully deflated with a great big exhale as he sank deeper into his chair and everyone’s attention slowly shifted back to Hongjoong who was still looking Jongho’s way.

“Alright then,” Hongjoong said after a beat. “So… we all talked to a lotta people today and they sure had a lotta things to say. Let’s gather what we know. I’ll start.” Counting off on his fingers, he began. “One, there’s an increase in demonic activity all around the globe. Two, there are more possessions than ever before, including politicians. Three, the council has no plans of stepping in to help. Did anyone else find out something more?”

“The energy signature of the earth is changing,” Yeosang spoke up, triggering a wave of confusion in his audience.

“What do you mean?” Hongjoong asked, frowning.

“I know of only one garden witch in the upper circles and I managed to talk to her. She told me she’s been noticing a shift of sorts, like the planet is… waking up? That’s kinda how she described it.” Leaning forward in his seat, Yeosang began to gesticulate more heavily as he tried to explain, an urgency behind his tone and expressions. “Nature has always been calm, you know? Even with global warming and deforestation and stuff like that, the planet’s energy was always calm, almost as if it were sleeping. But now, it’s like earth, mother nature, whatever you wanna call it, is waking up and realizing what’s happening and it’s scared, maybe even in pain. With everything going on recently, my own energies have been a bit chaotic so I haven’t been able to sense anything but if that witch is right, it could mean mother nature, the earth itself, is ready to… I don’t know, fight maybe? But no matter what, I need to go back to the forest tomorrow, see if I can connect and hear for myself what’s happening. And, Wooyoung, I hope you’ll come with me since the forest guardian already chose you.”

“I… sure. Of course. I’ll help in any way I can. I’ve still got my leaf upstairs.”

“Your leaf?” Jinyoung asked.

Looking over at him, Wooyoung nodded. “The forest guardian left a little leaf on the ground for me to help me recover from an intense… cleansing session I guess you’d call it?”

“Sounds… interesting.”

“I also talked to someone,” Yonghee began. “A healer from Latvia.”

“Where?” San cut in.

“Latvia.”

“Never heard of it,” Hyunsuk commented.

“Either way,” Yonghee continued, “she told me it’s pretty crazy in her part of the world as well these days. She keeps getting called in by humans of all ages, all of them struggling with stuff like insomnia, depression, anxiety, and when she gets there, she finds the place infested with demons. Her husband’s a ghost hunter like Jongho and he’s barely been sleeping over the last two weeks. He keeps getting called in for emergency exorcisms night and day and he isn’t the only one. All his friends in the industry are reporting the same.”

“So what do we do?” Byounggon asked, looking at Hongjoong who took a deep breath and crossed his arms, dropping his gaze.

“I… I don’t know. Not yet, anyway.”

“Maybe we’ll know more after tomorrow,” Yeosang offered.

Hongjoong sent him a quick but sweet smile. “Yeah. We might.”

“She’ll come out in a second.”

The sudden appearance of Yeonjun right beside Hongjoong had them all jumping but most of all Hongjoong himself who nearly ended up on the floor but was caught by Yunho at the last second with a hand on his back.

“Shit, Yeonjun!” Hongjoong complained as he straightened back up and squeezed Yunho’s hand in silent thanks. “Are you okay? Did everything go alright with your mom?”

“I told her everything and she’s willing to handle all the legal stuff so it’s basically outta your hands now. Not me though, because she’s still forced to live with-” Yeonjun paused, wrinkling his nose “-Mustache, so I’ll be staying here until the end of the murder trial or whenever.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Wooyoung sunk further against San. At least one thing was working out as planned. 

“That’s great, Yeonjun!” Seonghwa said, relief clear in his voice. “You can stay here as long as you want!”

“I’ll even let you pick what we’re gonna watch tomorrow!” Mingi offered graciously.

“It’s already Monday again?” Jongho asked.

“Today is Sunday, so yes,” Yunho replied.

“Seriously?”

“The ball was tonight, so obviously,” San said.

“I thought it was Saturday,” Jongho mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ve got an appointment in four hours…”

Yeosang reached over to pat his shoulder in sympathy.

Across the room, the door to Hongjoong’s studio opened and a slightly disheveled looking Mrs. Choi came walking out. The closer she got, the more clear it became that she’d been crying, though her make up had clearly been touched up after.

“I already called my driver to come pick me up,” she said, her voice calm and friendly though her steps faltered for a moment as she looked at Yeonjun who was watching her, though Wooyoung could no longer see his face from his angle. “But before I go, I want to thank you. For everything. For taking care of my boy when I didn’t know he needed me. For giving him a chance to speak and reveal the truth. And for finding me so I have the chance to listen to him now. I know you don’t like the council and I understand better than most why, but I hope I’ll be able to count on you as witnesses at the trial, if needed.”

“Of course,” Wooyoung said, already sliding off the barstool so he could properly say goodbye to her. 

Yeonjun seemed to have the same idea. Without taking a single step, he disappeared and reappeared right beside her, making her visibly jump in momentary shock until she truly looked at him again. Her face crumbled right in front of Wooyoung’s eyes. All her put togetherness fading as her tears returned, one escaping her almost instantly. It was clear she was trying to remain calm but seeing her fight herself so hard only made the sight all the more painful to witness.

“We’ll help in any way we can,” Hongjoong promised.

She nodded while Wooyoung stood by, feeling helpless. “Thank you,” she whispered, bowing deeply, her fingers fidgeting where they were folded across her middle as he looked back at Yeonjun. “I’ll make sure to get the best lawyers, Jun-ah.” Wooyoung could feel a stab in his heart as he noticed the way her fingernails dug into her other hand as she looked at her son, pain so clear on her face. There was a twitch to her arms, as if she was fighting the urge to reach out for a hug she knew she couldn’t get anymore. “We’ll get that monster, I promise. I’ll help you find peace. You won’t have to suffer anymore.”

“I know, mom, you already told me,” Yeonjun said, a sweet teasing tone to his voice as he looked at his mother with soft eyes and a barely there smile that seemed wobbly around the edges. Had he been crying too? Could ghosts even produce tears?

“Alright then…” She nodded repeatedly, dabbing at her cheek where the fallen tear now disappeared. “I’ll leave and wait outside for my driver. Here is my card.” She conjured it up between her fingers in a small shower of orange and offered it to Wooyoung who took it with a whispered “thank you” and small bow. “Please call me anytime if there’s anything you need or any questions you want to ask.”

“We’ll make sure to stay in touch.” Wooyoung responded, glancing over at Yeonjun who nodded as his mother’s eyes flickered back to him.

On his other side, Seonghwa reached past him to offer up a small stack of black cards, freshly conjured up under a small shower of pinks and purples. “All our numbers are on these. Feel free to also give them to whoever ends up working the case. And if you need recommendations, our Yunho has extensive experience with a lot of lawyers so he’d be happy to help.”

“It’s true!” Yunho confirmed, forcing a small chuckle out of her, bordering on a sob.

“Thank you, boys.” She accepted the cards with another small bow and put them carefully in her purse which she’d just conjured up and was now clutching to her stomach. “I wish you a good night. And I hope the next time we see each other, we’ll all only have good news to share.”

And with that, she stepped out into the cold night air.

Getting to cook for his coven felt like therapy that night. The familiarity of preparing a recipe he’d cooked so many times before, of handling the same ingredients, smelling the same delicious hints of spices and herbs, was healing. But nothing was better than standing at the stove while soulmate after soulmate snuck up behind him to peek over his shoulder and try to talk him into letting them have a taste.

Yeonjun had vanished shortly after his mother left, drained and grateful and ready to rest back in his vessel. Less than ten minutes later, Byounggon’s coven had said their goodbyes, choosing to spend the night in a hotel in the neighboring city despite Hongjoong’s repeated offer to have them crash in the mansion instead. It was a little cruel but part of Wooyoung was glad they’d been so persistent with their request. He really just wanted to be alone with his soulmates for a bit.

“Yeosang’s preparing a sleeping potion for all of us,” Seonghwa said, voice soft, barely louder than the calming music playing over the speakers. His arms wrapped around Wooyoung’s waist as he came up behind him and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. The implication was clear. None of them would be able to fall asleep easily tonight.

Nodding in understanding, Wooyoung stopped stirring the pot for a moment and closed his eyes as he leaned back into Seonghwa’s chest, feeling healing warmth wash across him. “Are you using magic on me right now?” he mumbled, unable to gather the strength to open his eyes and check for himself.

“Just soothing some aches,” Seonghwa whispered and Wooyoung didn’t have the strength to argue with him.

After dinner, they unanimously agreed to sleep together in Seonghwa’s room for the night, none of them prepared to let anyone out of their sight after the night they’d just had. Since it was the only one without a platform, they could easily move aside all the furniture and lay out enough sleeping mats for all eight out of them. 

Making use of all the bathrooms in the mansion, they were quick to reunite on the floor, each bringing their own sheets and pillows, except for Wooyoung who was one of the last to arrive. The second he crossed the threshold, he was immediately waved over by Hongjoong and Yunho who were the only ones still sitting up while everyone else had already curled up, some with each other, others alone with their phones in hand. Seeing them all gathered together in their pajamas and with their bare faces filled his chest with warmth and love but nothing made his heart lift higher than-

“Baby!” Wooyoung said the word like a prayer as he spotted Nero laid out on the space between Hongjoong and Yunho, her tummy facing the ceiling as she enjoyed pets from both sides. Without another second wasted, Wooyoung rushed over and fell to his knees, making her panic for a moment before he picked her up and cuddled her to his cheek, not caring the slightest bit about how her fur was getting stuck on his moisturizer. With every one of her purry breaths, he could feel a piece of his soul healing until he felt like he could go for another crying session.

“I’ve got everyone’s potion!” Yeosang called out behind him, likely having just entered the room. 

Lowering Nero to his chest, Wooyoung glanced over to watch him approach Jongho on the far side of the room, handing out the first of many small ornate flasks gathered in his arm filled with a deep red liquid. Tearinghis gaze away, Wooyoung looked back into his cat’s round trusting eyes. “It’s time for a nap, fluffy baby. C’mon, let’s lay down together!”

Hours later, he woke up firmly wrapped around his pillow, his forehead pressed between Hongjoong’s shoulder blades and with the heavy weight of Yunho’s arm draped across his middle, pressing him tightly against a long torso. He could still feel the effects of the potion pulse through his system but its gentle magic was nothing compared to Nero laying snuggled up against the crown of his head, paws kneading his hair and forcing wince after wince from him with every micromovement of her paws. 

Thanks to Yeosang’s potion, he managed to sneak out of the room without anyone waking up. Taking Nero with him, he headed downstairs, prepared her breakfast and headed off to Hongjoong’s studio where he took several deep calming breaths as he scrolled down to his mother’s contact information and pressed the call button before his still half asleep brain could overthink it too hard.

She picked up on the fourth ring. 

“Youngie!”

Somehow, hearing her sound so happy to hear from him made him freeze and forget everything he’d meant to say. “Mom?”

“Youngie, since when are you up so early?”
“I… Nero woke me.”

“Did she now?” Her laugh. His mom’s familiar joyous laugh. Hearing her, hearing that… Guilt flooded him with enough force to wash away everything he’d ever thought about her in the last twelve hours. How could he ever believe she’d intentionally cause him harm? How dare he doubt her when she’d been nothing but loving and supportive throughout his entire life? No. No, she wouldn’t. She couldn’t! It made no sense. How could he have ever thought she’d do this to him? How could he let some stupid rumors-

“Yeah, she did!” he complained, letting the childish whine slip into his voice as he curled up on Hongjoong’s couch, knees to his chest, allowing himself to flee into the safety and comfort of talking to his mother. “She was using my head as a pillow and clawed at my hair!”

“Ah, maybe you deserved it though. Did you forget to give her her snack?”

“She even got two treats! She’s been getting spoiled rotten by everyone!”

“Everyone?” she asked. “Are those kids even feeding her now?”

“Oh…” Eyes widening, Wooyoung paused for a second as his thoughts began to race. “No, it’s not them.”

“Oh? Did you make new friends?”

“I- Uh, in a way?”

She chuckled, her tone teasing as if she’d just caught him breaking the rules. “Are you dating someone, Youngie? Is that why you called? You’ve got someone you want to introduce to your momma?”

His heart pounding, Wooyoung mimicked her laughter and dropped his forehead to his knees, his fingers tightening around his phone. “Yeah, I’ve met someone. Seven someones, actually.” He held his breath, his eyes squeezed shut as he awaited her reply.

“Seven?” For a moment, there was only silence and breathing. “Did you join a coven, Youngie?”

Swallowing, he took another deep breath, ensuring the microphone was far enough from his face not to catch it. “I did,” he finally said as he held the screen back up to his cheek, voice low and tone controlled. “They’re my soulmates, momma.”

Another beat of silence. This one lingering several nerve wracking seconds longer. “Your soulmates? But your soulmark, honey…”

“I know, but… I know they’re my soulmates, momma. I can feel it when I’m with them. You’ve gotta trust me.” He squeezed his eyes shut a little tighter. “I want you to meet them. Do you wanna come visit?”

“I… Of course, sweetie!”

His head shooting up, Wooyoung’s eyes flew open, heart beating in elation. “Really?”

As she snickered at his excitement, the teasing tone was quickly back in her voice. “Why do you sound surprised? Of course I want to meet your soulmates, Youngie!”

“When are you coming? Today?”

“Ah, honey, slow down a sec.” Her laughter was so warm, so bright, so loving. “I need to drive down first and I can’t just ditch all my appointments. Where do they live?”

“They just moved her a couple of weeks ago, just a few minutes from the café! It’s this big mansion up on the hill!”

“Covens and their mansions. Must be where the Lee coven used to live. They were, what? Twenty people in that coven? Absolute madness.”

“It looks totally different now!”

“Hm…”

Cackling at the silent judgment trickling through the call, Wooyoung dropped his forehead back on his knees. “You’re gonna love it, momma. It feels like home…”

“Okay, honey.”

“So you’re gonna be here tomorrow?”

“I’ll do my best, I promise. I’ll call you tomorrow morning when I can make it, okay?”

“Okay… I love you.”

“Love you too, sweetie! Go give Nero some kisses from me!”

“I will!” With that, Wooyoung hung up, eyes closed as he focused on regulating his breathing.

“Couldn’t we just walk into the forest behind the mansion?” Wooyoung asked as he headed up the mountain beside San’s store for the first time in roughly fifteen days, though this time it was Seonghwa accompanying him and Yeosang. 

“You can’t see it that well from the house but the river up here also flows along the edge of our property,” Seonghwa explained, “which is quite lucky, actually, because it also keeps wild animals away from our doorstep.”

“I guess Mingi could’ve conjured one for us though,” Yeosang admitted.

“Well, either way we’re already here now.”

Twirling the delicate stem of his forest guardian’s leaf between his fingers, Wooyoung looked up at the trees and tried to focus on the energies around him. There was his own lingering anxiety, Yeosang and Seonghwa’s familiar buzzing energy, but not much else. “Do you feel something already?” He glanced over at Yeosang but found him shaking his head.

“Not really… but we also haven’t crossed the threshold yet.”

No more than a minute later, they set foot on the bridge and, instantly, Wooyoung could feel his feet begin to prickle. His gaze darted down through the gaps between the wooden boards but all there was was rushing water. “Do you feel that?” Looking back up, he found Yeosang frowning, a grim set to his mouth. The foreign and unnerving sight made something in his stomach sink.

“We’re going to the heart,” was all Yeosang said as he set off at a new and strict pace, clearly trusting them to keep up without asking too many questions.

After a quick exchange of looks, Wooyoung and Seonghwa followed.

They stuck to the artificially made path for a surprisingly long time as they headed deeper and deeper into the forest. The air was fresh and cool, the birds around them were chirping and the leaves crinkled as small critters looked for food among the dead underbrush. To Wooyoung, there were no real signs of change, nothing worrisome at least. But then again, he wasn’t a garden witch. 

“Is the leaf doing anything?” Seonghwa whispered as they walked behind Yeosang who was strongly giving off an aura of unapproachability. 

Shaking his head, Wooyoung looked down at the gift in his hand. “It’s just… being a leaf. It doesn’t even give off energy anymore. It hasn’t done anything since that day, to be honest, so I just pressed it as a little souvenir, y’know?”

Nodding, Seonghwa looked back ahead and fell silent again.

About twenty minutes later, Yeosang left the path, making a beeline for a gap between the trees while the other two were forced to accept their fate and force their way through dried branches and vines which kept scraping at their pant legs and whipping at their torsos and faces each step of the way.

Long minutes passed as they made their way ever deeper until, eventually, the ground turned from dried leaves and plants to thick moss, and the thick underbrush eased up, leaving in its place a welcoming path harboring the occasional fairy tending to the first flowers of the year. 

“Look!” Seonghwa suddenly whispered, tapping his shoulder and gesturing up ahead.

Following his line of sight, Wooyoung felt his lips part as he spotted a few gnomes cutting back a dried out bush littered with cracked and torn branches, damage likely sustained under the weight of last month’s snow. “I haven’t seen gnomes since I was in elementary school!” he rushed back, keeping his voice low despite the excitement bursting in his chest. “They’re so cute!”

“Remember, no pictures,” Seonghwa was quick to say just as Wooyoung’s hand was twitching to reach for his pocket.

“Right…” Relaxing his fingers, Wooyoung’s gaze remained fixated on the adorable little creatures carrying one another on their shoulders so they could reach the higher branches with their miniature hedge shears. “Look at those teeny tiny hats and coats…”

“I know,” Seaonghwa replied eagerly. “So cute…”

“You think they’d shake my finger if I went over and introduced myself?”

“They’d just run off the moment you get too close.”

“Damn…”

Chuckling, Seonghwa ran his hand through Wooyoung’s hair, eliciting a shower of tingles.

A couple for minutes ticked by as they walked through that far more well manicured part of the forest. The further they got, the more fairies and gnomes were there to see; some would throw them a warning glance, others just straight up ignored them, but every now and again, one would surprise them by offering a little wave or, in the gnomes’ case, even a tiny smile which would pull Yeosang out of his apparent trance each and every time without fail, just so he could bow and smile back in his usual adorable way. It put Wooyoung’s heart at ease, at least a little.

Eventually, the forest opened to a circular glade, leaving an almost too perfect circle of lush green grass surrounded by a row of trees with all but one large freestanding barren willow in its very center. And it was then that Wooyoung finally recognized where they were. “The fairy glade,” he whispered as he looked around himself, his head whipping around ever faster as they approached the central tree. “I was here before with my aunt and mother as a kid!”

“You were?” Seonghwa prompted.

Nodding, Wooyoung opened his mouth to explain further but found himself frowning instead as his mind came up empty. “I… don’t remember what we did here but I do remember visiting here with them. I remember the pretty fairies and that it was spring. It looked even more beautiful then.”

“I can imagine,” was all Seonghwa replied, the rest going unsaid as, two steps ahead, Yeosang came to a standstill, leaving less than an arm's length between himself and the tree.  

“Please don’t interrupt,” was all he said before he fell silent and placed his palm against the bark.

A minute passed in silence. Then two. Wooyoung and Seonghwa exchanged concerned looks. Another minute passed. Then Yeosang’s shoulders suddenly began to shake. Terrified, Wooyoung looked over at Seonghwa whose worried gaze was firmly set on Yeosang’s back but he didn’t move. Neither did Wooyoung, remembering Yeosang’s instructions. Yet another minute and the shaking turned to open but silent sobbing as Yeosang fell to his knees, his hand still resting against the bark. And still, they didn’t intervene.

Two more minutes and it was over. Yeosang dropped his head and turned around, resting his back against the tree as he looked up at them, his eyes red and cheeks wet, breaking Wooyoung’s heart.

“Sit with me, Wooyoung,” was the first thing Yeosang’s hoarse voice uttered to break the silence. His face gave nothing away as he reached up, palm facing up in a silent offer. 

Worried and with adrenaline rushing through his veins, Wooyoung placed his fingers on Yeosang’s and let himself fall to his knees as carefully as possible when his legs felt so stiff and his mind so shaken.

“Rest your hands and feet on the tree just like last time,” Yeosang instructed softly as he moved aside to give Wooyoung the space to do so.

Lost but filled with nothing but trust, Wooyoung did. He sat where Yeosang had sat, careful to place his feet right on the strong roots and his hands against the rough cool bark to his sides. Once he was sure he was positioned correctly, he closed his eyes as he remembered Yeosang’s instructions from last time.

“Now ask for the seal to be broken.”

Instantly, Wooyoung’s eyes flew open as he stared at his soulmate’s dead serious face. “What?” he blurted out.

Shaking his head, Yeosang reached out to cover his eyes with a single soft palm. “Trust me, Wooyoung. Nothing bad will happen to you. Seonghwa and I are right here.”

“But…”

“The leaf was an invitation to return, Young-ah. We should’ve come back two weeks ago but I didn’t see… I didn’t understand… I’m sorry.”

Hearing the pain in Yeosang’s voice, Wooyoung shook his head but the hand wouldn’t drop from his face and he no longer felt like he was allowed to move his own to take it away. “You have nothing to apologize for-”

“But I do! I didn’t hear her! I spent so many years working on my magic and I still didn’t… but it doesn’t matter anymore because now I know and I know how to fix it.”

“What do you mean? Sangie, I-”

“I’ll explain later but first, ask the tree, ask mother nature to break your seal.”

Adrenaline flooded Wooyoung’s system, rushing through his veins, heating up his muscles, making sweat bead at his lower back as he squeezed his eyes and mouth shut and dropped his head back against the rough tree bark in defeat. ‘Mother nature? Can you hear me? I… I don’t know what you showed or told Yeosang but… I trust him. And if he says you can break my seal, then please… please break it. I’m ready to deal with the consequences.’

For a few seconds, nothing happened. But just as he began to feel like he’d failed to phrase his request right, just as the embarrassment began to set in, he felt his hands and feet begin to prickle. 

It started with that. Then Yeosang’s hand was withdrawn, taking with it that last lingering source of comfort. And then there was heat. Persistent flowing prickling heat. It began at his core then stretched out in tendrils, sinking into his limbs as if it were traveling through his veins like blood. It was the last thing he felt before he dissociated. 

From here on out, there was only pain. In his head, his chest, his back. A disgusting aching pain as if his bones were growing at a pace much too rapid for his body to keep up with. It was quickly joined by stabbing in his temples, digging deeper, deeper, right into his skull as if one of the gnomes were working away at him with a pickaxe. He could feel the vibrations from the pain behind his eyeballs, making him distantly worry if they’d cartoonishly pop out if he were to raise his eyelids.

With no sense of time left, he didn’t know how long it took, but eventually, he became aware of an ache in his throat. He didn’t know if it was just more of the same pain, the one that had also begun to spread to his hands and feet or if it came from somewhere else. Could he be screaming? He hoped not but he wasn’t sure. There wasn’t much he was sure of anymore. And soon after, all he knew was that he was happy to welcome the darkness coming for him, coming to take him away from all that suffering.

Chapter Text

A warm embrace, spreading tingles, soothing, healing, yet no strength to open his eyes. Wooyoung’s consciousness kept slipping through his fingers like sand, only allowing him to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation happening around him and, even then, each word was distant and muffled as if he were underwater.

“... like it’s copying mine.” Seonghwa? Was that Seonghwa? “It’s healing him!”

The pain was fading but somehow, it was only leaving his eyelids more heavy, his body more drained and achy as if he’d just completed a marathon.

“... darkness.” It sounded like Yeosang. Right. The tree. His seal. Was it gone? “Fuck, what- Demons? Pick him up, pick him up!” Yeosang cursing? Demons? What was going on?

Suddenly, he was getting jostled, manhandled, draped onto someone’s back. A floral scent reached his nose as magic resembling a soothing herbal bath settled all along his front. Seonghwa. No doubt.

“What’re we gonna do?” Seonghwa’s shout was full of panic like Wooyoung had never heard before.

“The forest guardian’s gonna grant us passage!” Yeosang rushed out..

A snarl. A growl. Wooyoung could feel an evil presence nearby as he kept getting thrown around. No, there wasn’t just one. Many. From everywhere. His charm pulsed, making him more aware of its energy within him, rushing through him.  And suddenly, each beat of his heart was like a pressure wave, pushing out Hongjoong’s magic from the charm to every corner of his body, caressing his own essence along the way. No, not just caressing anymore. Shaping, molding, strengthening its distinct shape until it pushed against the physical boundaries of his body, making him ache with it until-  A crack in his facade, the signal breaking through his skin, pushing with such violent force against the air around him, he could feel it move against his skin and hair in shockwaves.

Twin yelps sliced through the demonic sounds, making Wooyoung’s ears ache with their proximity and volume.

“What was that?” Seonghwa’s panicked voice.

“Wooyoung, what did you do? How did you-”

“It looked like Hongjoong’s magic!”

Even more drained and achy than before, darkness claimed Wooyoung before his brain could truly process what was going on or what had just happened.

“... wards!”

“What happened? Is he okay?” Was that… San? 

“... seal was broken.”

“What?”

“... matter! Just strengthen the wards! Yeosang, call Jongho, get him here!”

When Wooyoung truly came to, he had no idea how much time had passed but his body was still being jostled around and heavier than he ever recalled it being before. Forcing his eyes open, he realized he was looking at the back of a car seat, his head pillowed on someone’s thighs. Sensing the magic against his cheek, he knew it was Seonghwa again.

“Wha’ hap’ned?” he mumbled as he became of all the sirens and shouting rushing by as the card sped down the street.

“You’re awake!” The words escaped Seonghwa like a long held breath, almost drowned out by San’s shout of “Wooyoung!” from the direction of the passenger seat.

“Don’t sit up yet!” Seonghwa exclaimed, his hand already pressed to Wooyoung’s arm before he could even fully attempt to push himself up.

“What’s going on?” Wooyoung got out, still feeling completely disoriented and groggy as if he’d pulled three all nighters in a row.

“There are demons and possessed people after us, that’s what’s going on!” Jongho said, his tone grim and coming from the driver’s seat.

“What?”

“When your seal burst, it sent out a pulse of magic that must’ve alerted just about every demonic entity in the entire province, if not beyond,” Yeosang explained, his words rushed. His voice was coming from somewhere in the back, meaning he had to be sitting in one of the seats behind the bench. “There are witches and police everywhere trying to get everything under control! But Wooyoung, your magic, it’s… something else for sure.”

“What do you mean?” Wooyoung tried to sit up again but Seonghwa just held him down again, though now he was at least on his back, able to look up at his soulmate’s determined face which quickly stomped out all thoughts of arguing. “Are there people out there getting hurt because of me?”

“Not because of you,” Seonghwa said, voice firm, “because of the demons.”

“But-”

“No, don’t even start with me!”

“Sangie!” Wooyoung called out. “What did that tree or mother nature or whatever tell you?”

“She…” A hint of pain tinted Yeosang’s words as he continued. “The demons didn’t like that the earth gave us magic to fight back against their forces so they launched a global attack and put her to sleep. But recently, with things getting so much worse, the pain’s too great and she’s begun to wake up and she’s scared. Terrified. And not just for herself but also everything living on her. And, Young-ah,” Yeosang leaned over the backrest to peek down at him, “when we went to the forest together last time with Hongjoong, all that pain you were feeling when you were being healed, it was because the tree was pulling residual demonic energy from you. You must’ve been living with it in your system since you were just a kid. Maybe since they scratched up your soulmark? I don’t know, but there’s something about your magic, Wooyoung, something that’s got the demons absolutely terrified of you. That’s why they attacked you when you were just a child and it’s probably also why your magic was sealed. It wasn’t to punish you, it was to protect you. At least that’s what I think, but your mom should be able to tell us-”

“Mom!” Wooyoung burst out, his hand immediately fumbling for his pocket where he could luckily feel his phone. “I need to call her and tell her not to come here when there’s fucking demons roaming the streets!”

“Can it wait just a second?” Yeosang pushed.

“What? No! She wanted to come tomorrow-”

“Just one more thing, please!”

Slowing his movements, Wooyoung held the phone to his stomach and waited. 

Taking the silence for what it was, Yeosang continued: “There’s a ritual. A ritual that can wipe out all demonic entities currently on earth and, to complete it, we’ll need you.”

“What?”

“I told you, there’s something special about your magic. Something unique. But it’s not just you we’ll need, it’s all eight of us! I saw everything, Young-ah. How she’s been guiding us as she realized what’s been happening to her. She made the seven of us decide to move here, she led us to your café, she gave me the idea to take you to the forest, she told the forest guardian to give you that leaf, she sent the haunted doll to Jongho after all those years, she pushed the other garden witch to the ball-”

“I get it,” Wooyoung interrupted, his thoughts already racing enough as it was as he tried to make sense of what he was being told, “but, dude, I don’t even know how to control any of this magic! How does she expect me to be part of some giant ritual? What if I mess it up and, I don’t know, make the demons stronger instead?”

“That won’t happen!”

“How do you know?”

“I just do!” And just like his words, Yeosang’s big dark eyes were downright begging Wooyoung to just trust and accept. And who was he to deny his soulmate anything?

“Fuck!” Squeezing his eyes shut, Wooyoung covered his eyes for a moment, leaving his phone awkwardly pressed to his nose as he allowed himself this brief moment away from the sunlight. Inhale, hold, exhale, hold. He just needed to calm down a little. “Alright,” he whispered after a few seconds of silence. “Let me just call my mom and then we’ll figure this out, okay?”

Raising his hands, he quickly unlocked his screen and opened his contacts, quickly finding his mom and putting the call on speaker. 

For several nerve wrecking seconds, it rang, and rang, and rang, then: “Honey? Again? I thought I told you alright that I’d call you later?”

“Don’t come!” Wooyoung rushed out, no time for greetings or introductions.

“What? But I thought-”

“It’s not safe here right now,” he pushed.

“What?” It was just one word but the panic was so clear in her voice, it near instantly amplified his own. “Is that why I can hear sirens? What’s happening over there? What do you mean it’s not safe?”

Looking to Seonghwa for guidance, he was met with a small nod.

“The seal on my magic just got broken and now there are demons and possessed people everywhere.”

“Most of them  heading straight for our mansion!” Jongho added from the front seat.

“Seal? What? Jung Wooyoung, what have you done?” If she’d sounded panicked before, she was now truly losing it. Behind her voice, Wooyoung could hear the sound of keys being picked up and instantly knew what she was about to do.

“Don’t you dare get in your car, mom!” he shouted, successfully sitting up with his outburst and instantly getting overwhelmed by a spout of dizziness brinking on nausea. He ignored it.

“You can’t stop me from seeing my own son!”

“I can when coming here could get you killed!”

“Please, Mrs. Jung, it’s not safe!” Jongho called out.

“Who is that?”

“One of my soulmates, I told you about them, remember?”

“Wooyoung, what’s going on?” She was getting desperate, it was so clear but there was no time. “What has that coven been doing to you? How could you let them experiment-”

“They weren’t experimenting on me!” Wooyoung cut in. “They were helping me! Why was my magic sealed, mom? Did you really take me to the council? And what happened with-”

“I was trying to keep you safe!” his mother interrupted, frustration and distress coloring her every word. “They were already attacking me while I was pregnant… that’s why my sister was living with us for so long. She kept fighting them off, trying to protect us, but it wasn’t enough. One followed me from the dreamscape and its claws- it nearly killed both of us before she got there and destroyed it right there in my bed where I’d been sleeping beside your father. 

“I got you the best protective charms, had the strongest wards put up, but when you were just seven, they broke through all those defenses while you were out in the garden, playing. I heard you scream so, so loud and with so much pain and I turned around and there was bl-blood all around you and on you, and while I was getting you back inside, away from that thing, all I could think about was how you might end up dying before I could fully heal you.

“That attack cost you your soulmark and I- I had to realize, they were never gonna give up. They’d keep making your life hell. So yes… a month later, after you were willing to set food outside again, I took you straight to the council and begged them to seal your magic and take your painful memories so I wouldn’t have to bury my baby or watch you suffer any longer.”

“Mom,” Wooyoung whispered, his voice cracking. Taking a moment, he regulated his breathing again as his mind tried to fit the new information in with his pre-existing memories. “I wish you’d told me…”

“I didn’t want to see you in pain anymore.”

“I understand but-” The car jerked to a halt, momentarily throwing him against the passenger seat, though his reflexes luckily kicked in fast enough to catch him with his arm instead of his face as he could see a flash of gray burnt skin and bony limbs zip past the window.

“Sorry. Demon.” 

Accepting Jongho’s explanation, Wooyoung focused back on the call. “Didn’t you ever think it’d be good for me to know demons are after me?”

“That’s why I had your magic sealed, so they wouldn’t find you anymore. You could finally live in peace.”

Frowning, Wooyoung looked down at the screen. “But they already found me before the seal was broken.”

“What? But…” Suddenly, realization began to color his mother’s words. “Your soulmates, honey! Did the demons find you after you met them?”

“Yes?”

“Bonding to your soulmates strengthens your magic, that’s why they took your mark in the first place. And baby, I promise we- we tried to get it healed by taking you to the fairy glade but even their tree couldn’t help so I truly thought you couldn’t form a bond anymore but the seal, it was never powerful enough to contain all your magic so whatever bond you share now, it must’ve been enough to emit a signal the demons could pick up on. I’m… I’m so sorry. If I’d known you were still in danger, I would’ve-”

“It’s okay, momma, don’t blame yourself. I- I get it.”

“We’re home,” Jongho said as the car slowed, beginning to pull up the curved driveway.

Getting his mind back on track, Wooyoung curled his fingers tightly around his phone and let the urgency slip back into his tone: “I need to hang up now but, mommy, you can’t come here, no matter what. You’ve gotta promise me!”

“You can’t force-”

“I have to! Mom, I promise, I’ll be safe. We’ll fix everything and then you can come meet everyone!”

“Youngie-”

“Please, mom, promise me you won’t leave the city, it’d only make things more difficult for me!”

“I won’t survive burying my own child-”

“I know, mommy… I know. But please, I promise I’ll be safe but you gotta promise me too!”

The car came to a full stop but silence lingered over the phone as Wooyoung’s sweaty palms clutched his by now slippery case ever tighter. 

“Okay,” his mom breathed. “Okay…”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Wooyoung nodded to himself. “Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too.” His mother’s voice sounded like a sob as he hung up on her with a heavy heart while San was already exiting the car, letting in a cool breeze that brushed across Wooyoung’s heated cheeks. He felt almost feverish, like he had the flu. 

“We need to get inside behind the extra wards,” Seonghwa said, tone soft but insistent.

“Okay…” With that, Wooyoung pushed open the car door and stepped outside, immediately stumbling as his wobbly legs failed to fully support his weight. Luckily, San was there to catch him before his knees could hit the gravel.

Every point of contact came like a shock to Wooyoung’s system, like a current rushing through him, dragging along San’s magic like a blanket covering him, sinking into him, into his own magic. 

“What…” He could hear the surprise in San’s voice and looked up to find his shocked stare aimed right at his own wide eyes.

“You can feel it too?”

“Of course, it’s like…”

“Yeah. I don’t have the words either.”

“What’s going on?” Yeosang asked, his words rushed, reminding them of the time crunch they were now under as the demons were closing on them, at this point merely stopped by San’s wards spanning the circumference of the property. Not being able to see the barrier only made the thought all the more unnerving.

Quickly shaking his head, San put some distance between them as he steadied Wooyoung with just his hands instead of his entire body. “Help him inside while I further strengthen the wards!”

With Yeosang stepping up to Wooyoung, the sensations shifted, including a different kind of buzzing energy which left Yeosang’s breath hitching in surprise before he caught himself. “I’ll be right back with a strengthening potion!”

“Thank you!” And with that, San stepped back and left Wooyoung to hold onto Yeosang as they made their way inside where everyone was already crowded around the door, instantly talking all over each other as they reached out for them, touching Wooyoung’s face, hands, shoulders, as if to reassure themselves he wasn’t a ghost or hallucination.

“I’m okay!” he called out, giggling involuntarily as his neck and armpit were repeatedly tickled by a misplaced finger here and there. “Please, can I just take my shoes off for a second?”

Five minutes later, they were all spread around the coffee table in the seating area with Wooyoung squeezed between Hongjoong and Yunho who refused to give him any breathing room on the couch, even as they themselves were visibly struggling to get used to the new rush of magic pushing against theirs. 

Opposite them, Seonghwa and Mingi had opted to sit on the rug while San was still outside on the lookout for any signs of paranormal trespassers with Jongho standing by in case of emergency as he was making phone calls to mobilize all ghost hunters in the area. Up in his room, Yeosang was preparing further potions for all of them under the umbrella of “I don’t know if we’ll have to leave somewhere without ingredients” which sounded beyond ominous to Wooyoung.

“So it all comes down to this ritual?” Mingi prompted after Wooyoung and Seonghwa had filled them in on everything they’d discovered during the mere four or five hours they’d spent apart.

“Essentially.”

“The same kinda ritual Mustache was involved in?” Yeonjun’s voice appeared just a few seconds before his body manifested behind Seonghwa, startling both him and Mingi who whirled around with comically large eyes and hissed cusses.

“That… I don’t know, actually. Maybe?” Wooyoung fidgeted with the hem of his sleeves as he thought about the idea. “But, Yeosang said the ritual needs all eight of us and there was only him and my aunt in that room, right?”

“Yes, but the ritual also failed,” Yeonjun pressed. “What if it failed because it was only them?”

“There are hundreds of rituals and, even if it were the same, it wouldn’t help us get our hands on the instructions-” Yunho began before he was interrupted by Seonghwa.

“Unless it could!”

“What do you mean?”

“Yonghee,” Seonghwa replied. “He can open a visual portal into the past, right?”

“He can?” Wooyoung echoed, eyes wide.

“Yes, very useful for criminal investigations and such.”

“His powers work on ghosts?”

“Maybe,” Hongjoong replied, already pulling his phone from his pocket. “It’s a long shot but it’s better than nothing and right now, that’s good enough.”

As Wooyoung watched him leave, felt his magic fade from his side, he became hyper aware of the thick current still rushing through his system, crashing into every fiber of his being as his body tried and repeatedly failed to force it to submit to a steady cycle. With each second now ticking by, its persistent outward push was getting increasingly harder to ignore, to the point where his mind flashed back to the blurry memory of his outburst in the forest.

“I need to go outside,” Wooyoung rushed out as he got to his feet but was instantly pulled back down by Yunho. “Stop, you don’t understand-”

“Then explain!” Yunho urged.

“I can’t control my magic yet and earlier- I think some burst outta me and I don’t know what it did but I’m not gonna risk hurting any of you!” Struggling to get away, Wooyoung quickly came to realize the hold on his arm was too strong and his body too drained to get him the upper hand.

“Stop, you can’t go out there right now!” Yunho pushed.

“But-”

“You can channel it into me! I’m a cursebreaker, I know how to handle volatile magic!”

“What? But- I don’t know how!”

Grabbing onto Wooyoung’s hand, Yunho stared into his eyes, gaze piercing. “Can you guide it to your hand?”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Wooyoung tried to focus and guide his magic like he normally would but all he could feel was the overwhelming pressure just about to burst. “I- I can’t- Yunho- I’m-” His panicked stuttering was cut off as lips found his and adrenaline burst through his system in one inescapable rush. Heart beating at a rapid fire pace, he could feel a burst of heat flood to his cheeks as large hands cupped his face and familiar magic washed across his skin, attracting his own, pulling it in, calming its restless pushing against his body’s confines. Soft lips parted against his own in a small exhale, finally making him realize he was being kissed.

Instantly, his hands flew up to reach for Yunho, one hand finding his nape, the other his chest where he could feel a rapid heartbeat. With one gentle nudge, he parted their lips and stared into Yunho’s dazed eyes. “Are you okay?” Wooyoung asked, his breathing uneven.

A jerky nod. “I’m great.” And Yunho had the audacity to follow his words up with a chuckle which left Wooyoung beyond confused. 

“What- Why’re you laughing?”

“That was actually quite a rush. And I’m talking about the rollercoaster kind.” Still snickering, Yunho pressed their foreheads together, causing a small burst of warm tingles under Wooyoung’s skin, much gentler than the overwhelming rush of their kiss had been. “Wow. You’re actually  beyond powerful, Young-ah. I… I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

And just as Wooyoung was feeling his cheeks grow hot, a throat was cleared right behind him. Jerking back, he turned to face Hongjoong who was sitting perched on the armrest, looking his way with raised eyebrows and an expectant expression. “Everything okay now?”

Wooyoung nodded while Yunho only chuckled again.

“I’ll actually go call Yonghee then,” was all Hongjoong said before he pushed off the couch, phone already pressed to his ear.

“I gather your magic’s still in the process of settling then?” Seonghwa prompted, his tone slipping straight into professionalism as his observant gaze traced across Wooyoung’s entire form. 

Meanwhile, Mingi just seemed to be gaping at him. Or maybe Yunho.

“Yes,” Wooyoung said. “But it better settle quickly ‘cause every minute passing right now is a minute where someone out there might be getting hurt.”

“I know you’re worried but you can’t force anything. Are there any other abnormalities you’ve noticed?”

“I don’t know.” Frowning, Wooyoung tried to focus on its current movements but there was just that ongoing tug of war between his body trying to slow it down and restrain it while all it wanted to do was break free. “All I can tell is that it wants more space to move but there’s only so much body I’ve got to offer and-” He broke off and looked into Seonghwa’s dark serious eyes. “You know more than me anyway, don’t you? Something happened back in the forest, right?”

There was no ounce of hesitation as Seonghwa nodded. “It took out an entire horde of demons.”

“What?” he burst out, freezing in shock.

“It just-” Seonghwa made a small explosive motion with his hands “-right outta you in this rush of silver and black. It was pretty cool, not gonna lie.”

“What the fuck?”

A little crease appeared in Seonghwa’s brow as he kept watching Wooyoung. “The silver looked and felt like Hongjoong’s but the black, it must be yours Wooyoung.”

“My magic doesn’t have a color.”

“Everyone’s magic has a color,” Yunho argued.

“But-” Breaking off, Wooyoung felt a little awed as he was beginning to comprehend his new reality. “Right, I guess I just never had enough to see it before.”

“The guys are gonna be here as soon as possible,” Hongjoong informed them as he rounded the couch and reclaimed his spot on the couch, leg pressed against Wooyoung’s as if there weren’t a fully empty cushion of space right beside him. “Where’s Yeonjun?”

“He must’ve left when Yunho started making out with Wooyoung right in front of us,” Mingi commented, an undefinable undertone to his words that had Wooyoung cocking his head in curiosity.

“Jealous?” he teased, to which Mingi merely looked down at his chipped nail polish.

“Well, that boy better be back by the time Yonghee gets here,” Hongjoong muttered, choosing to fully ignore the entire exchange.

“So what do we do until he gets here?” Wooyoung asked, slightly leaning into Yunho so he could properly look at their coven head who was already looking him over with a searching gaze. “Are we gonna go out there and help?”

“We can’t,” Hongjoong replied, face grim. “If we get split up or even just too drained, the ritual could fail and then no one’s getting helped.”

“So we’re just gonna sit here and-”

“How did it feel?” Hongjoong interrupted. “Having the seal broken?”

Wincing at the reminder, Wooyoung looked down at the print on Hongjoong’s t-shirt. He recalled the waves of pain, the heat, the feeling of getting pushed beyond what he thought his body could’ve ever handled. “It… kinda hurt.”

“Kinda hurt? Or was it more like agony?”

“The latter,” Wooyoung admitted, voice so low part of him was hoping Hongjoong wouldn’t be able to hear it.

Taking a deep breath, Hongjoong’s hand came up to press against his forehead, leaving him tingling and longing to lean into the touch. “You’re hot,” Hongjoong observed.

“Thanks, you too.”

The snort of laughter bubbling out of Hongjoong sounded reluctant as he withdrew his hand and lightly flicked him between the eyebrows. 

Hand shooting up to rub the barely aching spot, Wooyoung pouted at him. “You set that one up for me.”

“Don’t you ever do shit like that again.”

“The joke?”

“I’m serious,” Hongjoong pushed, all teasing gone. “I nearly got a heart attack when Yeosang called me and told me you were unconscious and surrounded by demons at the store. I thought you might arrive here dead and all I could do was bury your corpse before I even got to celebrate your birthday. If you ever scare me like that again, I swear-”

“How would I even do that? It’s not like I’d just reseal my magic and-”

“Young-ah!”

“Okay.” Raising his hands in surrender, Wooyoung darted forward to press a fleeting kiss to Hongjoong’s lips, lingering no more than a second but leaving them both tingling. “I promise.”

“Now I’m starting to get offended,” Mingi muttered so low it was barely audible.

Laughing softly, Wooyoung pulled his gaze away from a slightly flustered Hongjoong to focus on Mingi who appeared fully preoccupied with his nail polish again. “Would you like to tell me something?” Wooyoung asked, allowing his teasing tone to show.

“No…”

“You better clean all that up after,” Seonghwa warned.

“Yes, mom.”

“What did you just call me? Me, the man you kissed last week?”

“Sorry.”

“You better be!”

“Everything’s settled outside!” Jongho called out as the front door was thrown open, followed by the sound of multiple sets of footsteps walking in, shoes being first discarded, then set aside.

“I extended the wards up until the sidewalk and powered them up as much as I could,” San reported as he rounded the couch and sprawled out beside Yunho. “As long as no one falls asleep, there should be no way for a demon to get in.”

“I just had to talk to goddamn council people again and exorcize three humans while doing it because the witch out there was struggling to open their own damn potion,” Jongho added, phone in hand as he dropped onto the armrest belonging to Nero’s armchair, much to her chagrin. “It’s absolute mayhem!” The little cat had been sleeping peacefully the entire time but was now startled awake, leading her to lift up, stretch, turn around once, twice, then lay back down in the exact same position, eyes already drooping shut again. 

“You woke Nero,” Wooyoung stated.

Gaze immediately darting down at the cat, Jongho reached out to pet her head, making her look up once more before she settled back down and began to purr loud enough for all of them to hear. “Apologies, Nero,” he said softly, keeping up the pets for a couple of seconds before he went back to his phone. After a few taps to its screen, he balanced the device on his fingertips, holding it out in front him just as a loud beeping could be heard from its speakers. A dial tone.

It repeated two, three times, then: “Mr. Choi?”

“Hello. I’m calling on the behalf of one Mr. Im Yujun, his well, either brother, husband, or friend, and his, slash their, daughter. All three were just exorcized outside the mansion on Coven Hill and comfortably seated on the bench behind the wards under the streetlight near the mansion’s gates. Please arrange someone to come pick them up who isn’t the witch stationed here ‘cause that one’s currently busy dealing with a drunken human trying to perform an exorcism on his neighbor. Thank you!” And with that, Jongho hung up again, not awaiting an answer.

“Who was that?” Wooyoung asked.

“Town council secretary.”

“Ah.”

“And now we wait…” Seonghwa said as he began to tap his fingers against the tabletop.

“For what?” Yeosang asked from where he’d sat just down beside Hongjoong. Given the absent state of his potion flasks, Wooyoung assumed he’d dropped them off in the kitchen sink before coming over.

“Yonghee and the rest of his coven,” Hongjoong answered. “I called him to come in and check on Yeonjun’s memory from the night of… the ritual.”

“Why?” Jongho prompted. “I highly doubt Mustache was trying to eradicate all demons. Why would he?”

“For the glory,” Mingi shot back.

“He’s right,” Yeonjun jumped in, suddenly popping back up behind Seonghwa who flinched as Mingi shrieked into his ear in surprise. “Stop doing that!” he complained, pointing accusingly at the ghost.

“Sorry,” Yeonjun deadpanned, not sounding sorry at all. “But you’re right. My adoptive father always wanted to be head of the council and if he could pull a ritual like this off, it would’ve been a surefire way for him to get the job, right?”

“We also know mother nature’s been guiding us all along,” Yeosang added, “and Yeonjun is for sure one of the pieces she moved intentionally, so… you could actually be on the right track.”

“Hey, Woo,” San suddenly spoke up, his tone cryptic.

“Huh?”

“Didn’t you once tell me your aunt always called you the son she never had? Wouldn’t that make a lot of sense if you had the same kinda magic as her?”

“But…” Trailing off, Wooyoung looked down at his palm and, once again, tried to summon his magic to its surface but found that he still couldn’t. “She was a ghost hunter.”

“Maybe it wasn’t all she could do?”

“I’ve never seen her do anything else.”

“Did she ever find her soulmates?” Seonghwa cut in.

“No.” A pause. “Oh.” Curling his fingers into his palm, Wooyoung looked over to Hongjoong, then at Seonghwa. “You think she would’ve been able to do more if she’d found hers?”

“Your magic started healing you when it came into contact with mine,” Seonghwa said. “And it killed all those demons with magic that looked like Hongjoong’s.”

“Because of my charm,” Wooyoung concluded as he grabbed his pendant. “So… I don’t have powers of my own? I can just copy yours somehow?”

“Until it settles, all we know for sure is you’re powerful as hell,” Yunho said. 

“Which makes me wonder,” Mingi began, “what could you do if we could magically bond?”

Suddenly very aware of the way his waistband pressed into the thick scar tissue on his side, Wooyoung frowned. “I wish we-”

“The wards!” San exclaimed, already out the door before the rest of them could even blink.

First to escape his stupor, Wooyoung sprung to his feet before anyone could stop him and rushed after San, slipping outside and stumbling halfway down the driveway where San was standing still among the blaring sirens echoing through the town and stared up at the sky. Following his line of sight, Wooyoung found a smudge of darkness floating above their heads, just a bit higher up than the highest point of the mansion. It looked like a shadow but there was nothing there that could be casting it.

“It should be evaporating,” San muttered, barely louder than the screaming and shouting reaching them from outside the wards.

“Get back inside, Wooyoung, your magic-”

“I can help!” Wooyoung called out as he turned to face Seonghwa before he looked past him at Jongho just a few steps behind. “Are you gonna help me help everyone?” On the brink of pleading, Wooyoung held out his hand and drew his eyebrows together, eyes round.

“Do it,” Mingi rushed out.

“Don’t fall for his cuteness!” Yeosang snapped.

“Okay,” Jongho agreed, expression set as he crossed the short distance between them and grabbed his hand, leaving it buzzing and sparkling as their magic connected. “How though?”

“I… I don’t know, honestly,” Wooyoung admitted, ignoring everyone else beginning to argue around them, all except San who’d already begun to pour more magic into the now golden glittery wards forming a dome around the property. It was crazy to see just how truly massive its radius was, especially one so resilient. Tearing his gaze away, Wooyoung focused back on Jongho’s dark trusting eyes. “The first time, I was unconscious and Seonghwa was just pouring healing magic into me, and the second time I must’ve just been subconsciously channeling Hongjoong’s energies from the charm.”

“So, if I do this…” 

There was a prickle in Wooyoung’s hand as he watched Jongho’s magic pour out between their linked palms and flicker across the back of his hand like small tendrils of glittery purple dust. It was just a gentle caress, the mere suggestion of a touch but he could already feel his magic react and flow toward his hand, bringing with it a rush of adrenaline so intense it left him gasping for air for one lingering moment. “Yeah, that’ll do,” he got out as his knees began to feel a little weak. 

Raising his free hand, he tried to channel his magic to the point right in the center of his palm like he usually did when he was preparing for a client’s reading. And right then, for the first time, he could actually feel a small lick of energy break free from the maelstrom and heed his call to pool under his skin and- “It’s working!” Breaking into an eager grin, he watched as a small puddle of swirling black and purple magic began to form and weave around his fingers before it pulled back from his skin as if it had mass, had texture, even stickiness. Over the course of just a few seconds, the blob began to tighten further, shaping into an almost smooth sphere floating right above his hand.

“Alright,” Jongho said, sounding amazed, “so just the tiniest bit of my magic is enough for yours to fully reshape itself?”

“Seems like it.”

“I’ve literally never heard of that before.”

Shrugging, Wooyoung looked up at the smudge of darkness. “You think I could just throw this thing and make that evil stain disappear?”

“You can try.”

Nodding as he focused on the shadow, Wooyoung gently tossed up the ball of magic, nudging it just the slightest bit with his fingertips right before it lifted off. With rapidfire speed, it shot straight up like a sniper bullet, piercing straight into the stain. 

An earth shattering screech tore through the air as the shadow manifested into a creature very much reminiscent of his recent demonic encounters. Claws and teeth digging into the intangible surface of the ward, it seemed to hang on even tighter as its voice subsided and the darkness around it spread further like an ink stain. 

Without taking his eyes off the demon, Wooyoung flattened his palm against the sky and tried to shift his magic, tried to guide it into a beam like Jongho usually did, but even with the visual clear in his head, a sparkling lengthy mass of black and purple did appear but only about the length of an arrow. Still, like with the ball, Wooyoung nudged it upward where it sliced through the air, passing clean through the wards and sinking straight into the demon’s bloated torso, eliciting another violent screech. For a gruesome moment, it writhed against the wards, scraping its hands and feet against it but finding no purchase. Then it froze, a brutal scream tearing from its throat before it disintegrated, leaving nothing behind.

“We need to start experimenting with custom jewelry containing our magic,” Hongjoong said after a beat of silence.

“Sounds helpful,” Wooyoung replied.

“We’ve already got more guests!” Jongho interrupted as he pointed further right at a section of the wards already beginning to darken under no less than a dozen individual shadows, none of which were any smaller than the one Wooyoung had just taken care of.

“Shit.”

“I’ll get the potions!” Yeosang said, voice already fading as he rushed off.

“I’ll get some bracelets!” Hongjoong announced and followed.

“I’ll get your shoes!” Seonghwa jumped in.

“Thanks, my toes are freezing!” San called out.

Chapter Text

The blaring of sirens, the screaming and yelling of humans, the shrieking of demons, and now also the distant rolling of thunder all blurred into one singular background noise as Wooyoung kept clutching onto Jongho’s hand. They were both still firing nonstop pulses of magic up at the golden translucent dome which, at this point, had fully reduced San to the status of a battery supported by Yeosang’s potions. None of them liked it but the only alternative was a direct attack from the horde of demons currently crawling along the wards’ outside.

“Gimme your hand!” Hongjoong’s voice was raised just enough to drown out the surrounding commotion.

Momentarily distracted, Wooyoung glanced over and spotted a series of bracelets in Hongjoong’s hand before he focused back on the particularly resilient and oversized demon overhead. It had already physically thrown aside some of its own kind which were left to tumble all the way back down, victims of its quest to get right above the two witches and start gnawing at the wards, spreading its foamy drool which seemed to sink into the wards, tainting it a dull gray. 

Focusing his magic, Wooyoung formed another arrow and chucked it straight at the demon with a bit more force than necessary. It glided through the wards and pierced the demon’s cheek in a splatter of red, bordering on coagulated brown. A howling scream ripped from its vocal cords, triggering a violent outburst but unfortunately no disintegration. Its clawed hands blindly shot out, grabbing the nearby ankle of another demon, picking the creature up as the giant rose to its full height. With a booming snarl, the dangling demon was tossed aside, its limbs bending, flopping bonelessly, as it shot through the air like a weightless ragdoll, accompanying shriek fading as it disappeared on the neighboring property, fully out of sight.

Lowering his free hand while the oversized demon was distracted, Wooyoung presented his wrist to Hongjoong who hastened to clasp a thick black bracelet around it, tightening it until it lay flat against his skin. Aside from one large glass bead at its center containing a swirling, glittery sea of purple, it was fully barren but wholly buzzing with Jongho’s and a hint of Hongjoong’s magic.

“Freshly charged!” Hongjoong told him. “Stop the handholding for a moment and see if this is enough to power you!”

“You put some of yours in too?” Wooyoung prompted, eyebrows raised as he gently tugged his other hand out of Jongho’s hold, cutting the previously steady trickle of magic. After such long contact, his fingers were left prickling as if they’d fallen asleep.

“I charmed it to be unbreakable!”

“Good call!” Jongho commented, revealing he’d been listening in.

Focusing on the magic buzz inside the bead pressed to his joint, Wooyoung looked back up at the raging demon which was now clawing away at the wards with the force and vigor of a monster thirsting for witch blood. He raised his palm back up, glanced at his glowing bracelet against the backdrop of his soulmate’s wards and felt his own magic well up, gathering right there at his wrist, right where he was free to push it just that tiny bit higher and- 

A steady beam of purple-black swirling magic ripped from his hand and blasted into the demon, tearing it off the wards, pushing it higher as it clawed and bit at the intangible storm of colors sinking into its flesh from all sides, leaving it thrashing as a scream shredded its voice, cut short by deep purple flames turning the entire body into purple sparks which soon faded, leaving nothing behind.

Stunned, Wooyoung slowly turned his head to look at his own palm before he dared to glance over at Hongjoong who was staring at him with wide sparkly eyes and parted lips that quickly stretched into a massive smile.

“Holy shit,” Wooyoung whispered, surely being drowned out by the surrounding noise.

“I’ll go make the remaining six bracelets!” Hongjoong informed him before he pecked the side of his head and ran off, leaving Wooyoung to look over at Jongho who was sporting a shit eating grin.

“Ready to annihilate these bastards up there?” he asked as if he were challenging him.

The adrenaline already rushing through Wooyoung picked up another notch at the words. “Kiss for good luck?”

“Seriously? Now?” Yet, Jongho dropped his hands with suddenly quite rosy cheeks.

Snickering, Wooyoung angled his head, offering the side of his face as he tapped his cheekbone. “Hurry up, the demons are waiting!” he teased as he leaned closer to Jongho’s face who huffed once before he darted forward, eyes closed, giving Wooyoung the perfect opportunity to turn his head at the last second. A quick press of lips, more of a small collision, yet Wooyoung was flooded with giddiness as Jongho jerked back, now even redder than before. “You’re adorable, you know that?”

“You tricked me!”

Cackling, Wooyoung “You broke your five date rule!”

“You cheated!”

“Semantics.”

“More killing, less talking!” Jongho shot back as he whirled around, clearly still a little distracted but quickly finding his focus again as he aimed a concentrated beam of purple at a near opaque stain not too far from where Wooyoung had just taken care of the giant.

Tracing his gaze across the remainder of the wards, Wooyoung spotted a dark stain all the way on the other side of the mansion. “I’m gonna run over to where we haven’t been yet, okay?”

“Good idea!”

With a final nod, Wooyoung set off in a sprint on stiff, unsteady legs. As he moved onto the lawn and took in all the splotches on the wards, he quickly came to realize there was absolutely no easing up on the demonic onslaught. In fact, they seemed to multiply at an increasingly rapid pace.

In passing, he heard Mingi’s shout of “Any color suggestions?” from somewhere near the front door which piqued his interest.

“For what?” Wooyoung shouted back as he kept running, albeit a bit slower.

“Bulletproof van!”

“Black!”

“Boring!”

“Add the anarchy symbol on the hood and doors!” Hongjoong called out from where Wooyoung spotted him standing with Yeosang near San who’d barely moved from his position since he’d put on his shoes. Their garden witch seemed to be channeling his energy into the bracelet pressed between his palms.

“Nice, I like it!” Mingi replied, voice nearly drowned out by a sudden demonic shriek. Likely one of Jongho’s victims.

With his gaze now caught on a darkening stain on his own side of the dome, Wooyoung never thought to question what they even needed a bulletproof van for. 

Concentrating his magic under the bead on his wrist, he closed one eye and covered his view of the stain with his hand to aim. For several seconds, he let the pressure of his magic build, hoping to increase the power of his attack. The more his magic gathered, bunched up, pushed and squeezed, the more it was beginning to feel like parasites were trying to dig their way out, winding and stinging his flesh. With a tense jaw, he lingered just a second longer to ensure maximum pressure before he let go.

A swirling black-purple explosion of magic erupted from his palm, sending him stumbling back, clutching his hand as he watched a purple burning ball of darkness blast through the air, ripping through the air until it collided with every demon sticking to the roughly ten meter wide section of the wards. At once, about three dozen demons were ripped free and sent flying, only to evaporate mid-air before they could emit more than a cut off death scream.

“Everyone get over here!” Hongjoong shouted. “You too, San!”

Turning around, Wooyoung started moving as fast as his legs would allow, quickly getting him caught up to San who was walking much slower than everyone else. Coming up behind him, Wooyoung slowed his steps to wind an arm around San’s waist, squeezing gently and letting the sensations wash across both of them. Despite how much he must’ve drained himself for the sake of their safety, Wooyoung could still feel the strength pulsating through San’s entire body.

“You okay, darling?” Wooyoung asked, voice just loud enough to drown out the siren blasting mere meters away, likely belonging to the transport Jongho had ordered for the exorcized people over on that bench.

“Yeah… just wish I could take a hot bath and relax now!”

Chuckling a little, Wooyoung turned to press a kiss to San’s cheek. “You’re amazing.”

“So are you,” San returned, his smile warm and adoring.

“I’ve got Nero!” Seonghwa called out.

Pulling back from San at once, Wooyoung sprinted over to Seonghwa who was holding a comically large green pet carrier between his outstretched arms. Inside, on a bed of fluffy folded up blankets, a tiny black ball laid curled up in the back corner, her pitiful cries barely audible above the booming noise of a town under siege.

Stopping just a step from Seonghwa, Wooyoung could feel his chest ache as he stared at his terrified cat. “Where are you taking her?”

“We can’t leave her here when the wards are about to be breached so she’s coming along!”

“I’ve got Yeonjun!” Yunho announced as he came up behind Seonghwa, doll in hand.

“Everyone get in the van!” Hongjoong ordered.

Looking over his shoulder, Wooyoung saw their coven head positioned near the wide open backdoors of what had to be Mingi’s newly conjured black and red van. The thing looked beyond sturdy, matching its bulletproof descriptor with smooth windowless sides sporting the anarchist symbol Hongjoong had asked for.

“Move it!” Hongjoong urged as he waved them toward the cushioned benches lined LED strip lit back of the indestructible looking vehicle. 

“Not even seats?” Seonghwa complained as he handed the pet carrier off to Yunho before climbing inside, leaving Wooyoung to stand back with Hongjoong as Jongho and San entered between them until they followed suit and finally closed the doors.

“Who’s driving?” Wooyoung asked as the engine started.

“Yeosang,” Hongjoong replied as they sat back against the wall opposite each other, shoulders bumping into the doors as the van shook.

“We’re gonna need wards around the car in a second!” Yeosang called out in warning, alerting Wooyoung who glanced over at San right next to him. 

“You’re already drained enough,” he rushed out, “let me do it, okay?”

“You don’t even know the spell,” San reminded him, a teasing edge to his tone.

“Then teach me!”

Shaking his head with a fond smile, San raised up to press a fleeting kiss to Wooyoung’s forehead. “I’ll be okay, don’t worry,” he whispered against his skin, leaving Wooyoung shivering and a little stunned.

“Where are we even going?” Jongho asked as he stuck his finger through the wires of the pet carrier doors behind which Nero was still crying in panic.

“The council building,” came Hongjoong’s answer, his gaze aimed out the windshield. “Their wards are no doubt the strongest in the area right now and that’s what we’re gonna need if we wanna set up and conduct an entire ritual while every demon in the country’s on our asses.”

“What about Byounggon’s clan?” Seonghwa asked with only the top half of his face poking out behind the massive pet carrier. It looked quite adorable.

“I already told them to change their route and meet us there because the mansion’s no longer safe.”

“Sannie, now!” Yeosang called out, leading San to immediately raise a hand and send out a cloud of glittery golden dust which ascended through the car roof and spread like a thick layer of paint across the entire car. The translucent sheen could be seen all across the windshield for just a second before it disappeared.

For a lingering moment, Wooyoung held his breath as they broke through the mansion’s wards and then- Thump! The wards lit up again as demons began raining down on the van, colliding with the roof, splashing against the windshield, only to roll off as Yeosang pressed harder on the gas pedal and skidded around the corner, pulling into the narrow street leading up to their property.

Thanks to their lack of neighbor’s and the quick intervention of local witches, the street wasn’t too packed which allowed Yeosang to speed up for about a hundred meters, just long enough to lose their unwanted passengers as he weaved around parked cars and possessed people wandering into the middle of the lane.

About two minutes into their drive, San snapped his fingers, dissolving the wards.

A moment later, Mingi broke the temporary bout of silence. “You think they’re gonna destroy it?” The question sounded reluctant, as if he weren’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.

“Maybe,” Hongjoong replied on an exhale. “Maybe not. They want Wooyoung, yeah, but we all know how much demons love destruction. They may burn it down for fun.”

Not wishing to linger in the thought and also distracted by the heartbreaking cries of his cat, Wooyoung turned toward Seonghwa. “Can you turn this way so I can take her outta there?” 

Between them, San silently helped support the pet carrier’s maneuvering as they followed his request.

“There’s a backpack full of replenishing potions behind my seat!” Yeosang called from the front as the van slowed down and came to a stop. “Everyone should take one now so our magic can fully recover by the time we- Are you not gonna kill that demon?” he suddenly broke off and complained, presumably to a ghost hunter for hire out on the street. Coming from Yeosang, the words sounded more questioning than scolding. 

While Wooyoung finally got to snuggle Nero against his chest, slowly calming her shaking and crying, Hongjoong rose from his seat to peek out the small window in the door. 

“How’s it looking out there?” Wooyoung asked.

“Pretty bleak,” Hongjoong replied. “Lots of fighting. Magic flying everywhere. Ah, there’s a couple over there who got a demon stuck in their tree though, so that’s pretty funny. She keeps hosing him down and her husband’s beating it up with a pool noodle.”

Chuckling as he shook his head, Wooyoung pressed a kiss to Nero’s head before he looked back up at Hongjoong just as he flinched back from the window and a demon’s ugly torn up face smacked against the other side of the glass, shaking the entire van. For a moment, it remained smushed against the window, drooling, snarling, and bleeding, before it disintegrated in a cloud of red sparks. 

Hongjoong sat back down.

They spent most of the drive getting startled by some demon or another attacking the van. Though on one memorable occasion, the enemy had switched it up a bit and sent a possessed grandma who repeatedly banged her umbrella against the windshield while shouting profanities until two witches dragged her away and began an exorcism. 

Whenever they stopped for gas or bathroom breaks, they’d switch drivers while Wooyoung and Jongho stood by to blast any demons coming their way. While on the road, Mingi and Seonghwa seemed to feel like they were in charge of keeping everyone’s spirits up which, in their case, meant playing upbeat music and pulling a seemingly endless supply of human and cat snacks  from an oversized backpack. They were all grateful for the distraction.

By the time they approached the council building, it was mid afternoon, and an hour long storm had just calmed to a fading drizzle. Unfortunately, this meant it was time for Nero to return back to the pet carrier, much to her displeasure, though San did his best to keep her preoccupied with a laser pointer Seonghwa had conjured up for him. 

Looking out through the windshield, Wooyoung took in the wards spanning about a kilometer around the council building in one grand uneven blob barely high enough to cover the building’s top floor. Like a soap bubble, it consisted of a whole rainbow of colors reflective of all the witches currently powering it to keep them from collapsing under the onslaught of demons crawling along the outside. 

“There were ten times the demons on our wards,” Wooyoung mumbled as he leaned across San to peek out the windshield. “They’re really only attacking other places for fun, huh?”

As they approached the border, he noticed a couple of brand new traffic barriers were now blocking the street just a couple of meters into the wards, no doubt meant to keep people from seeking shelter without first getting approved by the two council appointed witches stationed there.

“I’ve got doubts about the legality of this whole situation,” Mingi commented right before Yunho put the car in park and rolled down his window.

“Ah, the Kim Coven,” the witch said as they laid eyes on Yunho.

“Yes, hello. Can you please raise the barrier for us?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Why?”

“You’re not a member of the council or the councils’ inner circle so we unfortunately don’t have room for you.”

“Ah, of course not. It’s not like there are dozens of powerful witches behind these wards who could conjure up infinite amounts of space and resources to easily house the entire city, right? No… that’d be absurd if you turned down refugees under such circumstances.”

“Sir, I need to ask you to leave. There are more people waiting in line.”

Glancing out the back window to check, Wooyoung called out: “No, there aren’t!”

“We’re sort of on a time crunch here, so please,” Yunho continued, making a little upwards motion with his fingers, “just raise those barriers.”

“Sir, I told you-”

“I know you’re only doing your job but those demons are gonna wipe out the earth’s entire population. Do you want that? Yes or no?”

“No, of course not, but-”

“Well, we’re the only ones who can stop them, so-” Yunho gestured at the barriers again.

“Sir, I already told you-”

“For fuck’s sake,” Hongjoong muttered before he threw open the back door and headed out.

“What…” Wooyoung trailed off as he stayed back and waited.

Two seconds later, the stationed witch exclaimed a “Sir, get back into the vehicle!” right as Yunho rolled up his window and put his hands back on the steering wheel. A few more seconds passed in near silence until Hongjoong returned and closed the back door right before the barrier was raised and Yunho put the car back in drive.

“What did you tell them?” Wooyoung asked, a little bewildered.

“To raise the barrier,” Hongjoong said grimly.

Still a little lost, Wooyoung swept his gaze across everyone, finding only averted eyes except for Mingi’s which were looking straight at him as he silently shook his head. 

For now, Wooyoung dropped the subject.

They parked as far away from the building itself as the layout and ward limitations would allow before Hongjoong and Wooyoung opened the doors and everyone but Nero filed out onto the largely empty parking lot. With less than a third of the spaces taken up, there truly was no denying how easily they could be sheltering far more people than they currently were. 

On the upside, with all the cowards hiding out inside, Wooyoung and his soulmates actually had some freedom to move and stretch behind the safety of the wards without having to explain themselves to anyone. The only strangers around were the witches powering the wards and they were exclusively stationed at the building’s open windows several floors up.

“I’m gonna keep an eye out to make sure the guys get let in,” Hongjoong said once they were all gathered between the van’s wide open back doors before he wandered off without waiting for a reply, leaving a determined looking Yunho to trail after him.

“What happened back there?” Wooyoung asked once they were out of earshot.

“He used his charm speak to get us in,” was all Seonghwa offered distractedly as he stepped aside to look after the others.

“Like… mind control?” Looking to Mingi for an answer, Wooyoung found him nodding. 

“He never uses it because it’s completely against his morals but…”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Wooyoung concluded before they all fell silent for a moment. “Will he be okay?”

“Of course,” Seonghwa said without hesitation.

Just then, Wooyoung felt a sudden vibration against his leg, startling him and instinctively causing his hand to shoot toward his pocket. Pulling out his phone, he found the name ‘Hunter’ lighting up the screen and rushed to accept the call, instantly putting him on speaker. “Are you alright?” Wooyoung rushed out in lieu of a greeting.

Sirens and shouting rang out from the speakers, stirring panic in Wooyoung’s chest before Hunter’s raised voice came through, barely louder than the background noise. “It’s like the apocalypse out there!”

“Where are you?” Wooyoung called out. “Are you safe?”

“We’re all with Minjae’s grandma right now since she’s got the biggest house! There’s people stationed at the ends of the street to protect everyone!”

“Have you heard of anyone getting hurt?”

“There’s videos all over social media from people getting attacked and stuff but the only ones I’ve seen had witches coming in to help, but I mean, if they didn’t survive, how would they post it, right?”

“Is that Wooyoung?” came Yujun’s distant voice.

“Is he okay?” Junmin shouted.

“Wooyoung!” Jinsik called.

Feeling the adrenaline slowly fade from his system as all their voices muddled together, Wooyoung couldn’t help but laugh in delight and clutch his phone a little tighter. “Kids! Kids! Not all at once!”

“Where are you right now? Are you safe?” Seeun asked, raising his voice to be heard above the ruckus.

“I’m good!” Wooyoung answered quickly. “I’m here with my soulmates and we’re gonna fix this entire thing, okay?”

“What do you mean, fix it?” Yechan shouted. “You’ve got something to do with this?”

“I don’t really have time to explain right now but I promise I’ll tell you everything after, alright?”

“Hey San, hi Jongho!” Sumin called out which earned him a quick greeting from the two as Wooyoung held out his phone between them.

“Hold up, soulmates?” Minjae suddenly burst out.

Panicked, Wooyoung hovered his thumb over the ‘end call’ button. “Oh damn, so busy, sorry, gotta hang up!” He tapped the screen under a cacophony of shouting and noise from the other end of the line and only breathed easier once it was replaced with silence and his soulmates’ muffled chuckles.

“We should invite them to a ‘We Survived the End of the World’ party after this,” Yeosang joked.

Huffing a laugh, Wooyoung pocketed his phone before he looked up and met Mingi’s eyes again by sheer coincidence. Somehow, the accidental locking of gazes sent his heart beating a little faster and a thought began to form in his head, making him shift his focus to the others. “Can you guys keep an eye on Nero for me while I walk around a bit to stretch my legs?”

“Sure, but you shouldn’t be walking around by yourself,” Seonghwa said, unknowingly playing right into Wooyoung’s hands.

“Mingi?” Just saying his name made Wooyoung nervous now which was a little embarrassing, especially when Mingi only shrugged in acceptance as a response.

Rounding the van’s door, Wooyoung looked out across the few meters of landscape between the side of the building and wards which consisted entirely of a small ‘park’, aka a tall wooden fence surrounding some spread out trees surrounding a weird oversized modernist art piece resembling a ginormous bent out of shape paperclip. 

“Come on, let’s head over there!” Wooyoung suggested, grabbing Mingi’s wrist. The tingling rush of warmth firing up his arm at the touch made him overly aware of what he was trying to do here but, by now, he was too determined to let himself overthink anything.

The few meters of walking felt like kilometers as Wooyoung picked up his pace, a compliant Mingi easily keeping up with him and, surprisingly, not even commenting on his weird behavior.

The moment they entered through the fence’s opening, Wooyoung was overcome with a rush of adrenaline as a singular raindrop hit his cheek and made him hyper aware of the heat gathering under his skin and the prickling state of his palm pressed against the skin on Mingi’s wrist where his sleeve had rode up and was now brushing against the side of Wooyoung’s hand.

“Wow, look at the pretty flower over there, let’s go look at it!” Wooyoung blurted out as he dragged Mingi off the path and closer to the fence where they’d be hidden from everyone’s eyes, their own coven’s, the witches in the building and, thanks to the tree crowns, even the demons’. It was about as much privacy as they could get under their current circumstances.

“You’re being super weird right now,” Mingi finally said but didn’t protest as Wooyoung turned them around and nudged Mingi closer to the fence with a pounding heart and sweaty palms. Quickly withdrawing his touch, he was left standing in front of his soulmate, nerves fried and his gaze strictly aimed at the wood pattern above Mingi’s shoulder.

“I…” Before he could answer, Mingi’s hand came up to cup his cheek and left him speechless.

“Seriously, what’s wrong?”

And it was then, as he looked up at Mingi’s dark concerned eyes, that Wooyoung felt himself deflate as all the air rushed out of him and left him thumping his forehead against Mingi’s chest. “I wanted us to have the perfect moment,” he muttered.

“What do you mean?” Mingi asked, still sounding worried as he brought his hand to the back of Wooyoung’s head, fingers falling between slightly tangled strands, leaving Wooyoung shivering and wishing they were back home in the mansion before all this instead of here  in the shadow of the council building.

“It doesn’t matter anymore…”

“It matters if it makes you act like this,” Mingi argued.

Sighing, Wooyoung pulled back and felt his cheeks heat up as his gaze found Mingi’s round dark eyes, his features softened with open concern. “I wanted to… I wanted us to…”

After watching Wooyoung repeatedly trip over his words, realization seemed to hit Mingi as he grew pink and burst into a series of snickers.

Narrowing his eyes at his amused soulmate, Wooyoung felt a pout begin to form on his face and couldn’t even be bothered to hold it back.

“I’m sorry,” Mingi giggled as he brought his arms around Wooyoung and pulled him into a tight hug. “Seriously, that’s cute.”

Even as he was shaking his head, Wooyoung reached up to clutch onto Mingi’s back, curling his fingers in his jacket and soaking up the comforting warmth and tingles, the caress of their magic. “It feels too forced now,” he mumbled, only to be met with a kiss to his temple that left him shivering in Mingi’s hold.

“Let’s just talk then, hm?” Mingi mumbled near his ear, tone unexpectedly soft.

“About what?” Tightening his hold, Wooyoung let himself get lost in these few moments of peace before they were forced to lay their fates into the hands of the earth and unknown future. 

“What do you wanna do once all this is over?”

Letting the words sink in, Wooyoung tried to imagine his perfect future. A world free of demons where he just got to be with his soulmates, friends, and family. “I want us to watch the world heal together,” he began, “to help it heal as much as I can and then, one day, when it longer needs me, needs us, I want us to retire together in a mansion where I have my own room, where I can invite you guys over for sleepovers instead of always having to hog your sheets.” He could feel Mingi chuckle against him as he continued. “Once I have that and all that free time, I’m gonna pick up so many weird hobbies, get more cats, teach Hongjoong how to cook-”

“Now you’ve lost me,” Mingi interrupted, forcing a cackle out of Wooyoung that had Mingi flinching with its volume before he joined in.

“But yeah, that’s my plan,” Wooyoung said once he’d calmed down enough and could snuggle back against Mingi’s neck, forehead pressed to his pulse as they both shuddered at the sudden influx of sparks and goosebumps. “What about you?”

“I wanna produce more music, release it somewhere anonymously so people can listen to it, even if we can’t perform anywhere.”

“I’d love that,” Wooyoung said as he tilted back his head to press a kiss to Mingi’s throat, making him shiver. “Maybe I’ll try my hand at singing too one day.”

“I’m sure you’ve got a great singing voice.”

“You should see me at karaoke.”

Laughing, Mingi hugged him impossibly tighter, swaying them slightly as Wooyoung giggled in delight until the hold on him tightened and he was free to pull back enough to look up at Mingi and cup his face to truly look at him. 

“You’re so pretty,” he said, voicing his thoughts and smiling widely as he watched Mingi grow pink again. “We’re gonna have the most beautiful future together, right?” Nodding, Mingi’s smile grew in front of Wooyoung’s eyes, making him feel like maybe, there was a right moment to be found here after all. “Can I kiss you, Mingi?”

A silent beat, wide dark glittering eyes and parted lips and then, the smallest nod before Wooyoung touched their foreheads together, raised on his tiptoes, and fluttered his eyelids shut, giving them a moment to breathe as his fingers wandered into Mingi’s hair, burying in long soft strands while his pulse quickened and the magic in his core vibrated, eager to feel his soulmate’s so close.

“Wooyoung?” Mingi whispered.

“Hm?”

“Didn’t you wanna kiss me?”

Snickering, Wooyoung brought one hand back to Mingi’s cheek, just to run his thumb across his cheekbone. “Impatient?”

“I was just wondering…”

Brushing their noses together, Wooyoung dipped in for a fleeting peck, barely more than a split second brush of lips. What followed was a beat of silence and then…

“Was that it?”

Cackling, Wooyoung tightened his hold on Mingi’s head for just a second, overcome by a rush of cuteness aggression before he pulled him in for a kiss on the cheek, the chin, the corner of his mouth, and finally, right on the center of his lips where he lingered for one second, two, then pulled back again, leaving only their foreheads touching.

“Guys, Byounggon’s coven is here!” San’s voice brought Wooyoung back to reality, instantly dimming his mood as he sunk back to his heels and looked up at Mingi’s adorably dazed expression. 

“We’ll be right there!” Wooyoung called back, hoping he didn’t sound as disappointed as he felt.

“Alright!” San’s tone gave nothing away.

Wooyoung stepped back from Mingi and smiled up at him, meeting his soft smile and adoring gaze. Taking his hand and interlacing their fingers, Wooyoung tugged him back over to the exit where an expectant San was already waiting. 

“Come on, let’s go,” Wooyoung said.

By the time they reached the van, everyone was already gathered by the wide open backdoors, forming a loose half circle behind Yonghee who was standing opposite Yeonjun, the doll seated in the crook of his left arm.

Quietly, the three newcomers gathered behind Jinyoung and Hyunsuk, leaving Wooyoung to peek around Jinyoung’s shoulder and watch as Yonghee waved his hand, conjuring a door-sized wall of smoke. With Yeonjun fully hidden from sight, colors began to bloom in front of their eyes, mixing into the cloud formations and blurring together until, eventually, recognizable shapes began to emerge from its depths. 

A brightly lit room, marble tiles covered in glowing intricate markings, bare white walls, no windows, no visible doors, no furniture bar a singular narrow bed in its center, facing sideways to Yeonjun through whose eyes they were watching the scene unfold. 

There was a person on the bed, a woman, her hair matted with sweat, covered in bloody scratches, her chest heaving with exertion and eyes squeezed shut so tightly it had to be hurting. The distress and pain was visible in every line of her face and body, yet she didn’t utter a single sound as if she were long past the point of screaming. It was his aunt, Wooyoung knew that, but he couldn’t align this vision of her with the one in his memories.

“Go over there!” a deep voice shouted as Yeonjun’s arms came into view, flying out to stabilize himself as he was pushed forward by an out of sight hand, closer to the bed.

“Why?” Yeonjun whirled around, revealing a somewhat younger looking Mustache in a neatly pressed suit. There was not a single drop of sweat on his grim face as he loomed over his significantly shorter, terrified teenage son whose vision was growing blurry as he stared up at the man who was supposed to love him, care for him. “What’re you doing to her?” Yeonjun’s voice was defiant, strong even as it slightly shook with fear. “What’s going on here? Why aren’t you helping her? Did you do that to her?”

“Stop talking,” was all Mustache said as his hand shot forward, grabbing Yeonjun, manhandling him around and shoving him back toward the bed with enough force to nearly send him sprawling, though he managed to catch himself again at the last second. Face now much closer to the woman’s hand, they could watch as new gashes appeared on her skin, leaking blood, staining her clothes, visibly pushing her ever closer to the brink of death, though there was nothing that could explain their origin. “Kneel down.”

“What?” Turning back around, Yeonjun turned to face Mustache once more.

“Kneel down and create a bridge.”

“No! What the fuck? You’ve gotta stop this! She’s gonna die, can’t you see that?”

“I told you to kneel!” Mustache bellowed, storming forward as Yeonjun panicked, gaze darting for an escape route but finding none. The adult’s hand shot forward, reaching out to grab his shoulder but, this time, Yeonjun was faster. Ducking under the grip, he side-stepped and gunned for the door, fingers brushing against the handle, only to get jerked back with a choked gasp and hurled back on the floor right beside the bed. He collapsed into a heap of limbs.

Frozen still, Wooyoung was growing sick to his stomach as he knew how this was gonna end for everyone involved.

“Create a bridge and feed her your energy,” Mustache gritted out, “I won’t ask again.”

Looking at the woman on the bed, how she was growing noticeably weaker, Yeonjun slowly reached out with a shaking hand as he turned to face her. His tremble grew stronger, more noticeable up until his fingertips touched the back of her hand which twitched in response, even turned slightly as if she were longing for connection. And it was then that Wooyoung knew without a doubt, his aunt hadn’t chosen to die. She hadn’t been a willing sacrifice.

“Now, Yeonjun!” Mustache shouted, causing Yeonjun to flinch and grab the bloody twitching hand, clasping it tightly, his knuckles turning white.

There was a weird sound then, like rushing blood, making Wooyoung realize they weren’t just seeing only what Yeonjun had seen but also hearing only what he’d heard back then.

A deep mumbling began, words completely unintelligible to Wooyoung as Yeonjun closed his eyes and the smoke went dark. It never grew light again and there were no more sounds beyond rushing blood, heavy panting, and the ever present mumbling of a man who couldn’t seem to care less that he was watching two people die right in front of him.

Yonghee dissipated the smoke with a wave of his hand before it could end by itself, revealing a translucent Yeonjun whose head was lowered as he clenched his fists.

“Yeonjun,” San said softly, though to the ghost, his voice was likely drowned out by the sound of the demons crawling along the wards.

“Please tell me you got something useful from that,” Yeonjun said, voice slightly hoarse.

“I’ve never heard of the spell before but I recorded it,” Hongjoong replied. “We’ll figure it out with this, I promise.”

Yeonjun nodded.

“Do you want to rest now?” Jongho asked gently.

Another nod and Yeonjun disappeared with a rush of cold air.

Turning, Yonghee stepped toward Jongho, crossing the distance slowly, with reverence. As the doll was passed over, both their touches were so very careful, as if they believed the doll had suddenly grown more fragile to mirror its attached spirit’s emotional state.

After a moment of silence had passed, it was Hongjoong who spoke up. “Can you guys stay in the van with Yeonjun and Nero while we go in?” 

“Are you sure you’re not gonna need us in there?” Seunghun replied.

“I’ll feel better knowing you’re out here in case something goes wrong and we need to get away quickly.”

“Alright. Then… good luck?”

“Thank you.”

In front of Wooyoung, Jinyoung and Hyunsuk turned and took a step back to meet the eyes of the three people behind them. 

“You’re gonna be okay, right?” Jinyoung asked, his eyes meeting Wooyoung’s who nodded and put on the most genuine smile he could muster. 

“I don’t go down so easily, don’t worry.”

“Good.” Jinyoung’s smile was small but genuine as he patted Wooyoung’s shoulder, his touch lingering for just a moment before San stepped forward to wrap Jinyoung up in an embrace, catching Wooyoung off guard and sending him back a step to give them some space.

Meanwhile, Mingi was off hugging Hyunsuk, leaving Wooyoung to stand by a little awkwardly until Byounggon swooped in out of nowhere to pat his back with a grin. “You’re gonna be known as the one who saved all our asses, how do you feel?”

“Stressed,” Wooyoung replied honestly.

“I guess that’s normal. But you’ll be fine, I just know it.”

“Speaking from experience?”

Byounggon laughed. “Wouldn’t that be insane?”

Just then, Wooyoung’s soulmates began to move past them with Hongjoong’s call of: “You can lock yourself in the van if necessary!” 

Stepping back to rejoin his own covenmates, Byounggon sent them one last smile and salute while Wooyoung was left to stare at Nero’s pet carrier and force himself not to wave goodbye because this wasn’t goodbye, they’d be right back, they had to. With a heavy heart, Wooyoung turned to join his soulmates on their way toward the council building. 

“You’ll get to hear her purr for you again before you know it,” Seonghwa said softly as he wrapped an arm around Wooyoung and squeezed him close.

Nodding as he took a deep breath, Wooyoung looked up at Seonghwa’s profile and leaned in to peck his cheek. “Thank you for today.”

“For what?”

“Being yourself.” Mentally, Wooyoung took note that Seonghwa would be first in signing Nero’s adoption papers.

Getting into the building itself was surprisingly easy. There were no guards, just one bored looking witch sitting at the reception with their full attention on their phone which only shifted once Hongjoong had nearly reached the desk. “What can I do for you?” The phrase came out monotone and meaningless.

“We’re looking for council member Choi,” Hongjoong said.

Picking up a pen and paper, the receptionist looked back at Hongjoong with growing disinterest. “Your name?”

“Kim Hongjoong. But just tell him someone wants to meet him down here by the elevator.”

“Alright.” With that, the receptionist scribbled out a note and chucked it up into the air where it rose higher and higher as it folded itself into an origami butterfly and disappeared mid air.

“Thank you,” Hongjoong said with a small nod before he trailed over to the elevators, the rest all following him like ducklings. Once they were out of earshot, Hongjoong addressed them directly but with his gaze firmly fixated on the small display above the doors. “I’ll try to get him to talk normally but, if he gets violent, I’m prepared to step in.”

“You don’t have to,” San rushed out. “I can just freeze him.”

“He can’t talk if you do that,” Hongjoong replied calmly and without turning around.

“We already talked about-” 

But Yunho was cut off with a raise of Hongjoong’s hand, followed by a nod toward the display. “He’s coming.”

Growing increasingly more nervous, Wooyoung wiped his clammy palms on his pants and tried to calm his breathing, even as the floor number kept dropping way too quickly for his liking.

The second the doors slid open and Mustache was standing right across from them, Wooyoung took note of multiple things at once: firstly, he was completely alone, secondly, he was dressed in gray slacks and a white partially unbuttoned shirt with rolled up sleeves so he must’ve been expecting them to be family or friends, thirdly, his big mustache seemed freshly waxed but was still longer on one side than the other. Nausea pooled in Wooyoung’s gut as he thought back to the younger version of him they’d just seen in Yeonjun’s memories.

“Stay in there, we’re coming in,” Hongjoong said.

For a beat, Mustache was too confused to respond but then Hongjoong actually moved toward the doors. “What’re you doing here? You’re not council-” But they were already pushing their way inside, leaving Mustache crowded up against the back wall as Jongho stepped in last and pressed the button for the basement. “The basement? What-”

Hongjoong cut him off again as the doors closed. “We’ve got some questions for you and you’re gonna answer them.”

“I don’t know who you think you are but-”

“You know exactly who we are,” Seonghwa jumped in as the elevator began its descent.

“Obviously, but that doesn’t give you the right to-”

“Right now, we really couldn’t care less about formalities,” San interrupted.

“Seriously, what’re you-”

“We’re here!” Wooyoung called out as the elevator came to a stop.

“Who are you?”

“Jung Wooyoung. You knew my aunt,” Wooyoung stated before he stepped out into a white narrow corridor and looked left and right, only to find no visible difference between the directions.

“Your aunt?”

Whirling around, Wooyoung looked straight at Mustache who was now being pushed along and out into the corridor by a grim looking Yunho. “Yes, my aunt. The woman you sacrificed alongside your own son.”

Eyes wide, Mustache gave him a once over. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, voice even, no hint of a lie, but that was to be expected from a council member.

Shaking his head, Wooyoung looked to Hongjoong. “Where to?”

“Right. Left is all storage.”

They kept walking as Mustache kept bombarding them with questions, complaints, threats but, luckily, no physical violence. Though that would likely change soon. Heading past a series of closed doors, they soon saw a glass fronted room behind which they could see a large desk.

“Meeting room one,” Hongjoong read out before he paused his steps and turned to look back at Mustache, Wooyoung following suit, his back to the room, eager to watch the council member squirm. “Which one did you keep Yeonjun in before you killed him?” 

“I told you, I don’t know what you’re-”

“Give it up, we know everything,” Yunho interrupted coldly.

Green light erupted from Mustache’s hands, but was instantly snuffed out by a snap of San’s fingers. As a translucent sheen of gold flooded across his body, he was left wide eyed and, as Wooyoung quickly realized, unable to even blink.

“Did you really think that was gonna work?” Jongho taunted.

“Jongho,” Hongjoong scolded, though he sounded more fond than anything. “Sannie, let him go, please. I need him to answer.”

“He was about to attack!”

“I’m aware but now I need him to answer, okay? Please.”

“Fine.” With that, San snapped his fingers again.

Hongjoong spoke up before the glittery gold had fully disappeared: “Council member Choi.” With those words alone, his voice became almost a physical presence in the room. Hypnotic, oppressive, leaving even Wooyoung frozen and captivated as a mere bystander. “The day your adoptive son Choi Yeonjun died in this basement, what ritual were you trying to complete?”

“We were trying to wipe out demonkind,” Mustache said, the words sounding directly ripped from his throat, though he didn’t move at all.

“Do you remember the spell you used?”

“Not all of it.”

Pulling out his phone, Hongjoong pressed play on a video of the scene they’d just watched outside. “Does this jog your memory?”

“It was so long ago. How would I remember the whole spell?”

“You got it from a book?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s that book?”

A long pause as Mustache’s head grew ever redder, sweat running down his temples. “I burnt it.”

“Don’t lie to me now,” Hongjoong threatened. He didn’t move, didn’t even raise his voice, yet his presence seemed to become more intimidating. “Where. Is. That. Book.”

“Under a floor tile.”

“What room?”

“The ritual room.”

“You’re gonna take us there. Right now.”

Head fire red and drenched in sweat, Mustache nodded.

“Good. Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

After taking multiple turns into increasingly narrow hallways, Mustache stopped by an unassuming smooth wide door no different from the rest and gestured toward it.

“Unlock it,” Hongjoong commanded.

With a shaking hand, Mustache pressed his thumb against the scanner on the door handle, triggering a low click, followed by a beep. Pressing down, he swung the door open but didn’t go in until Wooyoung lightly pushed his back. 

For a moment, they were left largely drenched in darkness until Seonghwa found the light switch and revealed… nothing. Just a fully empty room. No floor markings, no furniture, just a white windowless space with not even a shadow in sight.

“Get the book,” Hongjoong ordered as he crossed his arms and stood back, watching as Mustache made a beeline diagonally across the room to a spot near the back right corner where he sunk into a crouch like a puppet with its string cut. 

From there, he immediately began to claw at the near invisible grout between two tiles, trying and failing to lift it with just his bare hands. The sight quickly grew disturbing due to the sheer ferocity of his movements, the absolute lack of care for the state of his own fingers. Undoubtedly the consequence of being mind controlled.

It took less than three seconds for the first drops of blood to hit the marble but when they did, it was Seonghwa who quickly stepped forward and conjured a flathead screwdriver which he wordlessly tossed on the ground within Mustache’s reach. His bloody hand shot out, snatching up the tool and instantly ramming it between the two neighboring tiles.

As his muscles bulged, the back of his white shirt became translucent with sweat, revealing a white tank top underneath. Still, the tile refused to budge. A noise of pure desperation escaped the man and made Wooyoung’s gaze shoot up to Hongjoong who squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before he spoke his next command.

“Stop but stay there.” Turning and shifting his attention to Mingi, Hongjoong’s voice grew softer, returning to its familiar cadence. “Can you get him a sledge hammer?”

Without moving from his position, Mingi raised his hand, sending out a small swirl of white sparks which darted over to Mustache’s side and materialized the requested tool.

“Council member Choi,” Hongjoong’s voice shifted again, “use the hammer to break the tile and get the book.”

Heeding Hongjoong’s words, Mustache rose back to standing, grabbing the wooden handle in the process and took on a visibly unpracticed, badly balanced stance. For a good two minutes, they watched him struggle then, finally, succeed to crack the marble tile and reveal a low square cavity beneath. Kicking aside the shards, Mustache crouched back down and removed the smooth black chest which he proceeded to unlock by inputting a long number sequence. Once he returned to Hongjoong, he opened the lid with bloodied hands to present an ancient looking book.

“That thing must be from the Joseon Dynasty,” Jongho said as he leaned into Yunho to catch a glimpse. “How’re we gonna read that?”

Picking it up, Hongjoong inspected it from all angles before flipping straight to a page near the back which was covered in yellow sticky notes, one of them just barely noticeable when closed, and all packed with neat tiny handwriting. “He already did all the work for us.” Looking back at Mustache, Hongjoong asked his next question: “Are you one hundred percent sure these translations are correct?”

“Yes.”

“What made you think the ritual would work when you tried it without fulfilling all the requirements listed here?”

“She had the right magic.”

The straightforwardness with which Mustache spoke made Wooyoung’s blood boil, yet he couldn’t seem to look away from him, even as Yeosang reached out to hold his hand and squeezed his fingers.

“But she didn’t have a coven or her soulmates and this clearly states all are needed!” Hongjoong shot back.

“She thought she could do it.”

“So it was her idea?”

“Yes.”

Stunned, Wooyoung’s thoughts derailed as Yeosang stepped a little closer but the comfort unfortunately wasn’t enough to calm his inner turmoil. 

“Why did she do it?” Hongjoong pressed. “Did she tell you?”

“She came to me and asked if I knew of a better way to destroy demons than what was taught at the academies.”

“What made her think she was qualified for this? Did you talk her into it?”

“The book came with a crystal. Whoever could get it to burst had the right kind of magic to be the central figure in the ritual. She destroyed it. No one else ever could.”

“But she was alone,” Hongjoong reiterated.

“And that’s why she died.”

Looking over his shoulder, Hongjoong met Wooyoung’s eyes with a worried frown but all Wooyoung could do was shake his head and avert his gaze. This was likely all the explanation he’d ever get. His aunt had been undoubtedly powerful. She’d wanted to be a hero, to help her sister and nephew, help everyone, and it had cost her her life. She had to have known she’d likely fail but thought the risk was worth it, yet Wooyoung couldn’t help but think back to Yeonjun’s memory. 

Her twitching bloody hand, the state she’d been in. She must’ve realized at some point she wasn’t gonna make it. Fear. Regret. Had she died feeling those things? Or had she been able to make peace with herself in her final moments? Was her soul also wandering the earth somewhere? Was she still tethered to this plain like Yeonjun, unable to let go? 

“Take the elevator up to the lobby,” Hongjoong began, gaze set on Mustache. “Talk to no one. Go to the bathroom, lock the door from the inside, sit on the floor, power down your phone, and wait there in silence until we come get you.” He took the chest from Mustache’s hands. “Go.”

With that, the council member walked past them and exited the room. Behind him, Yunho turned the lock as the rest of them shifted their attention back to Hongjoong who was already focusing back on the sticky notes.

“Time to set this up and begin.”

“Not you,” Seonghwa said, already reaching for Hongjoong’s wrist, “you’ll sit back here and rest until we’re done.” Hongjoong seemed to jerk back instinctively which only earned him a stern glare from Seonghwa. “The ritual says we need to be fully charged, right? Well, you just used up a ton of magic so, please.”

“Fine,” Hongjoong grumbled and passed over the book to which Seonghwa uttered a soft “thank you” and  turned to stand shoulder to shoulder with their coven head.

“Alright everyone, first, we’ve gotta take care of some drawings. San, Jongho, how about you two do that? Mingi and I can summon some paint for you. We’ll also need to salt the entire circumference of the room. Yeosang, Yunho, you can take care of that. Wooyoung, you’ll sit back with Hongjoong since you’ll likely have to bear the brunt of this entire ritual and I want you to be as recharged as possible. Everyone got it? Then let’s get going!”

Despite how detailed the instructions in the book ended up being, there was nothing regarding their positioning within the room, leaving them free to do whatever they pleased, just as long as none of the painted symbols were covered.

Palms sweaty, Wooyoung sunk into a cross legged seat near the center of the room and watched his soulmates join him, forming a circle, their knees touching and hands linked once he’d placed the open book in their center.

“Before we begin,” he said softly, gaze fixed on the open pages, completely unseeing, “I wanted to thank you. For everything. You’ve made me happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life and, no matter how this ends, I’m glad we got to have this time together. I… I love you guys.”

Glancing up, he was met with soft adoring eyes and reassuring squeezes to his fingers. Quickly looking back down, he shook off a momentary bout of embarrassment as he realized how cliche he must’ve sounded. “Anyway…”

Amidst a few small giggles, Wooyoung noticed Hongjoong unlink his hand from Yeosang’s and reach into his jacket pocket to retrieve a small jewelry pouch.

“What’s that?” Mingi asked as Hongjoong pulled out of his hold as well to pour the pouch’s contents into his other palm, revealing a series of white gold rings, each with an attached little paper slip spelling out one of their names. Thinking back to his conversation with Seonghwa out on the balcony, Wooyoung realized what he was looking at.

“Now’s as good a time as any to give you these, right?” There was a hint of awkwardness to his tone, as if he didn’t quite know how to express the meaningfulness of the situation.

Spotting his name, Wooyoung quickly reached for his ring alongside the others and brought it up close to his eyes, admiring the figure eights shaping the band and the little diamond at its very center. Filled with giddy love, he carefully tore off the paper and slid the band onto his ring finger, feeling its snug comfortable fit and the tingling buzz of Hongjoong’s energy within. For just a moment, the added energy caused his magic to run haywire, leaving him a bit shaken, before the vibrations synchronized with those of his necklace and bracelet.

“It’s so pretty,” Wooyoung said softly as ran the pad of his thumb across the band. 

“Never thought I’d get married at twenty-three,” Jongho mused as he exaggerated his admiration of the ring and put on a show of re-linking his hands with Yunho’s and Seonghwa’s. “You guys better take me to Japan for our honeymoon.”

Chuckling, Wooyoung played along. “Of course, darling, it’s almost cherry blossom season.”

In his periphery, he could watch Mingi’s face light up. “Can we go to the cupnoodles museum?”

“Ritual first, Japan trip later,” Hongjoong interjected, though his tone was teasing. 

Focusing back on the book, Wooyoung’s eyes traced across the page until he found the spell and looked back up to ensure everyone had their hands linked. Once he got the go ahead from everyone, he took one last deep breath and began to read: “In this time of darkness and death, of resentment and hate, of demons and hell, I am of light. To change this world, to cleanse this earth, to bring love and peace, please look into my soul. Let this be the beginning of a new area. Mark this as the day a new world is born. Bring forth the time of light.”

Looking back up, feeling unchanged, Wooyoung traced his gaze across his soulmates who all seemed a little underwhelmed.

“That’s it?” Yeosang prompted.

Shrugging, Wooyoung looked back down. “Yup. I guess I just repeat this like a chant? Or maybe all of us need to say it together? It doesn’t specify.”

“Well,” Hongjoong began, “since it specifically asks for a soulmate coven, let’s do it together, okay?”

Nodding, they all leaned their heads together, gazes trained on the book as their voices blended together to repeat the words: “In this time of darkness and death, of resentment and hate, of demons and hell, I am of light. To change this world, to cleanse this earth, to bring love and peace, please look into my soul. Let this be the beginning of a new area. Mark this as the day a new world is born. Bring forth the time of light.”

Around them, the atmosphere shifted, becoming denser, heavier. The carefully painted drawings around them pulsed once, twice, emitting a subtle white blue glow that slowly faded back to nothing. Noticing the shift, they quickly started the spell over, voices growing in strength and volume, and this time, the effect became even more noticeable as Wooyoung began to feel something beyond the usual effects of his soulmates’ touch. 

Each hair on his body suddenly stood on end, leaving him prickling from head to toe, a current running through him. His ears popped, followed by a pushing sensation. Steady, unrelenting, pressing insistently against his magic’s boundary, trying to force its way in. What, he wasn’t sure but, while inherently unsettling, he couldn’t sense a threat or danger, more so desperation. A cry for help? Afraid to disrupt the ritual, he kept up the chanting, even while he could see the confusion on the others’ faces, telling him they were all noticing an effect beyond the outwardly visible as well. 

Before he could fully make sense of the prodding, he began to notice the temperature. It was getting warmer by the second, leaving all of them flushed, their linked palms slowly growing sweaty, making him wish they’d thought to take off their jackets but now it was too late. 

Around them, symbols began to glow bright enough to cast bluish white light on each of them, and it was then that Wooyoung realized they were too far in to do anything but trust their gut so, putting all his faith into his instincts and the ritual itself, he relaxed his boundary and heeded the persistent prodding. 

Instantly, waves of foreign emotions crashed into him from all sides, absolutely overwhelming him to the point his chest began to ache under the hammering of his heart. Nervousness, fear, hope, trust, love, all ripping into his concentration, leaving him on the brink of stumbling over his words over and over again. He thought of clouds in a white void, separated himself from what he was feeling, just so he could keep on repeating the spell for the nth time, following his soulmates’ guidance who, by now, were all staring at him, stunned and worried, even as their chanting didn’t falter. 

It took him a second, but then he realized: it wasn’t just his reaction that was shocking them, but also the light. Emanating from his core, right where the seal had been, was a glittering black light. What should be an oxymoron was the manifestation of his magic, and now, as if alerted by his recognition, it slowly lifted from under his clothing, pouring out into their center like an opaque glittery shadow, hovering above the book where it slowly began to form into an ever moving uneven shape no bigger than his head. 

Surprisingly, he didn’t feel emptier for it. Its presence was still there, still tangible, now even joined by his soulmates’ magic and their emotions, everything molten down into the purest form of energy, flowing, churning through him. It was heat, buzzing, restlessness, chaos, everything too much, completely incomparable. With every repetition of the spell, more and more energy seemed to concentrate within him, growing denser, making him wonder how much more he could handle until his heart would just give out but, somehow, he wasn’t afraid. Not directly, but he could tell his soulmates were scared for him, terrified even.

And then, all at once, the others’ cores began to glow, each in the colors of their own magic, slowly flowing out in beautiful flowing rivulets, spiraling ever faster around the glittery blackness of his own magic, caught in its orbit until everything was sucked in, leaving behind a whirlpool of black and all his soulmates’ colors flowing and blending together, rising to the surface and sinking back down.

Spinning ever faster in their midst, their magic seemed to keep egging each other on, increasing the speed of its already rapidfire twisting and winding until the air around it became tangible, pulsating, vibrating against his skin, quickly growing into a breeze, a wind. At first, it was a gentle brushing, a caress, but it quickly grew in strength, forcing him to narrow his eyes.

But within him, a whole other storm was already brewing. His soulmates’ confusion and fear lashed against his own ever growing determination to keep going, keep pushing out the words with more intensity, even as he knew in his heart it wasn’t what was making all the difference. The volume of their voices didn’t matter, not even the words themselves really did. It was about intention. 

As sweaty fingers squeezed ever tighter around his own, allowing him to feel the figure eights, the ring, against his skin amidst the chaos, he focused on his love for his soulmates, his love for Nero and his family, his love for the people back home, his wish for everyone to be safe, his admiration for nature, his longing for peace and safety and happiness, and he poured it all into the words of the ever repeating chant, filling them with meaning.

“In this time of darkness and death, of resentment and hate, of demons and hell, I am of light. To change this world, to cleanse this earth, to bring love and peace, please look into my soul. Let this be the beginning of a new area. Mark this as the day a new world is born. Bring forth the time of light.”

As the emotions within him strengthened ever more, feeding into the magic outside his body, the wind only grew in ferocity, nearly drowning out their voices, forcing them to the brink of shouting. Overhead, the light began to flicker just as the markings’ glow intensified, blowing out not even a second later as the bulb shattered inaudibly and left them cast in nothing but a white blue glow. 

Sweat beading at his hairline, Wooyoung watched as the shape of their magic grew in size, its motions becoming more elaborate, more dissolute until it dominated his vision, hiding his soulmates, but amidst it all, their emotions kept reaching him. Distress, worry, fear, hope. Their hands kept holding on tight while their voices amplified to a near painful shout in an effort to still hear each other above the chaos.

“In this time of darkness and death, of resentment and hate, of demons and hell, I am of light. To change this world, to cleanse this earth, to bring love and peace, please look into my soul. Let this be the beginning of a new area. Mark this as the day a new world is born. Bring forth the time of light.”

There was no way to tell what had been different this time but, suddenly, as they completed the spell yet another time, wind whipping their faces, vocal chords straining, their combined magic coalesced, its previously expanding shape suddenly contracted, compressed, down to the size of a marble before exploding outward with the force of a supernova. A circular shockwave burst outward, rushing through their bodies, through the walls and potentially beyond, quickly followed by a second, seemingly out of nowhere, without origin. It flung them back, ripping their hands apart, sending them flying. 

As Wooyoung hit the ground, all that was left was darkness and the sound of their combined heavy breathing. A second ticked by. Two. “Is it… over?” he asked, barely recognizing the sound of his own hoarse voice in the silence of the room. Fear and adrenaline still rushed through him, but now, all of it was his own. He could no longer feel their emotions, their magic, but his own was still boiling within him, stewing in the aftermath of the hopefully successful ritual.

“I… think so?” Hongjoong said, voice surprisingly clear, a reminder of years of vocal practice.

Somewhere nearby, Wooyoung could hear rustling fabric followed by footsteps, then a click as the door was unlocked and opened. Near blinding, white hallway light spilled into the room, framing the disheveled appearance of an anxious looking Jongho. And somehow, the sight of him was enough to fill Wooyoung with a rush of relief, quickly followed by anxiety, then hope as he climbed to his very much shaky legs alongside everyone else.

“Is everyone okay?” Seonghwa asked, sounding a little frantic, as they all instinctively moved closer together, closer to Jongho and the light. 

The first to grab Wooyoung was Jongho himself who reached for his hand, big round eyes roaming across his face while Wooyoung nodded, smiling softly, squeezing his fingers in return, only to get yanked back by his collar a second later and wrapped up in someone else’s arms, flooding him with more heat than was already confined in the room. Before he could even figure out who it was, San suddenly popped up in front of him, cupping his face, flooding him with tingles, squishing his cheeks while he looked him over with visibly growing relief. 

“Come on, let’s see if it worked!” Wooyoung blurted out amidst the coddling, though he couldn’t stop giggling as everyone crowded around him, reaching for him, Hongjoong cupping the side of his neck, checking on him with searching eyes while Wooyoung shivered.

“What’re we gonna do if it didn’t?” Mingi replied, revealing himself to be the one wrapped around Wooyoung’s back, now tightening his hold, trapping Wooyoung’s arms even tighter against his sides, making him squirm as he really began to crave fresh cool air though part of him also wanted to stay here, stay with his soulmates, instead of facing potentially disappointing, if not dooming news. But no, it had to have worked, right?

“Don’t even say that, you’re jinxing it!” San complained.

“I think it’s too late to jinx it,” Yeosang reasoned.

“Did someone grab the spellbook?” Seonghwa asked.

“I did!” Hongjoong replied, withdrawing his hand.

“Does anyone remember the way back?” Jongho asked while Wooyoung freed himself from Mingi’s embrace, only to turn and grab one of his hands between both of his, squeezing tightly in reassurance as he looked up into dark eyes reflecting his own growing anxiety.

“Vaguely,” Yunho answered before he dropped a hand on Wooyoung’s head, making him turn slightly to see a soft smile. “It worked, you’ll see,” he said with an encouraging nod before ruffling Wooyoung’s hair. “Now let’s go.”

They rushed to the elevators in one big cluster, everyone clinging onto everyone as Yunho shouted out directions which only led them astray twice before they discovered the elevator doors, only to realize they were all currently in use.

“Is that a good sign?” San mumbled nervously.

“Maybe,” Wooyoung responded, hope rapidly shrinking, then growing, then shrinking, then growing in his chest as his thoughts raced with possibilities, forcing him to bounce on his toes in an attempt to ease his own restlessness.

It was a near unbearable minute of waiting before one of the doors slid open, thankfully revealing an empty interior. Under a series of complaints from being shoved against the still opening doors, Wooyoung pushed anyone in front of him along with spread out arms and unstoppable strength fueled by ever growing anxiety. What if the ritual hadn’t worked and there were still demons out there, wishing to tear him and everyone he loved apart? But what if it did work and they’d never have to worry about demons ever again?

“I’m gonna throw up,” Wooyoung stated as he wrapped himself around Yunho’s arm, tugged and squeezed, just to have something to do.

“Please don’t,” Yeosang replied, side-eyeing him.

“I’m gonna throw up too if you do,” Mingi threatened.

“Fuck!” Wooyoung shouted anxiously and threw himself on Seonghwa’s back, shaking him. “Why’s this thing so slow all of a sudden!”

“I don’t know,” Seongha replied, voice surprisingly measured, even as his head was jiggling back and forth.

A second later, the door dinged and Wooyoung pushed his foot against the wall, arms wide to shove everyone forward collectively and get them out as soon as possible.

“No!” Jongho shrieked from somewhere up ahead right before the doors began to open and they all stumbled out into the crowded lobby which was filled with people dressed in business wear.

“Is this a good sign?” San called above the noisiness of the masses.

“Get outside!” Wooyoung shouted back and kept pushing whichever one of his soulmates he could get his hands on. “Come on, get going! Faster!”

“Ow, that was my foot!” Hongjoong complained.

“Sorry,” came Yeosang’s reply.

“Wooyoung, stop pushing!” Jongho complained, still somewhere out of sight.

“Then move faster!”

“How?”

“I don’t know, I can’t see anything!”

About another minute later, they stumbled out through the front door alongside a group of other people to join the crowd gathered outside in the parking lot under a cloudy sky and slight drizzle.

“No wards,” Wooyoung whispered. “No wards!” Turning to San who was already looking at him with a stunned expression, Wooyoung slowly felt the hope in his chest begin to grow. “The van!” he shouted as he snatched up San’s and Yeosang’s wrists closest to him and set off in a sprint, weaving through confused bystanders who kept shouting after them as they were being knocked aside. Wooyoung couldn’t care less.

Once he set sight on the van, he also found the other coven already looking over at them with bright smiles and cheers, leaving Wooyoung even more hopeful but still, he needed more proof, more reassurance. 

Skidding to stop a meter from the other witches, Wooyoung could feel his other soulmates crowd behind him as he looked up and asked the only question that mattered: “Did it work?”

And to that, he got five equally eager smiles and nodding.

“One big blast of magic and poof, gone!” Hyunsuk said, mimicking an explosion with his hands.

“Two actually,” Jinyoung added, “but they were already gone after the first.”

“Demons all around, dead in an instant,” Yonghee added. “They didn’t even know what hit them.”

“Holy shit,” Wooyoung whispered, stumbling back, straight into San whose magic hummed against his upon contact. And it was only then that he noticed, at some point on their way up, his magic had stopped trying to fight its way out. It had settled. Barely any different from the gentle flow it used to move with, though distinctly more powerful and reassuring. But in the face of the enormity of what was currently going on, the realization felt insignificant.

“They’re really all gone?” Jongho asked, disbelief clear in his tone.

Pulling out his phone, Jinyoung tapped the screen once, twice, before turning it toward them, showing them an open social media video of a wave of magic, their magic, in all of its colors, blasting through the streets, nearly too fast to notice but so immensely powerful it disintegrated every demon in sight, leaving nothing behind. “That’s from Canada,” Jinyoung added as the video looped back, this time showing the footage in slow motion.

Behind a too-stunned-to-function Wooyoung, cheers erupted a mere second before he was pulled back by his shirt and dragged right into the center of a crushing group hug, flooding him with tingles, adrenaline, buzzing magic, love, happiness, relief. Before he knew it, he was laughing, bright and joyful, even as tears welled up in his eyes. He squirmed under the influx of kisses getting pressed to his head, cheeks, forehead, chin, even as he himself reached out to clutch at anyone he could, pulling them impossibly closer.

“You did it, Young-ah!” Seonghwa said right by his ear, voice cracking as if he were crying.

And it was those words that healed and broke him at the same time, leaving him sobbing as everyone around him only clutched him tighter, wiping at his face, kissing his head, mumbling reassurances, making jokes, but there was nothing they could do or say to calm him down for a good few minutes, not when they’d somehow literally just managed to wipe out all demons with one single ritual. The thought was too big to grasp, too momentous to wrap his brain around, yet also too beautiful, too hopeful to not make his heart overflow with implications.

“There’s someone who’d like to see you,” Seunghun spoke up, and when Wooyoung opened his eyes, Mingi and Yeosang stepped aside to clear his view of the cutest, most pitiful little face he’d missed for way too long.

“My baby,” Wooyoung breathed out, more tears falling as he staggered forward to accept Nero and bring her to his chest, her tiny paws pressing against him as she meowed right into his face, complaining to him about everything he’d been putting her through. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry.” But her complaints kept coming, one meow longer than the next until he started pressing kisses between her ears and the whining turned to purring. “Ah, baby, such a sweet adorable baby,” he cooed, tears wetting her fur. “I couldn’t have done it without you, right? You did all the hard work, didn’t you? Yes, such a powerful baby!”

“Did she though?” Yeosang said.

Cackling as more stress and fear washed away, Wooyoung cradled his cat into his left arm and turned back around to look at his soulmates who were all watching him with sparkling dark eyes and such openly loving expressions, all he could do was drop his gaze and walk right back into the circle of their embrace to cry just a bit more. Luckily, they didn’t seem to mind at all.

Chapter Text

It was warm, soft, and so very nice to be laying down and comfortable for the first time in what felt like way too long. Nero was lying curled up on his chest, a reassuring weight. Had he been sleeping? He wasn’t sure, but he certainly didn’t recall falling asleep, though there was a heaviness to his body, to his eyelids, which normally spoke of sleep deprivation and now made him not want to get up. But there were so many voices everywhere, both nearby and further away, making him feel unsettled.

When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry at first but quickly adjusted to focus on the soft relaxed features of Hongjoong sleeping right next to him, head resting on a small white pillow. And it was then that he remembered a flurry of tiny feathers in all colors of the rainbow raining down on them, a reflection of Hongjoong’s happiness after overusing his magic. There’d been so much joy, excitement, love, and then a sudden ever growing dizziness. Did they both pass out after?

“I think he’s awake!” came San’s voice from somewhere near their feet right before the entire ground shook and Seonghwa’s worried dark eyes appeared right in Wooyoung’s field of vision. It was only then that he realized they were lying between the benches in the back of the van. 

“Hey, Young-ah,” Seonghwa said softly, a warm smile tugging at his lips as his gaze traced across Wooyoung’s face. “How’re you feeling?”

“Sleepy.”

Chuckling, Seonghwa lightly cupped his cheek, eliciting a warm show of tingles, spreading a wash of pink which slowly trickled into him and mixed into his own magic, roaming through him and soothing any lingering aches. “That’s to be expected after everything you just did.”

“Is Hongjoong okay? Did we fall asleep?”

“Passed out, more like!” Hyunsuk commented. So Byounggon’s coven was still here too. 

“You both collapsed while we were still celebrating,” Seonghwa added as he withdrew his magic, though it didn’t feel like it was gone, not when his fingers continued to brush against his skin. “I think it was all a bit too much for you after you’d already drained yourself so thoroughly before we even started the ritual. Jongho was also out for a bit but he recovered much faster.”

“That’s good,” Wooyoung mumbled.

“They found Mustache in the bathroom, by the way,” Yunho informed him, which instantly had Wooyoung sitting up, Nero cradled against him much to her chagrin. “He was still under Hongjoong’s charm, so we could just call the cops and have them sedate him,” he continued, expression grim as he looked at Wooyoung. “We showed them the video Hongjoong took and Yeonjun and Yonghee agreed to come along to the police station where they’re gonna meet with Mrs. Choi so they can reopen the case.”

“Wow… good news,” Wooyoung said, trying to take all of that in after he’d just woken up, his brain still majorly fuzzy. “I’m gonna need a minute to process all that, sorry.”

Chuckling, Yunho shook his head. “It’s alright. The only thing you need to know right now is that it’s time to go home.”

“Really? They don’t wanna talk to us about the ritual?”

“We already told them enough and they have our contact info,” San said, standing right behind Yunho, both sounding and looking a little defiant. “Now we deserve to go home.”

To that, Wooyoung could only smile with warm relief flooding his chest. “I like the sound of that.”

It was a long and arduous drive back to their little town with Hongjoong strapped safely into the passenger seat, still sleeping peacefully, while San drove and Wooyoung sat cuddled up between Mingi and Yeosang in the back. There was a lot of chaos out in the streets, forcing them into one traffic jam after another. Many people had already put banners on their cars and balconies, proclaiming one thing or another about good smiting evil, some with more religious connotations than others. It was a little funny but also worrisome to see and got him thinking… 

With one council member under investigation, there was no way the rest wouldn’t try their hardest to tidy up their own image. Would they try to take credit for the ritual? Well, even if they did, Wooyoung knew for a fact his soulmates wouldn’t let it happen. But then again, there was also no way they’d willingly come forward to share the truth with the media, lest they’d end up getting dragged into the limelight. 

“What do you guys think that second shockwave was?” San asked, pulling Wooyoung out of his thoughts as the sun set above the horizon.

“Let’s talk about that once Hongjoong wakes up,” Seonghwa replied cryptically.

“No, wait, you can’t do that!” Jongho complained.

“Sorry, I won’t talk unless everyone’s awake to hear it.” 

Instantly, several heads turned toward the passenger seat.

“Don’t you dare try to wake him!”

About an hour later, during which some of them had begun to doze off, Wooyoung was still wide awake and playing with the ring on Yeosang’s finger. Low music filled the van while Seonghwa was sitting behind the wheel, softly singing along in a sweet controlled voice because, of course, the man could sing too. What couldn’t his soulmates do?

“If it weren’t for your garden magic,” Wooyoung began, voice low as he traced sparks against Yeosang’s skin, “the planet would still be under siege and we’d have had no idea what to do about it. I think we should tell people that. They should know it was you and the earth who saved them. Maybe that’ll finally get them to treat the world and all garden witches better.”

“Ironic, isn’t it?” Looking up into Yeosang’s eyes, Wooyoung found nothing but soft amusement and couldn’t help but frown in confusion as Yeosang only began to smile wider. “Neither me, nor the earth wants people’s gratitude because they feel guilty or indebted to us. They should be doing the right thing because they want to, because they changed their way of thinking and realized killing their planet means killing themselves.

“My belief is that, without demonic influence, everyone will now do the right thing, that it was never them to begin with. I know it might sound naive, but I’ve been able to keep going all my life because I know the vast majority of people are good at heart. They want the best for nature and other people. The problem has always been greedy people corrupted by demonic energies who’ve become possessed and are suddenly willing to do things they otherwise would’ve never even thought of doing. That’s what got them to the top where they could spread endless amounts of suffering.”

“A steady food supply for demonkind,” Wooyoung concluded.

“Exactly, we’ve been dealing with a network of demons running most countries for centuries and this’ll be the first time in earth’s history that we’ll get to see the true potential of humanity and witches working together to rebuild society from scratch. And, you know what, Wooyoung?”

Looking into Yeosang’s wide sparkling eyes, seeing his adorable smile, Wooyoung already had a good idea of what he was about to say. “You’re excited?”

An eager nod.

Chuckling, Wooyoung wrapped an arm around Yeosang, kissed him on the cheek and cuddled him close, just letting all the warm and comforting sensations wash across them as their magic mingled just like it’d done when it cleansed the world.

“You’re gonna teach me how to use your magic when we get home, Sangie?” Wooyoung asked, head leaning against Yeosang’s on his shoulder.

“Of course.”

It would take until their hometown’s welcoming sign for Hongjoong to begin rousing from sleep, slowly stretching out under a series of low satisfied sounds.

“Heya, sleepy head!” Wooyoung called out teasingly.

“Huh?”

Gleeful laughter filled the air at the small sound.

As they approached the mansion just a few minutes later, Wooyoung couldn’t help but hold his breath in anticipation, hoping against hope that it would be wholly unharmed while knowing it was highly unlikely given the state they’d left it in.

“It’s still standing,” Jongho recognized as they pulled into the driveway but even from his limited view in the back, Wooyoung could already see the smashed in windows and wide open front door.

They were huddled together, Wooyoung clutching tightly onto the pet carrier’s handle as they walked through the doors, switched on the lights and looked at the wrecked interior of their home. Its cozy atmosphere was destroyed, though any demonic residue had gotten wiped clean by the ritual, leaving behind broken furniture, torn wallpaper, claw marks in the floor and ceiling and belongings thrown everywhere. But Jongho had been right, the mansion was still standing. The walls and stairs were intact. Anything else could be fixed.

“Home sweet home,” San mumbled.

“You can teach me some spells while we fix it,” Wooyoung suggested as he set Nero down and walked deeper into the room. “Then I can use your bracelet so one of us starts here and the other one upstairs?”

“You wanna do this now?” Yunho prompted. “Don’t you wanna rest some more first?”

“I already rested plenty!”

“You mean you were unconscious for a bit,” Jongho interjected.

“So were you and now I’m full of energy and ready to go. Come on, fiancés, chop chop, time to get cleaning! I plan on sleeping here tonight!”

“It’s already tonight,” San pointed out, “and you clearly don’t plan on sleeping.”

“Semantics.”

“Wait, hold up! Seonghwa,” Yeosang said, “Hongjoong’s up now, so what did you wanna say back in the van?”

Hastily turning around at the reminder, Wooyoung stared right at Seonghwa just like everyone else except for Hongjoong, who seemed more confused than anything else. “What’re they talking about?”

“The second shockwave,” Seonghwa began, something indeterminable creeping into his tone as his gaze settled on Wooyoung, “I didn’t think about it until I checked on you after you both passed out but… it wasn’t from the ritual.”

As everyone’s heads turned to look at him, Wooyoung couldn’t do much more than blink. “What then?”

“The ritual called for a soulmate coven,” Seonghwa continued, voice and expression now so very clearly filled with fondness, with love, “so completing it linked our magic the same way a bonding ceremony would. That second blast, it came from the completion of our soulbond.”

Eyes wide, filled with awe, Wooyoung watched as everyone stumbled over each other to get closer to him. “Does that mean…” Hand reaching up to his left side, he pressed his fingers into the scar, feeling its presence, so how? “I don’t understand.” Lifting his hands, he summoned magic to his overlapping palms, watched the glittering black haze seep out of his skin and form into a ball just as he’d  pictured in his head. It came so easy now, like settled magic should.

And just then, a finger reached out to poke the glittery sphere, leaving behind a hint of purple which quickly sunk into the black depths before it reappeared in streaks across the entire surface, mixing further with each revolution until it became one smooth dark purple color. 

“Our magic just took its relationship to the next level,” Jongho joked.

“Holy shit,” Wooyoung whispered as he folded his hands, snuffing out the magic as he looked back up at everyone. “Guys…” He took in all their eager joyful faces, all the warm joy he found there and couldn’t help but burst into a bright bout of cackles as he threw himself against Seonghwa and Jongho, feeling the sparks and tingles wash across him, leaving him shivering and smiling even wider as he felt them react much the same. 

Stretching his arms as far as he could reach, he grabbed onto any limb he could find, tugging hard, trying to drag everyone closer. “This is meant to be a group hug, come on!” he shouted as they all burst into laughter, showering him with more touches, more kisses, more affection than he knew how to process but he welcomed it, he welcomed it all. 

He finally had everything he’d ever wanted.

After several hastily made phone calls to check in with everyone he knew in town, Wooyoung and San set off on their quest to fix everything broken, damaged, or dirtied in the mansion, which quickly turned out to be tougher than expected.

“Did I just hear another explosion?” Seonghwa shouted from several rooms over.

“No!” Wooyoung called back, blatantly lying as he exchanged a grimace with San who was trying his hardest to dial down his magic output. “Shouldn’t you at least have this under control?” he teased, voice bordering on a whisper.

“This was the first time! Every other explosion came from your messed up spells and, if you really think about it, even this one’s lowkey your fault, so you don’t get to make fun of me.”

“How’s this my fault? You’re the one who cast it!”

“You made me more powerful, so-”

Cackling, Wooyoung shook his head as he pushed a grinning San. 

Little more than an hour later, Wooyoung and Mingi were standing in the first room upstairs on the right, the one beside San’s bedroom which, according to Mingi, was primarily used as a practice room by all of them when they were trying out some new techniques, potions, anything that could cause damage to the walls or furniture. 

Since the mansion was symmetrical, the room was, in its current state, even larger than Yeosang’s on the other side but not nearly as ornate. Sporting a coffered ceiling like the rest of the house, bar the two music studios and San’s bedroom, Wooyoung’s future room still needed to have a bathroom and closet put in, as well as furniture, new wallpaper, and anything else his heart desired, according to Mingi.

“Did you conjure everything in the house?” Wooyoung asked as he walked around the room and tried to picture what he wanted it to look like.

“No, we got everything custom built before we moved in, but nobody wants workers coming in and outta the house for the next few months so this’ll be an exception.”

Turning back to face Mingi who was still standing by the open doorway, Wooyoung felt a grin bloom on his face. “I gotta warn you though… you may find your magic’s a little different now.”

“Because of you?” Mingi prompted, smiling as he watched Wooyoung walk closer and stop right beside him.

“Sannie already messed up once so don’t underestimate it.” Reaching into his pocket, Wooyoung made quick work of replacing his bracelet so he could feel Mingi’s magic buzzing against his wrist. “Now teach me how to conjure, please!”

Once Wooyoung’s room was largely taken care of, minus a few mishaps with a massively oversized bed, thirty six desk lamps, and a rug long enough to cover the length of the floor and windows, they decided to gather in Seonghwa’s room again once they were all freshly showered and dressed in their pajamas.

Still forced to use the downstairs bathroom, Wooyoung was, as per usual, last to join and now greeted by the sight of all his soulmates sitting in a circle on one giant sleeping mat instead of the usual row of reasonably sized ones.

“What’s this?” Wooyoung asked as he walked in.

“There was an argument over sleeping arrangements,” Hongjoong said simply.

“Um, okay?”

“You’re sleeping in the middle.”

Realizing what must’ve happened, Wooyoung broke into a loud cackle while he approached the circle of idiots he called his coven and soulmates. “You were fighting over who gets to sleep next to me?” he got out as he skipped into the center of the mat and plopped down. “That’s so embarrassing.”

Instantly, hell rained down as they lunged at him from all sides, poking him, tickling him, yelling defensive complaints as he kept laughing and throwing more teasing remarks around. It didn’t take long until they wore themselves out and fell asleep in a heap of overlapping bodies and trickling off conversations.

The next morning, he woke up bathed in his soulmate’s warmth and magic, a pleasant steady hum of sensations and love as they touched him, breathed against him. Opening his eyes, he realized he was lying on Yunho, facing San who was sleeping on his other shoulder. It was at roughly the same time that he realized someone else was curled up against his back, clutching onto his middle, softly breathing against his neck. Yeosang, he recognized once he peeked down at the pattern on his sleeve.

“Need some help getting outta there?” Hongjoong’s voice was soft, low enough not to disturb anyone. 

Lifting his head away from the sound of Yunho’s heartbeat, Wooyoung discovered Hongjoong standing between Mingi who lay snuggled into Jongho, and Seonghwa who was curled up on his side around a fast asleep Nero. Going by the lingering imprint on the mat, she must’ve taken over Hongjoong’s spot after he’d gotten up.

Realizing he needed to use the bathroom, Wooyoung took Hongjoong up on his offer with a quick “yes, please”.

Shortly after, he was standing in the freshly stocked kitchen, the result of Hongjoong’s early noon shopping trip amidst the chaos in the streets. Sleeping for so long while they’d all been awake in the van had truly left him out of sync with everyone else. 

“Can’t believe you just broke the kitchen rule like this,” Wooyoung said, shaking his head at the fridge’s contents in feigned disappointment. 

“Ah, shut it,” Hongjoong replied, audibly smiling, as he took a seat on one of the bar stools.

Chuckling giddily at the reclaimed sense of normalcy in their lives, Wooyoung turned around as he nudged the fridge closed. “So, what should I cook?”

“Whatever you want! Or we can order in if you don’t feel like cooking.”

“You think they’d deliver right now?”

Shrugging, Hongjoong leaned his elbows on the counter. “Maybe.”

“Hmm… no, I wanna make something myself.” And with that, Wooyoung got to work.

The next person to wake up and come downstairs was Jongho who walked in on Wooyoung manning the stove while Hongjoong played him a few instrumental tracks he’d been working on before the whole apocalypse thing.

“Morning!” Jongho greeted before he took a seat next to Hongjoong who must’ve just turned to say hello but was suddenly met with a kiss pressed right onto his mouth.

Caught off guard, Wooyoung’s gaze darted back and forth between a fully frozen Hongjoong and seemingly relaxed Jongho who turned in his chair and pulled out his phone like nothing had happened.

It took a couple of seconds but then Hongjoong turned to look at Wooyoung with a silent plea of “you saw that too, right?” so very clear on his face Wooyoung had to stop himself from laughing.

“Slept well?” Wooyoung asked as he stirred the noodles with his pair of chopsticks, mentally noting they’d need to be drained in a minute.

“I had a weird dream involving my high school teacher,” Jongho replied, “but other than that, yes.”

Glancing up at Hongjoong, Wooyoung shrugged in apology. He’d tried.

“Jong-ah,” Hongjoong started but was interrupted by Jongho who still wouldn’t look up from the screen.

“I realized I’ve wasted enough time, that’s why.”

Features growing soft, Hongjoong smiled at Jongho’s slightly flushed profile and nodded. “Alright then.”

“They discovered the entire council knew about Yeonjun’s death but they kept it a secret since Mustache did it for the, quote-unquote, greater good,” Yunho reported after his return from his first meeting with Mrs. Choi in preparation for the court hearing three months from now.

Two days had now passed since the ritual, both of which were largely spent rushing through the chaos outside and attempting to help where they could. Newly exorcized people were still being returned to their families while witches went around healing the injured, fixing buildings, streets, and anything that got wrecked during the demonic siege. 

The most annoying part, though, were the camera crews which kept swarming the place ever since they discovered the town had been hit with an unusually strong attack compared to the rest of the world. But at least they weren’t the only ones getting hounded. The council had been harassed nonstop since some of the people who’d been in the building during the ritual had blabbered to the press that the blast had originated from within.

“Ooh,” Mingi drawled, a grin forming on his face, “someone’s finally going down.”

“We should throw a party when the verdict comes in!” San suggested.

“A garden party!” Yeosang added. “I’ve been planning to finally start landscaping the back.”

“Sounds lovely,” Yunho replied as he circled the couch and joined the others in the seating area where they’d been waiting with dinner for his return. Plopping down between Jongho and Seonghwa, he now looked at the massive amount of dishes spread across the coffee table. “Thank yous again?”

“Yup,” Wooyoung confirmed, recalling all the people who’d been handing them filled-to-the-brim food containers over the last couple of days just because they’d helped out a bit or brought someone home. It was very sweet of them but also made him feel guilty since he was the reason they’d gotten hurt or possessed in the first place but telling them that wasn’t really an option so accepting with gratitude seemed like the best option.

“Can you see me?”

The raspy voice echoed through the room, quickly followed by multiple yelps right beside Wooyoung whose head shot up to look for its source. But there was nothing. 

“We can’t, sorry!” Voice raised, Wooyoung carefully got up from his seat between San and Hongjoong so he could head over to the space between the armchair and bathroom door where their visitors usually appeared. “Where are you?”

“Behind you.”

The words spoken right into his ear had him jumping and whirling around, bringing him face to face with the translucent apparition of an elderly person dressed in flowy pastel clothing and glasses which seemed to keep sliding down their nose.

“Oh, hello.” Bowing slightly, Wooyoung took a step back to put some polite distance between them. “Are you here to cross over?” Behind him, he could feel Jongho walking up to join him.

“I am,” the spirit confirmed. “I’ve wanted to leave for a long time but…”

“A demon trapped you?”

Nodding slowly, the spirit averted their eyes. 

Quickly exchanging the bracelet on his wrist, Wooyoung focused to summon the dark purple magic to his palm, coating it in a glittery sheen before he reached out to take the spirit’s hand in a soft hold, feeling the cool touch against his skin. “I’m glad you’re free now.”

The spirit’s head shot up, looking at him, their eyes wide with awe and wet with tears. Like most spirits who’d come to the mansion in the last two days, they must’ve not experienced a friendly touch in a really long time. It was devastating every single time but knowing it was over now, that it would never happen to another soul again, was enough.

“We can open a portal for you right now,” Jongho said, “would you like that?”

“Yes, please,” came the hoarse reply.

As they exchanged a quick glance, Wooyoung nodded, signaling Jongho to step back and summon the white glow of a swirling doorway with no more than a wave of his hands. Right away, a gentle warm breeze caressed their cheeks, carrying with it a sweet delicious smell. A pastry? Fruit? Shifting his attention back to the spirit, Wooyoung realized the scent seemed to trigger a memory in them, leaving them transfixed by the light as they took a step forward. 

Gently withdrawing his touch, Wooyoung stepped aside to let the spirit walk by, ever closer to the light, only for them to stop right before they could disappear. Looking back one last time, gaze drifting from Wooyoung to Jongho, the spirit smiled. 

“Thank you,” they whispered and lingered just a moment longer to receive two encouraging smiles before they took their final step, vanishing, leaving the portal to shrink to a dot of fading light, gone in a second.

“You know, we still haven’t figured out what your actual magic is,” San spoke up, capturing everyone’s attention and triggering Wooyoung and Jongho to return to their seats.

“Well… I only ever used it for tarot readings and even humans can do that,” Wooyoung replied as he squeezed back into the gap between San and Hongjoong, feeling their comforting warmth and magic against his. “Maybe I really can only copy yours. That’s already pretty cool in and of itself, right?”

“It just seems unlikely, is all,” San responded.

Shrugging, Wooyoung leaned forward to grab his bowl and chopsticks. “If there’s something else to discover, I’m sure we’ll figure it out eventually. For now, I’m hungry and plenty busy and entertained by learning what I can already do from all of you.”

A kiss was pressed to his shoulder while he was filling up his bowl before San’s soft amused voice replied to him: “Sounds like a plan.”

It took over two weeks before they could take a full day off just for themselves again and, after some back and forth, Wooyoung and Jongho had decided to get up early and head out for a post breakfast date.

“Karaoke?” Wooyoung asked as they stopped in front of one of the largest buildings in town which housed a few different entertainment businesses across its five floors. His hand was firmly holding onto Jongho’s as he tipped his head back to look at the neon sign before jerking it back down as Jongho tugged him forward and through the double doors.

After discovering they had a room booked under their name for three whole hours, Wooyoung let himself get led into a cozy room with foam coated walls, carpet flooring and a large couch fronted by a low coffee table topped with snacks and drinks.

“You’ve got this all planned out, huh?” Wooyoung teased as they sat down and Jongho withdrew his hand to fetch the microphones.

“I figured you’d enjoy being loud with a purpose.”

“Hey!”

Under gleeful chortling, Jongho plopped back down and handed him one of the mics. “What kinda song do you like?”

“I don’t know. Pretty much anything that sounds good? What about you?”

“Honestly? Trot and ballads are the most fun to sing.”

“Senior citizens must love you.”

Breaking into a fit of laughter, Jongho lightly shoved Wooyoung’s shoulder who curled into the armrest, giggling to himself as he clutched his mic and watched Jongho snatch up the remote and go through the list of available songs. “Here, let’s go with Baekhyun.”

“I can’t believe you never told me you’re the fucking god of singing!” Wooyoung complained as they exited the building, a cackling Jongho trailing after him and grabbing his upper arm to slow him down, leaving sparks and warmth in the wake of his touch.

“When would I have told you?” he asked, voice still bright and full of amusement.

“I don’t know! After the first hello?”

“You mean when I found you in the living room in the middle of the night, wearing my soulmate’s clothes?”

“Exactly!”

Wrapping an arm around Wooyoung’s waist, making him shiver under a rush of goosebumps and adrenaline, Jongho chuckled some more as he kept him close and put them on track for the way home. “I’ll keep that in mind for when I meet your parents.”

“Why wouldn’t you record with Hongjoong and Mingi?” Wooyoung pushed, still unable to move on. In fact, after that first song, he’d been so flabbergasted, Jongho had barely been able to talk him into singing a few verses and a chorus here and there.

“Why don’t you? Your voice is pretty too!”

Scoffing at the reply, Wooyoung shook his head. “Don’t turn this around me, I’ve only known you for, like, a month. You’ve been with them for years!”

“Fair enough,” Jongho deadpanned.

After waiting a beat, Wooyoung threw him another look. “You didn’t even answer me!”

Laughing again, Jongho led him into a quiet side street lined with fences close to bursting with trees and flowers which poked out over the top and between the slats. There, he only took a few more steps before turning around and putting his hands back in Wooyoung’s as they stood face to face. “Are you having a good time?”

Searching Jongho’s round cute face, the dark eyes, his styled hair and adorable grin, Wooyoung couldn’t help but feel all his jokingly exaggerated annoyance fade until all that was left was lingering happiness and buzzing excitement about being together like this. “Of course,” he said easily, gaze dropping to their swinging hands before he looked back into deep brown eyes. “I get to be here with you and I don’t even have to suffer in a gym for it.”

His answer earned him a rosy cheeked snicker before Jongho tugged him even closer, their foreheads lightly bumping together, far from painful but enough to make their eyes slip shut as their nerve endings fired under the new sensations. “Thank you for getting up early for me.”

“I’m pretty sure I asked you out.”

“But I wanted to go today before lunch and booked the room.”

“Hm… I guess that’s true.”

Chuckling, Jongho lightly rolled his forehead against Wooyoung’s as one of his hands came up to Wooyoung’s cheek, thumb caressing his cheekbone, leaving him shivering as his breath hitch at the unexpected soft touch. “If I kiss you now, will you consider it our first?”

“You don’t wanna respect the one I stole?” Wooyoung teased, voice low, even as his heartbeat increased at Jongho’s words.

“I can only respect it as a misappropriated cheek kiss, sorry.”

Giggling brightly, Wooyoung brought his free hand to Jongho’s waist and bumped their noses together. “Alright, I will. Promise.”

“Good,” Jongho mumbled before he dipped forward. A soft touch of lips, making Wooyoung’s heart clench with happiness and excitement as his stomach swooped before Jongho pulled back again. “There. First kiss.”

Bursting with giddiness, Wooyoung wrapped his arms around Jongho, hugging him tightly as he tried to figure out where to put the energy rushing through him now. “You’re so cute, Jong-ah!”

Laughing as he fought to keep them balanced, Jongho held onto Wooyoung, fingers lightly digging into him as he was forced to take the occasional step here and there under their ever shifting weight so they wouldn’t fall. “I love you too.”

Quickling pulling back a little, Wooyoung met Jongho’s eyes again, both of them flushed and smiling widely. “Yeah?”

“You think I’d just kiss anyone before the fifth date?”

Overcome with a giddy joy, Wooyoung could only steal another peck before he clutched Jongho tighter, arms now around his neck and chin on his shoulder as he hopped up, trusting Jongho to catch him and keep them upright.

Shaking with laughter, Jongho stumbled for a moment before he caught himself. “I love you but I’m not gonna carry you all the way home!”

Chapter Text

7 Months Later…

“Coven meeting!” Hongjoong’s voice echoed through the house the moment he walked through the front door. 

Up in his room, Wooyoung had felt him arrive, a shift in his magic and random thought in his head, both reaching him just a moment before he’d heard him call out thanks to the spell he’d placed on the door months ago. He liked to know who was coming and going throughout the day while he was working on something in his room.

Pushing back from his desk, Wooyoung picked up Nero from her cat tree, cradling the sleepy cat against his chest as he headed downstairs to the winter garden where the others were slowly beginning to gather. After he’d put Nero on her little cushioned table attachment so she could join the meeting, he headed over to Hongjoong, who was just about to sit down, and tugged him aside.

“Something wrong?” Hongjoong asked, a small concerned frown already marring his features.

“Of course not.” Wrapping his arms around Hongjoong’s neck, Wooyoung hugged him close, feeling him shiver as he slowly returned the embrace, his concern shifting to suspicion.

“Oh no… what do you want?”

Suffocating his urge to laugh, Wooyoung put on an affronted face and pulled back just enough for their eyes to meet. “Why do you think I want something?”

The deadpan expression on Hongjoon’s face was hilarious but Wooyoung stayed strong. “You always pull this move when you want something.”

Darting forward to steal a quick kiss, Wooyoung closed his eyes and rested their foreheads together, enjoying the buzzing of their magic, the electricity of the touch. “Maybe I just wanted to say hello and I missed you? Don’t be mean.”

“Young-ah…”

“Alright, fine,” Wooyoung mumbled, but didn’t pull back. And neither did Hongjoong because he never did, which was the main reason Wooyoung usually got what he wanted. “Can we switch seats during the meeting? I’ve got something I wanted to say too.”

“And you can’t do that from your usual seat?”

“It’s got more impact coming from the head of the table,” Wooyoung argued, lowering his voice before he pecked the corner of Hongjoong’s lips, leaving tingles. “Please, Joongie? I promise it’s important…”

“You know we never-”

Interrupting him with another kiss, Wooyoung pulled back just enough for their lips to still brush as he spoke. “Please.”

“Fine.” The word rushed out on an exhale, filling Wooyoung with satisfaction and a sense of victory.

“Thank you,” Wooyoung whispered, followed by a more lingering kiss, leaving Hongjoong visibly struggling to suppress a smile even while he rolled his eyes the moment they broke apart.

“My announcement comes first though,” Hongjoong insisted as Wooyoung pulled back, breaking the moment’s spell. 

“Aye, captain!”

With a small sigh, Hongjoong brushed past him and headed over to Wooyoung’s usual chair right beside Nero who’d wandered off somewhere.

A giddy Wooyoung was now free to take his seat at the head of the table.

“So that’s what that was,” Yunho commented, grinning widely.

“Shut it!” Hongjoong warned, though all it did was make Yunho laugh while latecomer Yeosang strolled in and plopped down beside him. “Since everyone’s here now,” Hongjoong began, “I’ve got news!”

“Good or bad?” Seonghwa asked.

“I… honestly don’t know.” A grimace spread over Hongjoong’s face, shifting the tone in the room as he rubbed his forehead and dropped both arms onto the table. He seemed… a little defeated. “The election results came in.”

“What election?” Yeosang replied.

“For the provincial councils.”

Right. After Yeonjun’s case was wrapped up, getting fast tracked like crazy, Mustache received a life sentence plus a permanent magic seal, while the rest of the council got a few years behind bars combined with a massive amount of damages paid to Mrs. Choi, who’d since returned to the status of a “Ms” and reclaimed her maiden name after a successful divorce. She’d then donated all the money from the lawsuit to various charities. 

The scandal led to the abolishment of the council and the subsequent planned establishment of provincial councils who’d then come together and vote on country wide decisions. All citizens of each province, witches and humans alike, got an equal vote alongside their voting status as citizens under human law and government.

“So?” Mingi prompted. “Who won?”

After a prolonged exhale, Hongjoong muttered a barely audible: “We did.”

“But we- we weren’t even on the ballot,” Yeosang replied.

As he sat up straighter Hongjoong pinched his nose bridge. “We were write-in candidates.”

“All eight of us?” Wooyoung burst out.

“I guess they just wrote ‘Kim Coven’. And it’s not even just us, the same thing happened to Byounggon’s coven in their province.”

“We must’ve gathered a lot of attention during the clean up,” Yeosang said after a beat.

Sighing, Hongjoong sank back in his chair. “Let’s just take a vote. Who wants to accept the position? Show of hands!”

Seonghwa, San, Yeosang, Yunho, and Jongho all raised their hands one after the other, much to Wooyoung’s shock who watched with wide eyes as Seonghwa and Yeosang’s gazes darted around nervously as if they were scared of the others’ judgment.

“Alright, debate time!” Jongho announced quickly. “I’ll start!” He folded his hands on the table, leaning forward. “I say we accept because it’ll give us the opportunity to get a seat at the table for big decisions which means we can bring about a lot of positive change. Not to mention, we’ve got Wooyoung! Other witches are freaked out by him so we get intimidation points if we ever need to go up against the majority!”

To Wooyoung, this sounded like an extreme exaggeration. They weren’t “freaked out” by him, just a bit… unnerved. A couple of months after the ritual, Hongjoong and Wooyoung had collectively decided to combine all seven of his bracelets into one so he wouldn’t have to switch between them anymore and, after some practice, he’d even gotten the hang of using it fairly quickly, finally allowing him to easily switch between powers at will. However, during a charm speaking practice session, he overdid it a little and so glitter began to rain from the ceiling, except, unlike with Hongjoong whose rain was always an illusion, Wooyoung’s had been fully conjured by the activation of Mingi’s bead. 

In that moment, they finally realized what his inherent power was and it was combining his soulmate’s magic types. According to San, this made Wooyoung extremely overpowered which was hard to deny when he was still figuring out new things he could do half a year later. And since registering a witch’s magic type was legally required, Wooyoung had done his due diligence and updated his status the next day but, apparently, someone had overheard him and blabbered because word had gotten around quickly and now their coven was even more talked about than ever before.

“My turn!” Wooyoung said, raising his hand. “I say we don’t do it because it’s just a lotta meetings and paperwork which is not just extremely boring, but also time consuming, and it might force us to put our names on bills we don’t agree with!”

“I feel like we owe it to ourselves to accept,” Seonghwa began once Wooyoung had stopped speaking. “We wanted to dismantle the council for a long time and now that we’ve done it, we should help ensure all their terrible decisions are reverted and better ones are made in the future. You know, be the change you wanna see in the world.”

“I don’t think we’re qualified for this position,” Mingi said simply. “We’ve got no experience as politicians and yeah, we wouldn’t be making decisions on regular laws but still. Also, I bet there’s gonna be provinces who vote for a bunch of old guys who worship the old council and want everything to stay as it is and I don’t feel like arguing with people like that for days on end. The stress would make me age thirty years in three months.”

“So… no one’s gonna budge?” Hongjoong asked, receiving headshakes all around. Sighing, he picked up his phone, navigated the screen for a moment and placed the phone on the table, allowing all of them to hear the dial tone beeping over the speakers before the call was picked up with a click.

“Hello?” 

“Byounggon!” Hongjoong said in lieu of a greeting. “Are you guys gonna accept the council positions?”

“Yup.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, sure. There’s a lot that needs to change and I don’t trust the old folks to do it. Also, a bunch of locals were already begging us to do it before the results even came in. Apparently we’re popular with young people and local governments have been struggling to get them interested in politics for a long time, so…”

“You sound very nonchalant about this.”

Laughter burst over the speakers.

“You wouldn’t say that if you could see Yonghee right now!” came Jinyoung’s amused voice from further away, letting them know they were also on speaker. 

“Shut up!” Yonghee shot back.

“What about you guys?” Seunghun asked. “Are you accepting?”

“We’ve got a split vote,” Hongjoong replied. 

“Well, I for one would appreciate having you at those meetings,” Byounggon said.

“Who’re the other three voted in with you guys?” Mingi asked, raising his voice to be heard from across the table.

“All women about a decade older than us without covens,” Seunghun answered. “They should be on our side at least most of the time so we’re not too worried.”

“Good to know,” Hongjoong responded. “We’ll get back to discussing. I’ll tell you later how we decided, alright?”

“Alright,” Byounggon echoed. “See ya!”

Twenty minutes later, they accepted their fate as the new provincial council and Wooyoung finally got to change the topic, even if no one else really seemed like they wanted to extend the meeting any further.

“It’s important, I promise!” Wooyoung pushed as he got up. Looking around at his soulmates, his coven, he conjured up a floating white screen behind him and a beam projector onto the table so he could present his topic of discussion. ‘Familiars’ the title page read.

“Familiars?” San echoed, sounding unimpressed.

“Yes,” Wooyoung said simply as he conjured a clicker with built in laser pointer between his fingers and began the slide show of historical reference images which would help underline his presentation. “As we all know, familiars have been a stereotype for a long time since witches were historically feared and ostracized, leading them to keep pets to combat persistent feelings of loneliness and depression. However, I think we should reshape our views of familiars. Why not view them as a part of the coven?”

“Like a mascot?” Jongho asked.

“Try calling Nero a mascot to her face and see what happens,” Wooyoung shot back.

“So that’s what this is about.”

“Yes.” Flipping to an objectively adorable picture of Nero, Wooyoung aimed his laser pointer at the screen. “You all know our daughter Nero.”

“Her adoption certificate is right by the front door, so yes,” Seonghwa replied.

“As a part of the family, I think she should be a part of the coven as well. And hey, now that we - reluctantly - are the local council, we’ve got even more of an opportunity to not just repopularize the idea of covens, but also familiars. I think people would love it!”

“What would being a familiar entail ?” Jongho asked.

“Terrible pun but good question,” Yunho interjected.

Wooyoung shrugged. “It’d just be a title of respect to be honest. I didn’t really plan on making this a whole social justice thing, I just thought it was cute but then the whole council thing happened first, so…”

“Let’s take a vote!” Hongjoong announced.

Instantly, everyone’s hands shot up, much to Wooyoung’s satisfaction, and even at the perfect moment. On her way back from the kitchen, Nero’s pink tongue kept darting out to lick around her mouth, cleaning herself up after a hearty meal while her tiny claws clacked on the tile floor of the winter garden. As sudden cheers erupted all around the table, praising and greeting her, the tiny cat jumped and froze before she calmed back down and looked at them like they were crazy. 

Two days later, Hongjoong gifted them all self designed t-shirts with a graffiti-style portrait of Nero on the back and her glowing green eyes on the left breast. They wore it to their inauguration, the only ones present not in formal wear. 

Luckily, it turned out all the legal regulations were handled by the general government which had just welcomed the first two witches into their ranks, so being in the council really wasn’t that much work after all and had more so to do with representing witches’ standpoints during public debates and voting on the provinces’ behalf, which they just handled by letting them vote first and then forwarding the majority vote, both of which were fairly easy to do with the right kind of spells put in place. Other than that, it felt more like being a celebrity of some kind. A wildly unpleasant downside to the whole thing.

They put up new wards to protect themselves from the press and stalkers while refusing to give interviews outside of voting seasons. Even their social media presence was now handled by newly hired staff, though shit still managed to hit the fan when some internet sleuths found an old account Hongjoong had forgotten about on some obscure website no one had used in years where he used to upload music. But even then, the hype died down again eventually.

2 Months Later…

In the midst of a darkly furnished but well lit changing room many kilometers away from home, Wooyoung dropped onto Mingi’s lap and leaned back to get comfortable as arms came up around him to keep him from sliding off. It was cozy in the fancy store as they waited for Yunho to emerge from behind the dark curtain across from them.

“He’s gonna look stunning,” Wooyoung said, folding his hands over Mingi’s on his stomach.

“Of course,” Mingi replied, deep voice vibrating against Wooyoung’s back as he spoke, “but I still think he should've picked the other one.”

“This one’s texture is better though and you know Seonghwa likes it when our clothes feel nice to touch.”

Resting his cheek against the side of Wooyoung’s head, Mingi hummed in acknowledgment. “I guess you’re right.”

Just then, the curtain was pulled open, revealing Yunho in a deep blue suit with silver embroidery and detailing. His black shoes matched his shirt which was largely hidden under the jacket he was still buttoning up as he walked out and did a slow spin for them. “What’s the verdict?”

Tracing his gaze across long lines, Wooyoung pursed his lips for a moment before he gave his commentary. “It definitely needs some adjustments but I think it’s much better than the lighter one. Mingi?”

“It needs a black tie and pocket square but yes… it looks stunning on you, Yunho.”

“Nice! I’ll get changed then. We can pay for all of them after and drop them off at the tailor’s.”

Half an hour later, they were still inside the mall but now, a highly excited Mingi on a mission was dragging his two soulmates along their hands, steadily weaving their path through the bustling crowd of shoppers in search of all the stores they didn’t have back home. 

“We barely took an hour to find the perfect suits, why’re you going so fast?” Wooyoung asked, amused.

“Efficiency!”

Of course, their next stop ended up being a Japanese merchandise store, quickly followed by multiple fashion boutiques, a shoe store, and then finally, a food court to get a serving of bindaetteok and tteokbokki to share before they’d have to leave. 

Afterwards, out in the park and surrounded by bags, they faced a huge fountain amidst a field of mostly empty flower beds and the first greening trees. A cool breeze washed across their skin, carrying the scent of food from nearby sellers as they ate. Despite the traffic noise, the place felt peaceful and isolated which was a nice switch up from the previous several hours spent in tightly packed stores on a Saturday.

“We’re gonna have to leave soon if we wanna make it home in time for dinner,” Yunho said while the other two reached for the food on his lap.

Looking up mid search for the perfect rice cake, Wooyoung met Yunho’s eyes. “We still have time to take a walk first though, right?” 

“I guess, but we should drop all the bags off in the car first.”

The air had cooled even more by the time they entered through the park’s gates which was, by now, only occupied by the odd young couple, a few joggers and people walking their dogs, all of whom seemed like they really just wanted to mind their own business. Amidst a sea of well manicured lawns, the atmosphere was perfect for private chatter without fear of accidental eavesdroppers.

“I’ve never thought to ask, but… was it weird for you?” Wooyoung began as he wrapped his arms around Yunho and Mingi’s shoulders before he hopped up and dangled his feet, leaving them to hold him up. “Going from being a couple to basically opening up your relationship?”

“We all took time to adapt when we first met,” Yunho replied, one hand firmly placed on Wooyoung’s waist to keep him steady while he lowered himself back down to his toes.

“But you guys were already dating! Seonghwa and I talked about our coven relationships a lot when we were figuring out the dating schedules and he told me you two made everyone feel like they were third wheeling for the longest time.”

“Just because of our shared history,” Mingi said casually, “and well yeah, I guess for a while with some, it was a little weird to be alone at first but since we’re all pretty much as close as it gets now, it’s whatever.”

“Apropos dating schedule,” Yunho interjected, “Yeosang moved ours to Wednesday so San, Seonghwa, and I are going out on Friday.”

“But Sannie and I were supposed to go out on Friday!” Wooyoung protested.

“That’s why I just told you.”

“Dammit, Yeosang.”

“That’s my fault, actually,” Mingi admitted, “him, Jongho, and I are going out Friday.”

Hopping back up to kick out his legs, Wooyoung sighed in frustration. “What did Seonghwa and I even make the schedule for if none of you’re gonna stick to it?”

“This is the first time in two months!” Yunho protested.

Pouting, Wooyoung kicked his legs again. “Only two months…”

“We take clients and we’re the council, it’s a miracle it’s even worked out this long.”

“All I hear are excuses!”

“Tell me about it,” Mingi replied, “last week, he cut our date short because of an ‘emergency’.” The dip in his tone made the quotation marks very clear.

Lowering to his feet and moving toward Mingi, Wooyoung distanced them from Yunho to give him the side-eye, working hard to keep the amusement off his face. “Wow… So close to the first anniversary and you’re already slacking off…”

With a click of his tongue, Mingi joined into the disappointment charade. “A decade together and still, it’s like I don’t even know you.”

Hands dramatically placed over his heart, Yunho stepped further back from them. 

“Yunho, how will you redeem yourself?” Wooyoung asked.

Blinking, Yunho cocked his head, seeming a little caught off guard. “What do you suggest?”

“Show us your cuteness!” Mingi demanded.

Instant terror in Yunho’s eyes. “Seriously?”

“You’d deny us after everything you’ve put us through?” Mingi accused.

For Yunho, there was nothing left but to give into the demand with embarrassment flushed cheeks and great reluctance, but to his luck, no one was around to see the small show he put on for them. Following one last cheek heart, their cackling laughter finally got him to smile as he shook his head at their ridiculousness. “You’re both menaces to society.”

“Thank you, we try!” Wooyoung shot back with a sunny smile before he checked on Mingi who still shook with giggles as he swiped through all the photos he’d just taken which would likely end up in the group chat some time soon.

“Am I forgiven at least?” Yunho asked.

Stepping back from Mingi who was still focused on his phone, Wooyoung strolled closer and cocked his head as he swayed forward and lowered his voice with a happy smile. “I don’t know… maybe I’ll need more convincing.”

Momentarily raising his eyebrows, Yunho brought his hands behind his own back, newfound amusement settling into his features. “Oh?”

Wooyoung nodded as he lifted his hands to relaxed shoulders, dancing his fingers across them until they found soft hair, leaving Yunho shivering for a moment, even as his expression remained unchanged, so very used to the way they made each other feel. “What else can you offer us, hm?” Slowly stepping closer, his elbows came to rest on Yunho’s shoulders as his gaze traced across familiar features. “Got any ideas?”

“Hmm…” Lowering his chin a bit so their faces were parallel, Yunho studied his eyes for a moment before he averted his gaze, feigning deep thought. “I don’t know…”

Used to being teased, Wooyoung only felt joy as he tightened his hold on Yunho, causing their noses to bump ever so lightly as his eyes slipped shut. “Keep thinking, I’ve got time.”

Picking up on his strategy, Yunho chuckled as his arms fell around Wooyoung’s waist, holding him up, even as Wooyoung suddenly lifted himself onto his tiptoes and let himself fall forward with a snicker.

“Group hug!” Mingi called out right before Wooyoung felt another arm wrap around him, forcing him to get his legs fully back under himself as he laughed cheerfully.

Wrapped up in warmth and buzzing magic, Wooyoung pushed up to capture Yunho’s lips in a quick kiss before he turned to peck the corner of Mingi’s mouth and snuggled back into their arms, shivering as the comforting sensations settled into him while the brief sound of a kiss shared between his soulmates reached his ears.

Later that night while the sun had long since set, they all collapsed onto Wooyoung’s oversized mattress, Yunho in the middle while the other two cuddled into him as the milky way twinkled above them through the bespelled ceiling. Limbs heavy with fatigue, Wooyoung let the warmth, tingles, and adrenaline settle into him while he relished the peaceful atmosphere created by their buzzing magic and calm breathing.

With his cheek pillowed on Yunho’s shoulder, Wooyoung reached out to trace the ring on Mingi’s finger while long fingers traced invisible patterns against his ribs and a kiss was pressed to the crown of his head, leaving him smiling and inching ever closer toward sleep.

“I had fun today,” he mumbled.

“Me too,” Mingi replied, sounding no less tired. “But I’m starting to think I should’ve bought the white shirt.”

“You didn’t like the fabric, princess,” Yunho reminded him.

“Still… would’ve matched the suit better.”

Looking up at Mingi’s frown, Wooyoung brushed his fingers across the wrinkles, sparks traveling up his hand, until his skin smoothed back out and his eyes grew rounder. “The gray looks nice too.”

“Hmhm… yeah, maybe.”

Pushing off the mattress, Wooyoung leaned over to press a lingering kiss to Mingi’s lips, warmth flooding him all the way down to his toes and leaving his heart pounding as he pulled back and pecked Yunho’s jaw before he laid back down. “Just remember what you bought it for, hm?”

Face tinted pink, Mingi reached over to cup Wooyoung’s cheek for a moment before he dropped his hand back on Yunho’s chest. “I know. You’re right.”

“Yeah, I’m a genius.”

After their sleep deprived giggle fit dissipated, they soon drifted off into sleep.

“We’re gonna use our date today for the cake tasting, alright?” Wooyoung announced at the breakfast table, immediately sparking protests from everyone but Yeosang, Jongho, and San who were all part of the date in question.

“Why do you get to go?” Mingi protested.

“‘Cause Jongho’s the pickiest when it comes to sweets!” Wooyoung replied.

“So?” Seonghwa shot back. “I’m going out with him next week! Why can’t we go?”

“‘Cause I wanna go as well!” 

“Well, that’s not my problem,” Seonghwa replied and stuck out his tongue childishly, leaving Wooyoung gaping.

“Park Seonghwa!”

Laughing gleefully, Seonghwa focused back on his rice as if nothing had happened.

“Anyway, we’re going,” Wooyoung repeated, only for Hongjoong to hold out his palm and shut him down again.

“As coven head, I need to go, so Jongho, Yunho, and I are going next Thursday.”

“Being coven head’s got nothing to do with this!” Wooyoung protested.

“It’s the earth’s will for us to go,” Yeosang said, to which Wooyoung immediately switched gears, putting on a mellow expression and nodding with wide eyes.

“She told us we need to go today,” he confirmed.

“That trick’s not gonna work this time!” Yunho complained.

Recalling months of jokingly using this very excuse when he and Yeosang wanted something, Wooyoung didn’t feel the need to back down. Ever since their bond had formed, both him and Yeosang had been able to sense the earth’s voice even outside the forest, so there really was no way for anyone but them to know when and what the earth was communicating to them. Additionally, it also turned out nature spirits and even the planet herself were quite mischievous at heart so they knew none of them would mind them goofing around like this either. “You can’t hear her like we can,” Wooyoung reinforced.

“Fine,” Mingi snapped, “go to the stupid cake tasting, but if one of us doesn’t end up liking it, you’ll have to deal with the consequences!”

“Fine by me.”

The bakery was cute, cozy, and absolutely decked out in pastel shades and flowers, some of which Yeosang nourished back to life in passing with nothing more than a twinkle of red sparks to reveal his work. The establishment’s decor, vintage porcelain figurines and floral patterns among others, were all very much in line with the aesthetic of the beautifully elaborate cakes and pastries on display. 

After scheduling their appointment three days ago, they were free to walk in and take a seat on a round table in the back where the pastry chef quickly brought out eight different slices of cake for them to try. The first few were all a win for three of them but Jongho was a tough one to please.

“If you don’t like this one, I’m gonna sue,” Wooyoung said after trying the fourth. Cutting off another piece with the edge of his fork, he held it out to Jongho across the table who accepted the bite and cocked his head thoughtfully as he chewed.

“It’s pretty good.”

“Pretty good?” Wooyoung echoed, annoyed as he held out another forkful to Yeosang. “Try this!”

With zero hesitation, Yeosang opened his mouth and let himself be fed before he hummed in delight and presented him a double thumbs up, sparkly eyes wide and eager, while San wiped the corner of his mouth with a paper napkin.

“Me too!” San quickly said to which Wooyoung fed him the final bite. Bringing up his hand to cover his mouth, San’s eyes went wide as he nodded. “That’s the one!”

“You said that to the last three already,” Jongho argued.

“Well, they’re all delicious,” San defended himself.

“What about this one?” Yeosang asked as he pulled a so far untouched plate closer to himself and sliced off a corner with the provided fork. 

Ten minutes and a lot of lighthearted arguing later, they left the bakery with a newly placed order for one two tiered cake and yaksik cupcakes, both of which were photographed from several angels and sent to the group chat for approval before everything was finalized. As much as they all loved chaos in the mansion, it should be the fun kind of chaos and not actual warfare.

“I should get my tattoos touched up before the anniversary,” Wooyoung said as they headed down the street to the train station, his arms hooked through San and Yeosang’s.

“They already faded?” The shock was clear in San’s voice.

“I healed myself a lot while I was practicing, so…”

“Dummy.”

“Hey!”

“He’s right though, you should be more careful,” Yeosang cut in.

Pouting at getting teamed up on, Wooyoung leaned into their arms, weighing them down until they stumbled and protested. 

After that, it was only one train ride and short walk before they reached the final destination for their date. Getting through the ticketing process was, thankfully, quick and easy and then they set foot into the theme park. 

It was like walking into a fairytale. Bright colors, pretty lights, beautiful architecture and screams of joy all around.

“Europe first!” Jongho announced.

“You wanna leave Zootopia for last?” San prompted, to which Jongho nodded and set off running, dragging the rest of them along in a chain of tightly grasped hands and cheerful shouting.

“Pendulum thing or rollercoaster?” Yeosang asked as they approached the first intersection.

“Neither, we’re going to the one on the left!” Jongho called out.

No more than an hour later, they were already joining the guests lined up at the Carnival Square for the parade, arms touching as they squeezed together amidst locals and tourists alike. The energy all around them was electric, the volume of the crowd louder than the music playing over the speakers.

“I still can’t believe you drank water during the ride!” Yeosang told San, just loud enough to be heard above the crowd.

Cackling at the reminder, Wooyoung wrapped an arm around San’s neck to peck his cheek before opening his mouth to accept the churro Yeosang was holding up to him.

“We’ve gotta backtrack after this, we aren't done with that street yet!” Jongho announced before he bit into his corn dog.

“Seven hours until the fireworks!” Wooyoung cheered. 

They spent nearly all of the next five hours going through as many rides as possible in the European and American section of the park, shouting and laughing until their cheeks hurt, before they went to Magic Land to calm down a bit. Surrounded by candy colors, delicious smells, and excited children, they took photos with Peter Pan and marveled at the attention to detail in their surroundings.

After grabbing another bite to eat, they speed walked down to Zootopia, hurrying to finish their final bites before they joined the crowd of other onlookers and gushed at the pandas. The safari tour came right after, leading them close to smacking one another in the face repeatedly in their eagerness to point out animals to each other. 

As they caught the last bits of daylight there among the animals, they realized it was time to head on over to the Four Seasons Garden for the fireworks show.

“Next time, we gotta come back with everyone and stay at the resort!” Wooyoung called above the noise as they found a somewhat isolated spot near the edge of the crowd where he came to stand in San’s embrace squeezed up beside Yeosang who’d gotten caught by San’s other arm. “There’s so much we still didn’t get to see!”

“We can come back in October for all the Halloween stuff!” Jongho replied as Wooyoung dragged him closer to join their huddle.

“Let’s take a picture for the others when the fireworks start!” San suggested.

“You don’t think they’ll still be mad because of the cake?” Yeosang joked.

“Maybe, maybe not!” Chuckling gleefully, Wooyoung pulled out his phone and handed it off to San who turned all of them around just in time. 

As repeated whistles tore through the air, followed by the joyful boom and crackle of blooming fireworks in the sky, the small group struck a quick sequence of poses as San snapped a flood of pictures before he spun them once again, leaving them to enjoy the remainder of the show. 

Bright colors reflected on everyone’s faces as bespelled rockets created bunnies and pandas who hopped and rolled among the stars before they disappeared in showers of sparks. And, with a slight wave of Wooyoung’s hand, a fluffy little cat was soon to join as she chased a red dot straight through the sky before she, too, vanished, leaving him surrounded by beautiful laughter which got pressed against his cheeks and shoulders as his soulmates cuddled him closer and filled his chest with not just a racing heart, but also glowing warmth and happiness.

Several hours later, they all curled up under his own private night sky on a wide soft mattress, surrounded by the neatly organized state of Wooyoung’s room, courtesy of Seonghwa who’d helped him sort everything out after he’d recently finished a project for the kids’ housewarming party. 

They’d been beyond grateful to inherit Wooyoung’s house and café which had now been repurposed into a sort of clubhouse where they could hang out and figure themselves out away from the prying eyes of adults. Wooyoung had figured they couldn’t do any damage to the place he couldn’t fix.

“Are you ready for another presentation?” Jongho asked from about thirty centimeters away, his gaze meeting Wooyoung’s who was currently a puddle on the mattress while Yeosang played with his hair. 

Ever since he’d shown some polite interest in Jongho’s love for everything space related, Jongho had begun to prepare entire presentations for Wooyoung during which he’d rant on about everything he’d learned so far, attempting to pass on his knowledge. It had become a staple of their one-on-one dates, even if Wooyoung only retained about an eighth of everything he was being told. 

“You learned something new again?” Wooyoung mumbled, face halfway buried in his pillow and eyes already drooping.

“I want your opinion on the dark forest hypothesis.”

“Is it finally about aliens and not just physics?”

“Actually? Yes.”

Eyes opening wider as he lifted onto his elbows in shock, Wooyoung gaped at Jongho. “Really?”

Laughing, Jongho nodded. “Really.”

“I’ll be ready then!”

“Good.”

“Thank you for your sacrifice,” Yeosang joked as he draped himself across Wooyoung’s back, leaving them both shivering. “I already got lost the first time he brought up geo discs.”

“Geodesics,” Jongho corrected.

“Right. Sorry.”

“That was in your first lesson, remember?” 

Looking into Jongho’s expectant face, Wooyoung nodded, glad he actually knew what he was talking about. “Straight lines in curved space time, you bring those up a lot! Ah, I’m such a good soulmate, aren’t I?”

The laughter bunching up Jongho’s cheeks was adorable as he rolled closer and pinched Wooyoung’s cheek.

“Ah, my little nerds!” San said as he squeezed up against Wooyoung and Yeosang and reached out to grab Jongho’s hand.

“The shortest and tallest nerds are over at Seonghwa’s,” Jongho replied.

“I’m getting squished, help!” Wooyoung gasped out dramatically as two people leaned onto him.

Some weight immediately lifted off him, quickly followed by San’s rushed out “sorry!” and Yeosang’s dramatic exhale right by his ear which left him shuddering as a shower of tingles washed across his skin.

Rolling over onto his back, Wooyoung tugged on Jongho’s wrist until he laid down against him, right before he reached out to grab San’s hand. It was a silent way to let them know he wanted to create a cuddle pile. 

For the first time in a long time, they all went so very easily, giving in to his demands with cute smiles and rushed movements, as if they couldn’t wait to fulfill his every desire. Usually, they preferred to put up a bit of a fight, just to mess with him. Not that he minded, he was the exact same but, to be fair, they were all really funny when they got annoyed with him.

With Yeosang’s arm now draped across his stomach, San’s hand resting on the crown of his head, fingers in his hair, and Jongho leaning against him, Wooyoung closed his eyes and focused on all the magic buzzing against him. “I love you guys.”

“Aw,” San made, “I love all of you too.”

“Love you too,” Yeosang mumbled, audibly sleepy.

“Me too,” Jongho said.

“What? No kisses?” Wooyoung jokingly complained, only for Yeosang to actually lean up and press their lips together for a lingering moment, leaving him flushed with surprise and adrenaline.

Pulling back, Yeosang’s cheeks were pink and his smile small and slightly mischievous right before he pecked him once more, just a fleeting touch, yet full of blooming sparks. He then reclaimed his spot on Wooyoung’s chest, pillowing his cheek right over Wooyoung’s fast beating heart before San dropped an adoring kiss on his temple.

As if he’d been waiting for his turn, Jongho immediately darted forward to press a quick kiss to Wooyoung’s cheek, just once, before he tucked his chin back over Wooyoung’s shoulder and pretended to go to sleep.

Entirely overwhelmed, Wooyoung glanced over at San who whispered something in Yeosang’s ear, making him giggle as he received another cheek kiss before San leaned up to look at Wooyoung.

“What’d you tell him?” Wooyoung asked, curiosity piqued.

“Nothing I haven’t told you before as well,” San replied cryptically as he dropped his forehead against Wooyoung’s, his weight entirely supported by his elbow so he wouldn’t squish them again.

“So… that he’s your favorite?” 

“What?” Jongho burst out, his head shooting up as they broke into laughter.

“I was teasing,” Wooyoung rushed out, paused, then added, “or was I?”

Immediately, Jongho bit his shoulder, leaving Wooyoung hissing and whining as San pulled back to pat Jongho’s head. “Okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Wooyoung pressed. “I swear, none of us have favorites!”

Feeling the teeth leave his skin, Wooyoung watched as San kissed his fingers and touched them to Jongho’s cheeks, earning them both another glare before their youngest settled back down and closed his eyes.

The dimples remained on San’s face as he chuckled at Jongho’s antiques and shook his head before he pecked Wooyoung’s forehead and dropped their heads back together. “You’re a bit of an idiot.”

“Says the guy who called the beam projector a hologram less than an hour ago.” His comment earned Wooyoung another bite, this time to the jaw. “Why’s everyone biting me today?” he complained as he shook his head with exaggerated pain until San stopped. His lips were caught in a kiss a mere second later, replacing the slightest of aches with a wash of warmth and an electric buzz that left his heart pounding faster under Yeosang’s ear.

When their lips parted, San remained close, brushing their noses together while Wooyoung giggled, doing his best to keep his mouth closed as San pecked his lips again once, twice before he leaned back with a whispered “good night, honey”.

Wooyoung was sitting at the kitchen counter, peeling a tangerine for himself and Mingi, who was reading out some of the concerns sent in by witches in the province over the last week. After all, there were only so many they could address in one meeting so they needed to be cherry picked ahead of time. And it was then that Hongjoong strolled in.

After being in his studio all day, he seemed pretty stuck in his head, not even acknowledging their existence as he walked by, and started roaming the cabinets for a bowl, cereal, and spoon before he moved on to the fridge. 

And it was then that Mingi looked up and started tracking his movements with a sharp eye but lingering silence.

Curious, Wooyoung sat by and watched as Hongjoong unscrewed the milk on his way back to the counter, only to have Mingi jump up and bang his palms on the counter, making the other two jump. “All these years and you still haven’t learned!” Mingi complained.

“Wait…” Stopping mid-peel, Wooyoung looked back and forth between Mingi and Hongjoong. “What’s happening?”

“This is why we banned him!” Mingi explained. “The heathen pours milk before cereal!”

“So what?” Hongjoong countered.

Flinching, Wooyoung shook his head as he stared at Hongjoong. “That’s weird, dude. Who does that? What’s wrong with you?”

“They get less soggy!”

Two days later, the day after Wooyoung got his tattoos touched up, he strolled into his room after a client meeting where he’d been forced to negotiate between a group of gnomes and a human homeowner, to find Seonghwa and Hongjoong already there, sprawled out on his bed and chatting. When they heard him walk in, they sat up to greet him.

“Meeting ran overtime?” Seonghwa asked.

“Yeah,” Wooyoung sighed out as he climbed the four steps up to the platform where he patted their heads in passing on his way to the walk-in closet. Changing into sweatpants and one of San’s t-shirts felt like heaven after his day, but even better was what came after as he threw himself face down onto his bed, limbs sprawled across Hongjoong and Seonghwa.

“You’re wearing the earring,” Hongjoong observed as he brushed against the shell of Wooyoung’s ear, making him shudder. The delicate helix ring had been a first date gift to complete the set of jewelry Wooyoung was now wearing on the daily, even if the necklace was no longer a necessity.

“You better be wearing your necklace too,” Wooyoung replied, voice slightly muffled and referring to the white gold pendant he’d gifted Hongjoong in return, the first item he’d ever charmed himself.

Fingers found Wooyoung’s hair before Hongjoong responded. “Of course.”

“Good.” Tucking his limbs closer and rolling onto his side, Wooyoung looked up at Seonghwa, noting the dark circles under his eyes. “Still can’t sleep without potions?” he asked, frowning in concern as he sat up to cup Seonghwa’s cheek and felt Hongjoong’s fingers untangle from his hair.

“Not really,” Seonghwa admitted, marking this the fourth day in a row. He reached up to curl his fingers around Wooyoung’s wrist so he could gently lower his hand. “But it’s alright. I’ve still got enough energy for our date!”

“I’m sure you do, but…” Exchanging a look with Hongjoong over his shoulder, Wooyoung looked back at Seonghwa and smiled. “Let’s spend some time fixing your insomnia!”

Immediately, Seonghwa’s expression turned deadpan. “I’m not letting you two use charmspeak on me.”

“Why not?” Wooyoung complained.

“I saw the aftermath of your last attempt.”

“I was singing then, that doesn’t count!”

“Guinea worms, Wooyoung!”

“I watched a documentary with Yeosang before and got distracted, it happens!”

“A parasite in my arm in the middle of a love song!” 

“He’s got a point,” Hongjoong admitted, earning himself a glare from Wooyoung.

“Why’d you even show him the recording then?” 

“Also a good point,” Hongjoong said.

Rolling his eyes, Wooyoung focused back on Seonghwa. “This’ll be different, I promise! I really just wanna help!”

“Youngie-”

“I was helpful with Hongjoong when he had nightmares, right?” Wooyoung pressed, focusing on making his eyes look as wide and cute as possible as Seonghwa’s gaze traced across his face and softened almost instantly.

“You were,” Seonghwa admitted and Wooyoung knew he was thinking back to those days following the ritual where Hongjoong was struggling to overcome his memories of controlling someone with his charm speak. He’d been on the brink of passing out on multiple occasions over the course of several weeks until Wooyoung had fully gotten his powers under control to the point where he could successfully guide Hongjoong and help him get over his feelings of guilt and self-hatred. It had been rough. There’d been a lot of tears but they’d both fallen asleep after and Wooyoung had stayed with Hongjoong up until he’d woken up nearly twelve hours later.

“So let us help you now!” Wooyoung pushed.

Taking one visibly deep breath, Seonghwa finally nodded.

They settled in with Seonghwa laying on his back in the center of the mattress, covers pulled up to his chest as he closed his eyes while Hongjoong and Wooyoung sat cross legged on either side of him near the edges of the bed.

“Comfy?” Wooyoung asked.

“Yes,” came Seonghwa’s quick but calm reply.

Looking at Hongjoong, Wooyoung nodded, signaling him to begin.

“From now on, just listen to our voices, my love. Breathe in… and out. We’ll guide you from here. So simply let go and relax. All that tension in your muscles, your jaw, focus on it, then let it fall right off you. Nothing can harm you while we’re here. There’s no need to hold onto all that.” 

Even Wooyoung felt calmed by the words and he was meant to be on the other side of the magic, but he also knew how to stay focused. Before he spoke, he clung to Hongjoong’s energy buzzing against him, trapped in the bead on his wrist, and the tendrils flowing through him at all times, and let it all mingle to enable his own powers. “You like the ocean, right Seonghwa? Let’s take you there. You’re now dressed in your comfiest clothes and sitting on a white bench a safe distance away from the edge of a grass covered cliff overlooking the sea. It’s warm here and there’s a bit of a breeze going.”

Looking up, Wooyoung met Hongjoong’s slightly confused expression and shrugged. They hadn’t had time to prepare and a scenic view was the first that had popped into Wooyoung’s head. Thankfully, Hongjoong was good at rolling with the punches. “There’s a large blooming tree behind the bench,” he continued, “and it’s casting refreshing shade across you. You can watch pink petals float around you and dance through the air as they get carried along by the wind. It’s peaceful here. You can hear the waves roll and crash on the shore and watch the sunlight glitter along the horizon.”

“How do you feel?” Wooyoung asked as he focused on Mingi’s and San’s magic buzzing against him. With a wave of his hand, a bronze glittering sheen appeared above Seonghwa’s head, slowly manifesting into a small window which allowed him and Hongjoong to see what Seonghwa was seeing in his charm speak induced state.

“It’s nice,” he reported softly.

“I’m glad,” came Hongjoong’s low reply. “While you’re here, all your worries, everything that’s troubling you, is gone, blown away by the wind like those flower petals and then carried out to sea where they’ll never find their way back.”

“You’ve never felt more calm,” Wooyoung added as he watched through the window how several pink petals crossed the cliff’s edge and drifted out to see in front of Seonghwa’s eyes. “It’s so relaxing here and you’re getting sleepy. Your vision gets blurry and darker as your eyelids slip shut, and just before you fall asleep, you say the name of your prettiest soulmate.”

“Yeosang,” Seonghwa mumbled just as the window turned black and his breathing evened out.

While Hongjoong stifled his laughter, Wooyoung pouted and dissipated his magic.

They left Seonghwa to sleep for as long as he needed, which ultimately led to six hours going by while Wooyoung and Hongjoong moved on to playing with Nero on the thick rug in Hongjoong’s room. It served as easy conjuring practice for Wooyoung who kept trying to come up with different toys for her to chase around while Hongjoong filmed and snapped pictures for the group chat.

“Y’know what sucks?” Wooyoung asked.

“Hm?”

“I wish I’d been there when you all first met… I missed out on so much.”

“Trust me, you brought more excitement into our coven than anyone else.”

Huffing a laugh, Wooyoung shook his head. “Not the kind I was talking about though. I wanted to be there when you were crushing on Seonghwa and jumped out the window to get away from him and stuff.”

A frustrated groan escaped Hongjoong as Wooyoung burst into laughter. “Stop hanging out with Byounggon so much!”

“But he’s got so many fun stories!”

“Did he also tell you it was him who told me to jump?”

“Yeah, but you were dumb enough to do it.” The insult earned Wooyoung a bite to his ear which had him yelping. “Why’s everyone biting me these days?”

“You started it!”

After a prolonged moment of thinking back, all Wooyoung could say was: “Fair enough.”

“I just had the best sleep of my life,” Seonghwa muttered as he walked in, staggering a little as if he were still half asleep. The moment he got close enough, he sank to the floor beside them and first kissed Hongjoong, then Wooyoung and instantly proceeded to lay back down, flat on his back before he closed his eyes again.

Confused by the sequence of events, Nero walked over to sniff at his face before she plopped onto her fluffy little butt and pressed a palm to his cheek. Though when he didn’t react to her, she began to tap him repeatedly until he opened his eyes again and met her expectant gaze. 

Laughing in delight at the adorable scene, Wooyoung checked on Hongjoong and found him already filming with his phone.

“What?” Seonghwa asked softly as he watched Nero watch him, only to have his eyes slip shut again as fatigue weighed him down. However, this merely prompted Nero to pat him several more times until he looked back at her. “What is it?”

A low purr began to vibrate through Nero right before she pressed her paw to his cheek in a steady persistent touch that finally got her what she wanted: pets. Seonghwa’s hands came up to brush through her fur, scratching her behind the ears, and finally picking her up to sit her on his chest where she eventually laid down and curled up, vibrating steadily as Seonghwa fell asleep, hands on either side of her body.

Hongjoong paused his recording and sent it off to the group chat before he pocketed his phone again. “He’s gonna wake up regretting this,” he whispered.

“No doubt,” Wooyoung agreed, keeping his voice down. “His head and back are gonna hurt like crazy.”

“Should we wake him and get him up to the bed?”

“Let’s give him ten minutes first.”

“Alright.” Laying back, arms crossed under his head, Hongjoong looked up at the ceiling while Wooyoung observed him, his gaze getting caught on the exposed tattoo on his arm.

“You got yours touched up too?” Wooyoung asked as he turned to lay on his stomach, their elbows touching as the thick rug cushioned his hip bones just enough to still be comfortable.

“Yeah, Seonghwa healed it for me earlier.”

“If I’d known, we could’ve gone together.”

Suddenly, muffled complaints and spitting filled the air, making them both jolt up and turn to see Seonghwa sit up and hold out Nero in front of him. “She put her paw on my mouth!”

Cackling, Wooyoung rolled to his feet and took Nero, cradling her in his arms as he reassured her she’d done nothing wrong (ever).

Chapter Text

Epilogue

The morning of the one year anniversary of the ritual, Wooyoung woke up to Nero standing on his ribs, her paws digging in while she sniffed at his chin and purred. As he opened his bleary eyes, he noticed a shift in the mansion’s atmosphere and carefully cradled Nero to his chest as he sat up and looked around the room. There was nothing. Just soft breathing all around him where the others were still fast asleep.

Climbing off the bed, Wooyoung set Nero on the ground and picked up Yunho’s hoodie along the way to slip it over his head while he followed his instincts all the way to the other side of the house and to the balcony doors where he realized what had happened without even needing to set foot outside.

Adrenaline and excitement rushed through him as he turned on his heel, a huge smile growing on his face which wouldn’t leave him all the way back to the others. “Wake up!” he shouted as he burst through the door. “You’ve gotta see this! Guys, seriously!”

A flurry of confusion and worry filled the room as they all rolled off the bed and onto their feet, some stepping into slippers, others walking barefoot. But before the first could even reach him, he’d already turned and begun to retrace his steps at a fast pace.

“What is it?” Mingi called after him.

“I can’t explain, you’ve gotta see it!”

“If it’s just a cloud that looks like a duck again, I swear to-”

“It’s not!” Wooyoung interrupted Jongho. “Look!” With that, he unlocked the balcony doors and stepped outside, presenting his soulmates with a clear view of the garden behind their house which had turned into an ocean of flowers, blooming trees and glittering fairies, all surrounding a large octagonal pavilion-like structure. Everything burst with color and beauty, leaving his soulmates in awe filled silence as they crowded behind Wooyoung, leaning into him, a few hands now resting against his back. 

“They even expanded on your work, Sangie!” Wooyoung said eagerly as he pointed out the fairy garden Yeosang had been working on which started right at the winter garden’s backdoors, the newest addition to their mansion. “Come on, let’s get dressed and go out! I wanna see it up close!”

Walking through a sea of nature magic was indescribable. It was simply everything extraordinary, breathtaking, awe inspiring, all culminating into a deep sense of gratitude for being allowed to experience such a raw moment. 

There were fairies flickering between flower arches leading from the back door to the pavilion up ahead, and no matter where they looked, there were more flowers, more trees, all blooming outside their season in different colors and spreading light scents which tickled their noses as they walked by on slow cautious feet. 

On the ground all around them, gnomes tottered back and forth, shouting up greetings and thank yous as they moved back and forth to help out wherever they could, leaving the witches stunned and bowing as they returned the sentiment.

“What’s happening?” Seonghwa whispered.

“It’s nature’s thank you,” Wooyoung and Yeosang said near simultaneously as the words popped into their heads, placed there by no one other than earth herself. 

When they reached the pavilion, Wooyoung realized it wasn’t a wooden structure but a metal frame wrapped in flower vines which created the walls and ceiling, leaving the lawn under their feet and enough space to comfortably house at least seventy people. “She knew we wanted to celebrate today,” he realized as he slowly turned around himself and took in the delicate flowers and leaves so carefully draped, it looked like they’d naturally grown into the shape of a pavilion. 

Just then, a fairy came down to lightly tug at his hair before fluttering away with a bright peal of giggles that had Wooyoung snickering.

“I can’t believe she’d take the time to set this up for us,” Seonghwa muttered, drawing Wooyoung’s attention back to his soulmates who were all still visibly caught up in absorbing their environment and looking so beautiful, so full of wonder, he could feel warmth spread through him as his chest ached with the effort to contain everything he felt for them. 

It was moments like these where he remembered everything they’d been through together. From meeting them because he’d been haunted by a demon, to getting taken in for just one night and joining his first coven meeting, over being told they were soulmates and needing their protection, all the way to taking on the ritual that had killed his aunt and eradicating demonkind, he could now say they’d promised each other forever. 

Hours later, with the buffet set out on a conjured table and surrounded by their friends and family, Wooyoung conjured a few floating lanterns and candles on the tables as the sun set above them and the fairies fluttered off to sleep, likely joining the gnomes between the trees who’d left as soon as the first guests had arrived.

Disregarding the need for a “proper” wedding, they’d kept their rings and made their promises to stay together forever in private before they welcomed their loved ones and commenced the celebrations with some fun games, good food and live performances by many of the attendees, until they eventually said their goodbyes and dissipated the chairs and tables, leaving nothing but a newly conjured blanket for all of them to lay on as they looked up at the blooming ceiling under a sea of stars.

“Can you believe it’s already been a year?” San asked, his voice soft in the silence of their garden.

“Can you believe it’s only been a year?” Wooyoung replied.

“I can,” Mingi jumped in.

Laughter bloomed in the cool night air as they all huddled closer together, leaving Wooyoung squeezed between San and Seonghwa as he interlaced their fingers.

“Let’s do this again next year,” Wooyoung said.

“Renewing our vows?” Hongjoong asked.

“Yeah. And celebrating with everyone like this.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jongho said. “But first, I still wanna go to Japan.”

“Oh shit, right, we forgot to do that!” Mingi burst out.

“I’ll book the tickets tomorrow,” Hongjoong promised.