Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If you respect the moon, the moon will respect you.

Mingyu had heard that saying countless times growing up from his great Aunt, her words always so wistful and engaging in her teachings. From a young child's perspective, her towering bookcases always looked so intimidating, as if you could never keep up with the knowledge that kept on piling. Books on moon cycles, studies on the tides pulled by the moon's gravity, chapters upon chapters detailing the wonders on a phenomenon that made creatures out of humans. Animals out of the supposed cultural tranquillity that was the settled ground made by humanity itself. Young Mingyu could never hope to understand. But young Mingyu loved to burrow deep into his great Aunt's shawl, eyes always so wide in awe as he listened regardless. Sometimes in her lap, sometimes from within the fort she allowed him to make in the middle of her study when he felt reckless, when he just couldn't settle. He would create his own little world with blankets and pillows. His own den. It was her allowance on his disturbance to her peace that made him such a good builder.

"It's her," his great Aunt would tell him, tickling his sides to make him whine with glee, "It's the moon. She's waxing. She's pulsing her energy through you."

She was such an encouragement to his growth, to his little mind. If he ran from his parents with little to no clothes on for all the town to see, he would only hear her laugh and her yell of keep going, run faster. If he came to her with tears in his eyes and a wooden toy that he accidentally broke, she would tell him to wipe his eyes, accidents happen, and she'd show him how to fix it. He was good with his hands. He'd proved himself there.

She was also his greatest inspiration for knowledge. Even as a kid, Mingyu didn't like to read himself. He couldn't sit still enough to hold a book properly, and the words were always so small that he had to squint to concentrate. His vision wasn't the problem; he had great vision. It was the book's problem. But just because he didn't like the act of reading, it didn't mean he didn't want to know everything.

He had his great Aunt to teach him.

Or, had. He had his great Aunt to teach him.

Now Mingyu stood alone in the same study that felt like a true home, the only place that brought him unconditional comfort.

Towering over six foot himself, the shelves no longer looked unclimbable. They looked old. Bent. Dusty. Crooked in the corners, like they were hand built to last long, but not to last pretty.

"Oh, there you are. Your father and I wondered where you'd gone."

Mingyu turned to find his mother startled at the study's doorway, as if she was truly surprised to find him stood in the middle of this room specifically. He opened his mouth to perhaps greet her, but only a puff of air came out. He managed the strength to lift his shoulder up and down in a short shrug.

He watched as his mother's eyes softened, and he turned away again. She shouldn't have to comfort him. He should have to comfort her. It was her mother's sister. At first it was his Grandma, and now his great Aunt. Mingyu didn't want to have to cry for both of them now, not when his mother's eyes looked so dry.

"You said you wanted us to check the house out, clean out what we could," Mingyu excused.

It was the truth, at least. Despite the depressing circumstances of his family's visit to his deceased Aunt's house, the study still felt warm. Mingyu knew that it was because it was midday in the middle of summer, and the study had abnormally large glass windows. But he wanted to believe that it was because his Aunt's soul was still in this very room.

The windows weren't for the sun, anyway. They were framed by swooping patterned curtains on both sides. His Aunt always said that the curtains should be shut during the day, only to be opened on the night. To let the moonlight in.

Mingyu wasn't spiritual per say, but he was a creature of comfort, of belonging. Of habit. Whatever his Aunt said, it was the truth. He still hadn’t grown out of that.

Suddenly, a thought occurred. He turned back towards his mother, only to find that she had left. He huffed, slowly making his way out of the study, respectfully shutting off his running thoughts when he shut the door.

Mingyu wandered down the upstairs corridor, determinedly walking past the section of doors that he knew led into his Grandma's room and Aunt's room respectively. He hadn't had the nerve to open them yet during this visit. He didn't think he would get the nerve before he left either. He didn't know if his parents had touched them yet, but he didn't want to know. He did glimpse into the guest room nestled next to the top of the stairs, though. It used to be his room when he was younger and demanded to sleep over. He only briefly looked inside, finding it seemingly untouched because there was no mess. The single bed looked made up too. He closed the door before he had time to think some more.

He made his way down the stairs and found his parents in the living room, surveying the boxes of hoarded trinkets that they needed to sort through.

The sight only made Mingyu rethink the thought that had plagued him enough to leave the study.

"Mama, I thought you said that our Aunt left you guys this house. You aren't thinking of selling it, are you?"

Mingyu's mother pursed her lips at the question but ultimately abandoned the box she was pretending to think so hard about.

"We haven't come to a decision yet," she said, "But that doesn't mean we'll be selling so soon anyway. It's not just you, Mingyu. This place does mean a lot to us. We don't want to throw it all away. We just needed to clean up a little. Who needs all this junk?"

At least that gave Mingyu some relief. Only for his eyes to fall on the aforementioned junk. Again, Mingyu wasn't superstitious, or spiritual. But his great Aunt was special, he knew that. He just didn't know how special.

He just knew that everything she touched was magic. And that included those boxes.

"Can I have them then?" Mingyu asked, lowering himself to his knees beside them, "Saves you having to throw them out."

His mother didn't seem to have an issue with that, seeing as she offered up no protest. Mingyu didn't miss the way his father rolled his eyes at him though.

"You haven't visited this place in so long, since you left for uni. Why are you acting so sentimental now? You don't like junk, you always complain when you come to ours and we haven't cleaned up."

Mingyu scoffed at his father, "Dirty plates or Minseo's belongings everywhere aren't the same as... As..."

Mingyu gestured uselessly to the boxes.

"As old books and statues?" his father asked warily.

Mingyu could only throw his hands up and slap them on his thighs in agreement. He also didn't want to keep arguing.

He was sentimental. He grew up in his family home with his parents and sister, but it was his great Aunt's house he ran to after school. It was her house he begged to visit after finishing his homework. It was her house where he wanted to play. Where he rode his first bike and learned that he could draw. Poorly, at first, but it was something he got better at. Something he used for his degree. Something his Aunt told him he could be amazing at.

He didn't realise he was just staring at the boxes for so long that his dad had to clear his throat.

"Alright," his dad said, "Keep the boxes. In fact, if you're so attached, why don't you house sit for a few days? Help us clean out everything that none of us want to keep, since your mother and I can't be here every day. We have work."

Mingyu blinked, "I have work too."

"You work in construction, Mingyu, can't you just drive to your sites to work and then drive back here?"

Well. Mingyu could.

So Mingyu agreed.

~~~

Mingyu didn't realise how the quiet of a large, empty house would hit him until after his parents had gone home. They had shared dinner together in the kitchen before they left, and it felt like Mingyu was a child again.

It brought back memories of clattering dishes, metal on porcelain, tantalising aromas that seduced every member of the family to come running to the kitchen. His Grandma was at the heart of it, the spread on the table always so filling. With a stomach much smaller than the one he has now, he still had the habit of shovelling as much on his plate into his mouth as he could. He was always so proud when he never choked. And he always finished first.

It was never a competition, but he always won.

Now he's finished washing three bowls in the kitchen sink and all he could hear was running water. The window above the sink was still letting the sun rays in, catching his arms in the light, making him golden. His eyes caught the glisten of scars on his forearms, put there by mishaps and mistakes, and a small grimace brought down his lips.

He turned off the tap, dried the dishes, and made his way back into the hallway.

The doorway to the living room was ajar and Mingyu could see the boxes still on the floor near the couches. The idea of going through them now made his stomach queasy.

Or maybe that was just because he still ate just as quickly as he did as a child.

Without thinking, Mingyu closed the door to the living room and made his way to the front door. He didn't want to be alone in this house with just his thoughts, at least not right now. He needed to reacquaint himself with the neighbourhood he had once left when he was a teenager, especially if he had to fill the fridge to keep himself alive.

His dad was right about one thing. Mingyu hadn't come back since leaving for university. He left his childhood home, and this one, for a bustling life in the city. Where there were more people his age, places that were as big as Mingyu felt sometimes, and knowledge that came from behind screens. To give the city its credit though, it gave Mingyu his degree, and it gave him work experience. And it was also the home to his apartment.

Mingyu would also say it gave him people experience, but even Mingyu knew that he didn't need help with that. Clubs with hundreds of bodies or corner shops with three customers and an elder at the checkout, Mingyu had charm.

His great Aunt told him that too.

Something about how the moon had favourites, that she reflects the sun's energy into people who care. Mingyu was his Aunt's favourite. Maybe that's where the energy came from.

He felt more like the sun than the moon. The moon was always so unassuming. Never the brightest star in the galaxy, but always there. Every night it would rise and glisten the ocean, and she would stake her claim on the night. She created mysterious shadows but always found a way to light up what was needed. She never lit it up herself, she just always knew what to reflect off of. She was beautiful. She knew what she was and she did it so perfectly.

Mingyu never felt beautiful. Not anymore. Not after every blemish, every scratch, every taint and bump on his skin. No, he was the sun alright. Never to be looked at in the eye or you'll be blinded. Always so scorching, so much, too much. Always too much.

The brightest star in the sky, but at what cost?

Mingyu shook himself from his reverie, grabbed his jacket from the hook by the front door, and set off down the footpath to the gate.

He could cover his arms and feel normal. He could smile at his new neighbours and familiarise himself with the streets. He didn't know how long he would be staying here, but he might as well make himself comfortable.

~~~

Mingyu didn't know that the first encounter he would have after leaving his Aunt's house would be a tabby cat. Mingyu was startled from his thoughts when he heard a meow near his shoulder, and he looked to see that he was being followed down the street. The tabby was walking one paw in front of the other down the fence that connected a row of houses and only stopped walking when Mingyu had.

Mingyu might be a self-claimed dog person, but that didn't mean he didn't know a cutie when he saw one. He grinned as he reached over to give the tabby's fur a gentle tousle. The tabby meowed again, turning its head to rub its cheek into Mingyu's fingers.

See, Mingyu could charm anyone. Even stray cats.

"Sorry buddy," Mingyu cooed, "But I have to be on my way now. Gotta get a good food shop in before the stores all close."

He got a petulant meow in return and the tabby turned around to lift it's behind in the air towards Mingyu's face, as if mocking him for having to leave.

Mingyu could only sigh as he dropped his hand back to his side.

Well, almost anyone, anyway.

~~~

Luckily for him, the shops were in fact still open. At least, the ones he needed.

He was surprised he remembered that after the grove of houses, there was an alleyway that made room for a small-town market. And after the market, there was a circle of shops. The whole neighbourhood felt like a circle. Houses and shops on either side of the arches, and then spaces for a park, a school, and the market in the middle.

All good things are circles, his Aunt would say.

And all good things, in Mingyu's opinion, had food.

The grocery was easy to spot because of the stand of fruits outside, and his entrance of the shop was announced by a little jingle above the door.

The place seemed empty except for the worker behind the counter, a man in his fifties maybe, and a man around his own age looking over the shelves. He was definitely shorter than Mingyu, but despite the height difference, Mingyu could see the muscles with every reach to a higher shelf. Not someone to mess with, duly noted. It wasn't his place to giggle at the stranger's inability to reach the top shelf.

Not that Mingyu's own muscles were lacking these days. In fact, he was in the best shape he had been in years. Still. He didn't like to use them when it wasn't necessary.

"Can I help you?" a voice pulled him from his thoughts.

Mingyu dazedly turned to the man at the counter, and Mingyu stumbled over to the fridges in his haste to look like he wasn't wasting anyone's time.

"Sorry," he mumbled, and then made sure to actually shop.

After selecting a good amount of ingredients for a few nights' worth of meals, Mingyu paid at the counter with his wallet.

After his transaction went through, Mingyu glanced back over to the produce shelves, filled with jams and jars of honey. The shorter customer who was there a few minutes ago had left. Huh. Mingyu hadn't noticed. Oh well.

Mingyu took one more look at the unimpressed employee and decided that making small talk with this guy specifically wouldn't be his best idea. Maybe he wouldn't know his Aunt anyway. Mingyu bid the man goodbye with a salute and a smile.

~~~

Just as Mingyu was about to be disappointed that he hadn't found anyone of note to introduce himself to, a loud voice made him stop in his tracks. A boy, again about his age, was running towards him. Instead of feeling scared, Mingyu was just slightly confused. The running boy had bleached white hair and cat eyes, his hair all frayed. But maybe that was just from the running.

"Hello," Mingyu greeted when the boy came to a stop in front of him, long arms reaching down to his knees like he was out of breath. "Can I help you?"

The boy looked up with an intense grin, almost making Mingyu take a step back, "Sorry, I had to see you for myself."

Mingyu could only blink. He did look behind him to see if this was a misunderstanding, but it was just the two of them next to the road. No one else was around.

"I'm sorry," Mingyu tilted his head, "What do you mean?"

"You're Miss Dalnim's boy, aren't you? She's shown me pictures of you. Though, gotta say, man. You’re taller in person.”

Mingyu blinked again. But then slowly he started to smile. Finally.

"You know my great Aunt?"

"Of course I do," the boy snorted, "Everyone here does. Word gets around. Sorry to hear about.... Well. You know. The place won't be as bright without her."

Now Mingyu was blinking a lot. It had nothing to do with how wet his eyes were.

"Right, yeah. Sorry. I mean. Thanks. It's going to be tough," Mingyu allowed. But then, "She's shown you pictures of me? Who are you?"

"Ugh, right. Hoonie will say I'm being rude. I'm Soonyoung. You'll see me a lot around here. But basically, I was the one repairing that house you're staying in. Miss Dalnim was always the kindest lady on the block, and I had spare time on my hands. She paid me in stories and cookies. My favourite payment."

"Oh." Mingyu didn't know what to say. He didn't know his great Aunt had company after his Grandma died. The thought at least comforted him. "I'm Mingyu."

"I know," Soonyoung laughed. "She told me that too. She told me all about you. She loved you. Can't imagine having someone love you that much."

Yeah. Mingyu feared he would never feel that again.

But he wasn't about to cry to a stranger on the street when he hadn't managed a moment's peace to cry in private first.

"How did you know I arrived in town? Or did you just see me right now?" he asked instead.

He could have sworn Soonyoung had ran in from nowhere.

"I have my ways," Soonyoung said vaguely. "News spreads fast here."

Mingyu can't imagine how. The stranger at the shelf hadn't spotted him from Mingyu's knowledge, and the grocer guy didn't seem like the gossip type. At least, not to instantly call someone half his age about Mingyu's arrival.

It must have been that cat.

Already laughing at his own joke in his head, Mingyu patted Soonyoung on the arm as he lifted his shopping with his other hand.

"Well, it was really nice to meet you, Soonyoung-ssi. Thanks for helping out around the house for my Aunt."

"Not a problem," Soonyoung grinned, "I'd open the offer to help you out too, but with those arms, I think I'd only hold you back."

Mingyu laughed again and shrugged the compliment off, "I can see you lift too. Got lots of muscles underneath that tiger shirt."

Soonyoung bared his teeth playfully before walking away, but then he stopped and turned back with a click of his fingers. "Oh! Come to the hub this Thursday, you'll be able to meet us all. Make friends more your age. Not that the older population here aren't great."

"The hub?" Mingyu asked.

"Basically the town hall," Soonyoung shrugged, "But we've kind of overtook it now. Half about the community, half about the gossip. It's fun. You should come."

Mingyu didn't know how long he would be here for, but making plans felt like a good idea anyway. He thrived in social situations. Maybe a gathering once a week in a place like this would be good for him.

"Sure," Mingyu agreed, "I'll see you then."

~~~

Despite the brief reprieve Soonyoung brought him, Mingyu couldn't help but feel antsy when he got back to his Aunt's house. He should really start calling this place home. He didn't want to get too attached just in case his parents decided to sell it, but he had already admitted to himself that he was attached. He didn't have to be ashamed of that. This was his true home. Not back with his parents, or his cold apartment in the city.

This was home.

So why did he not feel settled?

He dropped his ingredients in the fridge and the kitchen cupboards, walking straight past the door to the living room. His stomach growled, but he ignored it. He shouldn't be hungry already. He barely ate an hour ago. He needed to relax.

Except he couldn't. The house was vacant, so quiet, and every step he took was recorded by the floorboards. They squeaked under his weight like they were in pain. He didn't like it.

He didn't want to hurt them too.

Mingyu decided that maybe he just needed a shower. He made his way to the upstairs bathroom and came face to face with a floor length mirror when he opened the door.

He would have to get rid of that.

Ignoring it for now, Mingyu didn't bother closing the door as he stripped naked. No one could see into this room and he was home alone. All part of the plan to be comfortable.

He got into the shower and made sure the spray was cold before submerging himself under the water completely. He quickly remembered that he had to adjust the facet, almost bumping his head against the metal showerhead. At least that was one crisis averted. He didn’t want to have to deal with the consequences of bumping his head and slipping in the shower on his first night here. At least it didn't take long for him to wash his body, even when he realised that he had to rummage through the cabinets to find toiletries.

He'd smell floral for the night, but he didn't mind. It reminded him of her.

Mingyu shut off the shower head. Maybe being reminded of her wasn't the best idea.

Besides, the shower hadn't helped. He still didn't feel calm.

It also took him too long to realise that he had only brought one outfit with him today, so unless he wanted to wear florals as well as smell like them, he needed to drive back home to put together a suitcase. At least that would give him something to do. But it would also take way too long if Mingyu wanted to be in bed at a reasonable hour for work.

Damn. Okay, tonight he would just put on the same clothes and try to go to sleep.

Tomorrow he would go to work, drive back to his apartment, pick up his things, and then come back.

Simple.

With renewed purpose, Mingyu got out of the shower and bent down to pick up his strewn clothes. When he lifted himself up, his eyes caught his reflection in the mirror.

He didn't mean to freeze. Usually, he never meant to look either.

This time though, his eyes stayed glued to his reflection. His black hair was curled just below his chin, longer than it had been in a while. Wet from the shower, it looked unruly. Unkempt. He definitely needed to get his products from his apartment.

His eyes dared to stray lower, down his unblemished neck to his broad shoulders. He refused to look away as he held eye contact with the gash there, from his right shoulder to his left hip. It had healed but still marked his body. A reminder that his restlessness was always rewarded with productive claws. If productivity was scarring skin like his hands were useless for anything else.

His thighs were spared too, and his shins. But he knew that if he had a mirror behind him, he would be able to see his biggest scar of all on the back of his right shoulder.

A mark from a creature’s jaw, dents that were the size of fangs as big as his own. His first mistake. The first bite he had ever endured, a bite that had managed to transform a naïve playful young boy into a half playful, half fearful man. Mingyu had learned to trade bruises from falling off his bike to cuts and scars from claws that tore into skin when they had nothing else to tear into. These new scars only affected his body once a month, but unlike the bruises from his bike, they were made to last. To remind Mingyu that for one day every cycle, he knew nothing but tooth and claw. They were nights he never remembered, but he didn’t know if that was by design, or if it was a Mingyu thing. If it was just Mingyu who didn’t want to remember.

The reason he hid his arms from the sun and his canines from his smiles.

He truly did respect the moon, but the moon didn't seem to respect him back.

His Aunt's biggest lie.

That mirror really did have to go.

With one last shudder from the cold shower, Mingyu dressed himself and made his way down the corridor to the spare room made for him.

Only he came face to face with the study once more, and like a siren's call, he opened the door. He ventured further into the room than he had managed this morning, though. He took three steps. Then five. Then five more. In the middle of the room were two armchairs, still covered by blankets, one he recognised to be his Aunt's shawl. He picked it up and covered his shoulders with it despite being dressed for warmth now, and he padded towards the decorated coffee table that used to be covered in clutter and more books.

His fingers reached out to pick up the calendar that still lived on the table and something clicked in his head for why he was so restless.

The calendar did track the days of the month for each year, but it also tracked the cycles of the moon. The phases always meant more to his Aunt than the seasons of the year, anyway.

His eyes caught on what the moon phase was right now.

Waxing moon.

He felt his fingers dig into the shawl and his teeth ached. He sighed as he put the calendar down and made himself comfortable on one of the armchairs. Maybe he would make a trip to the market in town tomorrow. He remembered it was always open Monday nights, to prepare everyone for the week ahead. His Aunt bought her trinkets from the stalls and she told him that they helped with the moon’s temperaments. Mingyu wasn’t superstitious but he had been bit, and this was his life now, of hiding and hoping things would get better. Maybe he needed the moon on his side. He’d go to the market. The decision was final.

He didn't close the curtains earlier, so his face was now lit up by the moon high in the sky tonight. It wasn't a strong light, the moon barely visible, but it was strong enough.

His Aunt never put lamps in her study. The moon was always enough.

Mingyu fell asleep in the armchair, the shawl protecting his arms from the light.

~~~

After work the next day, Mingyu did start to feel better. His hands were used for good, even if that good was scaffolding. Someone had to do it, and he had vision.

Not to mention the work he did was physically taxing and it helped expel some of that waxing moon energy he seemed to be thrumming with right now.

He wondered if his Aunt truly knew how much the moon would affect Mingyu’s life. If she knew her great nephew would be half and half, half human and half feral. From how he acted as a child, maybe her suspicions weren’t so farfetched. Or maybe she knew that deep down, everyone was like this, even ones who didn’t fall victim to the phases. If she knew that all creatures could tear and bite.

Or maybe she didn’t know at all.

He hoped for her sake that she didn’t. She wouldn’t want the moon to hurt him. Some truths were best kept hidden.

Mingyu tried to distract himself by packing his suitcase in his apartment and loading his car with everything he thought he needed for his short stay at his Aunt’s house. He ignored how full his suitcase was, and also how his mind had decided that even if he needed more things, he could just buy them whilst he’s in town.

Because this stay was temporary, that’s all.

He didn’t know how long he could last in that big house all alone, anyway.

Still, Mingyu drove back there in the evening, and even though his body was sore, it was a good feeling. He knew he had worked hard today, and he knew he could rest tonight knowing he was ready for tomorrow. Though he did quickly have to make one stop first.

Mingyu parked on the side of the street before the curve into the market and hoped he wouldn’t get a fine if he only spent a few minutes looking around. The street he parked on was empty, but he could hear sound coming from the market itself. People were hanging around, shopping despite the late evening, and this was what Mingyu had remembered fondly.

Young Mingyu slipping his hand free from his Aunt’s clasp, running into the bustle of adults and other children, trying to jump up at each stall to see what different vendors were selling.

His mother would reprimand him for running away like a bad child, but his Aunt always just grabbed his hand again and called him wild like it was a compliment.

Once Mingyu had ventured into the heart of the market, his ears were attacked even more, but he couldn’t help but smile. The children were loud but the merchants were louder, trying to bolster their voices so they could be heard by potential buyers. Some stalls had ornaments, some stalls had jewellery, some stalls had remedies, and some stalls had paintings. Young Mingyu always tried to grab canvases, but even his Aunt would hold him back. Mingyu smiled fondly as he caught some artists sat next to their stalls, their palette in hand, ready to paint anyone who would pay to sit opposite them.

The lights were like trickles of starlight, hung delicately from each stall across the market, lighting up what the moon couldn’t stretch between.

There were no shadows.

It felt magical.

Though Mingyu didn’t have to second guess which stall he was going to visit first, his nose had picked up its aroma from only stepping a few feet across the market.

Food. But not just any food. Spicy stir-fried pork.

Within minutes, Mingyu had lunged towards the stand and eagerly bounced on his toes as he waited for his turn. Whilst a family of four in front of him were being served, he looked around at the crowd in his vicinity. He absentmindedly tried to look for familiar faces, perhaps even Soonyoung, but couldn’t see him from this vantage point. He couldn’t see the guy from the grocery yesterday either, but with how Mingyu remembered his height, he probably had no chance at picking him out of this crowd.

“What are you giggling at?”

Mingyu jumped and turned to his left, blinking as he took in the person who was suddenly pressed up against his side. Mingyu could tell that the physical touch was only circumstantial, since the crowd around the stall next to the spicy pork stand had gotten bigger, and the guy had nowhere else to lean.

“Just that I don’t remember the market being this full before,” Mingyu saved himself, and he made a hand gesture towards, well, the crowd.

The guy next to him was only slightly shorter than Mingyu but the first thing he noticed were his eyes. They were large and in Mingyu’s face, but they were soft on the inside and didn’t look too intimidating. But once his own eyes had wandered lower, the shoulders and biceps swiftly made Mingyu change his mind.

“I’m Mingyu, by the way,” he introduced himself, since the guy didn’t seem to offer up anything else.

“I’m Wen Junhui,” Junhui jerked his head at him, then righted himself, “You can call me Jun, or hyung. Depends how old you are.”

“I’m 97,” Mingyu declared proudly.

Jun smirked, “96.”

Mingyu deflated into a soft pout, and Jun’s shoulder gently pushed Mingyu forwards slightly when he chuckled.

Mingyu refused to let it hurt his ego. Instead, he looked ahead and realised he could now swoop in and grab his pork, and he flashed Jun a grin before moving up to order. When he had his late dinner in his hands, Mingyu turned to find that Jun was no longer behind him. Huh. People really do just disappear around here. Well, the crowd probably helped.

Now that his stomach was sated, Mingyu threw away his food in the correct trash cans found along the street, and he kept wandering. He did come here to look at specific wares, but Mingyu didn’t know what those specific wares actually were. He was young when his Aunt started hoarding her trinkets, and Mingyu couldn’t really remember what stalls were actually magic. Or, his Aunt’s version of magic, anyway. He just figured he’d know when he saw it. Or felt it. Or whatever the spirits say.

The more he walked along the endless stalls, the more he thought that this surely was a bigger market than when he was a kid. He literally walked through the empty market yesterday and it certainly wasn’t this long, was it? How could it grow in a night?

Just when he was about to give up and go home, something small caught his eye. Or should he say, a subtle scent caught his nose. It was like he was picking up the smell that comes after a satisfying rainfall, like the dew of the grass after going outside. It wasn’t strong, but it was odd. Mingyu glanced up just to make sure. It wasn’t raining.

He decided that a sign was a sign, and he followed his nose, but he didn’t have to walk far to find what he was looking for. It was a small shack on the edge of the market, almost cornering off the street to block off new visitors. It was nestled between two market tables, and the shack had a lack of fairy lights donning its roof. Instead, the shack had its own light for the night, in the form of tea lights and small candles. Four on the shelf of the shack itself, and two dangling plants with candles inside of them from the wooden beam on top. He couldn’t just smell the rain anymore, either. He could smell sandalwood too now, probably from the incense that Mingyu spotted next to the candles.

The true prize of this shack was not in fact the candles or incense, but small odd-shaped bottles that were labelled with words he couldn’t understand despite his reading comprehension skills, and burlap bags tied with small loops of rope.

He had to wonder why possible flammable liquids and soft bags of fabric could withstand the heat of all the open flames.

Then he didn’t have to wonder at all, because with one look up, he was met with a look so deadpan behind horn-rimmed glasses, and Mingyu knew that the flammable liquids weren’t going to blow up from the candles alone.

Fuck. Mingyu should have had a drink with his pork.

“Can I help you?” the bored-looking vendor said.

Mingyu could tell that the guy had only asked because Mingyu was right up in his stall and hadn’t offered to buy anything yet.

Sue him, Mingyu just liked to be thorough. Especially if he was going to be buying some voodoo magic that he knew nothing about.

Because if anything at this market was magical, it was this shack.

“Hey there,” Mingyu smiled, subtly leaning closer to the open stall. “I’m Mingyu.”

The vendor looked at Mingyu. Said nothing. Looked down at his wares. Said nothing. Then looked back up to Mingyu.

Still said nothing.

“Uh,” Mingyu faltered, “Sorry to bother you, I was just looking.”

Which was true. But he wasn’t even looking at his wares anymore, he was just looking at the vendor. He couldn’t help but notice that the vendor had quite nice eyes, now that they didn’t look like they were suspicious of Mingyu stealing his stock. They were almost feline-like too, but sharper, almost as sharp as his jaw. His lips were pursed like he wanted to tell Mingyu to leave but could still do with Mingyu’s business, so he didn’t, and it gave away how full they were.

Not that Mingyu was looking that much. Just a little. Not to mention how soft his dark mullet was. Again, Mingyu was here for the wares. Nothing else.

When it became evident that both of them were content to just openly stare at each other, Mingyu finally broke the spell to look at the potions and burlaps. He wanted something to soothe his soul, whatever that meant. Something to make him less restless. Also, how was he supposed to know what were in the burlaps? Did they have tiny labels on them too?

Mingyu reached out his hand to pick one up and find out.

“Don’t,” the vendor immediately stopped him.

Damn, his voice was even deeper than his own. It worried Mingyu that his voice was the first thought in his head, and not the command. But he did hear him, and he stopped reaching for the small sack.

“Sorry,” Mingyu soothed, “Am I not supposed to touch them? I just wanted to look, promise.”

This time the vendor looked taken aback slightly, and his eyes closed and opened slowly. It was a very slow blink. It reminded Mingyu of the stray tabby.

“Oh, no,” the vendor eventually said, “Usually I wouldn’t mind people handling my stock, but your hands are dirty.”

Oh. How did he know?

The vendor gestured towards Mingyu’s fingers that were left in mid-air, “You have dirt on your fingers.”

Oh. Right. Actual dirt.

“Sorry,” Mingyu said again, but this time much lighter, “I’m a labourer.”

“It’s alright,” the vendor smiled slightly, the curve of his lips doing dumb things to Mingyu’s self-esteem. “I’ll just tell you what they are. Unless you have something specific in mind?”

“Not specific,” Mingyu shook his head, “Just vibes. What would you recommend someone who has too much energy and feels restless? Is there anything to soothe me a little? If that makes sense.”

The vendor seemed to tilt his head at Mingyu in thought. Maybe Mingyu should have just bought a candle instead. He could understand candles. And candles can help people sleep, right?

Eventually, the vendor spoke his mind.

“Well, if you wanted a burlap, I do have ones with lavender, and ones with chamomile. They’re herbs known for calming. I also have cedarwood essential oils if you were willing to branch out, so to speak.”

Mingyu hummed. “I wouldn’t know what to do with oils.”

“Just put them in your bath,” the vendor supplied, “Or you can massage them into your skin. Another way would be to burn them with an oil burner, but honestly, you don’t seem….”

The vendor paused.

“Like the type?” Mingyu snorted.

Was he that out of his comfort zone that the vendor noticed?

“I wasn’t going to say it,” the vendor grinned.

He was grinning. The market was so worth it.

“What about the incense stuff? Any candles that will soothe me to sleep?” Mingyu ventured.

He might as well know all his options. He definitely was not stalling.

The vendor glanced at his own wares as if he didn’t truly know what he was selling. The action was endearing. Mingyu had only just realised that he was bouncing on his toes again.

Mingyu had to stop himself. Cute vendor guy was not the same as spicy pork.

“Other than the lavender and chamomile I mentioned earlier, maybe a rose scented candle would help?” the vendor said it like a question, but then nodded at himself, “Rose is subtle but sweet. It depends on your preference too. It doesn’t matter how soothing the scent is supposed to be if it doesn’t actually line up with what you like.”

That made sense to Mingyu. The vendor knew better than him, anyway.

“I’ll take a rose candle, please. And since I’m here, maybe some oil?”

“Some oil?”

Mingyu could hear in his tone that the vendor was laughing at him. Oh well. To be laughed at by a cute boy was a win in Mingyu’s book.

“I’ll take the cedarwood,” Mingyu decided, “Why not?”

“Why not, indeed,” the vendor mused, “It’s your money.”

True. But a candle and some oils weren’t going to break his bank.

“That’ll be 149,000 won.”

Mingyu almost dropped his wallet. “Excuse me?”

“That’ll be 149,000 won,” the vendor repeated.

“No, I heard you,” Mingyu huffed.

Damn, that was more than he was willing to pay at a simple night market.

Mingyu looked at his wallet, then at the shoddy shack with all its mysterious charm and then looked at the equally charming vendor.

Well, what’s the price of magic?

“Are these actually going to help me? Or is it voodoo?” Mingyu accused.

The vendor quirked an amused eyebrow. “Voodoo?”

“Yeah, that’s what this is, isn’t it?”

The vendor laughed at him again, “Are you calling me a witch or a scammer?”

“Whichever shoe fits,” Mingyu muttered, but he pulled out his card anyway.

He didn’t usually use his card at stalls, but the vendor better have a card reader, because who carries cash around them like that? Well, richer people than Mingyu, obviously. But he was only a humble worker.

Luckily, the vendor did have a card reader, and Mingyu paid without anymore fuss. He made himself promise to remember not to be so confident with his spending ever again now, though. He had a much bigger house that he needed to help his parents pay for. It wasn’t just him and his small apartment anymore.

Mingyu watched as the vendor packed his candle and oils in a little hemp gift bag and the vendor handed them to him with a small smile. Their fingers did not brush, and Mingyu willed himself not to be disappointed.

“Well, that’s me,” Mingyu announced, like the vendor didn’t know.

Luckily the vendor seemed to keep smiling. Mingyu knew he was a charmer.

“Will I see you again?” Mingyu asked foolishly before he lost his nerve.

The vendor nodded.

Mingyu couldn’t help but bounce on his toes again, “Really?”

“Really,” the vendor said, and he pointed to the side of the street that had a pole planted to the ground with a banner that announced the opening times of the market, “Every week on Mondays. And Thursdays.”

Oh, right. Mingyu huffed. “Not before then?”

The vendor said nothing.

Alright, fine. Mingyu could wait until Thursday. He was staying in the house until then anyway. He could be patient.

Well, he couldn’t. But the vendor didn’t need to know that.

“What’s your name?” Mingyu asked, because he needed something.

The vendor quirked the corner of his lip, and his hands went to fumble with some of his wares, like they had held still for too long whilst talking with Mingyu.

“I’m Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo. Cute.

“I’m Mingyu.”

“I know,” Wonwoo laughed this time, and dropped his burlap bag. “You already told me. Shouldn’t you be getting back home?”

“I’m twenty-six!” Mingyu protested petulantly.

“Good to know,” Wonwoo said, “But you keep yawning at me.”

Oh. Huh. Maybe he should head home.

“Fine, okay,” Mingyu relented, but he lifted the hand that held onto his new products and pointed at Wonwoo, “See you Thursday.”

Wonwoo shook his head at him in bemusement.

But he did say, “See you, Mingyu.”

Mingyu sent him a salute before he turned away from that little shack and realised that the crowd had suddenly dispersed. Just how long was he stood there talking with Wonwoo? Oh well. He was going to go home now anyway, and hoped his car was safe from the fine.

With one last look back at the shack, he saw Wonwoo with his head bowed down, his hands rearranging the layout of his stock before Mingyu realised that he was just sorting out his wares to pack them away. Oh, it must be late, if it was time to close up.

Mingyu really did respect the moon. No matter what happened to Mingyu every month, this sight alone had all of Mingyu’s respect.

The moon high in the sky with dominance, casting its light over the market, over Wonwoo’s stall, highlighted by the candle flames that still hung from the shack. It looked like the naked flames could really just combust.

But what had most of Mingyu’s respect was the reflection of the blue-tinted night air across Wonwoo’s face. Even from this distance, the sight could not compare. The reflective lenses of Wonwoo’s glasses, the accentuation of his proud nose. The soft wisp of his hair as he lent forward.

Mingyu’s heart hadn’t stuttered to life like this in far too long. Mingyu was a chaser, he ran too long and too hard, and he never ended up with the right destination.

He really was scammed out of his products. The candle and those oils were not going to help him get to sleep tonight.

Chapter Text

Zrrt. Zrrt. Zrrt. Zrrt.

A clumsy hand quickly reached out to slap a big palm down onto where the annoying blearing was coming from. With furrowed eyebrows and squinted eyes, the sleepy owner of the hand continued to try and master the silencing of the noise before eventually he heard a soft thud. Slowly opening his eyes, the barely conscious owner realised that the beeping hadn’t stopped, but his hand was now resting on top of his empty nightstand, which meant his phone was being muffled by its fate of lying face down on the floor. Damn.

The owner had to be awake for work. Which meant Mingyu had to be awake for work.

With a groan, Mingyu pushed himself up and leaned over the side of the bed, and he tried to valiantly reach for his phone. At least this time he was successful, and he yawned as he used his useless fingers to unlock the screen and turn off his alarm.

Mission completed. But he was half awake now, and more importantly, half exposed to the cold morning air. His thighs were out of his covers from moving to lean over the bed, and after wriggling his toes, he realised they were also hanging off the end of the bed with no covers either. He hadn’t slept in this bed since he was a child, and he was much shorter before hitting puberty. It was a fact he was proud of, until being too tall to do the most normal mundane things became a burden. Like trying to fit into bed for a good night’s sleep.

Oh well. Better to get up and be awake now than have to deal with rushing through a shower and falling over his own work clothes in five minutes. He was a fully functioning adult. Or at least, he was trying to convince himself that.

With that in mind, Mingyu made the brave decision to stand up and start getting ready for the morning, only to realise that if he actually wanted to get into the fresh clothes that he had driven all the way to his apartment for, he would have to unpack his suitcase. Fuck. He knew he had forgotten to do that last night. He blamed the night market for screwing with his rationality and logic, as if the large crowds, the spicy pork (which he was so sure tasted just slightly magical, and no, Mingyu did not know what magic tasted like, but if he did, he knew it would be that pork), and Wonwoo had something to do with his mushy forgetful brain.

At least he understood why Wonwoo was a factor. He hadn’t managed to shake the thought of him away from his mind since he left the market.

Speaking of Wonwoo, Mingyu frowned as he came to a stop just next to his suitcase, and he had to face the reality of mourning his lost 149,000 won all over again. Because there his giftbag was, right next to his suitcase, like Mingyu had just dumped both the giftbag and his suitcase onto his bedroom floor before collapsing onto bed for a good night sleep. Which was exactly what he had done, but still.

And to think he bought those items to sleep. Mingyu should have known that he didn’t need magic to help him fall asleep. Enough people in his life happily divulged the information to him that he was quite a loud snorer.

There was no point in crying over lost money though, especially not when he did hand over the money on his own accord. Unless Wonwoo had tricked him. Got into his head. Put him under a spell just so Mingyu would make his purchase. That was something witches did, right? It certainly was something that scammers did. Mingyu still didn’t know which category Wonwoo fell into.

But, luckily, Mingyu was an opportunist. What he didn’t use yesterday, he could use today. With that in mind, he hunted through his suitcase for fresh work clothes, and he dipped his hand into his special giftbag to retrieve his essential oils. Mingyu could massage them into his skin after his shower, right? It won’t help him sleep, but he supposed that if he didn’t need help with that anyway, the oil could help him during the day. That was when he seemed the most restless.

He wondered what the implication behind that was. Maybe wolves just weren’t as active during the night than people expected of them. Hey, maybe they were like him, using up all his aggression for one night a month, and then using every other night to rest well and revitalise all his energy.

Or maybe Mingyu was just thinking shit. That happened a lot. But the more he thought about shit, the less he thought about… Well. Being here. In his Aunt’s house, where she should be the one occupying theses walls, and not Mingyu.

With that, Mingyu took his belongings into the bathroom, and this time pointedly ignored the full-length mirror next to the shower. He made sure to check his hair after showering though in the smaller mirror above the sink, just so he didn’t go outside looking like a complete mess. He still needed a haircut, but everyone was their own harshest critic. He would have to deal with his hair when he had the time. And that was not right now.

Ignoring the rest of the doors in the hallway, Mingyu made his way down the stairs and headed straight to the front door to get to his car. He was usually the type of person to indulge in a nice, well-made breakfast, but something about this morning had frazzled his brain. He didn’t want to stand in his kitchen and make food in his Aunt’s house. It didn’t feel like a big deal when it was him and his parents, but to use it when it was just Mingyu felt…. Not right. Something Mingyu refused to mentally address right now. He had too many things like that which he didn’t need to add on to, but here he was.

His sister always suggested therapy, but Mingyu wasn’t about to articulate his emotions to someone else when he felt so much all the time. And he wouldn’t be able to tell them about his special ailment, anyway. If he couldn’t be honest to his therapist, then he simply wouldn’t heal.

A soft meow broke Mingyu out of his thoughts, and he realised he had just been stood like a statue in front of his car. He hadn’t even unlocked it. He really needed to stop dissociating. But if anyone was going to accidentally catch him like this, he was glad that it was his one new friend around here. Mingyu turned his head to grin at the tabby who was proudly stood on Mingyu’s fence. He cooed softly and walked over to give the tabby a stroke. Instead of turning away from him, the tabby brushed its tail across Mingyu’s covered up forearms, and Mingyu hummed softly to see if it would get the cat to meow again. The tabby did, and Mingyu giggled softly at the reciprocation, before leaning down to nuzzle gently over the cat’s face.

Apparently, this was too much, because the cat took a few steps back, but Mingyu didn’t mind. He could wait for the cat to warm up to him. Besides, he couldn’t be late to work.

“Come visit anytime you like, okay?” Mingyu told the cat and gave it one last stroke.

The cat seemed to jerk its head at him before it eventually walked the length of Mingyu’s fence to disappear.

Mingyu decided to take that as an agreement.

~~~

Work was a good blur, like always, and whilst it wasn’t something Mingyu had wanted to do, it didn’t mean he disliked his job. He actually thoroughly enjoyed it. The people he worked with were always friendly, and Mingyu knew he was a delight to be around. His co-workers had nothing but compliments for him despite his condition of not working three days a month, even if that was because Mingyu often made it a habit to feed them with extravagant lunches when he had nothing to do back in his old apartment except cook.

He figured he had a lot more pressing things to be doing now instead of cooking for his coworkers. Like actually cleaning out the house he was looking after, since Mingyu had already forgot what his true purpose for being there was.

The reminder came in the form of his sister calling him when he was back at home from work, and he was stood in front of his suitcase like the object would just magically unpack itself.

Maybe if Mingyu possessed the type of magic that he was so sure his Aunt possessed, he could make the suitcase sentient enough to do the dirty work for Mingyu.

But would that make Mingyu a bad magic user? To create slaves out of inanimate objects?

“Are you even listening to me?”

Mingyu blinked. No. No, he was not. He sighed into the air and hoped his mobile on speakerphone would catch it.

“You’re hopeless,” Minseo told him, like he didn’t know, “Why did you even agree in the first place?”

“You don’t think I could get the job done? I’m a big boy, you know,” Mingyu told her.

This time, it was Minseo’s turn to sigh.

“You know that’s not what I meant. Mum and dad want you to get rid of everything that’s not practical. They think it’s junk.” She paused. “I know how much her things mean to you.”

Mingyu blinked. He then picked up his phone and took it off speaker, only to press his phone up to his ear instead.

“It doesn’t matter,” Mingyu said, “I told them that I would clean it out for them, so I will.”

“You haven’t even started yet, have you?”

“No,” Mingyu pouted, “But that’s not my fault, I’ve been working. I don’t have all day to sort things out. Besides, you know our Aunt hoarded so much, it would be impossible to gather it all and decide what to throw away immediately.”

“But that’s the thing,” Minseo sighed, “You don’t want to throw any of it away.”

“Mum and dad agreed that we would only throw away what all of us agree on,” Mingyu insisted. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.”

Minseo paused.

Mingyu couldn’t help but feel just a little annoyed.

“I’m the big brother, I should be worrying about you. Not the other way around.”

“But you make it so easy,” Minseo quipped.

If Mingyu stuck his tongue out at his suitcase pretending it was her, no one had to know.

“I should probably go,” Mingyu dismissed, “I have a lot to unpack.”

The word didn’t go unnoticed.

“Unpack? So you really are staying there for a while?”

Mingyu hummed, “If our parents let me, then yeah. It’s a nice place. Even if it’s empty. The town feels alive.”

“If you say so.” Minseo sounded sceptical. “Keep me updated.”

“You too,” Mingyu shot back, and then ended the call.

He threw his phone onto his bed and then sighed. He really did have a lot to get through. He better get started.

~~~

A walk wouldn’t hurt, right?

That’s what Mingyu told himself as he abandoned all his things that were strewn across his bedroom floor. He only got so far into the unpacking process, but it didn’t feel right. He had an itch in his brain that he just wasn’t able to scratch by folding his spare clothes and organising his toiletries and other miscellaneous products that past Mingyu was so sure he had needed when he packed it all.

A walk definitely wouldn’t hurt. Mingyu swore to himself that he would unpack later. And then he would make himself some food, because his stomach had just gurgled at him and he had forgotten that he hadn’t had breakfast.

And he still had to sort out those boxes in the living room.

Mingyu was a certified mess.

But he was still so sure that a walk would fix him. Mingyu was like a dog, if he didn’t go on regular walks, then he just wasn’t a happy guy. And all Mingyu wanted out of this life was to be happy. As happy as the moon allowed him to be, at least. The moon right now was still waxing, but it didn’t feel as prominent as yesterday. Maybe the visit to the market had actually helped. Look at that, his Aunt continued to be right about things.

As he thought to himself, he walked past the row of shops he had visited yesterday, and even though he had nothing to buy right now, it didn’t mean he couldn’t find someone to speak to. Just as if the thought had willed up reality, Mingyu grinned as he saw Soonyoung outside of the grocery store, and he looked like he was holding the door open for someone.

Ah. The shortie who couldn’t reach the top shelf.

Mingyu grinned to himself as he ran towards them and watched as the short man with tied back hair walked out of the door with three boxes in his arms. The boxes reached the top of his head in height, but he didn’t look like he was struggling. Mingyu knew those arms were strong.

“Oh, hey,” Soonyoung greeted when he caught sight of Mingyu, “We should stop meeting like this.”

“Like what,” Mingyu laughed as he came to a stop beside them, “Running towards each other?”

“Some would say it’s fate,” Soonyoung winked, but then quickly sobered up, “But not like our fate, Jihoonie. Our fate is special.”

“I’m not even listening,” Shortie grumbled, and he continued on his way until he reached the little table next to the grocery store.

Mingyu watched as Shortie deposited his boxes and then turned to glare up at Mingyu.

Or, it looked like a glare. But Soonyoung didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

“He’s just jealous,” Soonyoung sung, but Shortie only shook his head.

“I’m Jihoon,” Jihoon greeted, and he reached out to shake Mingyu’s hand.

Huh. Maybe he wasn’t mad at Mingyu.

“The love of my life,” Soonyoung cooed.

“Ignore him,” Jihoon told Mingyu, and then turned back to his boxes, “You promised you’d help me get these back to the garden centre.”

“I will, I will,” Soonyoung insisted, and he closed the grocery’s door before heading over to pick up one of the boxes.

“There’s a garden centre?” Mingyu asked.

“Yeah, but it’s not in this neighbourhood,” Soonyoung told him, “It’s in a little village on the way. It’s called Garden of Wonders. It should show up on Google Maps. You should visit, sometime. Jihoon works there.”

Jihoon huffed, “Don’t be telling strangers where I’m going to be, idiot.”

“He’s not a stranger!” Soonyoung protested. “He’s Dalnim’s nephew. Or, great nephew, I mean.”

“Oh.” Jihoon sized him up. “Fair enough.”

Mingyu blinked. So everyone did just know his Aunt, huh? And loved her dearly. Or at the very least trusted her.

Mingyu couldn’t help but smile at the thought. Until his stomach grumbled again and ruined the mood.

“Sucks, man,” Soonyoung laughed, but then gestured with his box to the right, “Hey, you got your wallet on you? There’s a nice café down the block. Run by some friends of ours. Stop by and give them a try. Their dumplings are to die for.”

“Stop talking like a tour guide and let’s go,” Jihoon frowned.

“Alright, alright,” Soonyoung acquiesced, and he started the walk to his car. “See you Thursday, Mingyu.”

“Yeah, see you,” Mingyu nodded, “Nice to meet you too, Jihoon.”

Jihoon nodded at him once and then grabbed the other two boxes and followed Soonyoung.

His stomach grumbled again. Yeah, alright. He better eat.

He didn’t want to be tricked into spending all his money again, but he didn’t feel like going home and cooking in the kitchen alone either. It was a fear he had to face eventually but today would not be that day.

It didn’t take him long to find the café, and from the outside it looked rather narrow, the front only consisting of two windows and a door. But inside seemed spacious when Mingyu willed the courage to go in. He seriously had to get used to that. In the city, everything was as it seemed. If things were big, they were big. If they were tall and narrow, they were tall and narrow. Everything in this neighbourhood looked so off but felt so right.

“Good evening,” a warm voice welcomed him inside, and Mingyu took that one step further to cement the deal.

He was about to part with his money again. Oh well.

“Good evening,” Mingyu bowed his head in greeting, and came to a stop in front of the counter.

The inside seemed like a regular café to Mingyu. Nothing screamed “we’re going to feed you poison and you’ll have to go on a journey to find a cure”. But it did scream, “we are very sophisticated because our wood is rustic, but we also don’t have taste because we do hang up cat posters for decoration”.

Mingyu liked it.

“I’m Minghao,” the guy at the counter greeted, and he gestured his shoulder to the menu board sitting next to him. “What can I get for you?”

Mingyu picked up the menu and squinted at it. The menu had clearly been handwritten with coloured chalk, and the little patterns and dribbles on the edges screamed charm. Or employee boredom.

“I was recommended the dumplings?”

“Oh, excellent choice,” Minghao seemed to agree, “Customers generally get the jiaozi.”

“Huh,” Mingyu put down the menu and smiled. “I’ll have that then please.”

Mingyu didn’t know what he had expected, maybe for Minghao to ring up his order and his order to be sent to the kitchen, or for Minghao to deliver his order instead.

He did not expect for Minghao to turn away from Mingyu and yell into the back.

“Jun!”

A head poked itself out of the back-room’s door. At least Mingyu presumed correct that it was the kitchen, because Jun had a chef’s hat adorned on his head.

“It’s you!” Mingyu pointed, already stepping away from the counter.

“Oh, hey,” Jun greeted, smiling a little from the doorway. “And it’s hyung, you brat.”

“Don’t remind me,” Mingyu pouted, and Minghao cleared his throat.

“You know each other?” Minghao asked.

“Just from the market yesterday,” Mingyu shrugged.

“Ah.” Minghao started to type on the till. “He ordered the jiaozi.”

“What meat?” Jun paused, then looked back at Mingyu. “Let me guess, pork?”

Mingyu saluted him, “Yes, chef.”

Jun rolled his eyes and then disappeared behind the door. Before Mingyu could turn to pay, Jun popped his head back out.

“Sitting in or out?”

Mingyu paused. He glanced outside, and then to the little table underneath an ugly painting.

“I’ll sit in with you guys, if you don’t mind.”

Minghao smiled, “Not at all.”

Mingyu nodded and made himself comfortable after paying. Jun really had gone back into the kitchen to cook this time, and Mingyu fiddled with his thumbs whilst Minghao stood remarkably still at the counter.

Minutes passed, and Mingyu could have sworn that Minghao hadn’t even blinked.

“So,” Mingyu cleared his throat, “How are things around here? I’ve only been here a few days. Soonyoung said he knows you guys?”

“You’ve met Soonyoung already?” Minghao rose his eyebrows. “I shouldn’t be surprised, Soonyoung is everywhere. It’s not too bad. We must be grateful to you, now, though. Jun and I won’t be known as the new guys anymore. It’ll be you.”

Huh. “Small town, big gossip mill?”

Minghao’s eyes twinkled with mirth, “Something like that.”

Eventually Jun came out of the kitchen to deliver a steaming plate of pork jiaozi, and Mingyu’s mouth watered. Apparently, he looked as lonely as he felt, because Jun had brought food out for himself and Minghao too, and all three of them sat together at the table. Mingyu guessed they could afford to do that with long nights and no other customers to keep them occupied. But he wasn’t going to be asking any questions. He was grateful for the company.

“So, did you like the market?” Jun asked.

Mingyu had to swallow his mouthful as quickly as possible to answer, but luckily neither of them held eye contact with him as he did it.

“It was cool. More crowded than I expected.” Mingyu thought for a moment. “Do you guys know Wonwoo?”

Both eyes flitted up to glance at Mingyu, and then both pairs of eyes flitted back down to their plates.

Right. Not spooky at all.

“I know him,” Minghao said, “We both do. We don’t see him often. He’s not a people person.”

Mingyu frowned. Maybe he would only get to see Wonwoo twice a week. But even if temporarily housesitting for his Aunt wasn’t a factor, Mingyu didn’t have the patience to just see someone he liked so much biweekly.

That wouldn’t do.

“Does he hang out anywhere?” Mingyu asked.

Minghao raised an eyebrow at him, “Did he leave a lasting impression on you or something?”

“Maybe he put a spell on him,” Jun spoke up.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Minghao rolled his eyes.

“But he is a witch,” Mingyu accused.

Both eyes seemed to glisten, like they were both laughing at an inside joke that Mingyu’s wasn’t privy to. With a smile, Minghao raised his chopsticks at Mingyu.

“Welcome to the neighbourhood, Mingyu.”

~~~

Once again stood directly in front of his messy bedroom, Mingyu decided he needed to pull out the big guns.

He was a grown man. He wasn’t allowed in his Aunt’s study until he had finally unpacked for his stay. He didn’t have to clean anything tonight and he didn’t have to sort out those boxes in the living room. He just needed to unpack this damn suitcase.

Slowly, he hung his clothes up in the empty wardrobe, and he carried his bag of toiletries into the bathroom to deposit them on his new shelves. As he was about to leave, his eyes hit the full-length mirror. Right. He better deal with this too.

He ignored his own self placed rule of not going into his Aunt’s study and he grabbed the blanket on the second armchair that didn’t have his Aunt’s shawl on it, and he went back to the bathroom to cover the mirror.

Job one done.

He moved back to his bedroom and zipped up his suitcase to seal the deal of an unpacked life.

Job two done.

He then walked over to his wardrobe to grab some sweatpants for bed when he stepped on another bag, making a rustle sound underneath his foot.

Thank god he hadn’t moved with purpose or else he would have broken what was inside.

Mingyu reached down and pulled out the rose scented candle, and he gave it a small sniff. The candle itself smelled sweet, but he didn’t know if it was a generic sweetness, or if it was actually what roses smelt like. Mingyu wouldn’t actually know.

But he liked Wonwoo too much to believe the man would sell him a manufactured candle for the price that he had. And he was still convinced Wonwoo was magical too, so Mingyu hoped that the candle was brought to life with wax and real rose essence.

Whatever that meant.

Well, he might as well burn it. Get his money’s worth.

He had to go back downstairs to rummage around for a lighter, but eventually he found one. He headed back upstairs and put the candle on his bedside table. Though, maybe that wasn’t the best place to put it. It would be a slight disaster if he reached his hand out in the morning to silence his alarm and got burned for his troubles instead.

Maybe he could burn the candle on the dresser. It would have the same effect, right?

Well, Mingyu wouldn’t know if he didn’t try. Mingyu put the candle on the dresser and lit it and then went to change into his sweats to get comfortable.

He hadn’t turned the ceiling light on, so the room was dark except for the small light that the candle emitted, and the moon from outside his open window. He couldn’t help but watch as his scars shone slightly in the burnt yellow lighting of the candle flame. He didn’t have the self-esteem to say it looked pretty, but a voice that didn’t sound like his own in the back of his head said it for him.

That was enough thinking for one night. He made sure that all the other lights in the house were turned off before he got back to his Aunt’s study, and he briefly admired how everything was tinted a soft blue.

His Aunt really knew what would look good in the moonlight. It was a shame that the rest of the house didn’t look that way. Probably because his Aunt and Grandma couldn’t afford to change the entire interior of this large house. Or maybe because his Aunt discovered her passions and abilities too late in life. It was all condensed in this one room.

Mingyu hoped that his own fate wouldn’t be stuck in one room.

Maybe when he died, his soul would be trapped in here too.

With how the days after his Full Moons were going, maybe he wasn’t so far off to knowing.

Mingyu shook his head and closed the door to the study, leaving the curtains open for the moon to play inside.

He made his way back to his bedroom, closed the door, got into bed, and deeply inhaled.

Roses.

He fell asleep like that, long limbs curled up on top of the bed, and the candlelight and the moon worked together to highlight his gangly body on the sheets.

~~~

Zrrt. Zrrt. Zrrt. Zrrt.

The same hand as yesterday reached out to slap his phone in a sense of déjà vu, but instead of knocking his phone onto the floor, he managed to press the button on the middle of the phone screen.

Mission successful.

It did turn the sound off. But unfortunately, the sound wasn’t his alarm.

“Mingyu? Honey, are you awake?”

Shit. Mingyu immediately pushed his body up in a panic, and his other hand uncoordinatedly helped to pick up his phone and press it to his ear. He was knelt on his bed, eyes barely open, his hair a lion’s mane on his head.

“Mama?”

“There you are, dear,” his mother said, “This is my third time calling.”

Mingyu could only cough the sleep out of his throat. “What time is it?”

“Six in the morning.”

Well, that explained it.

“Is everything okay?” Mingyu asked, slowly moving to sit properly at the edge of his bed.

His room was still dark, and he turned his head to check that the candle hadn’t burned the dresser, or the room, for that matter.

It hadn’t.

“Everything’s okay,” she said, “I just wanted to check on you and the house.”

Oh.

“At six in the morning?” Mingyu grumbled, and he made a move to stand up from his bed to blow the candle out.

Only he didn’t need to, because the wick had already gone.

He could still smell the roses.

“I thought you told me you were a morning person,” his mother accused him. “But I was called into work early, so I thought I’d try to call you to check in. How is everything?”

“Everything’s fine. Place hasn’t been robbed. The people in town are nice. Hey, do you remember the market?”

“The market?” His mother sounded perplexed. “I guess, yes. We used to take you and Minseo when you were children. But how’s the house?”

Mingyu frowned. “It’s still standing.”

“Have you cleared everything out yet?”

Ah. That’s why she called.

“Not yet,” Mingyu stalled, “But I think I’m staying at least to the end of the week. I’ve just been busy with work and getting my bearings. I promise I’ll sort through everything by the end of this weekend.”

His mother paused, but she didn’t call him out on it.

“You’re not selling so soon, are you?” Mingyu asked.

“No,” she promised. “It’s alright, stay as long as you need to get everything sorted. But still text me. I haven’t heard from you since Sunday.”

Mingyu didn’t point out that it had only been three days. It didn’t matter to his mother. She loved him, and she was worried, and that’s what mattered.

“I will, mama,” Mingyu insisted.

She hung up on him, and Mingyu decided that he couldn’t just go back to bed.

Maybe he better go for a morning jog. Get some fresh air into his system before work. He hadn’t had the time to work out since he’d been at his Aunt’s house. He didn’t even know if there was a gym nearby. That didn’t mean he should let his physique slip.

A jog will do.

~~~

As he jogged around the neighbourhood, Mingyu eventually found the town hall. Or, the hub, as Soonyoung called it. It definitely looked like a town hall. The building was worn but grand, towering over the smaller buildings that surrounded it. It had a big wooden door, with glass windows to frame it. It also had a giant clock on top that reminded Mingyu that he needed to head home to get ready for work soon.

But he wasn’t in a rush.

He wondered what it would be like tomorrow. Would it be just a gathering with all the young adults in town? Soonyoung described it as a gossip fest, but in a building this important, surely it would be more than that?

Mingyu had opinions on politics, of course he had, but he wasn’t that confident in voicing them. He liked to think his Aunt raised him well and that he was smart and articulate, but whenever he tried to give his thoughts, no one really took him seriously.

They saw his muscles and height and figured he wouldn’t know what a book was. Just because he was bad at reading didn’t mean he couldn’t understand.

Broken out of his frown, he spotted someone in a hoodie opening a gate that looked like it opened into a footpath. The footpath disappeared down the side of the townhall, maybe to a courtyard.

Mingyu ran up to the fence and waved.

The guy noticed and waved back, shutting the gate behind him.

“Hey! You’re Dalnim’s boy, right?” the guy said immediately.

Mingyu’s tail would be wagging if he had one. Well. He did have one. Just only once a month.

“That’s right,” Mingyu nodded proudly, “Mingyu.”

“Chan,” the guy bowed his head back at him. “Out this early in the morning? The grind never stops, does it?”

“Tell me about it,” Mingyu grinned, briefly forgetting to keep his teeth tucked under his top lip. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve just finished work,” Chan said, and he came over to Mingyu’s side of the fence, “I get to go home now.”

Mingyu wrinkled his nose. “Lucky.”

“I guess you could say that,” Chan laughed. “Being a groundskeeper is so-so. You coming tomorrow?”

“To the gathering? Do you get to go?”

“Yeah,” Chan shrugged, “It’s open for everybody. Even employees.”

“What’s it like?” Mingyu asked excitedly. The more he thought about it, the more excited he was.

“It’s nothing special,” Chan laughed, “But it’s good fun. Technically Seungcheol-hyung runs it, but Soonyoung and Seokmin tend to steal the show.”

Mingyu slowly nodded. Then, because he could never stop himself, “Will Wonwoo be there?”

Chan wrinkled his nose in thought for a moment and then shrugged again. “Maybe. He sometimes goes when he has something to say.”

Something to say? About what, exactly?

Mingyu supposed he would find out tomorrow.

“I should probably go,” Mingyu sighed, stepping back. “But I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Chan bowed at him once more and then took off down the street that was finally starting to light up as the sun rose higher.

Mingyu started walking the opposite direction, but before he took off in a jog, he looked behind himself again.

The street must have swallowed Chan up, because he was no longer walking on the path. Or the road. Or anywhere.

Freaky, charming town.

Mingyu couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Mingyu thrummed with nervous energy. Unlike the past few days, Mingyu wasn't feeling restless in a concerning way. He was excited. He always got ahead of himself when it came to other people; it didn't matter if it was family, friends, or something else. He always craved so much out of everyone, because he knew he had so much of himself to give. He just needed to find the people who could take everything he had. Unfortunately, in his young adult life, he had never found the right circle of friends who had wanted to. He didn't blame it on the fact that after the incident, he was too scared to let others see him without his clothes, literally and metaphorically. He probably needed to blame it on that. But he didn't.

Instead, he chose to just blame his general being. That Mingyu just wasn't as lovable as his Aunt insisted that he was. His Aunt wasn't usually wrong, but it was the only reason that made sense. Not even the moon could make him lovable.

The moon had just made him worse.

Still, he refused to let that bring him down. He was going to be productive today. Go to work, finish work, head to the town hall for 5pm, and then catch the night market if he had time to make it. He presumed he would, so, he pencilled it into his to-do list for today as a promise to himself.

He was going to see Wonwoo no matter what. He had to make sure of it. He was convinced that if he saw Wonwoo, the spell over his head would be broken.

Wonwoo was pretty, Mingyu was sure his eyes hadn't deceived him, and the vendor definitely had wit and a sense of humour when Mingyu talked to him. But surely there was something else. Mingyu knew he could love easily, but was love always this easy?

Adult Mingyu didn't think so, not after so many failed attempts.

His Aunt would tell him to lift his chin high and show everyone who he was and what he had. But that was because she didn't know the truth about him. About why he was so different and special.

Special didn't always mean good.

Mingyu frowned at his reflection in the small mirror above the sink and slapped on his aftershave to shake him out of his thoughts.

Work first. Then the hub.

Besides, he had other problems to worry about. Like the fact that he really needed to conquer his fear of the kitchen. He needed to do a lot of things, like sorting out the abandoned trinkets in the living room. But Friday was tomorrow, and he figured he would be less tired to sort through those boxes then. That seemed like good logic. And hey, maybe he'd invite Soonyoung round to help him. For the company if nothing else. Soonyoung probably wouldn't mind since he had helped his Aunt with her home before, and Mingyu realised that maybe there were things he didn't want to do alone.

But there were some things he could do by himself.

Like make himself breakfast.

This time, the kitchen didn't feel so ominous. It just looked like a regular kitchen. Maybe that's what hunger did to a person. Changed what his mind was conjuring up into just the plain truth. Yellow patterned tiles, a rusted stove, and a fridge. Mingyu cracked his knuckles and got to work.

He figured he might as well take the time he had given himself from waking up decently early to make food for his coworkers too. If he was tired and hungry from a day's worth of work, so were they. And Mingyu always hated cooking for one.

He managed to pack up steamed rice and pickled vegetables in small containers that he knew his Aunt kept in her cupboards and he went to load up his car. One look in his front garden told him that the tabby wasn't hanging around. Mingyu tried not to feel betrayed by a stray cat.

Maybe she was busy.

Mingyu didn't know her life.

With a giggle, Mingyu got into his car.

~~~

Mingyu didn't know what he was expecting when he showed up at the town hall, just short of 5pm. He didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't this.

The grand front door was already open slightly, and Mingyu could hear voices as he walked up to it. He could also hear cluttering and clinking, like people were rushing around to put things down. Almost like dishware. Huh. He didn't know he was going to get fed, but if it was free, he would take it.

He finally reached the door, and he was taken aback by the sight of a very long table in the centre of the main room. It had thirteen chairs around it, so Mingyu guessed that the guest count was high. He hadn't realised that a town hall gathering in a small neighbourhood would pull such a large crowd.

He also hadn't realised that he was just awkwardly stood in the doorway until a voice spoke up loud above the background noise. He hadn't even noticed all the bodies in the room staring at him until now.

"What is he doing here? Who invited him?"

Well. Mingyu didn't expect to be welcomed with tight hugs and open arms, but he didn't expect to be greeted with that cold tone either. What had he done wrong already? This was a new record.

"Stop it, hyung," Soonyoung stepped around who Mingyu assumed was Seungcheol.

He definitely looked like the leader amongst the pack, standing tall with all those muscles, as if he was about to square up to Mingyu. Mingyu was confident in his body, but he didn't think he would win in a fight.

So Mingyu was grateful to see a friendly face to ease the blow. In fact, he saw three. Just next to Soonyoung stood Jihoon, and if he flicked his eyes to the right, the one stood with a plate in his hand next to the big table was Chan.

Mingyu didn't feel so alone now.

"He's Dalnim's nephew," Jihoon told Seungcheol.

Seungcheol just frowned, "I don't care."

Great. The one person who didn't seem to value his Aunt and her legacy was the first person in town who looked like they were about to punch Mingyu in the face.

"I mean no harm," Mingyu tried to save himself, "At least, not every day."

Soonyoung snorted. "See, Cheollie. He's a good guy. He's not here to ruin everything."

Mingyu wasn't sure what he would be here to ruin. He thought they were going to all stand around and talk about how badly prices had gone up in town. It was certainly something Mingyu's thoughts were still plagued by.

"I don't care," Seungcheol said again, "He shouldn't be here. He's not from around here, he doesn't understand."

"He grew up here," Chan objected. "It's not like he doesn't know where he is."

"But then he left." Seungcheol stepped up to Mingyu. "And now you're back. City not good enough?"

Mingyu only swallowed. He was really excited for this. He didn't want to be so disappointed again by his own optimism.

"Is that Mingyu?"

A voice pulled him out of his misery. Minghao. Mingyu exhaled in relief.

"Hi," Mingyu waved, and Minghao waved back.

"Jun is just finishing sorting our dinner," Minghao announced to everyone, "Let's all sit down."

Chan, Jihoon and Soonyoung moved to sit, but Seungcheol didn't budge.

A new voice chimed in.

"Seungcheollie, let the poor boy sit with us. He's going to have to get used to everything if he's going to be staying here now. He's part of the family."

A softer and slender man walked around Seungcheol to appear in front of Mingyu. His hair was long, and his eyes were kind, and his hand felt delicate when Mingyu shook it and dropped his head into a bow. Delicate didn't mean breakable. But it did mean comfort.

"I'm Jeonghan," the man smiled. "Don't let that big dog there scare you. You're safe with us. Come sit and eat."

Hah. Dog. Mingyu supposed it proved his theory right. Bite or not, everyone was just a little bit feral. And everyone had their own territory.

Mingyu made sure to bow his head in submission towards Seungcheol before he made the decision to just sit with everyone. If everyone wanted him here except their leader, then maybe the leader needed to listen to his pack. As evidence to his theory, Seungcheol didn't object. He waited until everyone was sat before he sat down himself. Mingyu just made sure to sit next to Soonyoung and opposite Chan. His best chance at survival; Mingyu was a strategist at heart.

Before Jun could come out with their food, a loud noise occurred.

Mingyu turned in his seat to find someone crashing through the entryway and running up to their table. They had the kind of smile on their face that rivalled the intensity of the sun.

"Sorry I'm late!" the man huffed, like he had run all the way here, and not just through the doorway. "Oh. Hi!"

Mingyu blinked at him. "Hi. I'm--"

"Mingyu," the man clicked his fingers at him before he quickly bowed. "And I'm Seokmin. It's nice to meet you!"

Ah. That made sense.

Mingyu slowly started to smile, and his worried heart seemed to ease up tremendously. He felt surrounded by people who would hold Seungcheol back if he snapped.

"Sit down," Jeonghan told him softly, "We haven't started yet, you haven't missed anything."

"Where's Shua?" Seokmin asked as he sat down next to Jeonghan.

"Unfortunately, Shua couldn't make it," Seungcheol told him.

At least he sounded less angry now. More neutral. Mingyu could work with neutral.

"Ah, what a shame," Seokmin sighed, before he bumped Jeonghan's shoulder, "Oh well, more food for us."

Speaking of food, Jun eventually walked out of what Mingyu assumed was a small kitchen with some dishes, and he moved to stand up from his seat without even realising.

"Do you need help?" Mingyu offered.

Jun put down the dishes he had in his hands before he turned to Mingyu and slowly nodded.

"Sure. I don't have much left to bring out, but I would appreciate the help."

Mingyu grinned and followed Jun to the kitchen to get the rest of the food. He ignored the fact that he could feel everyone staring at his back. He just liked to be helpful, that's all. His Aunt used to say that it was one of his best qualities. She loved how generous he was. He hoped to always be as generous and as caring as she had been.

Once he was sat back down, everyone had settled, and Seungcheol had started a little speech. It sounded scripted, like maybe he said it at the start of the meal at every meeting, and Mingyu waited patiently before they all picked up their chopsticks to eat.

Oh. Wait.

"Will Wonwoo be coming?"

Mingyu determinedly only looked at Seungcheol and Jeonghan whilst he asked, because he didn't want to look at Minghao and Jun. He just knew they would be grinning at him.

Seungcheol's face seemed to harden again at the mention of Wonwoo. Damn. Mingyu only got things wrong. Still, he watched as Jeonghan opened his mouth to speak, but the words that followed did not come from him.

"I'm right here."

Mingyu turned sharply in his chair. He tried so hard to not let his grin split his face. Minghao and Jun definitely judged him now.

"Hi, Wonwoo," Mingyu blurted.

Fuck. Who did he think he was?

Clearly he was someone that Wonwoo remembered from Monday, because he didn't look confused by Mingyu's presence. Thank god, that could have been embarrassing. It was a miracle; Mingyu didn't usually have good luck like that. Or maybe it was just Wonwoo's magical foresight.

"Hi, Mingyu," Wonwoo quirked his lip at him, then turned to the others, "Sorry I'm late."

"Not a problem. Everyone being here is good enough," Jeonghan smiled.

"Everyone except Shua," Seokmin sighed.

Soonyoung snickered at him and reached over to ruffle Seokmin's hair.

"You almost missed the food though," Jihoon gestured to the table.

"Oh no," Wonwoo said, and was that his teasing voice? "That's the best part."

Definitely his teasing voice. Mingyu was practically bouncing in his chair.

"You better sit before it goes cold," someone told him.

Maybe it was Jihoon again. Maybe Minghao. Mingyu was not paying attention, because Wonwoo was on the move, and he was on the move towards Mingyu. Mingyu knew he was sat down, but he was about to faint.

Luckily, he stayed conscious when Wonwoo took the seat next to him. It would be an embarrassment if he passed out in front of everyone like that. Now Mingyu knew Minghao was definitely looking at him.

Mingyu wanted to talk with Wonwoo, of course he did, but now with everyone eating, he lost his nerve. If he spoke, everyone would be eavesdropping. He decided it would be safer if he waited until more of them were distracted. Only, none of them spoke until after they had all finished eating, and Mingyu started to wonder if this was what the big gathering was. He felt like a disciple.

Was Seungcheol Jesus? Did that make Mingyu Judas?

"Hey, are you good?"

Mingyu looked up mid choke to find Wonwoo staring at him with mild concern in his eyes. To save his dignity, Mingyu quickly nodded. He did not just choke on his food over his own stupid joke.

And he definitely didn't choke in front of Wonwoo. Nope. Not at all.

"Here," Wonwoo said as he reached to grab a glass and then took hold of the water pitcher on the table to fill it for him.

Mingyu's cheeks burned. "Oh. Thanks."

Wonwoo didn't say anything else, so Mingyu sighed and picked up the water to drink it.

Before he could think of a way to awkwardly dismiss himself, Wonwoo perked up again.

"How were your oils? Did they help?"

Mingyu snorted. "Not sure, honestly. I still felt a little restless. But my face feels pretty soft."

Wonwoo seemed to scrutinise his face as if he was checking that Mingyu was telling the truth.

Again. Endearing.

"You look fine," Wonwoo concluded.

Well, way to make a man feel good.

"Thanks," Mingyu winked anyway, and even though Wonwoo shook his head and looked down at his plate, Mingyu still spied a little smile on his lips.

"Are you two done?" Seungcheol cleared his throat.

Ah, right. Company.

Wonwoo sharply looked up as if he had been caught doing something naughty by a teacher. Mingyu tried not to frown. He wasn't a taboo topic, was he? Clearly Seungcheol had something against him, but he'd hate it if Wonwoo felt uncomfortable talking to him because he was supposedly different.

If only Seungcheol knew just how different he was.

"Leave the children be," Jeonghan cooed.

He seemed like the reasonable one, since Seokmin and Soonyoung were the ones making kissy faces at each other. Okay, yeah. Mingyu and Wonwoo were being made fun of.

Fine. No flirting in front of these guys, got it.

"We're here for business, not pleasure," Seungcheol protested.

"So let's get down to business," Soonyoung chimed in.

"To defeat--"

"No, Seokmin--"

"The huns!"

"I've got a headache," Minghao declared to the table, "I'm tired already."

"Let’s go home," Jun joked.

"Let's." This time it was Jihoon, but he sounded more serious.

Mingyu figured he should probably leave too.

But Seungcheol stood up and raised his voice, "We can't walk away now, we still have issues. We can't just sing them away or ignore them."

"Pray tell," Soonyoung drawled, "What are these issues? Some kids breaking your fence? Taxes rising? The grocery store running out of stock so fast even though we have such a low population? What's up with that?"

Mingyu only watched as Jihoon nodded at every point Soonyoung made like they were very important, and he stayed still in his seat when Seungcheol growled.

Damn. That was a better growl than Mingyu could do.

The compliment didn't stay in his brain for long. Not when Seungcheol had pointed straight at him.

"I'm being serious," Seungcheol said. "People like him. They're getting in. Weakening us."

People like Mingyu?

Did Seungcheol know?

Did they all know?

Mingyu shrunk in on himself as if he could hide his big body.

A voice he didn't expect to say anything spoke up from next to Mingyu's ear.

"Mingyu couldn't hurt a fly."

Mingyu blinked at Wonwoo. Wonwoo had just defended him. Wonwoo.

However, it did nothing but make Mingyu dip his head down in even more shame. The tone of Wonwoo's voice hadn't left room for argument, but that didn't mean he wasn't wrong. He was wrong. Mingyu hadn't hurt any flies, but he was capable of inflicting pain. So much more than Wonwoo could imagine.

His stomach churned unpleasantly.

"How do you know that? He's different, he's not like us. He doesn't understand that this place needs balance or else it'll disappear."

Seungcheol was arguing properly now. He sounded angry. Mingyu didn't even know about what anymore. He just wanted to leave. He didn't understand how a place could suddenly disappear just because he was in it.

"Calm down," Jeonghan reached for Seungcheol's arm gently, "So what if he doesn't know? We can teach him. He's a good learner. Miss Dalnim said so."

If Seungcheol was the brawn, Jeonghan seemed to be the brain.

Still, it wasn't enough to make Mingyu feel better.

He moved to stand up alone and quietly dismiss himself, but a second chair scraped too.

"I'll walk him out," Wonwoo bowed his head, and then made for the door.

Mingyu knew to follow him, but he stopped to address the others first. They had invited him; it would be rude to just walk away.

"It was nice to see you all." The truth. "Thanks for having me tonight. It was fun." A lie.

They all saw through it, clearly, they were all smarter than Mingyu. They knew what this place was, what this place needed.

They knew it clearly didn't need Mingyu. Still, they all smiled at him, albeit a little sadly.

Chan looked the worst, even mouthing "I'm sorry".

Mingyu shrugged at him with a small smile, because even though he probably wouldn't come back to a meeting, he would still see them all around town.

"You'll come back again," Seokmin said, as if he had read Mingyu's thoughts. "I promise. It'll be better next time."

Huh. Mind readers?

Maybe Wonwoo wasn't the only witch.

With a salute to the table in goodbye, Mingyu refused to look at Seungcheol as he headed out the door. He was surprised all over again to find Wonwoo waiting for him outside.

"Sorry about that," Wonwoo said when he saw him. "Seungcheol-hyung is like that. He's protective."

"You can say that again," Mingyu sighed.

Still. He squared up his shoulders and stood tall. He didn't need everyone in town to like him.

Just a select few. Okay, the majority.

Wonwoo quirked an eyebrow at him. "You don't have to posture, you know. I know he was wrong about you."

Posture? Shit.

"Sorry," Mingyu rubbed the back of his head. "Didn't mean to. Just been an odd day."

"Don't apologise. Want to talk about it?"

Did he? Maybe. Kind of. But maybe right now wasn't the best time.

"Maybe later," Mingyu sighed. "Are you going back inside?"

"Probably not tonight," Wonwoo shook his head. "If Seungcheol is in one of his moods, there isn't much for me to say."

"Are all the meetings like that?" Mingyu couldn't help but ask.

"Yes and no. Sometimes we really do talk business. Things have been different around here since...." Wonwoo flicked his eyes up to Mingyu.

Since his Aunt. She really had just affected everything and everyone around her, huh.

"Can I ask something really blunt?"

Mingyu waited for Wonwoo to nod before he continued.

"Why do a bunch of twenty-something year olds care so much about my Aunt?"

Mingyu felt bad asking that question, but the idea bugged him. He knew why his Aunt was special to him. She raised him, cared for him, looked after him, sculpted him to be the man he was today.

But she didn't raise all these people, did she? Soonyoung looked after her house, fine, but Mingyu didn't know any of them from when he was a child and came to this neighbourhood all the time.

Did he?

All this thinking gave him a headache.

"Sleeping beauty needs his sleep," Wonwoo said instead of answering his question.

Mingyu would have been annoyed, if not for the way Wonwoo's hand gently placed itself on his shoulder.

"I can't," Mingyu sighed, "I have to go to-- hang on, shouldn't you be working?"

Wonwoo blinked at him in surprise. "Working?"

Mingyu blinked back at him. "Your shack. The night market. You're not there."

"Oh." Wonwoo tilted his head. "I'm not needed there, so I'm not there."

"Not needed...." Mingyu's head really was hurting. "I don't get it. Don't you need to be paid?"

"After I got paid 149,000 won at the start of the week? I'm all set until next Monday."

"Yeah, I bet," Mingyu grumbled playfully, "What kind of idiot pays 149,000 won at a market these days."

"What kind, indeed."

They both stood in front of the town hall laughing softly at each other, and Mingyu realised that maybe he was wrong about the spell.

Or, if he was right, the spell didn't want to break yet.

Wonwoo was still pretty, and witty, and something else.

"Did you need anything from my stall?" Wonwoo asked when he had sobered up.

Mingyu shook his head, "I don't think so. I still have some oil left. The candle burned out, though."

"Did you like the candle?"

"It was sweet," Mingyu smiled. "I didn't mind the smell."

"But I could do better?" Wonwoo guessed.

"You're the expert, not me."

Another laugh from Wonwoo was worth the awkward meeting. Mingyu would come every week just to hear his laugh. But did he have weeks left to spare?

He figured it didn't matter. He was an adult with a car. Even if he stopped housesitting, he could still drive here and visit everyone. He liked this place and the people in it.

They made him feel warm.

He watched as Wonwoo righted himself and squinted his eyes. He did look like a cat. He almost reminded Mingyu of that tabby.

Though Wonwoo seemed more like a black cat than a ginger one.

"As much as I would like to just stand here and look at you, I should probably head back home," Wonwoo eventually said.

To his credit, he did sound reluctant to leave. Mingyu's heart fluttered.

Mingyu wondered why Wonwoo needed to be home. Was he done talking to Mingyu and just needed to think of an excuse? What did witches and scammers get up to in their own time?

Maybe he had family at home. Or god forbid, a partner. The thought sunk Mingyu's stomach. He decided not to dwell more on that.

Before Wonwoo could bid him a permanent goodbye, Mingyu reached for his arm to catch him like he was scared of letting Wonwoo leave him like this. Wonwoo paused, and Mingyu cleared his throat and righted himself immediately.

He was not crazy. But he said something crazy.

"Come to my Aunt's house tomorrow."

Wonwoo just continued to stare at him. Was this bad? He couldn't tell. Wonwoo hadn't gone back inside to set their leader on him, so he couldn't be that mad at him.

He figured he might as well land the shot he took.

"I'm here to sort through my Aunt's things, and it's not going so great. I'm just really busy with work, or I'm really tired, or I'm not tired but I'm full of energy and I can't concentrate to just get the tasks done. The living room is full of boxes and I'm sure the attic needs sorting too and I want to have it all done by this weekend so my parents don't ask me any more questions, but I really don't want to do it alone."

There. It's all out now. Mingyu had been told by so many people that he was too much, but ever since he felt his own light dim from insecurities, he never wanted to make that anyone else's problem.

He gave himself a chance with this. With Wonwoo.

Please. Please don't laugh.

Wonwoo did open his mouth, but it wasn't to laugh at him. Instead, he seemed almost dazed.

"I think I caught most of that. You were talking really fast."

Oh. Right.

"Sorry," Mingyu said automatically, "I have a lisp."

"You say sorry a lot," Wonwoo observed. "It's okay. Sorry, I'm bad with directions. Where does your Aunt live?"

And with that one question, Mingyu was back to bouncing on his toes again.

"I could give you my number, and I'll text you?"

The words seemed to make reality dawn on Wonwoo's face, like he had only just realised what he had inadvertently agreed to. Maybe Mingyu jumped too far ahead, again. Always running. Never getting to a finish line.

"Sure," Wonwoo said slowly, "I have nothing else to do tomorrow. Why not?"

Mingyu almost lifted into the air with the force of his bounces as he got out his phone.

Why not, indeed.

He didn't even notice his sleeves had ridden up and had exposed his forearms.

~~~

As he pulled into his driveway, a blur in his vision caused Mingyu to park extremely carefully. He could be wrong, but he swore that was his new best friend.

He grinned as he got out of his car and started playfully clicking his fingers into the night.

A meow confirmed his suspicion, and the stray cat came running to him from under the fence and nudged her face against his fist. Mingyu cooed at her softly and watched as she brushed up her entire side against his leg. He briefly wondered if the world was right about the unbalance between cats and dogs.

Maybe they weren't enemies, maybe they were two different sides of nature that complemented each other.

He felt guilty that he didn't have anything to feed her though. He knew you weren't supposed to feed stray cats, but Tabby was practically his already.

Surely there were no laws against catnapping?

With a sigh, Mingyu rose from his knees and clicked his tongue. It got her attention again, but she seemed to get the idea that it was time to part ways.

Maybe they were both psychics.

Or maybe they were both tired.

Mingyu certainly was tired, which was why he needed to go upstairs to bed. He tried to be a night owl so bad, because he knew the energy of the moon was the rawest form of energy there was. But his head was too droopy, and his eyes struggled to stay open.

Tabby meowed at him in goodbye and ducked under his car to perhaps get some sleep for herself.

He made a mental note to check underneath his car in the morning before work.

~~~

Mingyu made the last-minute decision to tidy up what he could before he needed to pass out in bed. He didn't need to deal with the big things, just the little things. Like the clutter in the kitchen. Or anything on the tables in the living room. Mingyu didn't want Wonwoo to think he lived in a cluttered home. Even if this wasn't his home. Cluttered home, cluttered mind. He had almost revealed how messy his mind was during his little rant to get Wonwoo to come help him, but he didn't want to slip up again. Wonwoo needed to know Mingyu functioned properly.

Luckily, his Aunt had a lot of stuff, but she wasn't messy. She stored things neatly and everything had a place. It was like she treated her world mathematically; everything was perfect and not a single angle was off. It was how the moonlight could bounce off of every reflective surface to proudly display each room.

Science or magic?

Before the bite, Mingyu would have said science. Now he was never too sure.

Wonwoo was magic, he had to be. Mingyu made himself another mental note, this time a promise to himself to ask about Wonwoo's potions that he had on his stall. His burlap bags had herbs. Normal. Candles were normal. Incense was normal. Rocks were also normal. Nothing screamed magical on paper, even if it smelled like rain and looked enchanted.

But the bottles weren't explained by science. Unless he had made them in a science lab and really was about to sell Mingyu poison. They were definitely potions, though. Mingyu was right about that. He just needed to know more. If he was going to be sticking around, which he wanted to do, then he would have to learn. Jeonghan had said so.

Mingyu wanted Seungcheol to know he was serious. About this little neighbourhood and the people inside it. Besides, he was a little magical too. He wasn't good magic. He was cursed magic. But still. Mingyu was so sure it still counted.

With renewed vigour, Mingyu finished making the house look presentable, and he retired to the kitchen for a midnight snack. He would eat, go to bed, do a half day at work, and then come home and greet Wonwoo. He would finally get those boxes sorted for his parents. Speaking of Wonwoo, Mingyu opened up his phone as he stood at the kitchen counter, and he grinned as he opened up the new contact he had in there.

To: Wonwoo-hyung
From: Mingyu
Hey! This is Mingyu. Don't forget about tomorrow!!
Goodnight, hyung~

To not seem too eager, Mingyu put his phone back in his pocket and went upstairs to get ready for bed. He brushed his teeth, tried to do something about his hair, and applied some more of his oils.

He really didn't know if they were working, but he might as well use them until they ran out. He didn't have to buy them again. And they were definitely making his skin feel better, if not his restless body.

A quiet buzz in his pocket made Mingyu check his phone as he walked to his bedroom. He wasn't the type of person to bury himself in his phone whilst in bed. It was a trap that kept him from sleep, and he loved his sleep.

Though he had a feeling he would be falling into that trap more and more now.

Especially with what the buzz represented. Mingyu's heart practically flew out of his chest.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo-hyung
Good night, Mingyu. Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow

The oils had to work overtime to get him to go to sleep.

~~~

Unfortunately, after tossing and turning his body left and right on top of his mattress, Mingyu had to face the reality that he was not going to get any good sleep tonight. No matter how long he tried to stay still, it didn't work to lull him unconscious. The moonlight that streamed through the gaps in his curtains made sure of that.

Mingyu chanced a glance at his phone to check the time and flopped back onto his mattress in defeat.

It was only midnight. It had felt like Mingyu struggled to get to sleep for hours. He couldn't carry on like this.

He knew the moon was calling him, and of course at witching hour of all times. If only he knew what the moon wanted from him, he would gladly give it. But hadn't he given enough of himself to the moon already? At what point did it become enough?

A quiet meow pulled him out of his misery, and he slowly slipped his palm from his face to dangle over the edge of his bed.

He wasn't awake enough to want to move, but the meowing hadn't stopped.

There was a second one, then a third one. Then purring. Damn his super senses for being able to hear that.

Mingyu knew he was a curious creature, and if he wasn't going to get to sleep anyway, he figured he might as well check out the local cat gossip. It seemed like all anyone did in this town was gossip.

Mingyu clearly wasn't any better, because he pushed his feet onto the carpet to catapult himself to his window. Only, instead of finding a row of cats talking to each other on his fence, he saw a hooded figure crouched in front of his Aunt's gate. Mingyu pulled back his curtains to try and squint further into the night, until eventually he bit the bullet and unlocked his window to open it.

The sound of the lock didn't alert the figure, nor the cat which Mingyu could now spot from leaning so far out of his window. At least he knew the guy in the hoodie wasn't the one meowing. People in this neighbourhood were strange, but not that strange.

The cat seemed to eventually see how stupid Mingyu looked from hanging out his window, and the figure stood up and turned his head.

What were the chances.

"I told you to come round tomorrow," Mingyu half shouted into the night, disregarding his neighbours, "Midnight doesn't count, hyung."

Mingyu luckily had great night vision, or else he would have missed the flashes of micro expressions that Wonwoo's face flitted through. One of surprise, then recognition, and then scepticism. He didn't miss the way Wonwoo's eyes flitted down to Mingyu's bare torso before he met his eyes again. The gaze was so light that Mingyu didn't think anything of it. He knew Wonwoo wouldn't be able to see the scar there anyway; Wonwoo was too far away, and the night sky would have masked it.

"What are you doing here?" Mingyu tried again.

Wonwoo quite literally kept him hanging and only hung his arm loosely by his side as he gestured to the cat.

"Did the cat bring you here?" Mingyu asked.

Wonwoo remained unresponsive. That wouldn't do.

"Wait there, don't leave!" Mingyu called and then rushed to put on a long-sleeved shirt before he ran downstairs to throw open his front door.

Luckily Wonwoo was still stood there, though the cat seemed to have disappeared.

This time, Wonwoo spoke first. "I didn't know this was your Aunt's house. I should have guessed."

"That's okay," Mingyu shrugged. "At least you know for tomorrow."

Mingyu couldn't be sure, but he thought Wonwoo blushed under the light of the dark sky.

"I'm guessing the oils and the candle really didn't work, if you're awake," Wonwoo said softly.

He almost sounded genuinely disappointed. Mingyu quickly tried to make him feel better.

"No, no, it wasn't their fault. This happens sometimes. Usually at midnight. The moon is at its strongest around this time."

"And that affects your sleep?" Wonwoo tilted his head, dislodging his hood that was now crooked on his head.

Mingyu mindlessly reached out to fix it. He smiled when he realised Wonwoo had leaned into the action. "Some nights. It's worse when the moon is waxing."

Wonwoo seemed to consider him a moment. "I'll pretend to know what that means. I'm sorry for waking you up though. I... Couldn't sleep."

Mingyu flashed him a bigger grin, "Your products don't work even for you, huh? I knew you were a scammer."

"And yet you still bought my products," Wonwoo boasted.

"Yeah, well," Mingyu shrugged. "The vendor was cute."

Wonwoo definitely blushed now. Mingyu could see it up close. He wondered if Wonwoo still used his own essential oils even if they were useless; his skin looked just as soft as Mingyu's.

"I probably shouldn't keep you up any longer," Wonwoo murmured softly, "You have work."

"Don't you?" Mingyu shot back.

"I'm somewhat of a freelancer. I don't have set hours."

"Translation. You sleep all morning and then work late into the night."

"Guilty."

"But the question is this, are you a freelancing scam artist or a freelancing magician?"

"Magician?" Wonwoo wrinkled his nose. "You've demoted me. Minghao told me you accused me of witchcraft, not cheap tricks."

"Traitor!" Mingyu gasped, "I knew Minghao was a talker."

Wonwoo shook his head with light laughter, but he turned his upper body like he knew he was going to have to leave.

Mingyu tried desperately not to let that happen.

"Do you need me to walk you home?"

"In a ripped shirt and boxers?" Wonwoo made the slow move of looking his body up and down.

Mingyu frowned down at his legs. Okay, yeah. Maybe not in boxers.

"It's scary at night," Mingyu tried to protest weakly.

Wonwoo seemed to soften in front of him, and he ducked his head to gently bring Mingyu's eyes back to his own.

"I made my way here, I can make my way back."

"But I don't want to go back to bed yet."

It was a confession so true that he had to whisper it into the night like he was ashamed, and Mingyu broke eye contact again like he was a child scared to be scolded. Mingyu had insisted to Wonwoo that he was a grown up, at twenty-six years of age. And yet he didn't sound like it.

"Alright, big guy," Wonwoo gently pulled on Mingyu's arm as if that would restart him again. "Put on some clothes first. I wouldn't want you to freeze halfway."

Mingyu pouted, "You'd warm me up."

Wonwoo hummed as he squeezed Mingyu's arm gently, as if he was assessing. "No, you're warmer. You're like a heater, Mingyu, no wonder you can't get to sleep."

"Maybe you'll just have to sell me ice packs next time," Mingyu quipped, his metaphorical tail wagging again.

He always got emotional whiplash around Wonwoo. Maybe he had to just get used to it.

"Sell you ice? That really would be a scam. Come on, put some shorts on and I'll think about it."

Mingyu nodded and did just that.

~~~

"How far do you live?"

"You can go back if you're too tired to walk me all the way."

"My Aunt didn't raise a quitter, hyung."

"No. I guess she didn't."

The two of them walked the circular streets of the neighbourhood together, and the company was comfortable. Mingyu felt satisfied, like he was meant to be here right now, and not be fast asleep in bed. He was suspicious of witching hour though. Wonwoo clearly wasn't being too careful about keeping his identity hidden. He didn't have a hat, a wand or a broom on hand, but Mingyu could smell rain again, and he was so sure that it hadn't been raining when he got in last night. Maybe Mingyu was over thinking again and Wonwoo just liked cologne that was scented like the rain.

Was that a thing? He tried to sniff in Wonwoo's general direction, but he didn't want to be caught acting like a creep.

Wonwoo seemed relatively distracted though; he was staring at the hedges that lined the houses they were walking by, his fingers barely outstretched, but his pinkie kept catching on the stray branches.

The scent wasn't strong enough, so Mingyu deduced that Wonwoo hadn't just sprayed it before going on his nightly walk.

"Do I have something on my face?"

Mingyu blinked. Oh. Wonwoo no longer faced the hedges; he was looking right back at him.

"No, sorry," Mingyu quickly caught himself. "I was just thinking."

"Don't let it hurt," Wonwoo smiled, and Mingyu helplessly trailed after him.

"You do live far," Mingyu accused.

"You're a big baby, you know that, right?"

Mingyu didn't want to admit it, but he didn't like it when he didn't understand something. This place was special, he knew that, but he was getting a little tired of not being fully in the loop. He knew deep down that it wasn't his place. But Chan was right; he had technically grown up here. Surely, he had a right to be in the know of just what kind of magic this place possessed. A kind of magic Mingyu hadn't found anywhere else.

"I swear we've just been walking in circles. You're just waiting for an opportunity to conjure up a house when I'm not paying attention."

"I could have done that earlier when you were staring at me."

"So you agree that you're stalling just to keep walking with me?"

That seemed to make Wonwoo pause. He regarded Mingyu carefully before he eventually sighed.

"I work with plants, Mingyu. The earth. I channel energy into all things natural, and I make tonics and charms, and I help people with ailments they think they have. It's placebo. I can't conjure houses."

"It's not placebo." Mingyu refused to believe that. "We've been walking in circles. This neighbourhood is a circle. You smell like rain and feel like comfort. You make potions. Minghao and Jun's café is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. You all just disappear on your own whim."

"You haven't slept," Wonwoo accused softly. "And I'm not special."

Mingyu shook his head so hard that he feared it would fall off.

"You're the most special, Wonwoo."

Wonwoo frowned, like he just couldn't believe that. That was alright. Mingyu would help to get him there.

"Let's get you home," Mingyu sighed.

As if by magic, Wonwoo made them pass through a side gate between two houses, and they came across a red bricked building in an alleyway.

It was tall with three layers, but the layers were crooked, like they weren't stacked neatly on top of each other. The roof looked worn but stable, and on top of the front garden's fence to greet them was Tabby.

Traitor.

"Try and get some rest when you get home, you'll need it for tomorrow."

It was a generic goodbye, but Mingyu was too mentally exhausted to push more out of Wonwoo.

"And how do I get home?"

Wonwoo looked almost guilty, "Go out the alleyway, and then take a left."

Mingyu didn't remember taking a right into the alley, but Mingyu didn't want to start an argument.

The walk really did tire him out.

"Goodnight, hyung."

Mingyu turned away to leave, but Wonwoo caught his arm again before he could.

"Thank you. For walking me home."

Now it was Mingyu's turn to blush, "Anytime, hyung."

The walk back was a blur, but he seemed to find his Aunt's house far quicker than it took to get to Wonwoo's.

Definitely magic.

Chapter Text

"You're distracted."

The voice pulled Mingyu out of his half-alert brain, and Mingyu glanced up to find Seungkwan half leaning over the scaffolding above him. Seungkwan had his eyes narrowed like he was scrutinising Mingyu and all his ancestors, and he hoped that out of all of them, he could see if his Grandma and his Aunt were okay. Mingyu definitely wasn't. But if Wonwoo wasn't a witch, sometimes it felt like Seungkwan was. He just seemed to have knowledge about everything and everyone. Though, maybe that was just because he certainly had a knack for gossip.

Kind of like Soonyoung.

Mingyu didn't know whether to smile or frown at how easily his work life and home life all merged together in his head. It felt like a good thing. It felt like he was starting to see his Aunt's neighbourhood as home instead of here in the city. He just didn't know if he would ever be welcome there permanently. He promised himself to work it out. He didn't do things by halves.

"I can't tell if you're still thinking, or if you're just ignoring me."

Right. Seungkwan.

"Sorry," Mingyu said sheepishly, and he wiped his dusty hands on his jeans. "I'm just feeling a little anxious."

"You?" Seungkwan's eyes bulged. "Anxious?"

"I can be anxious," Mingyu huffed.

"Says the guy who collects random strangers from the streets like they're pets."

"I didn't say it was social anxiety," Mingyu frowned. "It's just... Remember I'm housesitting at the moment? I have to go back tonight and finally clean out all my Aunt's old boxes."

Seungkwan eyed him carefully. Mingyu decided it was best if he looked away; he didn't want to look at the pity he would be given.

"And that's giving you anxiety?" Seungkwan asked softly.

Mingyu shrugged. Maybe he shouldn't have brought it up. Seungkwan was right; Mingyu usually wouldn't describe himself as anxious. He was scared of things; he'd openly admit that. Of big heights, of bugs, of a Full Moon. He wasn't immune to fear. He just didn't like to think about why he felt so sweaty and nauseous about it.

Maybe his dad was right. Maybe he was beating himself up over just some old junk.

Or maybe that's why he was anxious. Over the thought of his parents not wanting to sell the house because they felt some kind of attachment too, but not enough attachment to care about the fate of his Aunt's things. He didn't understand why they didn't care as much as him. Why they didn't love her as much as he did. They would throw her things in a skip immediately or take them to a charity shop without any thought.

Mingyu understood the idea of giving up things that meant nothing to you, and then those things would be treasured the way they deserved by someone better. Maybe that was also why he was anxious. He knew he was not the best person to inherit his Aunt's life; her study was her sanctuary, her safe space. Mingyu only ruined things. He would ruin that too.

He hadn't realised that his eyes were wet until he felt a pair of arms around his upper body in a surprise hug. Immediately, Mingyu leaned down to push his head against Seungkwan's shoulder with a muffled sob, and those arms tightened around him.

It had been far too long since someone had held him.

"I'm sorry," Seungkwan whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Yeah. Mingyu was too.

~~~

Mingyu had planned to leave work early today anyway, but he hadn't expected to leave at 10am. Both Seungkwan and Vernon promised to cover for him, and he felt grateful for being practically shoved out of the site. He liked his work, and he liked his coworkers, and as nice as it had felt crying in someone else's arms, he needed a moment to process those emotions on his own. He still hadn't been able to cry privately. He wondered why he couldn't seem to get the tears out when he was alone.

It didn't matter. Mingyu got into his car and started his journey back to his Aunt's house. It did, however, mean he was trapped when his car started ringing. Mingyu frowned at his screen that lit up with his mother's contact on it, and Mingyu winced as he pressed the answer button.

"You promised you'd keep in touch," her voice said immediately.

So much for having a moment alone.

"I'm alright, mama, thanks for asking. How are you and dad? How are Minseo's exams going? Any new boyfriends yet?"

His mother's voice softened, "You only spoke to Minseo a few days ago, don't be so dramatic."

"Hypocrite," Mingyu called out cheekily. "I only spoke to you a few days ago too."

"And I told you to message me."

"I know. I'm sorry."

The car was silent for a few more moments, until eventually he heard his mother sigh.

"Do you need help?"

Help?

"With the house."

Ah.

"No." Mingyu didn't let the fact that she couldn't see him keep him from frowning. "I'm fine. A friend's coming over tonight to help me. I told you it would be done by this weekend, and it will be."

"A friend?" her voice perked up.

"Yes, he's going to make sure I get it done. No more stalling."

"I'm glad you're making friends there, sweetheart. They're all nice people."

Mingyu wondered if she knew. About what these people actually were. What the neighbourhood actually was. Maybe she did. Maybe she had kept it from him on purpose. She was part of the genetic line too, right? Unless his Grandma and Aunt kept it from her as well. Or maybe it was just his Aunt. Maybe she had gained her powers from a stranger, and it had nothing to do with their actual family. Just how Mingyu gained his claws from a stranger too.

Fortunately, something caught the corner of his eye.

Garden of Wonders.

Quickly, Mingyu turned on his indicator.

"I'll keep you updated about the house," Mingyu promised, "But I have to go now. When are you and dad visiting?"

"How about this Sunday? Maybe Minseo would like to visit too."

"Bring her anyway," Mingyu grinned. "See you guys later. Love you."

"Love you too, dear."

~~~

If a garden centre could be the equivalent to a greenhouse, Mingyu thought that this would be it. The building looked unassuming from the outside, but the netted windows were large over the worn brick of the building, and the glass roof met at the top in a soft curve. One step inside the building made Mingyu feel like he had just walked into a sauna. When his blood already ran so warm, this felt like it was pushing his limits.

Mingyu knew the heat wasn't there to mock him. It was for the plants. And there were lots and lots of plants. Each archway was framed with climbing ivy, and the ceiling had its own decor with short and long hanging ropes that held little pots of cacti at the end. The tables that displayed bouquets and outdoor plants alike looked like they were made out of raw wood. The quality of the tables seemed to get better the more Mingyu walked along the halls of foliage, as if someone had started to make their own tables for the first time and then had gotten better as they perfected their craft.

He didn't know what he was looking for in particular. He had wanted to get away from his mother's call and felt like stretching his legs was a good idea. Besides, Soonyoung had recommended to come here.

Maybe the real reason he decided to check this place out came in the form of the person who was carrying three boxes in front of Mingyu.

Mingyu bounced over with a smile.

"Need any help?"

The person stopped moving, as if he was deciding if Mingyu had spoken to him or someone else, and then the boxes were nudged to the side and Jihoon's eyes peeked out from behind them.

"No," Jihoon said when he recognised Mingyu, "But you can walk with me and open the doors."

Mingyu nodded and fell into step alongside him, "You heading to storage?"

Jihoon hummed. Though, other than that, he wasn't a great conversation partner. Mingyu decided that was okay; he had the opportunity to look at more displays until eventually they came up to a pair of metal doors, and Mingyu dutifully held them open.

Before he could step inside with Jihoon, Jihoon stopped him.

"Employees only."

Oh. Mingyu refused to look like a kicked puppy. Though maybe he didn't succeed, because Jihoon only laughed when he came back out empty handed, and could clearly see Mingyu still stood by the door pouting.

"Wonwoo was right. You are cute."

Mingyu's metaphorical ears twitched up in surprise.

"Wonwoo talked about me?" Wonwoo thought he was cute?

"Once or twice."

That's all Mingyu got before Jihoon started walking away with purpose. Obviously, he was working, but Mingyu's feet followed Jihoon around the garden centre on their own accord anyway.

He was not a puppy. He refused to accept that.

But he could accept that he was cute.

"What else does he say about me?" Mingyu persisted.

"That you're bad with money.”

"I buy from him one time..."

Jihoon glanced back at him for a moment, before he moved to look straight ahead again.

"I wouldn't worry about Wonwoo," Jihoon said eventually. "He doesn't get attached to people easily. Or, he does. He just doesn't like to admit it sometimes. He's a big softie on the inside. He likes you."

Wonwoo liked him.

Jihoon made sure Mingyu watched when he gave him a pointed look this time though. It seemed to say 'don't screw it up'.

Mingyu looked away in shame. He always screwed things up. He was a walking accident.

"What are you here for, anyway?" Jihoon's voice lightened again. "Need a housewarming gift or something?"

A housewarming gift didn't sound bad. Was it a housewarming gift if you bought it for yourself?

"I got let off of work early. Figured I'd take Soonyoung's offer of a neighbourhood tour. Where is Soonyoung?"

"Working," Jihoon shrugged. "One of our neighbour's fences fell down, so he's fixing it."

"Soonyoung really keeps this place afloat then, huh?" Mingyu mused.

"Yeah. This place wouldn't be the way it is without him." This time Jihoon's voice was more than soft, and he was definitely smiling.

Mingyu hadn't seen Jihoon smile like that before.

Mingyu's eyes fell back onto the displays as they continued to walk, "Did he make them too?"

Jihoon followed his gaze and Mingyu watched as Jihoon took in the sight of the wooden tables.

"He did." Jihoon nodded, and a spark of pride lit up his eyes. "He insisted that everything could and should be handmade. I told him he was an idiot. That we couldn't build up a garden centre from scratch. He proved me wrong."

Something within Mingyu ached.

"Does he do that a lot? Prove you wrong?"

"All the time." Jihoon's voice was gentle in its confession. And then he grinned playfully at Mingyu, "But don't tell him I said that."

Mingyu pressed two fingers against his forehead, "Scout's honour."

~~~

Mingyu was sent home with a bouquet of white roses and baby's breath. The all-white creation was perfect for his Aunt's living room; white went with everything, but it would go especially nicely with the blue and grey tint of the room. Call him an interior designer, he knew his stuff. He definitely didn't purchase the bouquet because Jihoon just so happened to mention that it was a combination of Wonwoo's favourite flowers.

Okay, so he was an interior designer and a romantic. What was wrong with that?

Only, when he eventually bullied his way through his front door and made his way into the living room to display his new flowers, he was confronted with reality. The bane of his current existence. The three boxes. Mingyu frowned.

He moved around the boxes to place his bouquet on the coffee table, which was spaced equally between the couch and the fireplace, and took a step back to survey his new purchase. Not too big that it made the table feel top heavy, but not too small that it looked dainty and out of place. Perfect. Mingyu couldn't be happier. Well. He could be happier. He could be happier if he didn't have to decide what he was going to keep and what he needed to throw away. A part of him wished Minseo was here, because at least she understood. She understood that Mingyu was sometimes sensitive and unreachable, but she also understood why. He always felt supported when she was around. He hoped she'd come to see him on Sunday.

Mingyu sighed. He couldn't stall any longer. He checked his phone and saw that Wonwoo had messaged him, telling him that he'll be coming round at 2pm. He wondered if Wonwoo could come round any earlier now that he was home. He decided not to ask. He was an adult; he didn't need a babysitter. Instead, Mingyu might as well be useful. If he congregated all of his Aunt's belongings that were on the line to be thrown out in one area, then it would be less work for Mingyu and Wonwoo to do later. That meant he had to go into the attic to see if there was anything left up there, and then he could carry them down and put them in the living room.

If all his problems coexisted in one room, it might feel less overwhelming. He wasn't cleaning a whole house, then. He was just cleaning out one single room. Mingyu could do that. He was great at cleaning. His apartment was never messy; his clothes were always hung up, his dishes were always washed and put away, and his bins never overflowed. He could keep on top of one space.

Mingyu moved into action with a renewed sense of urgency. His thoughts seemed to just keep racing. If he gathered everything together in the living room quickly, then he would have time to make some lunch for himself and Wonwoo. Wonwoo didn't look like he ate a lot. Not that Mingyu was basing that off of much, Wonwoo just didn't seem like the type.

They had a job to do, but Wonwoo was still his guest. Food was a must. It was the one thing Mingyu always got right. His Grandma made sure of that.

Still. He had to be productive first before he went on his side quest.

The attic wasn't on Mingyu's "don't touch" list, but that didn't mean he was thrilled about having to go up there. He didn't see it as a space his Aunt treasured, mostly because his Aunt was so unapologetically herself that she would never hide or lock up any part of her passion or identity. No, this time, his fear had nothing to do with her. The attic was most probably the home of lots of spiders, and the less of those he had to see, the better. Mingyu didn't like spiders. And he didn't like attics.

Luckily, after he peeked his head up from the attic's ladder, he didn't come face to face with any creepy crawlies. He quickly snapped the light on, and the low glow of the room didn't expose any nasty surprises either. It was a small square boxed room, with one rocking chair in the corner, and some plastic tubs stacked on top of each other on the floor. Mingyu decided to just bring the boxes down. He had no need for a rocking chair; he could get rid of that later.

After snapping the light off again, Mingyu climbed down the ladder with the tubs in hand.

Now with all his eggs in one basket, Mingyu piled the boxes neatly in the living room to make it look less daunting. After looking at the three boxes and five tubs, Mingyu tried not to listen to the voice in the back of his head that suspiciously sounded like his father. The voice that told him that he was being dramatic, and childish, because eight containers shouldn't be the end of his world. But it felt like it.

The kind of feeling that was cold and hopeless.

Because why could his Aunt be summed up in only eight boxes? That didn't feel right. It didn't feel right that this was all she had left of herself, the only things that held her value.

Mingyu tried to think of anything else that would calm his racing heart. The only thing he could think of was her study. So much of herself was stuffed inside that room, that maybe not much else was left? That thought alone was the only thing that pulled Mingyu back from his impending panic attack.

Water. He needed water.

Mingyu stumbled into the kitchen and pushed open the window above the sink. Water and fresh air, and then maybe he would start to feel better. Besides, he could start cooking for himself and Wonwoo now. If he started immediately, then it would be done in time for when Wonwoo was due to arrive. A thought struck him just as he started to pull pots and pans from the cupboards, and he reached into his back pocket to retrieve his phone. He almost dropped it onto the tiled floor with how he was balancing everything else, but he caught it just in time. Mingyu couldn't help but grin to himself; he didn't usually have great reflexes.

To: Wonwoo-hyung
From: Mingyu
Any allergies?

It didn't occur to Mingyu that maybe Wonwoo wasn't glued to his phone and couldn't answer straight away.

Mingyu was left stood buzzing in the kitchen, his hands and balls of his feet moving to try and keep his energy contained.

Just as he was about to make a meal that was as safe as he could get, his phone buzzed with a notification.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo-hyung
??

Mingyu frowned. Maybe his message wasn't clear enough. After a moment though, he felt another buzz.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo-hyung
Sorry. Took me a minute. I don't have any allergies.

Mingyu grinned and got to work.

~~~

Just short of 2pm, Mingyu carried two bowls of steaming ramen to the dining table. He no longer had any spare ingredients in his fridge from his limited shop on Monday, so he made a mental note to go back to the grocers before his family visited. It also meant that he couldn't cook a redo if Wonwoo ended up not liking his food. Regardless, he was proud of his decision. The dish was simple but effective. Mingyu really hoped Wonwoo liked it. It was the best of himself that he could offer, and his ramen had never gotten any complaints before. He didn’t want to say that his palms were sweaty, but his heart certainly hadn’t stopped twinging since he panicked over the boxes in the living room. Or maybe the residue of his anxiety wasn’t about the boxes at all, but instead to do with the fact that Wonwoo would be here soon.

Bottom line, he needed to calm down.

He also needed to check his hair. He didn’t want to be vain, but he also didn’t want Wonwoo to open the door to the sight of Mingyu looking as he was feeling. He could be messy on the inside, but he liked to portray himself as put together on the outside. Mingyu disregarded the fact that Wonwoo had seen him with his hands dirty and not to mention had seen him in just a shirt and boxers. Wonwoo clearly knew Mingyu wasn’t put together. But that didn’t mean Mingyu just shouldn’t try.

Mingyu abandoned the ramen on the table and headed to the hallway to check himself out in front of the mirror that rested against the wall on top of the front door’s accent table. His hair seemed to just be getting longer, and he wondered if he should grab a hairband to tie it up. Would that make him look worse, or would Wonwoo excuse him for just wanting to be practical? Mingyu had too many thoughts and yet couldn’t make any decisions, and he just stood there for five stressful minutes until his phone buzzed from within his jean’s back pocket. Mingyu tore his eyes away from his sordid appearance and checked his messages.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo-hyung
I’m outside.

Mingyu blinked. So, Wonwoo wasn’t a knocker, huh? Mingyu grinned. How cute.

With one last tousle with his hand through his hair, Mingyu sucked in a breath and decided that Wonwoo would just have to deal with him the way he was. Overly long and dishevelled. Maybe he needed to learn how to let things like this go. Wonwoo knew Mingyu was struggling right now, his hair didn’t matter.

“You’re late,” Mingyu accused when he finally got the courage to open the front door.

Only, Wonwoo wasn’t stood directly in front of him. He was in front of the garden fence instead, his fingers gently stroking through Tabby’s fur.

Mingyu huffed. “That’s not fair, she’s mine.”

Wonwoo looked up and quirked an eyebrow at him, “I was here first.”

“You’re a scam artist and a thief,” Mingyu pouted, but he was glowing from the inside.

Wonwoo was no longer in a hoodie; this time, Mingyu was greeted with the sight of Wonwoo in a cardigan. The sleeves were long, so long that Wonwoo could only stroke Tabby with his fingertips because half his hands were covered by the material, and the soft cream colour made him look so unbelievably cozy. Mingyu knew it was all an illusion. He had felt Wonwoo’s hands last night, and he knew how cold they were. Maybe that was what the sweater paws were for. Mingyu didn’t even care that he was stood in his own doorway grinning like an idiot.

“Anyway, I’m not late,” Wonwoo said when he excused himself from Tabby’s company, “I said I’d get here for around two. Not exactly two.”

“Semantics,” Mingyu shook his head, but his smile hadn’t dimmed when he let Wonwoo inside.

Jihoon had told him that Wonwoo didn’t get attached to people easily, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care. But it did mean that Mingyu could see why Wonwoo might not necessarily be seen as a social creature. At least, Mingyu could deduce that from the fact that Wonwoo hadn’t moved an inch from the entryway even after Mingyu had automatically made his way into the dining room.

“In here, hyung,” Mingyu called. “Have you eaten?”

Slowly, Mingyu heard footsteps, and he turned to see Wonwoo hovering yet again in the doorway, his head tilted adorably. It was like he processed things in the moment, not a second too early.

Doubly cute.

“Come sit,” Mingyu gestured to the table as he sat down himself.

Maybe if he took action, Wonwoo would follow. Eventually, the idea of sitting down to eat the food that Mingyu had made for them had clicked in his head. Mingyu watched as Wonwoo eyed the ramen as he took his seat opposite Mingyu, and Mingyu nudged a bowl closer to him.

“You like ramen, right?”

Wonwoo curled his lips up into a bemused smile. “Who doesn’t like ramen?”

“So why are you looking at it like it’s going to eat you?” Mingyu teased.

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, but he did pick up the chopsticks that Mingyu gave him. “I just wasn’t expecting you to cook, that’s all.”

“I asked if you had any allergies,” Mingyu blinked at him. “What did you think that meant?”

“I don’t know.” Wonwoo glanced behind him towards the dining room door. “For emergencies, maybe.”

“Cute,” Mingyu voiced out loud, not even trying to hold it back.

Wonwoo turned back to his bowl of ramen, but he didn’t object. Mingyu wondered how many times Wonwoo had heard that about himself. Jihoon’s words and Wonwoo insisting he wasn’t special made Mingyu think that it had been too few. Mingyu would change that.

“I thought we were sorting out—”

“We are,” Mingyu interrupted, the thought of the boxes making him flinch. “Just, I thought we should eat first.”

This time it was Mingyu with his head bowed down stubbornly at his bowl as he felt Wonwoo’s eyes on him. He didn’t want to look. He wanted to pretend that he didn’t have responsibilities, and that he was allowed to just enjoy a meal with some company. Even back in his apartment, he couldn’t remember the last time he had a moment like this. Something light and comfortable. Meaningless, in a sense, but with the right person, it could be wonderful. A simple but comforting break in a world of pressure.

“Okay,” Wonwoo said softly, and that was that.

Mingyu tried to gauge Wonwoo’s expression when he took his first slurp of ramen, and he wasn’t disappointed by the way Wonwoo’s eyes immediately lit up after just the first swallow.

“This is amazing, Mingyu-yah, how did you get it so flavourful?”

Mingyu-yah. Mingyu practically melted into his seat.

“I have my ways.”

~~~

Mingyu couldn’t avoid the inevitable forever. After they had eaten and Wonwoo took the initiative to wash up – something Mingyu insisted he didn’t have to do – there was only one thing left to address.

The living room.

He thought that perhaps he could stall things further by offering Wonwoo a tour of the house, but even Wonwoo seemed to understand that Mingyu was running from his problems.

“It’s okay,” Wonwoo had told him, his hand on his arm again. “I’m here.”

Wonwoo seemed to touch him there a lot.

Mingyu knew that he shouldn’t feel this comforted by someone who was essentially still a stranger, but Wonwoo really didn’t feel like someone who Mingyu had only known for five days. It felt surreal. Maybe Mingyu did love too easily.

Or maybe it was the magic.

“I don’t know where to start,” Mingyu confessed.

Wonwoo smiled at him like he understood, like he wasn’t judging Mingyu for being afraid.

“We’ll start like this,” Wonwoo said softly, and then opened the living room door.

The shaky breath Mingyu let out should have been the warning sign he needed to take a moment to breathe outside. He didn’t want to panic in front of Wonwoo, even if Wonwoo did seem reasonably calm. He still didn’t want to show that side of himself so early on into their friendship. Still, he watched, almost mesmerised, by how Wonwoo moved. He didn’t move quickly, he never did, but he did walk with purpose. With one glance over his shoulder, Wonwoo beckoned him to follow. Mingyu was powerless to disobey. He took one step inside, and then another, and then another, until eventually Mingyu was side by side with Wonwoo, and the circle of boxes were right in front of them.

Mingyu didn’t understand why this was such a big deal to him now when he had mindlessly entered the living room only a few hours ago. Maybe it was because he knew he had stalled then, and now he had to break the seal. Speaking of breaking the seal, it would probably help if he had a knife on him to cut the cardboard boxes open. Before he could leave, a soft gasp beside him made him pause.

Mingyu glanced over at Wonwoo, only to find that Wonwoo wasn’t looking at the boxes. Instead, Wonwoo looked right at the coffee table.

“You got that from Jihoon’s.”

It wasn’t a question.

“The flowers?” Mingyu tried not to panic even more. “Do you not like them?”

Maybe Jihoon had lied to him. Maybe Wonwoo hated white roses and baby’s breath. Or maybe he hated the fact that Mingyu had gone to his friend’s place of work without notifying anyone first. Maybe Mingyu was yet again the problem.

Only, instead of a scolding, Wonwoo smiled.

“They’re my favourites,” Wonwoo shook his head. “Did Jihoon tell you that?”

Mingyu blushed. “Uh, what’s the right answer here?”

Wonwoo took one look at him and chuckled. Actually chuckled. It was deep, too. Deeper than any fear buried inside Mingyu could ever be. How could he be afraid, anyway? He had a witch beside him. A beautiful witch, with a beautiful laugh.

“They’re very pretty, Mingyu-yah.”

So are you.

“I thought they’d go with the space,” Mingyu rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. “Jihoon just, uh, pushed me in that direction.”

“I’ll have to thank him, then,” Wonwoo said, a certain twinkle in his eye.

Shit. Mingyu needed to get out of here before he did something stupid, like smush this cute boy’s cheeks with his hands.

“I’ll go grab a knife,” Mingyu excused himself, and he tried not to think about the feeling of Wonwoo’s eyes following him out.

After taking several breaths for himself in the kitchen, he grabbed a long knife and then forced himself to go back to the living room. He found Wonwoo still inside, though instead of looking at the flowers, he was knelt down on the floor, ready to get to work.

“Do you want a pillow?” Mingyu asked as he came to a stop beside him.

Wonwoo looked up with a small smile, “I’ll be fine, thank you. Come sit with me. You can show me your Aunt’s things.”

With a sigh, Mingyu sat down. Even though Mingyu had agreed to do this for his parents – for himself, really – it still felt far too soon. Still, he promised Wonwoo that he wasn’t a quitter. He refused to be one now.

“I don’t even really know what’s inside them,” Mingyu confessed.

“Well, let’s find out together.” Wonwoo gestured to the knife. “Do you want to, or shall I?”

It was such a simple question, but it made Mingyu’s heart feel lighter regardless. It meant that Wonwoo was in this with him, and if he couldn’t gather the courage to open them, Wonwoo would do it for him. Still. He needed to do this.

“I can do it. Let’s start with this one.”

Mingyu grabbed the biggest of the cardboard boxes and pulled it closer to both of them. With one long cut into the top of the box, Mingyu set the knife down and pulled open the flaps. With one look inside, Mingyu started to wonder what all the fuss was about. The size of the box didn’t equate to the size of the items inside, just the sheer amount of them. Mingyu pulled out several old broken clocks, around five different jewellery cases, and some mismatched sets of glassware. There were some deity statues inside too at the very bottom, and those felt more important to his Aunt. Mingyu wasn’t superstitious or spiritual, but she definitely was. Mingyu wouldn’t feel right about getting rid of statues that were a part of his Aunt’s identity and culture, but he didn’t particularly have a soft spot for clocks and jewellery.

Wonwoo seemed to care about the glassware though, because he scolded Mingyu for being careless when he set them down on the floor haphazardly.

“They’re crystal,” Wonwoo huffed, “Don’t be an oaf.”

Mingyu stuck his tongue out playfully, but he allowed Wonwoo to meticulously gather the glassware into a pile.

“Are they worth anything?” Mingyu felt he might as well ask.

“Of course,” Wonwoo shrugged, “But is that the point of this?”

This. Mingyu didn’t know. Mingyu wasn’t doing this for the money, though, he did know that.

“Not interested. My parents might be, though.”

Wonwoo nodded, probably adding the glassware into the ‘maybe’ pile in his head. Mingyu bit his lip to contain his smile; Wonwoo seemed invested. Mingyu couldn’t see anyone else sat beside him right now. Well, besides Minseo.

Minseo would love Wonwoo.

“Hey, earth to Mingyu.” Wonwoo waved his hand in front of him. “I said, did you want us to put them aside for later?”

“Oh.” Mingyu blinked. “Sure, yeah. I want to keep these though.”

He lifted one of the statues that was currently in his hand, and he tried to make out the markings to see if it was recognisable to him. He knew there were statues in his Aunt’s study, but not nearly as many as there were in this box. Maybe his Aunt kept these deities for her bedroom. Mingyu swallowed the lump in his throat like it was a pill he didn’t want to digest yet.

“That’s Hecate.”

Mingyu looked up. “Huh?”

Wonwoo gestured to the statue in his hand. “Hecate. The Greek Goddess? I learned about her once.”

“You read about Greek goddesses? Or did my Aunt teach you?”

The question was asked flippantly, Mingyu already gone back to rummaging through the big cardboard box for anything else that seemed important, but Wonwoo remained silent. Maybe he hadn’t heard the question, or he was busy with his glassware again. Though, the thought nagged Mingyu. He still hadn’t gotten to the bottom of why his Aunt was so special around here.

Wonwoo seemed to realise that Mingyu was looking to him for answers now, and Wonwoo simply looked down into his lap. He almost looked guilty.

“She didn’t teach me about Hecate,” Wonwoo said eventually.

Mingyu decided that it wasn’t good enough.

“So what did she teach you?”

“She taught me not to care.” Wonwoo was looking at him directly now, as if waiting for Mingyu to defy him and argue. “She taught me to believe in myself, and now I do.”

Mingyu’s mouth suddenly felt dry. To be taught to believe in oneself, by his Aunt of all people, he could relate. But he still didn’t understand. Maybe right now wasn’t the best time.

But if not now, then when?

Wonwoo seemed to move on quicker than Mingyu, because Wonwoo had picked up one of the statues of Hecate and was rotating it, as if to see who had made it. It didn’t matter to Mingyu; the artist wasn’t an issue, Mingyu wasn’t going to sell it.

“It’s junk.”

Wonwoo looked up sharply. “What?”

“It’s junk. My dad was right.”

“We’ve looked through one box,” Wonwoo frowned at him.

“Yeah, and I bet the others will be the same. Broken plates, dishes, statues, maybe some books. Jewellery.”

“You’re acting up,” Wonwoo told him, much like his mother would when Mingyu was a child.

“Open up the next one, then,” Mingyu challenged, “And we’ll see that I’m right.”

Wonwoo rolled his eyes. He grabbed the knife and pulled the smallest box towards them to open. Mingyu watched as Wonwoo pulled out stones and marbles. Check. Books. Check. Drawings. Check. Drawings of –

“My family,” Wonwoo read aloud, “By Kim Mingyu.”

Mingyu immediately reached out to snatch the drawing. He was confronted by two sides of him colliding in the middle, making his chest hurt and his stomach queasy. The A4 piece of paper had a rough sketch etched into it by the hands of an eight-year-old Mingyu. The picture was of this very house, with three figures stood at the door, labelled his Grandma, his Aunt, and his mother respectively. It also had a fourth figure that was supposed to be his father, and a small boy who had their arms wrapped tightly around his Aunt’s knees.

Mingyu had to blink twice to keep the wetness at bay.

“Junk,” Mingyu mumbled.

“You don’t mean that,” Wonwoo said softly.

Wonwoo wasn’t wrong. But it didn’t make him right.

“You were a good drawer for an eight-year-old,” Wonwoo mused.

Mingyu let out a wet laugh. “You should see the drawings I do now. I’m much better.”

“You draw?”

There Wonwoo went again. His damn head tilt. He was too cute, and he didn’t even know it.

“I didn’t want to be a labourer,” Mingyu confessed. “I wanted to be an architect.”

“Why didn’t you become one?”

Mingyu shrugged. He didn’t know. Lack of skill? Mingyu liked to think he was skilful enough. Lack of confidence? Minseo would say he had that in spades. After the bite, though…. Things were different. Mingyu was different.

“You’re only twenty-six,” Wonwoo kept talking. “You can still go for it, if you wanted.”

“I like my job.”

It was the truth. He couldn’t get greedy. Being greedy was what had gotten himself into this mess in the first place.

Wonwoo dropped the topic after that. He didn’t drop the idea of these boxes having junk though.

“These are runes,” Wonwoo told him as he gestured to the rocks in the box. “And these books, they’re journals. And these are tarot cards. They’re not junk. They’re a part of your Aunt; they meant something to her.”

The words seemed to spark something in Mingyu. He sat up straighter and took a handful of the rocks to squint at them. He didn’t understand runes.

“What are runes for?” Mingyu asked.

Wonwoo shrugged next to him. “For decoration, mostly.”

Mingyu wasn’t having that.

“And for witches?” he challenged.

He half expected Wonwoo to deny, deny, deny. Instead, Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at him.

“Divination.”

That was almost a confession. Mingyu was right. So why didn’t he feel good about it?

“Do you have runes?”

Wonwoo just looked away. “Not my division.”

Mingyu huffed. He had gotten nowhere.

“Not nowhere,” Wonwoo smiled. “Now you know you were right, and your parents were wrong.”

That made Mingyu brighten up a little. He loved to be petty. Besides, it was another confession. Maybe Wonwoo wasn’t a mind reader, but he could pick up on moods. He knew the vibes of what Mingyu was thinking, even if he couldn’t pick up on the thoughts word for word.

“We’ll keep the runes. And the journals.”

“What about the picture?”

Mingyu looked back down at the drawing briefly, but his eyes prickled again, and he had to look away.

“Throw it away.”

Mingyu chose to ignore the fact that Wonwoo did not immediately put the drawing in the throw away pile. He had bigger fish to fry. They still had one more cardboard box. He grabbed the knife and ripped it open, and his heart felt lighter for doing so. Maybe this was what grief was. You were supposed to make yourself uncomfortable to let the feeling go away forever. He only wished that it would be that simple.

Only, when he looked inside, the fire inside of him ignited again.

It was like looking at the scraps and leftovers of his Aunt’s study, the things that didn’t make the cut to make the room perfect and instead had to be shoved in a damp box like a hidden secret. There were old lunar calendars from years past, lunar themed cards and charms, some mystical candles, an old broken lamp. Underneath all that was a soft cotton blanket that Mingyu remembered from when he was younger; it was his favourite. It was big enough to wrap around his whole body like a cocoon, it was the best one to cuddle up in when napping with his Aunt in their forts. He carefully pulled out the blanket and subconsciously held it into his lap. Though, after one more look into the box, he wished he had kept the blanket inside. The blanket had covered up more statues, but this time instead of deities, they were a small collection of wolves. He knew he would regret picking them up for a closer inspection, but he did it anyway. He almost had to hand it to the artist; their expressions were carved out so clearly. The wolves had their eyes narrowed in aggression and their jaws pulled back to reveal sharp teeth. They didn’t look peaceful, they looked feral. Mingyu practically threw them back into the box as if the statues had somehow come alive to bite him again.

“Mingyu?”

Mingyu didn’t register the voice and instead had pushed himself back and had pulled the blanket around his torso, as if that would defend him and keep him safe.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.”

Mingyu broke out of his panic and looked up to find Wonwoo knelt over him, his hands hovered in mid-air as if he was about to hold Mingyu to comfort him but didn’t feel completely confident in doing so. Why wouldn’t anyone just hold him? For more than just a moment?

After the news of his Aunt passing away, no one had really asked if he was okay. Minseo had tried in her own way, but his parents had just assumed he would be fine. Mingyu was an adult, death happened all the time, why wouldn’t he be fine?

But Mingyu was not fine.

“I can’t,” he gasped, “I can’t do it. Take it away.”

Wonwoo looked at him in shock. He made no move to obey or disobey Mingyu’s demand.

Mingyu was desperate. “Please.”

Wonwoo slowly nodded, and he closed the last box. It couldn’t be sealed shut, but Mingyu would have to deal with it all again tomorrow anyway.

So much for being brave today.

He couldn’t get the look of those wolves out of his head. He knew they weren’t a direct representation of what he was, but it felt too damn close. Did she know? Did she really know he was going to turn into a monster just like them?

He was crying now. He could tell because he could taste salt on his lips.

“Who was she?” Mingyu’s voice was small, like he was back to being that eight-year-old.

Only not really, because that eight-year-old knew love, and wasn’t broken yet.

“Who?” Wonwoo asked softly.

Wonwoo had come to kneel next to him again, but he had kept his distance. Mingyu supposed that was his fault too.

“My Aunt. Who was she?” Mingyu choked. “Was she magical?”

Mingyu couldn’t tell, but Wonwoo’s eyes looked like they were misty too.

“The most magical,” Wonwoo whispered. “She loved all of us. She never judged us. Not for anything. She always made sure to buy from Jihoon’s business, she never forgot a morning coffee with Jun and Minghao, she treated Soonyoung like a grandson, she always indulged in Seokmin’s songs, and she always listened to Seungcheol and Jeonghan. She showed us that we could do anything. Love without fear, that’s magic, Mingyu. And she loved you the most.”

Mingyu sobbed into his palms like the ugly creature he was. Love without fear.

“I can’t. The boxes. Not anymore, not tonight.”

“Okay,” Wonwoo crawled closer. “Come here.”

“Hm?”

Wonwoo didn’t say it again. Instead, he gently took the blanket off of Mingyu’s lap. Before Mingyu could pry it back, Wonwoo pushed his legs to the side so Mingyu could have space to lean against him. Mingyu held himself there, unwilling to put too much weight onto Wonwoo in case it made him run away. To ease his rigidness, Wonwoo carefully brought the blanket around Mingyu’s back to secure him against Wonwoo's chest in a sheltered embrace, and Mingyu felt himself collapse. It was the safest he had felt in a long time. Safe like his blanket forts that never let any shame inside of them. Only love, and comfort, and peace.

He still needed to cry in private, but he supposed crying in someone else’s arms wasn’t a bad idea after all. Especially if those arms were Wonwoo’s.

Chapter Text

When Mingyu was younger, he always begged his parents for a trip to the park on the weekends. They would never let him after school on a weekday, but most Saturdays and Sundays turned into picnic trips to the nearest park. Sometimes his Grandma and Aunt would join them, but most of the time it was just Mingyu and his mother, Mingyu running through the fields with no care in the world. He didn't need the swings or the seesaw, even if he did enjoy climbing the jungle gyms and swinging on the monkey bars to expel his energy and satisfy his craving for adrenaline. But most of all, he just wanted to run wild. Preferably without shoes to feel the earth and mud underneath his toes, but apparently that stopped being cute once he had grown older than three years old. Still, running was his favourite thing to do. He didn't want to walk; walking was too slow. Walking was what his father did, always so far behind, never catching up to Mingyu's quick strides.

Young Mingyu loved the feeling of the breeze tousling his hair, almost creating a lion's mane in the wind. He loved cutting through the tree branches like actors would do in high action chase scenes, running from a predator and trying to escape at max velocity. Mingyu always wanted to see just how fast and far he could make it, but his mother always yelled at him for running away and going too far, for worrying her and giving her a heart attack. Mingyu never wanted to worry his mother. He never wanted to be one of the reasons that caused her stress.

Besides, whilst running through trees was one of his favourite past times, nothing beat sitting down on a crooked blanket to partake in the feast of a full picnic basket. His mother was a good cook, and she never held back any effort when putting together their lunch and little snacks. Everything was always home cooked and delicious, and Mingyu loved to settle his growling stomach before curling up on his closest guardian for a midday nap. Usually that was his mother, but sometimes it was his Aunt. He would fall to sleep with his head in his Aunt's lap and her fingers gently carding through his hair.

Mingyu was brought back to the present and out of his hazy memories by the hand that was currently patting through his hair right now, the hand that didn't belong to his mother or his Aunt, or even Seungkwan when he got too sentimental and Mingyu looked like a kicked puppy who needed some attention. Mingyu certainly felt like a kicked puppy right now, still pressed pathetically against Wonwoo's chest. Whilst he appreciated the comfort more than he would like to admit, he didn't want to make Wonwoo uncomfortable by making him hold him for too long. Mingyu was still an adult, even if adults were allowed to break down sometimes.

"Would you like a tissue?" Wonwoo asked through the haze.

Mingyu hummed in acknowledgement but ultimately decided that it would be for the best if he peeled himself away and got it himself. He didn't want Wonwoo to slave away for him. Wonwoo had already done so much for him today as it was, and they were still too new to each other. Wonwoo supposedly didn't get attached. Mingyu would hate it if Wonwoo stopped liking him because Mingyu always got too clingy too early.

"You don't have to move," Wonwoo protested gently, but Mingyu had already pulled away from the safe embrace of Wonwoo's arms.

"It's okay."

And it was. Mingyu wasn't a child anymore. He couldn't just run through the grass and call it freedom.

Mingyu made a move to stand up, only to be stopped when Wonwoo carefully grabbed his arm.

"I really don't mind," Wonwoo insisted.

"Well, I mind," Mingyu shot back. Then, he softened. "You just sit there and look pretty."

At least that brought a laugh out of Wonwoo. The witch – because he was definitely a witch –smiled up at Mingyu with a slight angle to his head, and Mingyu huffed fondly as he stood up properly.

"See?" Mingyu winked. "Pretty."

"Shut up," Wonwoo rolled his eyes, but he seemed pleased. "One of us has to be."

Mingyu faux gasped, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you look like a mess. Go get some tissue before I do it for you."

"You need to work on your threats," Mingyu grinned, but he didn't feel guilty leaving Wonwoo in the living room to go upstairs.

Most probably because he didn't have anything to feel guilty over; Wonwoo clearly thought trailing after Mingyu was more entertaining than staying put on the living room floor. Mingyu didn't mind, he liked the company. In fact, he liked the company probably way too much. Wonwoo didn't have to know that though. At least, not yet.

On their way to the bathroom, Mingyu pretended not to notice the fact that Wonwoo was looking around and taking in his surroundings instead of just staring straight at Mingyu’s back. Wonwoo took in every painting, every piece of décor on the accent tables in the corridors, every nook and cranny. It was cute, the way Wonwoo took in new information, like he was backing up data in his head, processing everything in the moment, perhaps with a slight lag. Mingyu had to bite his lip to stop himself from grinning, and he completely ignored the obnoxiously covered up mirror as he pushed open the bathroom door to collect a round of tissues for his puffy face and runny nose.

Of course, the mirror was something Wonwoo picked up on as well. Mingyu caught Wonwoo looking at it as he was wiping his eyes in the mirror above the sink. Despite Wonwoo sizing up the mirror, he didn’t outwardly make a comment about it. Mingyu silently thanked him in his head, and he quickly flushed away the used tissues to get them out of this room faster.

“I’m done,” he announced, hoping that would break Wonwoo out of his reverie.

It seemed to work, because Wonwoo tilted his head up towards him, and Mingyu couldn’t control his grin any longer. He didn’t want to admit it, but the primal part of him – the part he wished he could keep stuffed down inside of him, so deep it could never hope to resurface – happened to like the way Wonwoo had to ever so slightly look up at him. It fuelled his ego and flared up a feeling inside of him that he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in so long. Thoughts he shouldn’t be having about someone he didn’t know all too well, even if his brain has tricked him into thinking that he did.

“You’ve just…” Wonwoo’s deep timbre trailed off, and he slowly lifted his hand in the air, but he stopped moving before he could reach Mingyu.

Mingyu automatically leaned his upper body down a little, and that seemed to do the trick, because Wonwoo reached out more confidently now. He gently sifted his fingers through Mingyu’s unruly hair and made multiple attempts to soften the out-of-control wisps. Wonwoo had his bottom lip bitten between his teeth in concentration, and Mingyu tried to look anywhere and everywhere that wasn’t just Wonwoo’s lips, as inviting as they so obviously were. Mingyu really needed to get himself under control. If it wasn’t a mental breakdown over his Aunt and the hole her death had left in his life, it was a breakdown over how adorable and kissable Wonwoo was without even trying.

“I’m still a mess,” Mingyu guessed when Wonwoo’s fingers finally stopped moving.

They remained in his hair though; Mingyu was stuck hovering between bowing completely and standing up straight, and Wonwoo’s cold fingers were still tangled in his locks. As if Mingyu’s voice had shocked him like electricity, Wonwoo quickly pulled his fingers free.

“Sorry,” he said automatically, and Mingyu frowned.

“Don’t apologise,” he sighed, standing up straight again, “I kind of always look like this these days.”

Wonwoo sized him up, his teeth releasing his lip and retreating back inside his mouth. “It doesn’t look that bad.”

“So I don’t need to cut it?”

That made Wonwoo laugh, and he turned his body to walk away from the bathroom, “I didn’t say that.”

“So I do need a haircut?”

“Just a trim,” Wonwoo hummed, “I could do it for you, if you like?”

“With your hand tremors? I don’t think so,” Mingyu huffed.

Wonwoo looked down at his hands like he was trying to compute what Mingyu had just said, and Mingyu immediately tried to reassure him.

“Not that they’re a bad thing,” Mingyu tried to backtrack, “It’s just, you don’t really keep them still.”

Wonwoo blinked down at his hands and then blinked back up at Mingyu. “You noticed.”

“Of course,” Mingyu said, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck in a nervous tick.

The action caused Wonwoo’s eyes to flit to Mingyu’s flexed arm, and then he tore his eyes away from him completely. Still, before Mingyu could panic that he had made Wonwoo uncomfortable, the corners of his mouth twitched. Mingyu couldn’t read the expression, but it looked like Wonwoo was pleased. That maybe he liked the fact that Mingyu noticed things about him. Or maybe that was Mingyu’s imagination getting ahead of himself again. He needed to be calm, rational, and down to earth. All the things that he was so terrible at being.

“Come on,” Wonwoo said eventually, making Mingyu trail after him this time, “There’s no point hovering in the bathroom.”

Mingyu supposed he had a point. There was no reason to keep talking in the bathroom. There was no real reason for Wonwoo to still be here at all. Wonwoo had fulfilled his end of his promise; he helped Mingyu with looking through his Aunt’s boxes, and then Mingyu went and had a breakdown like the completely stable and sane adult he was. Wonwoo no longer needed to be here, especially because Mingyu really didn’t want to look in that last box again. They still had some plastic tubs from the attic, but Mingyu didn’t think his heart could take that right now.

Though, he wasn’t sure what his heart could take at all these days.

The point was, Wonwoo could just leave. He could say goodbye to Mingyu and Mingyu would have to stew all alone for the rest of the day and drown in the waters of his own failure. Minseo had warned him that he wouldn’t be able to do it, but he was too cocky, too determined, too desperate to show his parents that he wasn’t so pathetic anymore.

“Mingyu?” Wonwoo looked behind him.

He sounded worried. Mingyu tried to put on a faux smile.

“Come with me,” Mingyu said, grabbing Wonwoo’s wrist before Wonwoo realised that he could escape any time he wanted, “Let me show you something.”

Wonwoo blinked at him, but he didn’t pull away. Sometimes Wonwoo made it seem so easy. The flow between them was a current that buzzed through Mingyu’s every nerve, like just holding Wonwoo’s hand could heal the deepest roots that choked him daily. He knew that wasn’t true, that Wonwoo was just one man and couldn’t fix him, but this felt right. Wonwoo seemed to think so too, because he only nodded, and then followed Mingyu into his Aunt’s study.

“This was her favourite room,” Mingyu told him, almost like he was showing off his most treasured toy that no other kid was allowed to play with, but he was giving it to Wonwoo.

A part of Mingyu wondered if Wonwoo had already been here; apparently, however vague the answer was, his Aunt and Wonwoo had spoken to each other before. His Aunt had taught Wonwoo things about himself that Mingyu could only hope to know. But Wonwoo had told him that he didn’t know this was his Aunt’s house, so there was a chance that Wonwoo had never been here. From the way that Wonwoo’s eyes were wide as he stared at the whole picture that was this study, Mingyu had guessed right. Wonwoo hadn’t been here before. It then made Mingyu wonder just where and when did his Aunt and Wonwoo meet up, but maybe that was a question for another time.

Predictably, Wonwoo made a beeline straight to the mountainous bookshelves that made up his Aunt’s own personal library. The number of books were endless, and Wonwoo only had two hands, but he made a valiant attempt to collect as many as he could for a more thorough inspection. Mingyu watched fondly as Wonwoo took his pile and came to a stop at the coffee table in front of the two armchairs and gently put down his selection.

“How long do I have?” Wonwoo asked, his head seeking Mingyu out.

Mingyu’s heart stuttered at the sight, and he couldn’t help but exhale a small chuckle.

“As long as you want,” Mingyu shrugged, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Wonwoo nodded at him with a small smile, and then sat himself down on the right armchair, the one with his Aunt’s shawl draped across it. Mingyu stood there like he was frozen, like his feet didn’t want to move, especially not when he had the perfect sight from right where he was stood. Wonwoo all hunched over in the armchair, one hand adjusting his glasses, the other hand trailing across each title of the books that were half in his lap and half strewn on the coffee table.

After a few moments though, even a view as nice as this made Mingyu’s body thrum with impatience. He wasn’t someone who could just stand still for long periods of time. He was a restless creature.

“Are you hungry?” Mingyu asked, because he might as well be useful.

“Hungry?” Wonwoo lifted his head up again. “Didn’t we just eat?”

Mingyu shrugged, feeling a little hollow in the corner. “That was over an hour ago.”

“I’m not hungry yet,” Wonwoo dismissed.

Right. Mingyu took one long inhale and then exhaled slowly. He did that a few more times, trying to concentrate on his breathing, as if that act alone was enough to stop his body from wanting to move. Eventually, his fingertips joined the beat, continuously tapping his thighs to make a rhythm that sufficiently stimmed his brain. Clearly, the noise wasn’t appropriate for effective studying. Mingyu knew this because eventually Wonwoo huffed from his armchair.

“What are you doing all the way over there?” Wonwoo complained, “Come sit with me.”

Mingyu wrinkled his nose, mostly at himself, because why didn’t he think of that? Maybe he thought that his presence would disturb this newfound peace that Wonwoo had quickly immersed himself in. Still, if Wonwoo wanted to sit with him, Mingyu wasn’t going to refuse.

“Which one are you reading?” Mingyu asked as he finally made a move to sit in the other armchair.

He wasn’t sure how long he would be able to sit still like this either, but he wanted to try. Wonwoo was his guest, he didn’t want to run him out of his home already.

Wonwoo didn’t respond with words. Instead, he lifted the book he was reading so Mingyu could read its cover.

Ah.

“Moon Magic?”

Wonwoo’s lips pressed together like he was trying to hold himself back from smiling, or from making an obvious comment. He must know by now that Mingyu has so many questions, and this book was practically teasing him. Not this book itself; Mingyu has read it before. Or, well, the book has been read to him before. It still counted. No, it wasn’t the book. It was Wonwoo. How could he wave magic in front of his face and yet not tell him about it? Why was he so upfront about some things, and not at all about others?

Mingyu knew why he wasn’t upfront about his own shortcomings, but that was because his own shortcomings were diabolical, and haunting, and would ensure that Wonwoo would never come round to visit him ever again. Mingyu couldn’t have that. He needed friends. He needed people around him. And he had been without that for so long. He always longed for his own pack, for his own people. If not in tooth and claw, then in heart. A family who wanted him for him, who loved him for him. His parents could never be that for him, as much as he loved them. Minseo would be pack, if Mingyu wasn’t so terrified of losing her. Of her not trusting him anymore and not wanting to see him. Seungkwan and Vernon have been his coworkers for years, and of course he considered them to be his friends, but he never wanted to jeopardise his job as well as these intricately defined friendships that Mingyu had come to treasure so much.

And now he had this neighbourhood, this small community that knew so much, that was so much in and of itself, and yet Mingyu still felt like he would break something so special and magical. Yes, Mingyu was magical too, and yes, he believed it counted, but it still felt wrong. All he wanted was to prove Seungcheol wrong, to prove that Mingyu could fit the balance of this wondrous place, but that was a tall order. A tall order for someone like Kim Mingyu, who was a walking disaster. Who asked for too much and could never give enough in return.

“Hey.”

A calming voice pulled Mingyu from the brink of more tears, and he instinctively wiped his eyes even if he couldn’t feel that they were wet this time. It was better to be safe than sorry. Especially because Wonwoo was already sending him a look of pity from over the top of his book. When did he stop reading?

Mingyu knew Wonwoo was about to ask if he was okay, so he swallowed thickly to try and beat him to it. He didn’t want to be asked a question that he had no idea how to answer.

“Learned anything new yet?” Mingyu tried, sticking his tongue to the side of his cheek in an effort to look teasing.

Wonwoo eyed him warily. He didn’t seem to buy Mingyu being fake. Not that Mingyu was surprised; he had an awful poker face.

“I’m on page four,” Wonwoo raised an eyebrow.

Ah. Well. Mingyu huffed, trying to dispel the shudder of emotion in his body, “Slow reader, huh?”

“Terrible masker, huh?”

Mingyu blinked. Slowly, Wonwoo lowered his book, and he lowered his eyes too. For a few quiet moments, Wonwoo just looked in his lap, as if mulling over what the correct thing to say was. Mingyu wanted to laugh. There was no such thing as the right thing to say. Mingyu had always been a mess and would continue to be a mess.

“I’m fine.” If Mingyu said it enough, it would come true like a wish, right? “That was one of my Aunt’s favourites.”

If Mingyu was good at two things, it was cooking and changing the subject. If he got too uncomfortable, he was always ready to change gears enough into a territory that benefitted him the most. Wonwoo looked back down at the book in his lap and frowned. Mingyu wouldn’t be surprised if Wonwoo knew that this was a distraction technique, but he seemingly allowed the diversion.

“I can see why,” Wonwoo said carefully, “It comes with chants and spells.”

Mingyu quickly sat up straighter in the armchair. Mingyu wasn’t going to be the one to bring up the topic, just in case he really did end up offending or angering Wonwoo with his incessant questions, but this time it was Wonwoo opening up the conversation.

“Are they real?”

Wonwoo tilted his head, but he kept on topic instead of diverting. “I don’t know, I haven’t tried them. Like I said, I’m only on page four.”

“No, but,” Mingyu wriggled a little, trying to contain his excitement at leaking out just a little bit more information, “Spells and runes and all that, they are real?”

“To the right person,” Wonwoo shrugged.

Mingyu huffed. He needed more than that. His impatience really was starting to gnaw at him.

“Well, you said that runes weren’t your division,” Mingyu kept going, “So what is your division?”

“I told you.” Wonwoo’s voice was calm, like he was explaining a natural phenomenon to a child. “I channel energy into nature. I use herbs and scents to make charms for people. It’s—”

“Placebo, yeah, I got it,” Mingyu waved his excuse off. “But spells, are they placebo too? Or are they real? Can people cast spells?”

“I can’t,” Wonwoo looked to the side, clearly not able to look him in the eye. “I’m not saying your Aunt could either. Spells aren’t really…. It’s not…. Magic isn’t like that, not really.”

Magic wasn’t like spells? Mingyu sunk back into his seat like the energy had just been sucked out of him. At this rate, he was afraid that he would never understand. Maybe Seungcheol was right and everyone else was wrong. Mingyu wasn’t made for this. Magic seemed to be everything and nothing at the same time. At least, that’s how Wonwoo described it. To Wonwoo, magic was his Aunt showing kindness to everyone in the neighbourhood, not spells or witchcraft. It would be really sweet if Mingyu’s mind worked the same way, but it didn’t. Maybe that was his own insecurities about himself seeping through. Wonwoo wasn’t a witch with a wand or a broom, but he was a witch in the sense that he knew exactly how you felt and knew how to use nature to fix it.

Mingyu wasn’t magic because he wasn’t kind, not like his Aunt. He wasn’t kind every day of the year, because he wasn’t himself every day of the year. If that made him not magical, and instead a monster, then how would Mingyu ever be able to forgive himself just for living? The image of those wolves stuffed back into the box like a mistake flashed in his head, and his fingers automatically tightened on his jeans. He refused to think about how his nails were growing out again for the next Full Moon.

Wonwoo was watching him again. Mingyu didn’t care. Let him stare. Mingyu had nothing to say back. If magic wasn’t what he thought it was, then maybe Wonwoo wasn’t magical at all. His damn candle and those oils hadn’t even helped him, so if Wonwoo was a witch, he wasn’t a very good one.

“You’re acting out again,” Wonwoo murmured softly. “Not everything has to be black and white, you know?”

Mingyu did know that, but he hadn’t been very good at accepting it. Mingyu didn’t like not knowing. Eventually, Mingyu sighed. Maybe not knowing was for the best.

“My Aunt was magical,” Mingyu muttered childishly, “She always knew everything, and she encouraged me to be who I was unapologetically. She cooked for everyone and always had a smile. She taught me that running was the best freedom anyone could have, because if you were running, you weren’t connected to a leash.”

Maybe Mingyu needed to be connected to a leash. At least once a month. How ironic.

“She always had something wise to say,” Wonwoo smiled. “I wouldn’t call myself a witch, but that doesn’t mean I’m not one. Sometimes I struggle. To say the word.”

Mingyu frowned from his slouched position, but something clicked in the back of his brain. He moved to sit up, because he didn’t want to be disrespectful. But more importantly because he felt like he was so close to a breakthrough.

“It’s hard for you to say?”

Wonwoo nodded almost shyly. “No one wants to be called a witch, Mingyu.”

Oh. Oh, fuck. Mingyu didn’t know what to say. This was a confession and an admission all in one, and Mingyu didn’t deserve it. Not only because he pushed so hard for this, but also because he had no right to. If Wonwoo didn’t like the word, Mingyu shouldn’t have tried to bring it out of him.

“I… I’m so sorry.”

Wonwoo closed the book and set it on top of the pile of others on the coffee table. He didn’t look sad or offended by Mingyu’s accusation of witchcraft; he just looked resigned.

“Being called a witch didn’t used to be all fun and games. Sometimes I forget the world isn’t like that anymore.”

Mingyu had no idea what to say. He didn’t think anything he could say would make this any better. But he could sit here and listen, so he did.

“I didn’t wake up one day and feel like a witch,” Wonwoo continued quietly. “I can’t even tell you when I first felt like one. It wasn’t like I manifested powers and then had a whole ceremony for it. It wasn’t like that. I just started sensing things that I couldn’t before, other senses that wasn’t just sight or hearing. It was something deeper. I could feel the ground, and every time I stepped outside, it was like I was being called to. It was really hard for me back then, I didn’t like leaving my room, never mind the house.”

The small joke made Mingyu smile, and the tight fist that held the heart in his chest loosened slightly. “And now look at you, you walk alone at night and find yourself in front of strange houses.”

“I do,” Wonwoo chuckled, relaxing into his chair. “Sometimes the ground still calls to me. It’s why I have trouble sleeping. The calls get quieter the more I make my charms, the energy gets flowed into hopes and dreams instead. If I can’t fulfil my own peace, at least I can always fulfil other people’s.”

“Is that why you travel, and work at the night market?” Mingyu asked softly, mostly to tune out the way his heart cracked at Wonwoo’s confession.

“It’s why I travelled in the first place. I was alone at home, my family not understanding why I felt so restless, why I always felt lonely and misunderstood. It felt like I walked forever, with no direction in mind, and then I showed up here one day, and I haven’t been able to leave since.”

Mingyu twinged his eyebrows together in thought; restlessness, feeling alone, being misunderstood. Maybe they had more traits in common than Mingyu originally thought.

“This place is special,” Wonwoo smiled wistfully, like he was brightening up the more he let go of his dark memories of the past, “You find it when you need it the most.”

The thought made Mingyu swallow past his guilt. He was here now; did that mean this place wanted him, even if Seungcheol didn’t?

“Is that what Seungcheol was talking about? Outsiders coming in and wrecking the peace?”

“We’re all the same,” Wonwoo shrugged. “We never grew up here, not like you did. We went on adventures of our own, from our own struggles and backgrounds, and found this place individually. This place needed us, and we needed it. Seungcheol and Jeonghan found this place first, and then it was Jihoon, then me. Then Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Chan, and then Joshua. You didn’t get to meet him yesterday. Jun and Minghao found us not so long back, only a few months.”

Wonwoo finally lifted his head and smiled at him indulgently, like he was finishing a bedtime story. “And finally, you came along.”

“The missing piece,” Mingyu joked weakly, his mouth suddenly dry.

Wonwoo’s expression changed then in its severity. He didn’t look like he was joking around, this was something he clearly took seriously. Mingyu didn’t mean to mock him. Seemingly, Wonwoo understood that.

“I think you are,” Wonwoo reached over to place a hand on Mingyu’s covered up arm. “You’re more than what you think you are.”

Mingyu snorted in self-loathing, “Trust me, I’m way more than you think.”

Wonwoo frowned at him like he didn’t understand, and Mingyu didn’t want him working it out. Wonwoo wasn’t an idiot, that much was for certain. Mingyu knew that if Wonwoo had enough time and enough will, he would figure out just exactly what and who Mingyu was. Wonwoo wouldn’t be calling him their missing piece if he knew.

“Anyway,” Mingyu cleared his throat. “So, you all left home and just found this place? And my Aunt just accepted you all?”

Wonwoo looked reluctant to accept the backtrack of topics, but he nodded in agreement.

“Does that mean you’re all magic?”

“Like I said, in our own ways,” Wonwoo said vaguely, “But I’m the only Earth witch. I can’t be revealing everyone’s secrets.”

Earth witch. Mingyu grinned. Cool.

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Mingyu huffed playfully, but the conversation had made him feel lighter.

His Aunt was special, even if she wasn’t a witch. And Wonwoo definitely was one. Mingyu felt validated in his suspicions, and he also felt validated that he deserved some food even if they had only eaten recently.

“You keep reading,” Mingyu encouraged, standing up from the armchair. “I’ll go make us something.”

Wonwoo’s eyes followed him getting up from the chair, but they didn’t seem suspicious or wary. They were light in how Wonwoo looked at him from behind his glasses, and Mingyu’s chest was back to fluttering.

“Don’t miss me too much,” Mingyu hollered as he made his way towards the door, and he couldn’t help but grin when he heard Wonwoo’s voice hum noncommittedly behind him.

~~~

Mingyu only realised that he had nothing to cook with when he was confronted with the reality of an empty fridge and emptier cupboards. He was still sure that he was hungry, his metabolism always acting up this time of the month, so he considered that maybe ordering take out to the house would be an alright thing to do. He couldn’t think of any take aways that he had seen in the neighbourhood, the only place coming to mind being Minghao and Jun’s café, though he doubted they had delivery options. He figured stretching his legs wouldn’t be a bad idea though, considering he had struggled to sit still minutes prior, and he remembered that the café wasn’t too far away.

With a resigned huff, he made his way back up the stairs, but as he passed his Aunt and Grandma’s bedrooms, a thought ticked in the back of his mind. He dared to turn his head to look at the closed doors, and his fingers twitched by his sides. Understanding that magic was real from Wonwoo, and that his Aunt had been surrounded by people like her even when Mingyu abandoned this place, a part of his guilt had been dislodged. Perhaps the hole his Aunt had left in him was reflected by the hole he thought he had left in her life when he had left for university, when he thought the city was the best thing for him. He had been wrong about her loneliness. His Aunt had the whole neighbourhood, old and young, wrapped around her loving fingers. She had never needed him; he was always the one who had needed her the most.

Still, even with his hand outstretched, he wasn’t sure if he could encourage his own will to open her door. It still felt wrong, opening up her private space and showcasing it to the empty house. She should still be here, occupying that room, filling it with life. It wasn’t Mingyu’s place to replace her light, not when his own was so tainted and wrong. He wasn’t pure like she was, he never would be. If she saw him now, he would never be able to live with her disappointment.

“Mingyu?” Wonwoo’s voice called out to him from the study, and Mingyu sighed as he once again backed away from the closed doors in cowardice.

“Yeah, sorry,” Mingyu made his way back to the study door and leaned against it, “I was just going to pop out to Jun and Minghao’s café for some food, if you fancied anything?”

Wonwoo turned his upper body to peek at Mingyu from over the armchair, and Mingyu raised an amused eyebrow at how unfocused Wonwoo’s eyes looked now that they weren’t staring down at a page. He also got to watch how Wonwoo wrinkled his nose in thought, like it was a difficult decision that he would regret later if he chose wrong. Mingyu had to turn his head away to avoid being stared at with those intense eyes.

Eventually, Wonwoo came to the right decision, “Dumplings, please. Minghao will know which ones. Would you like me to come with you?”

“Oh, no, that’s alright.” Mingyu straightened up at the door. “I won’t be long.”

Wonwoo seemed to sink back into the armchair in relief, like he hadn’t really wanted to peel himself away from his stack of books, but he would have if Mingyu wanted him to. Cute. Mingyu sent him a quick wink and a salute before he ran down the stairs to set off on his little journey.

Luckily, despite being clumsy, Mingyu did know how to control his body sometimes, which was why he didn’t crush Tabby when he practically tripped over her in his own front doorway. He managed to catch his foot on the ground, so he didn’t topple over, but he did send the stray a look of betrayal and bewilderment.

“What are you doing sat right at the door?” Mingyu cried out in disbelief.

Tabby simply remained undisturbed despite the fact Mingyu almost fell to his death, and the only response he got was a satisfied meow.

“I’m not letting you in,” Mingyu huffed, even though he might have considered it if she hadn’t tried to kill him.

Tabby stood up to weave her body between Mingyu’s legs, brushing up against him for forgiveness. Mingyu sighed and crouched down to stroke her but decided against letting her inside regardless. It really would be catnap if he did that, because he wouldn’t want her to leave. She would be his only company, but that meant he had to let her go. She deserved her own freedom. Besides, she chose to come to see him when she wanted to. That meant more to him anyway, that he was a choice she wanted to make, rather than had to.

When Tabby meowed this time, Mingyu watched as she raised her head to the sky, almost looking up at his Aunt’s house. Mingyu followed her gaze and realised which window she was looking up at.

Ah.

She wasn’t here for him.

She really was a traitor. Not that Mingyu could blame her.

Maybe Tabby wasn’t a stray at all; maybe she was Wonwoo’s familiar. He had seen those in movies sometimes. He made a mental note to ask Wonwoo about it later.

“Maybe I need a cat flap,” Mingyu mused out loud, and Tabby brushed against him again as she resumed her seat by his front door.

Mingyu grinned as he stroked her fur one more time before he straightened up, and he made his way to his front gate. Tabby didn’t follow him, but that was alright. If Wonwoo was both of their favourites, then he would just have to learn to share.

~~~

At least Mingyu was right, it didn’t take him long to make it to the café. The place was just as narrow as when Mingyu saw it last, but the room inside was spacious and warm, and maybe Mingyu needed to stop questioning everything. It only made him think of more questions that couldn’t be answered, so why should he put extra stress and pressure on himself to understand everything? Like Wonwoo said, not everything was black and white. The world was filled with so many colours, Mingyu wanted to experience and enjoy them all.

“Back so soon?” Minghao asked with a polite smile, and Mingyu broke out into a grin as he made his way to the counter.

“I’m your number one customer,” Mingyu shot back, “You should be grateful.”

“Ah yes, you come here twice and you’re our number one.” Minghao’s voice was airy and yet teasing, and Mingyu loved the familiarity of it.

“I’m here to go this time,” Mingyu said, picking up the menu on the counter to see if there were any new specials. “Wonwoo wants dumplings. He said you’d know which ones he’d want.”

As he read through the scribbled menu, he didn’t register that Minghao hadn’t said anything in return. The menu did sound delicious though, and all he could hear was his stomach grumbling, so maybe that had sounded out Minghao’s reply. Or Minghao was maybe just putting in Wonwoo’s dumpling order. When Mingyu looked up and found that Minghao was giving him a very specific look, Mingyu frowned.

“What?”

“Wonwoo wants dumplings?”

“Uh, yeah? Does he not usually?” Mingyu licked his bottom lip in confusion and tried to straighten his slightly hunched posture.

“No, he loves our dumplings,” Minghao stated matter-of-factly.

“So what’s the problem?”

“You’re hanging out with Wonwoo?” Minghao raised an eyebrow, like he was unimpressed with how slow Mingyu’s brain was working.

Oh, right. That.

“Well, yeah.” Mingyu shrugged sheepishly. “He’s at my house right now. Or, no. My Aunt’s house. Which I’m housesitting, so it’s kind of like my house, but. Uh. Not.”

Mingyu was a rambler when he wanted to be, but he usually prided himself on being far more articulate than that. But Minghao’s stare was scary, and Mingyu felt like he was trying to talk his way out of getting into trouble with one of his parents.

Minghao said nothing for a few short seconds whilst Mingyu’s heart pounded in his chest and his palms grew sweaty, but eventually Minghao broke eye contact to call out into the back, “Jun!”

Great. Not another pair of eyes that would make him feel panicked and guilty.

Jun appeared from the kitchen’s doorway, and instead of hovering like last time, he simply made his way to the counter with a short bow of acknowledgement in Mingyu’s direction.

“What are you having this time?” Jun asked with a welcoming smile.

Before Mingyu could speak, Minghao cut in.

“Wonwoo wants dumplings.”

Mingyu tried to hold back his wince when Jun simply blinked at him slowly. Though, at least this time Jun was willing to hold a conversation about it, rather than continue to just stare at him in judgement.

“You managed to find him, then?”

“Find him?” Mingyu frowned. “I didn’t pick him up from the street, if that’s what you’re asking. I asked if he’d help me clean out my Aunt’s house, and he agreed. He’s there right now, and we just wanted something to eat, but I didn’t stock up well enough for the week.”

Mingyu really was overexplaining now, but he couldn’t help it. Minghao and Jun always seemed like they could see into your soul, and if they didn’t like what they saw, they could reach inside and snuff it out.

Or maybe that was just Minghao, because Jun lightened up with a smile like the information had made his day, and he reached up to gently pat Mingyu on the shoulder. “I’m impressed.”

Impressed?

“Usually it takes weeks for Wonwoo to warm up to someone, at least enough to go visit their place,” Jun explained to him softly, “It’s nice that he’s being less reluctant to make friends.”

Ah. Mingyu couldn’t help but glow in pride. He knew he was a charmer. He didn’t need magic.

Minghao seemed to deflate his judgemental gaze a little at the sight of Jun’s open smile, and that made Mingyu relax even more.

“So, anyway,” Mingyu cleared his throat, “Can I have sweet and sour pork? Oh, and some spring rolls?”

“Sure.” Minghao rang up his order and Mingyu paid, and Jun disappeared into the kitchen to make it.

Mingyu stood at the counter, bouncing on his toes, with a fresh energy of being alive. This felt right. Having friends here felt right, picking up food for Wonwoo felt right, and the ground beneath his shoes as he almost jogged back to his Aunt’s house after saluting Minghao and Jun goodbye also felt right.

The sky had darkened considerably this evening, despite it still being early, and the blue tinted breeze against Mingyu’s face felt electrifying.

~~~

“Let’s go for a run.”

“Hm?”

“A run. Tonight. It’ll be fun.”

Wonwoo blinked at him like he had gone crazy from where he was still sat in his Aunt’s armchair, her shawl half wrapped around Wonwoo’s shoulder since Wonwoo got cold easily. The dumplings between them had been depleted, and Mingyu had eaten most of his sweet and sour pork. He could put the rest in his fridge and finish it tomorrow.

Right now, he couldn’t just sit still in the study and watch Wonwoo read, even if that had entertained him for the past half an hour. Wonwoo’s look of concentration was fascinating, his eyes non-blinking and his eyebrows furrowed on his forehead. Despite the fact that Mingyu thought that he would be a quick reader, he was surprisingly slow. Not agonisingly, but it was like he needed to soak up each individual word or else he wouldn’t understand the context of the whole page.

It was adorable but Mingyu needed to get out of this house and into the night air.

“I don’t run,” Wonwoo said slowly, but he did lower a different book down to his lap.

That was also another reading habit of his. He didn’t finish Moon Magic because he had switched to another book. When Mingyu asked if Wonwoo had grown bored over it, Wonwoo had simply shook his head, insisted he wasn’t bored, he just wanted to read something new. And people said that Mingyu wasn’t pleased easily.

“Come on,” Mingyu coaxed, getting up out of the chair and going over to the tall windows still framed by the parted curtains. “Look at that moon, it’s beautiful. And the air is so crisp and fresh, and no one’s even around, no one would see us. It’ll be like our little secret.”

“You’re crazy,” Wonwoo told him, but he sounded intrigued.

He was definitely smiling when Mingyu turned to glance at him, so Mingyu took that as a victory. He rounded Wonwoo’s chair and held out a hand to him, and Wonwoo eyed his hand reluctantly. He didn’t immediately move to grab it, so Mingyu tried again.

“Well, how about we just run to your place. It’ll get you to your bed faster, Sleeping Beauty.”

“That’s my line,” Wonwoo muttered, but he did eventually reach out to brush his fingertips against Mingyu’s palm.

The soft feeling of another’s fingertips left goosebumps travelling up Mingyu’s upper arm, and Mingyu couldn’t help but grin as he curled his fingers around Wonwoo’s tighter into a grip that could haul him up out of his seat. He allowed himself this time to think about how perfectly their hands moulded together.

“If you don’t have fun, you don’t have to do it with me again,” Mingyu bargained. “Besides, you said you struggled to sleep at night because the ground was calling to you. Maybe having some fun outside would settle that side of you, so you can sleep more peacefully.”

“Look at you,” Wonwoo smiled as he stood up, “Learning the art of placebo already.”

“It’s not placebo,” Mingyu laughed as he tugged Wonwoo out of his Aunt’s study.

He didn’t miss the way Wonwoo subtly glanced behind them at the abandoned pile of books, and Mingyu squeezed his hand gently.

“I won’t touch them,” Mingyu promised. “You can come round tomorrow and finish them if you’d like. Or we could take some with us now, so you don’t have to come back.”

This, at least, would give Wonwoo an option. An out. He could bring some books with him and wouldn’t have to come back tomorrow to see Mingyu, or he could just say he didn’t want to come back at all. At least Mingyu would know where he stood. Even if Wonwoo liked him, it didn’t mean he wanted to be around him every day. Mingyu understood that; he just hoped this would help Wonwoo verbalise it. Mingyu had a feeling that Wonwoo would struggle to tell Mingyu to get lost, even if that’s what Wonwoo wanted to do.

Only, instead of brushing him off, Wonwoo smiled up at Mingyu brightly, “Really? You’d let me come back tomorrow?”

Mingyu huffed an incredulous laugh. What a stupid question.

“Of course.”

That seemed to be that, because Wonwoo nodded, and Mingyu made sure Wonwoo had his phone and keys before they left his Aunt’s house and stepped into the night.

~~~

Running Wonwoo home didn’t feel like being chased at all, it felt like he was the one chasing, because despite Wonwoo saying that he didn’t run, the witch could run, and he could run fast.

“Come on,” Wonwoo’s voice travelled behind him in the wind as a soft giggle that caressed Mingyu’s face, “Catch up!”

Mingyu was trying. Wonwoo hadn’t taken him through the path of houses that they had walked on together last night. This time, he had taken him through a valley of trees tucked behind the houses, almost framing the neighbourhood with its own forest. Of course, the trees weren’t dense enough to be called a real forest, but they weren’t running on concrete, they were running on grass, and Mingyu wished he had the time to take his shoes off. Only, before he could, Wonwoo had taken off without a moment’s notice and it had triggered Mingyu’s instinct immediately. If something was running away from him, his natural call was to catch them.

The cool wind felt refreshing on his face, whipping against his skin and making his hair push back from his forehead from the velocity, and Mingyu had somehow found a new appreciation for his long hair. It felt nice, it felt grounding, like he was here in nature and nature was welcoming him for it, rather than trying to push him away, or worse, trying to hide from him.

After passing a stream of moonlight striking between two trees, Mingyu felt his strength in his body begin to grow, and his feet pushed harder against the ground to try and get to Wonwoo quicker. His morning jogs could never compare to this, to the strain of his thighs and arms pushing against the air and making him work for every gap he closed between them. Running alone could never compare to having an opponent right in front of him, laughing away like he wasn’t trying at all, and he was just toying with Mingyu. Mingyu couldn’t be happier.

He was tired, out of breath, and couldn’t think of a better feeling than this.

It took Wonwoo literally slowing down because of how close they were to his house for Mingyu to be able to catch him, his arms immediately coming round to hold Wonwoo’s waist. Wonwoo simply laughed at him, at the oath who clung to his sides and sagged against his back in relief. Mingyu grinned against Wonwoo’s shoulder in return and was reluctant to pull away.

“See?” Mingyu huffed out, “It’s fun.”

“It wasn’t bad,” Wonwoo admitted. “Winning was fun.”

“Ass,” Mingyu laughed, pinching Wonwoo’s waist.

Wonwoo wriggled out of his grip with a quiet yelp, and Mingyu straightened himself up with a smirk. Like this, he felt tall. He felt tall, big, imposing, all in a good way. He felt like he was made to fill the space, like his body needed to be this big, and the world thanked him for it. Like he had nothing to prove with who he was, because how could he be any better?

Wonwoo’s eyes found his after a moment, but instead of looking way, they remained locked on him. Mingyu watched as Wonwoo’s eyes took in the sight of Mingyu’s airbrushed hair, the ragged breaths he was still taking in and out from his broad chest, and Mingyu felt even taller. Wonwoo was not a small man, he was tall and broad in his own right, with lean muscles despite hiding them under cardigans and sweaters. And yet Mingyu knew that he could cover him completely, and the feeling made his chest tighten. In want or in warning, he didn’t know. He did know one thing though. He must look as crazy as he felt. It should scare Wonwoo, but the witch made no move to step back or run inside his home to safety.

Instead, Wonwoo’s face softened right in front of him, and his eyes remained locked on his. Wonwoo even lifted his fingers in the air, as if he wanted to reach out and brush them against Mingyu’s cheek.

He didn’t. But he did sound hoarse when he finally broke the silence.

“Your eyes…”

Mingyu’s mouth pulled down in a small thoughtful frown. His eyes?

Wonwoo was looking up at him in awe, and eventually those fingertips brushed gently underneath Mingyu’s eyelid.

“Your eyes,” Wonwoo repeated quietly, like a sound louder than he willed himself to make would break everything. “They’re black.”

Black?

Oh. Oh, fuck. Mingyu immediately took a step back, his senses coming to him in full force. What was he thinking? Why did he even think he could have something normal? Something special? His body always betrayed him. Not just his body, but the moon too.

Mingyu’s opened his jaw to speak. He ignored how it cracked painfully in the silence.

“You should go inside.”

Wonwoo’s awed expression fell immediately. He kept his hands hovered from where he was supposed to be touching Mingyu, so Mingyu took another step back for him. If Wonwoo couldn’t do it, then Mingyu would have to.

He didn’t want to leave Wonwoo stood here like this, but he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t let Wonwoo pick out every part of him that made him different. It would start with how his eyes darkened in moonlight, and then it would be about his nails, how they grew abnormally, and his teeth, how he had never tried to hide his canines in front of Wonwoo with his smiles. He had made so many mistakes.

He had let himself slip too much. Wonwoo wasn’t an idiot. He would know. And then he’d never run with Mingyu again.

“I have to go,” Mingyu stuttered, his breaths escaping him not because of the run, but because he had forgotten how to breathe.

“Wait, Min, don’t just—”

Min. He couldn’t take it.

“Please go inside,” Mingyu begged, taking even more steps back, surprised at how Wonwoo walked towards him instead of leaving. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

Would he? He wouldn’t be surprised if Wonwoo never visited again. Not even because of his eyes, but because of how quickly Mingyu wanted to run away and hide.

Mingyu was the predator here, not Wonwoo. So why was Mingyu retreating like a coward and why was Wonwoo so intent on advancing?

Eventually, Wonwoo seemed to stop moving. He was still frowning, but his hand was back down by his side, and he seemed to be resigned to the fact that Mingyu couldn’t stay.

But he did say, “Okay. See you tomorrow.”

Okay. Okay, good. Mingyu would go home, fix himself, and then be prepared to apologise to Wonwoo tomorrow. He would be more like himself, and not this creature of the night that plagued him.

If only he knew how to get his act together in one night, he would have done that already.

With one last look at Wonwoo’s resigned but hopeful face, Mingyu’s chest loosened. Despite everything, Wonwoo didn’t look scared. Confused, yes, but not scared. It gave Mingyu hope as he turned to run back home. He didn’t know where he was going, but he was so sure that if he ran fast enough, and far enough, he would end up exactly where he wanted to be.

Wonwoo had said that this place opened its arms up to who needed it the most. Mingyu always needed so much, he wasn’t so sure if a neighbourhood could fix that about him.

But as soon as he opened the front gate to his Aunt’s house and found Tabby waiting for him, Mingyu simply let the tears clinging to his eyes free. Maybe he would always be too much, but this place had already given him enough.

Chapter Text

Mingyu hadn’t felt like this much of an antsy teenager in a long time. Seven years, to be exact. Or maybe eight, back on his eighteenth birthday, when he decided that moving out of his family’s home would be the best thing for him. It certainly was the best thing for him at the time; it had protected him from the disappointment he managed to prevent his family from feeling. If he wasn’t at home, they couldn’t learn what he was. So, they didn’t, and Mingyu had been managing to hide it ever since. Hiding it came in the form of gummy smiles and long sleeves, which were effective, but it didn’t mean it had stopped his family from wondering. They could sense the change in him, Mingyu knew it instantly, because he had been told plenty of times that he was a terrible liar. He could hide his scars and fangs at any time of the day if he put his mind to it, but it never stopped the hollow feeling of loss and being lost from showing on his face. He was an open book for anyone to read, if anyone ever wanted to bother. Luckily or perhaps unluckily, not many people did.

Mingyu’s sense of self had been so cruelly altered and reshaped, and his family had seen the aftereffects of that, even if they hadn’t been there when it had happened. Even if he found it hard to accept, Minseo had always been there for him, younger sister or not. She knew that his sleeves were a shield and that his smiles struggled to contain authenticity sometimes. She had tried to tap into him, to chase away the shadows she wasn’t used to seeing her brother surrounded by, but nothing had truly helped. His mother always asked him if he was okay, maybe hoping for a response that was better than a flippant dismissal of he’s fine, but she never pushed for more. Maybe that was just because she knew that if she kept pushing, Mingyu would fall. Unlike his father, who seemed to resent that Mingyu’s effortless optimism had somehow vanished. His father must have always known that deep down, Mingyu’s unconquered trauma was his own fault. A chasm no one could pull him out from. It was a height too far down to reach into, and no one would ever be strong enough to be able to pull Mingyu up.

That’s what it felt like, sometimes. He was surrounded by darkness, hearing voices all around him, but he had never learned the art of echolocation. He always wanted a hand to hold, arms to fall into, but he was a blind man, running around in the dark, clawing his way through an endless forest that no break of trees wanted to let him escape from.

He was trapped. He had been trapped ever since he was eighteen. It had almost been ten years, and yet Mingyu still dreamt about it. Sometimes the dreams were vague; shapes in the night, bodies coming together, fangs dipping into supple skin, breaking the barrier and seeping a poison that dimmed in the light and arose like a Phoenix in the dusk. Sometimes the dreams were an exact replay of that night, years ago, of Mingyu being bitten and cursed, and Dream Mingyu standing at the edge, watching it in third person, like it was a movie scene he wanted to rewind and rewind again. Waking up like that, in a cold sweat, his body doused in moonlight, Mingyu’s eyes as black as the night sky, was terrifying.

Not more terrifying than falling asleep all over again and waking up with no recollection of the night. It was Mingyu’s gift. Why would he need to remember something so fearful, when he had next month to look forward to, so he could do it all over again?

If anything, Mingyu’s mind tricks were a stroke of biological genius.

That didn’t stop Mingyu from being a biological failure when it came to waiting for texts from cute witches, though, which was the real reason of why Mingyu currently felt like a teenager. He had barely slept last night, and continuing to check his phone at seven am on a fresh Saturday morning was driving him insane. There was no reason for Wonwoo to care so much about him that he made sure to wake up early and text Mingyu. Despite Mingyu understanding this as a grown man, it didn’t mean it stopped his stomach from swooping in disappointment every time he checked, and he had no notifications waiting for him.

The only thing that kept him semi-sane about last night was the fact that he could picture Wonwoo’s face clearly right before Mingyu had run away like a coward, and the fact that it had been blank of any concrete fear. Wonwoo had said that they would meet up again today, and Mingyu believed him. Besides, Wonwoo still had to finish reading the collection of books that he had picked out in his Aunt’s study. He had no reason to panic.

What he should be panicking about was the fact that he still had five plastic tubs to sort through before tomorrow, when his family were due to arrive.

Talk about bad timing.

With a disgruntled grunt, Mingyu pushed himself up out of his bed, and decided to get ready for the day ahead of him. He could do this. He was Kim Mingyu, and Kim Mingyu had learned the best way to revitalise the body for a good morning. And that was make breakfast, go for a jog, and have a shower. All in that order.

Mingyu took in one long breath, clapped his hands together in front of his dresser, and got to work.

~~~

Mingyu tried not to think too deeply about the fact that Tabby wasn’t there when he left the house to start his jog. This wasn’t the first time that Tabby had failed to greet him, and he doubted it would be the last. Even though he knew deep down that this wasn’t a bad omen for the day, his mind couldn’t help but take it as one.

Though, maybe he needed to stop putting that forced perspective on a cat that just happened to wander the neighbourhood, rather than the fact that he had lingered far too long in the entryway of his front door. That mirror atop the accent table had caught his eye on his way out, and he was glad that it did. It made Mingyu confront the fact that despite the sun now being in the sky, his eyes were still a shade too dark from his natural brown, and the veins around his eyes a tad too prominent to just be from a bad night’s sleep. His sharp teeth were even sharper from where Mingyu pulled his top lip back, and the finger that had done so had pricked his lip from how his nails now ever so slightly curled into his palm.

Even though Mingyu hated looking at himself like this, he couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. He was literally a hot mess, emphasis on the mess. Especially because his hair wasn’t faring any better either, despite how much effort he tried to put into it every day. Maybe he did need to take up Wonwoo’s offer of cutting his hair.

What was the point of being born with naturally good genes only for the moon to toy around with them, making Mingyu as imperfect as possible? He knew it was just because the longer the moon waxed, the closer it was getting to a Full Moon. Sometimes Mingyu welcomed it, because it reset his body. His canines would drop in size, and his fingers would be blunt again. He would gain new scars each time, but that was the price of looking pretty in the daylight.

If only Mingyu took advantage of the sun, to give it a chance to highlight his tanned body instead of hiding it, but that was merely a thought that lived in the back of his mind.

Mingyu wasn’t a coward, but that didn’t make him brave.

With a cap thrown on his head and a jacket wrapped around his arms for good luck, Mingyu mourned the loss of a run-in with Tabby and jogged his way behind the houses and onto the length of trees that he had chased Wonwoo down last night. The memory had been unfavourable, but the feeling of running amongst nature hadn’t been. He could give himself that again.

Besides, he had fixed his look before he stepped out of his house. What the moon ruined for him, he could just cover it up with concealer. If he sweat it off, no one needed to know. He’d be back to shower in no time, anyway.

Or at least, that’s what Mingyu had thought. He figured he’d jog for an hour at most, and then he would shower and confront his issue of the boxes in the living room. His plan didn’t factor in the idea of stumbling across another lone soul who wanted to reacquaint themselves with the trees so early in the morning. The silhouette in front of him didn’t look familiar at all; it didn’t look like Jihoon or Soonyoung, and it definitely wasn’t Minghao or Jun. They were crouched down by themselves, their heels not quite touching the ground, with their head bowed forwards towards the blades of grass. They weren’t quite in the middle of the makeshift pathway, but they weren’t quite off to the side either, which would make it awkward if Mingyu wanted to just casually jog by. Mingyu didn’t know how to pull off casual. He was usually much smoother than this when it came to strangers; he could ignore them pretty well. But strangers in a place like this weren’t like strangers Mingyu would meet in the city. They felt electric. Only, when Mingyu eventually decided to stop instead of simply moving along the path, the bowed head tilted upwards, and the soft features of the stranger no longer gave electricity. Simply a calm undercurrent. Still, they weren’t new around here. Mingyu could tell.

“Sorry,” the stranger said when they realised Mingyu wasn’t going anywhere, “Am I in the way?”

“No,” Mingyu shook his head, but he didn’t have a better excuse for his odd behaviour. “What are you doing?”

The stranger raised an elegant eyebrow at him, but Mingyu was unfazed. The people around here were either standoffish, or the friendliest and liveliest people he had ever met. But even the stoic ones were soft on the inside. Wonwoo and Jihoon had proved that. This person exuded too much calm to be violent or aggressive, even if they did find Mingyu just standing there annoying. Mingyu would be annoyed at himself too, but his curiosity had been piqued. The people here were witches and travellers, and Mingyu was a sucker for wanting every ounce of information that he could get.

“Didn’t your parents teach you not to talk to strangers?”

There was a soft accent that Mingyu couldn’t quite pick up, like the tone was familiar, but it had been learned over time rather than formed at birth.

Mingyu only grinned back at him. “My parents aren’t here.”

The stranger’s upper lip lifted in an almost-there smile, and Mingyu looked back down at the grass that the stranger had been intently staring at.

The stranger watched him with a small sigh. “I’m just saying hello, that’s all.”

Mingyu’s mouth pulled down into a subconscious frown, and the stranger pushed himself up to stand straight. Mingyu was still taller, but that wasn’t a surprise.

“To the grass?” Mingyu joked.

“I’ve been gone a while,” the stranger mused, “Sometimes it’s good to come back home and reacquaint yourself.”

Mingyu blinked at him and then stared back at the grass like the grass could give him the real answers. “Does the ground speak to you too?”

The stranger shot him a sideways glance, like it was an odd question to ask. Mingyu only frowned harder. He might sound like the weird one, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what Wonwoo had said. That he hadn’t known he was a witch; he just one day could start sensing things he couldn’t before. He wished the ground could speak to him. It might be better company than his own thoughts sometimes.

“The ground speaks to everyone,” the stranger settled on eventually, though Mingyu sensed that maybe they were fucking with him, “You just have to listen hard enough.”

If his frown turned into a pout, no one had to know. Except this stranger, of course, but he didn’t count.

It took Mingyu far too long to realise that their conversation had ended and the stranger had started to walk away from him, and Mingyu huffed as he turned around.

“I’m Mingyu, by the way.”

The stranger glanced back with a soft laugh, “I know.”

Mingyu was definitely pouting now. How did everyone know who he was? Did his Aunt parade around the whole neighbourhood with a giant cardboard cutout of him or something? If she had something like that, Mingyu definitely hadn’t found it back at the house.

It was starting to feel eerie. Strangers knew who he was, and he couldn’t do anything about that.

With a frown, Mingyu decided to turn around and just walk his way back to his Aunt’s house. He didn’t feel like jogging any longer. It had everything to do with the stranger and the fact that Mingyu didn’t even catch his name, and nothing to do with how the clearing of trees he had found himself in looked familiar. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that he could see the exact spot where he had caught Wonwoo in their chase, his arms finally around another body who welcomed him, who laughed with him, and who didn’t look at him in fear.

Mingyu really needed that shower.

~~~

Usually, his scars didn’t bother him. Visually, yes, they definitely bothered him, but physically, not so much. They were just…. There. On his body, creating constellation maps out of his forearms, but they didn’t provide Mingyu with an itch that he couldn’t scratch off. After a hot shower, they might itch for a little while, but often the itch simmered down when Mingyu found something to distract his brain.

Mingyu didn’t want to call what Wonwoo had sold him placebos – especially because of how much he had paid for them, Mingyu hadn’t forgotten. But it didn’t stop the fact that his scars bothered him when they were covered now that he had run out of Wonwoo’s essential oils. The oils hadn’t stopped him from being restless, but they had softened his skin and had perhaps soothed his scars, which was a side effect that Mingyu hadn’t even thought of when he had made his purchase. His scars were never his first thought; only when he caught sight of them, and then those thoughts were quickly pushed down and shut out. If Mingyu could physically lock his scars up behind a secured door, he would. It definitely didn’t resemble how he hadn’t opened up the living room door after his almost panic attack.

It was just how Mingyu dealt with difficult things he wanted to procrastinate from. It was also the reason why he was currently still waiting for a text from Wonwoo with his arms out, his fingers absentmindedly trying to scratch away the fire that was fanning from the scars on his arms. Only, the scratching wasn’t extinguishing any flames at all, because his fingers were still slightly damp from his shower, and he couldn’t press his nails into his skin too much because it would just tear open the scars even more.

Mingyu was antsy, irritated, and desperate.

The only thing that was worthy of a distraction right now was, conveniently, a buzz from his phone.

A part of Mingyu didn’t want to look at it, just in case it wasn’t actually Wonwoo, and he had his hopes set too high, but he wasn’t just going to keep sitting on his dining room chair in self-pity, scratching his arms raw.

He was pathetic, but he wasn’t that pathetic.

Besides, his phone didn’t let him stew in thought for too long, because his phone didn’t buzz just once. It buzzed a second time, and then a third. And then Mingyu forced his hand away from his arm to pick up his phone, and his spirits immediately lifted as he accepted the call.

“Minseo!”

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean, what’s wrong?” Mingyu huffed. “You just called me.”

“Yeah, but you’re never that happy to hear from me.”

“Rude,” Mingu pouted, grateful to hear his sister’s voice. “I’m always happy to hear from you.”

“Liar,” Minseo mumbled, but it sounded fond, and Mingyu couldn’t help but soften in his seat.

He really had missed her.

“Are you coming round tomorrow?” he asked, though he would beg her if he had to.

“Duh. I had no choice.”

Mingyu refrained from rolling his eyes. “Love you too, sis.”

“Anyway,” Minseo’s voice pitched up a little. “What’s wrong?”

“I said I’m fine. Why did you call me?”

“You always say that, and you always lie.” There was a pause that made Mingyu stew uncomfortably in his own resentment, and then the line picked up again. “Just wanted to check if you were ready. You know, for tomorrow.”

Oh.

“Sure,” Mingyu sighed, his hand subconsciously moving his phone between his head and his shoulder, his nails already wanting to go back to scratching. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“So you did it? Everything’s been accounted for?”

“Not exactly. But I’ll get it done.” He had to. It was only five more tubs. Barely anything at all.

Mingyu could do it in an hour, if he really needed to.

“You sound so confident,” Minseo snarked, but it was because she cared.

She always cared. Mingyu loved that about her the most.

“Besides, she didn’t have anything that important anyway,” Mingyu lied.

It was easier than letting Minseo know that he had lost his breath when he looked at her belongings, and it was easier than admitting that he didn’t want to leave this house anymore. The rooms were too big, even for someone as tall as Mingyu, and the house was too quiet, despite how loud Mingyu could be. But he didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to sell. If he sold, what connection would he have then? It wasn’t just him he had to think about, it was this neighbourhood. This house had been a beacon to them, a place for everyone to be themselves, to love and be loved without consequence or fear.

Mingyu needed that more than anything.

Minseo could never truly understand, but she knew. She knew innately how Mingyu felt about everything, all the time. She was just as psychic as their Aunt.

“It’ll be okay,” she said eventually, her voice now quiet. “They don’t even know what they’re doing with it, anyway, you know? You could probably stay there if you wanted.”

If he wanted. Oh, fuck, he wanted.

“I’ll talk with our parents tomorrow about it,” Mingyu promised. “It’s not for you to worry about. But I’ll see you later, yeah?”

“Yeah.” She paused again, and when did she get old enough to be able to sigh at her older brother? Mingyu could hear it in the background. “See you, love you.”

“Hm.”

She hung up on him, which was probably for the best. His phone was barely hanging on to his shoulder, and when Mingyu looked down into his lap, he could see that his arm was bleeding.

Fuck.

Mingyu stood up quickly and doused his arm in the kitchen sink. A voice in the back of his head was screaming at him for being unsanitary, but unless he wanted to trail blood through the house and up to the bathroom, then the kitchen sink would have to do. Mingyu didn’t know if his Aunt had a first aid kit anywhere, but he didn’t think she would keep it in the kitchen if she did. Instead, he made do with washing away the blood and finding some tissue to gently dab at his scars. The ugly red tinge of his skin from his claws made Mingyu lurch violently against the sink, and Mingyu had to push the tap on at max power to try and drown out his urge of wanting to throw up.

He never got to see his arms when they were being scarred, only ever the aftermath. He never knew if the scars were from rage, of not having anything else to scratch so he had to scratch himself instead, or from boredom. If he really had nothing else to do other than maul his own skin.

Was Wolf Mingyu really that violent, or was he too just wanting to scratch an itch that never went away?

Mingyu refused to let the sight of his arms glistening with tap water resemble the glistening water gathering in his eyes. He was convinced that no amount of therapy would stop him from seeing his scars as his own manifested failure. He was a monster who had nothing to hurt but himself, but that was always better than a monster who did nothing but hurt other people. At least the marred skin was his own, and nobody else. He should at least be proud of that, but looking down at his flared-up skin, pride was the last thing on his mind. It wasn’t even about vanity, even if he considered his scars ugly and depraved on his bad days. It was about what they represented. What they proved Mingyu was. He wasn’t what his Aunt always said he was; a sweet-natured boy, always having a good thing to say about everybody, not a bad bone in his body. He left because he didn’t think she would understand if she saw him like this, but with how everyone here described her…

Maybe he left her when he needed her the most. Maybe she would have been the only one who could have understood.

Luckily, Mingyu didn’t have to just stand there and dwell on an answer he didn’t want to form, because a loud knock at the front of his door brought him out of his depraved imagination.

Though, was it imagination if they weren’t actually dreams, but his real life?

Quickly swallowing the lump in his throat, Mingyu shook his arms dry as he made his way to the front door and opened it without a second thought. A part of him did quickly wonder who would be knocking on his door at almost nine in the morning, the answer that he wanted of course was that it would be Wonwoo.

“Whoa, man, you’re way more ripped than I thought.”

Mingyu blinked. Definitely not Wonwoo.

“Uh, hey?” the man at his door tried again, his large eyes dimming slightly, “Don’t you remember me?”

Right, shit. The hub. Seokmin. That was it, Seokmin. Only, he couldn’t find it in himself to speak, because Seokmin wasn’t just looking at his face anymore. He was looking at his torso.

His bare torso. Shit.

Mingyu immediately pulled his arms up to cover his chest, and he took a jerky step back, “Sorry, can I just – give me a sec?”

Seokmin’s face flickered in front of him, like he wanted to smile in assurance but couldn’t quite get his lips to match his decision. Mingyu understood, he struggled with that too.

“Yeah,” Seokmin wet his lip a little with a small nod. “Yeah, sorry. Go for it.”

“Come in,” Mingyu gestured forwards before he covered his chest back up again, “You can wait in here.”

Seokmin took a step forward into the entryway, and Mingyu bolted up the stairs to try and find a shirt he hadn’t worn yet. He still hadn’t done laundry at his Aunt’s house yet, and that definitely wasn’t because he didn’t know how to work the washing machine. He hadn’t run out of clothes though, so he certainly did a good job packing.

With his upper body covered and his hair brushed out of his face, Mingyu took one last look in the bathroom mirror above the sink to check if he was revealing any more incriminating evidence. He didn’t think so, but who knows. Everyone here might already know exactly what he was, and then what was the point in hiding?

Mingyu didn’t want to take that chance yet, so with one last breath, he made his way back downstairs. He had half expected for Seokmin to have just left, but he was still stood there. If anything, he looked almost guilty.

“I’m really sorry,” he rushed out to Mingyu, taking a step forward. “I shouldn’t have caught you off guard. I just didn’t know how to give you a heads up. Usually I’m much better at welcoming newbies.”

Mingyu couldn’t help but smile. Despite his boundary clearly not mattering anymore in front of Seokmin, it didn’t mean that the boy made him uncomfortable. If anything, Seokmin had a way to infect everyone around him with a little bit of energy, and Mingyu was no different.

“Don’t be,” Mingyu brushed him off softly, “It wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have been so careless. So, what can I do for you?”

Seokmin seemed to brighten up right in front of him, his hands coming together in an excited clap. “I wanted to welcome you to the neighbourhood! I know we met a few days ago, but I’ve been really busy, and I haven’t had the chance to see you properly. I know what happened on Thursday wasn’t great, but…. It’s not so bad around here, I promise. Don’t let Seungcheol-hyung scare you off.”

Mingyu couldn’t help but relax. He knew these people would hold back Seungcheol if he ever wanted to fight, but that didn’t mean that Seungcheol was wrong about him. Mingyu was a walking accident. A mistake. He was a curse, not a blessing. If Seungcheol really did know, then he could understand why Seungcheol wouldn’t want him here.

“It’s okay,” Mingyu reached out to clasp Seokmin on the shoulder, “I get it. I’m new, I’m not like you guys, so he got a bit protective. I haven’t been scared off. I actually really like it here.”

“You do?” Seokmin beamed up at him and brought him into the quickest hug of his life.

Seokmin entered and left his space in a matter of seconds, and Mingyu felt light and dizzy, in the best way possible.

“That’s great,” Seokmin continued, and Mingyu blinked when a whole ass basket was quickly shoved into his hands. “We’re gonna be best friends.”

There was no way Seokmin had that basket even a second ago, never mind from when he had stood at Mingyu’s front door. He didn’t believe it. It was manifested out of thin air.

Why was Mingyu still so surprised?

“What’s in this?” Mingyu raised an eyebrow, gently setting the basket down on his accent table.

“Just an essential,” Seokmin grinned, his eyes twinkling.

When someone gave out a welcome basket, Mingyu would guess that there might be some baked goods inside. So why he thought that a welcome basket in a place like this would have baked goods, he didn’t know. Maybe it was wishful thinking. Maybe it was because he was always thinking about food. Or maybe because he just didn’t expect the basket to have clumps of fabric that had been sewn together that almost resembled a shape of a teddy bear but had missed the mark.

“What is this?” Mingyu asked, carefully bringing it out of the basket.

Now that he could see it up close, the patches of fabric were different styles and different colours, definitely an eclectic taste. Minghao would probably like it.

“What do you think it is?” Seokmin returned the question.

Mingyu didn’t usually mind a riddle, but he really had no idea what the piece of cloth could represent. Though, if he was surrounded by more than one witch, maybe there was only one option.

“A voodoo doll?”

“Voodoo?” Seokmin laughed, his whole face scrunching up like it was the funniest joke Mingyu had ever told in his life. “We’re not all like Wonwoo, you know.”

Wonwoo? The blur of a quick subject change must have shown on Mingyu’s face, because Seokmin continued to laugh at him, even as he reached to take the doll out of Mingyu’s unworthy hands.

“What’s Wonwoo got to do with this?” Mingyu pushed.

Seokmin only side eyed him, but his eyes were still chuckling. “Nothing, that’s the point. Wonwoo has nothing to do with this. But he’s all you talk about.”

“He’s not all I—” Mingyu tripped over himself in his own frustration, the itch in his arms coming back full force now that he was wearing a jumper. “I’ve only spoken to you once before!”

“And that was enough,” Seokmin wiggled his eyebrows at him. “Sorry, sorry. Sometimes I get carried away. But anyway, it’s not a voodoo doll. It’s to give you good luck. You seem like you need it.”

“Gee, thanks,” Mingyu muttered, but he didn’t deny it.

Good luck. In any other circumstance, he would welcome the kind gesture. But Mingyu gave the shady looking doll another once over, and he watched as Seokmin delicately put it back in its box. The doll’s head looked like it was barely hanging on. It looked worse than Mingyu felt. Mingyu wanted to know if Seokmin had made it himself or if he had found it on his walk here and decided a freebie was as good a gift as any.

Mingyu had seen Coraline. He didn’t want to welcome any other alternative Mothers who would try to lure him into another reality. He was barely surviving this one.

“Anyway,” Seokmin clapped his hands together again, “I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you around. Don’t be a stranger, Mingyu-ssi.”

Despite the odd gift, Mingyu was warmed. If he was back in the city, and Seokmin and he lived in the same apartment block, the most they would probably get out of each other would be a nod in greeting.

This was much nicer.

This felt more like pack.

“Call me Mingyu,” he offered with a smile, and Seokmin grinned back at him.

With a quick hug goodbye, Seokmin had left his home almost as swiftly as he had entered it. The absence let cold air cover up the warmth Seokmin had left in his wake.

Maybe Mingyu should start hosting. Invite his new friends round for dinner. He didn’t know if that would make the goodbyes easier, or even harder.

He didn’t have to think about that for much longer, because a new buzz in his back pocket alerted him to a fresh notification. After opening his messages, the warmth that Seokmin had left behind came back in full force, enveloping Mingyu in a familiar hug he never wanted to push out of.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo-hyung
Are you busy?

Mingyu didn’t bother to contain his grin this time; he beamed like an idiot as he quickly typed out a reply.

~~~

Opening his front door for a second time, Mingyu was prepared. He was now donned in a cardigan that irritated his skin the least out of the current clothes he had available to him, and his body was out of sight. Though, after seeing Wonwoo’s almost timid smile in front of him, he had the dangerous thought that maybe he didn’t have to wear long cardigans during midday, or long-sleeved shirts when the sun was high in the sky and Mingyu’s skin already ran too hot on its own. Maybe he didn’t have to sweat in his own discomfort to keep his arms from breathing. Maybe it would be okay.

The way Wonwoo looked at him made him think that everything would be okay.

But then he was brought back to last night, Mingyu towering over Wonwoo, eyes like obsidian, an animalistic urge taking over him.

He couldn’t start taking chances.

“Hey,” Mingyu breathed out, the two of them just standing there looking at each other.

Mingyu hadn’t realised how often they would do that, just being content to look into each other’s eyes without a word.

“Hi,” Wonwoo gave him a little wave, displaying his sweater paws for the day.

Not a cardigan this time, but the fabric of his sweater looked just as soft, and Mingyu wanted to brush his fingertips across it.

“Sorry,” Mingyu took a step back when he realised that they couldn’t just stand at his front door all day, “Come in.”

“Thank you,” Wonwoo bowed his head in passing as he entered, and the action was so unnecessary that Mingyu had to bite down on his bottom lip to stop his squeal of excitement.

Wonwoo was so precious, and Mingyu found it harder and harder to keep his hands to himself. Still, Wonwoo didn’t seem like a touchy-feely guy. At least, not yet. Wonwoo willingly held him, but that was because Mingyu was crying. And Wonwoo had touched his cheek, but that was because Mingyu’s eyes had changed colour and Wonwoo must have been curious. None of it meant anything concrete. Besides, Mingyu called Wonwoo cute all the time, but Wonwoo hadn’t complimented him back. Mingyu didn’t need the compliment, he didn’t need anything that Wonwoo didn’t willingly give him, but it was a sign, right? They were friends. And Mingyu knew that if anyone was going to ruin their friendship, it was going to be Mingyu. So Wonwoo would have to set the pace, of whatever this was. Even if Mingyu had never felt livelier than he had when he was with Wonwoo.

“Sorry about yesterday,” Mingyu cleared his throat, wanting to get the awkwardness out of the way quickly.

He had considered not bringing it up at all. He wondered if Wonwoo would even mention his odd behaviour or not. But Mingyu was sorry for how he acted, and Mingyu liked to think that honesty was for the best.

Well. As much honesty as possible.

“It’s okay.” Wonwoo wasn’t looking directly at him anymore, but his voice remained soft despite how deep it was. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night.”

“What?” Mingyu scrunched his face up in disbelief, “You’re sorry? Hyung, I’m sorry. I’m the one who fucked up, not you.”

“Mingyu, you looked terrified.” Wonwoo’s back was facing him now, and Mingyu refused to open his heart up to Wonwoo’s broad shoulders.

Yes, okay, they were very nice broad shoulders, but still. He’d rather say it to his face. Carefully, Mingyu walked around him, and he let out a soft giggle when he realised that they were talking about this in his entryway. How comfortable.

Wonwoo seemed to react to his giggle, because he lifted his head up, and his eyes automatically locked onto Mingyu’s. Oh, Wonwoo had him in the palm of his hand. Mingyu could melt right onto this floor if he wanted him to.

“I was scared because I thought you were scared,” Mingyu murmured softly, eyes not leaving Wonwoo’s. “We don’t know each other that well, and when we were running together, I… I don’t know, it was like I wasn’t human, like I was drawn to you. I had so much fun, and I didn’t want to ruin it. My eyes….”

What was he even supposed to say?

“We don’t have to talk about it.”

Fuck. Mingyu closed his eyes on reflex. Jihoon was right. Wonwoo was soft on the inside.

“Hey,” Wonwoo reached out again. Mingyu could feel his cold fingertips on his cheeks. “I promise, we don’t have to talk about it at all. But I wasn’t scared. Not of you. Mingyu, you couldn’t hurt a fly.”

Mingyu laughed hoarsely, his head automatically tilting into Wonwoo’s palm. “You’ve said that about me before. But you don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve hurt.”

“It seems to me that the only person you hurt is yourself,” Wonwoo whispered, and the words held so much power that they managed to tear Mingyu’s eyes open.

He was surprised to find himself without tears. He wondered if this was the first time that he hadn’t cried in front of Wonwoo, ironically. Wonwoo’s words soothed his chest though; soothed the anxiety that was bubbling inside there, almost as easily as how his essential oils soothed his scars.

“Hey, so,” Mingyu coughed a little to get rid of the lump in his throat, and he glanced away to try and come off as more casual. “Got any more of your essential oils?”

Mingyu had to wait a moment for Wonwoo’s brain to compute the change of topic, but the extra seconds were worth it. Wonwoo gently pushed Mingyu’s face away from him, but his lips were drawn up into a smirk of a smile, his expression almost sassy.

“Can you afford them?”

Mingyu drew back in a dramatic gasp, his hands curling into themselves, replicating the way they desperately wanted to grasp onto Wonwoo’s waist. Wonwoo had let him once before, would he ever let him again?

“Don’t I get a discount?” Mingyu pouted.

At least it made Wonwoo laugh, and the hand that was previously on his face smoothly diverted to rest on Mingyu’s shoulder instead. “Depends on what kind of oils you were wanting.”

Mingyu wished he had an eidetic memory, but he didn’t. He couldn’t even name the essential oils that he had bought in the first place. Cedarwood, maybe. Or sandalwood. He didn’t care. So, he pulled out his best puppy dog eyes instead.

“Whichever comes free?”

“Free?” Wonwoo scoffed, but his eyes were laughing, and his fingers had gently curled into the fabric of Mingyu’s cardigan. “That’s a big discount. Do you want me homeless?”

“Yes, actually,” Mingyu smirked, his body swaying closer to Wonwoo’s, almost but not quite bridging that gap between them. “You should just move in. You don’t need your home.”

Wonwoo chuckled in his face this time, but he wasn’t laughing at Mingyu, so he counted that as a win. Wonwoo also hadn’t pulled away from him, but he did look around to come to the same realisation that Mingyu had earlier. They were still in the entryway.

“Maybe ask me to dinner before asking me to move in with you,” Wonwoo hummed, slowly taking a step back.

He didn’t sound against the idea though. At least, not to the dinner part. It was almost like Wonwoo was goading Mingyu into asking him out. Huh.

“I cooked you dinner though,” Mingyu retaliated, just because he could, and because he considered making ramen for a love interest was more important than paying for a bill at a restaurant.

Semantics, and all that.

“Hm, you did,” Wonwoo acquiesced, and he gave Mingyu’s wrist a gentle squeeze before pulling away completely. “Dinner date, check. The next date is supposed to be an activity we could do together. There are steps before moving in.”

Mingyu narrowed his eyes a little, wondering where Wonwoo’s checklist was coming from. Did he think about this a lot?

Did this mean Wonwoo was single and available?

Mingyu broke into a grin and bounced on the tips of his toes, “Running! We ran through the forest together.”

“That was not a forest,” Wonwoo snorted.

“But we still ran together, I caught you.”

“Only because I let you.”

Mingyu was smirking now, the memory no longer tainted.

Wonwoo definitely hadn’t been scared. He had liked it. The thought gave Mingyu way too many ideas; ideas he would never let himself follow through on. But it felt nice to want without the repercussions in his dreams.

“I don’t see the problem then,” Mingyu hummed, just to annoy Wonwoo more, “We’ve had our dinner date, we’ve had our activity date, you’ve already come round and helped me unpack some of my trauma. Now all that’s left is to follow you to yours.”

“Why, are you asking to come round to my place?” Wonwoo raised an eyebrow.

How was Wonwoo so slow sometimes, and yet so quick in others? It definitely kept Mingyu on his toes. He loved it.

“If the shoe fits, Cinderella,” Mingyu tittered.

“Alright, why not?” Wonwoo clearly didn’t need time to think more on this decision.

Mingyu was grateful, because he had many questions about Wonwoo’s house. Mostly about how stable it was, or unstable, rather. Mingyu didn’t often have his work cap on when he was off-site, but thinking about Wonwoo’s home made Mingyu hope that Wonwoo had some sort of life insurance. Or at least a good defence lawyer for whoever he bought the house off.

Unless Wonwoo really had just conjured up his house when Mingyu walked him home, and he had been lying.

A good piece of scaffolding would right the house just nicely. Still, he doubted Wonwoo would allow construction work to count as their third date.

Date.

Mingyu was basically bouncing out of his shoes now, and Wonwoo had to roll his eyes to get his attention.

“Can I at least bring some of the books from the study?”

Oh, shit.

“Sorry, I forgot you came round to read them.”

Wonwoo shook his head at him, like Mingyu was the liability here, but he didn’t seem too offended. “If you carry them home for me, I’ll forgive you.”

Mingyu broke out into a grin and saluted Wonwoo before he ran up the stairs to gather as many books as he could.

~~~

Just as they were about to head to Wonwoo’s place, Mingyu with two bags of books, Wonwoo completely empty-handed, his mouth finally blurted out the thought that he had spent bagging up the books mulling over.

“So, we’re dating now, right?”

Wonwoo side-eyed him in utter disbelief as he locked up his Aunt’s front door with the keys Mingyu guided him to. Mingyu refused to deflate right in front of him, but blunt questions deserved blunt answers.

“You’re an idiot,” Wonwoo said flatly, but his voice was fond. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty.”

Pretty.

Mingyu hadn’t preened like this before. He definitely felt like a teenager. He decided to take that as a yes.

Chapter Text

It had just gone past eleven on a perfectly sunny Saturday morning, and all Mingyu could smell was the light refreshing dew of rain.

Wonwoo’s house was just as structurally sound as Mingyu had remembered; that is to say, not at all. The three-story layers were still crooked, but in the daylight Mingyu could make out wooden spandrels that took the brunt of the weight. It wasn’t much, but at least the overhangs weren’t just left to float until time decided it would crumble and collapse. It was lucky that this neighbourhood didn’t experience extreme bouts of weather, or else the damp would be beyond repair. Though, Mingyu did make a note that the house had a downspout to help with rainfall. Not that he’d experienced any whilst he’d been here, but he had only been here for a week, so what did he know?

The soft slope of the roof couldn’t have been by design, it certainly wasn’t replicated throughout the whole neighbourhood, so it must have been from the weight of the house or the poor distribution of weight from the inside. The dormers on the very top layer definitely weren’t helping, but the red tinge in the scalloped roofing looked pretty and delicate in the rays of sun. Beyond the roof, Mingyu could see a bricked chimney that stood proud and tall in the back of the property, and he was impressed that at least the chimney had been designed right. The direction of the wind meant that Wonwoo’s house wouldn’t be covered in soot every time he wanted to light his fireplace.

But still, the wonders Mingyu could do if he had a hardhat and his tools with him. Maybe he should have brought some paper out with him too, all the house needed was some support and a dream.

Wonwoo was too busy stroking Tabby at his front gate to notice Mingyu’s plotting, and it took a stubborn meow from Tabby to get Mingyu’s attention.

Mingyu sauntered over with his two bags of books and a grin, “So, are you open to taking notes?”

Wonwoo huffed quietly beside him, but he opened the gate so Mingyu could get through to his front garden easily.

“That depends on what kind of notes.”

Mingyu could work with that. He gestured the bag in his left hand in a circular motion, trying to convey that he was talking about the whole house.

“I just think—”

“No,” Wonwoo interrupted, grabbing his keys and unlocking his front door.

His lilac front door. Huh. Wooden door painted lilac. Very soft and pretty. If anything, the house did suit Wonwoo. Even if Mingyu wouldn’t trust it as far as he could tear it down and start all over again.

“How am I going to sleep at night, knowing your ceiling could collapse and kill you at any moment?” Mingyu whined with a pout.

Wonwoo nudged his door open and peeled off his shoes, shooting Mingyu a dry look, “I think you’ll manage.”

“Cruel,” Mingyu huffed, turning to look at where Wonwoo had left Tabby. “You’ll talk some sense into him, won’t you?”

“Mingyu.”

“Yes, dear?”

“Stop bothering the cat and come inside.”

Mingyu huffed in exasperation this time, but he did like to follow orders, so he took off his own shoes and followed Wonwoo through his entryway.

Wonwoo’s home certainly had a more closed-off floorplan, the entryway no more than a tight box to put your shoes and hang your coats. It opened up into a galley kitchen, but since Mingyu remembered Wonwoo didn’t know how to cook, it fitted well. Mingyu would feel claustrophobic if he cooked in here, but this wasn’t his kitchen, so ultimately it wasn’t his problem. The smell was inviting, though. Wonwoo had herbs in jars, and some hung up on shelves atop his kitchen counters, and Mingyu understood the relaxing point of nature. Wonwoo could channel peace into his plants, and Mingyu could tell. Underneath the smell of herbs, the distinct scent of rain still lingered. Even though the space was cramped, it felt light and airy, and he did notice a few tea candles scattered around. He glanced up to find no ceiling light. Mingyu pursed his lips to not make a comment, but his lips had ultimately lifted up into a small smile in betrayal. It was well decorated, and it felt like a Pinterest dream, but Mingyu knew that Wonwoo had made this space what it was and then had abandoned the hope of ever using it.

Cute.

The real magic came from the living room.

Or, it was probably supposed to be the living room, if the couches and the television that had gotten pushed to the corner were anything to go by. But the space was mostly utilised by a small circle of cushions to the left of the room, surrounding a wooden coffee table filled with burlap and bottle clutter. There was also a miscellaneous wooden working table pressed up against the wall. A small voice in the back of his head whispered that it was an Apothecary table. Whatever it was, it was positioned underneath a box window, which had no curtains. The missing curtains were replaced by a wooden frame and draping ivy.

The fireplace, however, stood in the centre of the wall, uncovered but unlit. There were more straps of burlap on the lip of the fireplace, as well as some crumpled pieces of paper. There weren’t as many plants as Mingyu had thought there might have been, but that’s not to say there weren’t any at all. They hung from the ceiling and were stuffed in the corners. If Mingyu had allergies, he definitely would be sneezing.

The most prized procession, stood boldly right in front of the fireplace, was a wooden statue of a cat.

The ears were folded over, but it didn’t look like the design had been intentional. It looked awkwardly shaped and cut, but the charm of the object was still there, and clearly Wonwoo liked the distinct appearance.

He didn’t want to be caught staring like an idiot, but Wonwoo had caught him anyway.

“Soonyoung made me that,” Wonwoo explained softly. “I bought a porcelain cat from the market a few years ago, but Soonyoung came round and accidentally broke it. I was a little upset, but I wasn’t actually that mad about it. Soonyoung wanted to make it up to me, so he carved a cat statue for me himself. It might be bias, but I think it looks a lot better than what I bought anyway.”

Mingyu walked over to it with a small grin and petted the cat between its wooden ears. He did notice that Wonwoo was watching him, but he didn’t pull away. “It’s sweet. Soonyoung’s sweet.”

“He is,” Wonwoo agreed, moving over to stand next to Mingyu. “Jihoon’s lucky, even if he doesn’t admit it often.”

“I don’t know, Jihoon’s pretty sweet too.”

Mingyu remembered how Jihoon had looked at the mention of Soonyoung during his visit to the Garden of Wonders. Jihoon knew exactly what he had and Mingyu was happy for them.

“Anyway,” Mingyu cleared his throat, “Where do you want these?”

Wonwoo tilted his head at him but ultimately decided to take the bags from Mingyu’s hands. He gestured at the awkwardly placed couch.

“Sorry about, well, the mess. But sit down and make yourself comfortable, and I’ll put these in my room. Do you want anything to drink?”

“Maybe just a glass of water,” Mingyu shrugged, “But I can do that, if you don’t mind?”

Wonwoo nodded at him, “Go for it, the kitchen’s all yours.”

“When was the last time you even looked in there properly?” Mingyu teased.

“When I need to grab more herbs,” Wonwoo wrinkled his nose at him, like the answer was obvious.

Teasing Wonwoo was never going to get old.

“Go put the books away, I’ll grab us some drinks,” Mingyu shooed him off with a laugh, and Wonwoo blinked at him before turning away and presumably finding his bedroom.

Mingyu was so tempted to wander around, to soak up every detail he could about this house, but he supposed he should be polite. No one took kindly to others snooping around in their private things. Instead, he grabbed them both a glass of water and made his way back to the couch to settle on. The seat was comfortable, but maybe that was because the cushions hadn’t been worn down by use. This house might seem old, but Mingyu could tell that only certain spots had been well used.

It didn’t take long for Wonwoo to return to the living room, and Mingyu handed him the glass of water without a word. Wonwoo took it with a small telling smile on his face, and Mingyu’s chest tightened. It was awfully sweet and domestic, and Mingyu could certainly get used to this.

He knew he had a pendant for getting carried away with new people, but Wonwoo wasn’t just anybody. He was Wonwoo. He was special.

“So,” Mingyu spoke up, breaking the soft quiet that had enveloped them, the both of them sat side by side on the couch, “What’s with the rain smell?”

Mingyu had come to his own conclusion. That either Wonwoo himself just smelled of rain because of his magic, or it was the magic itself that smelled like rain and it just followed Wonwoo around. Both ideas were just as good as each other in Mingyu’s book, but it would be nice to have confirmation. The more he knew, the better he felt.

Wonwoo blinked slowly at him. “The rain?”

“It smells like it’s been raining in here,” Mingyu clarified.

“Why, does it smell damp?” Wonwoo turned around in concern at the idea of his house growing mould.

“No, no,” Mingyu stopped him with a hand on his arm, but then he began to smirk, “Well, if you would let me fix your roof—”

“No,” Wonwoo huffed, but he was smiling again, “You’re my guest, I’m not going to shove you up on my roof.”

“I’m offering though,” Mingyu laughed.

“Stop it,” Wonwoo shook his head, but then he regained his composure. “I don’t know about the rain. I notice it sometimes, but... I think it’s just me?”

“I thought so,” Mingyu said softly, leaning over to gently nudge Wonwoo with his shoulder. “I like it. It suits you.”

Wonwoo looked at him like he couldn’t decide if Mingyu was joking or not. One day, Wonwoo wouldn’t have a reason to doubt. Mingyu wanted to be that reason.

“You like me.” Wonwoo’s voice sounded doubtful.

Mingyu immediately straightened his relaxed posture. “Wonwoo, of course I like you. I’ve been pretty obvious about it.”

“Have you?” Wonwoo asked, but it almost didn’t seem like a question. He stared at Mingyu for a few more moments, Mingyu letting him come to his own conclusion. Eventually, the cloud behind Wonwoo’s eyes disappeared, and his face lit up. “You have.”

“God, you’re adorable,” Mingyu cooed, desperately wanting to squish Wonwoo’s cheeks.

Wonwoo huffed quietly, like he couldn’t quite believe it, but this time it was different. It was soft and hopeful, instead of cold and spiteful.

“You’re an idiot,” Wonwoo said slowly, “But I like you too.”

Mingyu practically bounced in his seat, but Wonwoo stood up to put space between them. Or, that’s how Mingyu interpreted it, and he willed his body to sit still. Just because Wonwoo admitted he liked him, didn’t mean it was a big deal. To Mingyu it was, but maybe to Wonwoo it wasn’t. Maybe Mingyu was still just a little too much, and Wonwoo could only take him in small doses.

Though, it’s been two days, and Wonwoo hasn’t gotten fed up of him yet. Has he?

“Let me get your oils,” Wonwoo murmured, his hand reaching out to gently fix Mingyu’s hair.

Mingyu stilled, his brain malfunctioning but his body catching up immediately, and he leaned into the delicate touch. Maybe Wonwoo wasn’t sick of him yet. The touch was soft and Wonwoo was looking at him like Mingyu was worth looking at.

His heart stuttered, so he kept quiet. He didn’t want to look like a fool.

Besides, he had completely forgot he had come here to get more of Wonwoo’s oil. Damn him for easily getting distracted.

And also damn him for admitting that he needed those essential oils. Whilst he watched Wonwoo go over to the table underneath the window, he tried to get himself to feel his own body. Just like he thought, he was no longer plagued by the fiery itch of his scars. They had clearly settled in the time it took them both to get from Mingyu’s place to Wonwoo’s. It could have been the walk, Mingyu moving around instead of staying still, but more likely it was to do with the company. Wonwoo distracted him enough, he didn’t have time to worry about how itchy his scars were. They could have also just dried properly by now, since it seemed like the shower had triggered the itching anyway.

It didn’t matter, in the end. Wonwoo was willing to give him more of his essential oils, so he wasn’t going to say no. It did help his skin, after all.

“I have some spare,” Wonwoo’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, “Which ones did you want? Did you like the cedarwood?”

“I did,” Mingyu admitted, coming back to himself. He moved to stand up and followed Wonwoo to his station. “What others do you have?”

“All sorts. Lavendar, lemon, sandalwood, mint, bergamot. Oh, and cardamom.”

“You really branch out, huh?”

Wonwoo turned to give him a flat look. “Was that a tree joke?”

“Considering you didn’t laugh, it wasn’t a joke.”

“Funny,” Wonwoo deadpanned, but he was still smiling.

Mingyu watched as Wonwoo opened the top drawer of his Apothecary table and Mingyu peeked over Wonwoo’s shoulder to try and get a good look inside. The drawer was shallow, so he didn’t see much, but Wonwoo brought out some premade bottles in his palms.

“It’s your choice,” Wonwoo said.

Mingyu thought for a moment, but he didn’t know why he was being so picky. It didn’t really matter.

“I’ll go with the cardamom.”

Wonwoo nodded and looked through his small collection, picking out the correct one before putting the others in his drawer. The drawer seemed too shallow to hold enough bottles of oil, but maybe Mingyu just didn’t see properly.

He was beginning to become numb to all the oddities of this place.

“Go sit down.”

Mingyu blinked, “What?”

“Go sit,” Wonwoo repeated, gently pushing him over to the couch, “Roll up your sleeves. Let me wash my hands and then I’ll be right back.”

Mingyu froze. “What?”

Wonwoo gave him an odd look and stepped into his space to carefully manoeuvre Mingyu until he was sat down. Moving a stationary Mingyu was no easy feat, but he couldn’t dwell on that when his mind was repeating Wonwoo’s instruction in his head over and over again. Roll up his sleeves? Why?

Mingyu watched as Wonwoo left the living room to wash his hands, and even that was confusing. Why did Wonwoo suddenly need to wash his hands? He had so many questions and not enough time to stand up and run away. He’s used to running away. Mingyu liked to think he was very good at it. He ran when he felt uncomfortable and locked up things he didn’t want to think about. But just because he could, didn’t mean he always should.

Would letting Wonwoo see his arms really be a bad thing? His heart was racing in fear, but it would always be like this, every time he saw Wonwoo and wondered if he accidentally flashed his scars. Maybe it would be better to let the cat out of the bag now and see how Wonwoo would react. If Wonwoo kicked him out, or looked at him in fear, then at least Mingyu would know now and not months down the line.

Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Mingyu would always be scared. But Wonwoo didn’t seem like the type to be scared away easily. He could give him a chance.

When Wonwoo returned with a soft smile and his own sleeves of his sweater rolled up, Mingyu let out a shaky breath and carefully did the same.

Luckily, Wonwoo wasn’t watching him. He had gone back to his oil to pick it up and then had rounded the couch, so he was knelt in front of Mingyu.

Mingyu couldn’t help but frown back at him. “Hyung?”

“Yeah?”

Wonwoo still wasn’t looking at him. Mingyu swallowed in an attempt to even his breathing.

“What are you doing?”

Wonwoo slowly lifted his head, and the bangs in front of his eyes curled a little underneath his glasses. His eyes were bright, and his hair was soft, and his glasses sloped ever so slightly forward on his nose. Mingyu relaxed into the couch. Wonwoo wouldn’t hurt him. How could he?

“You said the oil made your skin feel better. I think I can help.”

Mingyu didn’t remember saying that exactly. But he did know that Wonwoo was eerily good at understanding people and their thoughts. Even if he didn’t believe Mingyu liked him. Maybe he had selective understanding. He understood things objectively, but maybe he struggled understanding subjectively. Huh. Mingyu put that in the back of his mind for later.

“Can I see?” Wonwoo asked softly.

It was nothing more than a whisper, and Mingyu’s skin prickled with goosebumps. He knew this was a defining moment in their relationship. Mingyu had rolled up his sleeves, but he had subconsciously held his arms to his stomach protectively. Wonwoo was knelt in front of him, the oil set to the side, the palm of his hands open on his thighs, waiting for Mingyu to reach out. A part of Mingyu wanted to close his eyes, but a bigger part of him wanted to see. He wanted to know if Wonwoo’s eyes would change when he saw him. The whole of him.

Ripping off the bandaid, Mingyu reached out and slowly displayed his forearms on top of Wonwoo’s cold palms. He almost flinched reflexively, and he didn’t know if it was because his arms were exposed, or if it was because of Wonwoo’s abysmal body temperature. At least the shock of cold brought Mingyu out of his anxiety for a moment though, because the only thought he could form was that he needed to buy Wonwoo some handwarmers.

Mingyu sat there, waiting patiently for Wonwoo to make a comment about the raw marks on his arms that were still slightly red from Mingyu mauling them hours earlier, but he didn’t. Instead, Wonwoo’s face opened up, like he was proud Mingyu had trusted him with this, and he delicately brushed his thumb across a particularly nasty scar that ever so slightly overtook the vein on Mingyu’s right arm. The touch was still cold, but it was delicate, like Wonwoo was treating his body with respect instead of disgust. His heart was still pounding, but less in anxiety, and more in fear of what this could make him feel.

He couldn’t remember the last person who had touched him this carefully, like someone like Mingyu – over six foot tall, well-muscled, scarred and broken – could ever be delicate or made of glass. But Wonwoo wasn’t pressing his thumb into his skin with any kind of pressure, it was simply a brush of reassurance, and perhaps just a way of Wonwoo mapping his body for his own knowledge. The touch was soft albeit objective, but the look in Wonwoo’s eyes was anything but calculated. It was open and warm, and Mingyu could smell rain way more than he could smell any of the herbs that invaded Wonwoo’s home, or even the strong scent of sandalwood from the Apothecary table.

Eventually, when Wonwoo was done just tracing the scars, he leaned down to pour some of the oil on his fingertips. Mingyu couldn’t help but be thankful when he realised Wonwoo was trying to warm the oil in his hands.

Mingyu practically melted into his seat.

“Sorry if it’s too cold,” Wonwoo mumbled quietly, but that warning didn’t stop him from reaching out again anyway.

Wonwoo’s fingers started gently at his wrist, tracing the scars that barely touched his palms and stretched forward to the crooks of his elbows. Wonwoo had applied more pressure this time, but that was only because he was rubbing the oil into the scars in small circular motions, and his lips had disappeared into his mouth in a look of concentration. Mingyu’s skin was reacting to Wonwoo’s touch, and his breathing continued to be unregulated. Wonwoo was going to be the death of him, one way or another.

The touch was nothing but relaxing; the itch in his veins beneath his skin had gone away completely. Instead, it left behind a tingling sensation, but even that was warm and soft instead of intense and distracting. It felt like his body was responding happily to Wonwoo’s hands, like the wolf inside of him was preening with the attention. Mingyu hadn’t been massaged in years. He hadn’t realised he was even missing out.

The cold didn’t even bother him. It was like Wonwoo’s cold fingers meeting Mingyu’s warm skin created a balanced middle ground for the both of them. It was nothing and everything all at once, and Mingyu knew that he would cherish this moment for as long as he lived.

As soon as Wonwoo’s fingers had reached the crumpled sleeves of Mingyu’s cardigan, Mingyu took the initiative to pull them all the way up to his shoulders. He didn’t have as many scars on his upper arms compared to how many he had on his forearms, but Mingyu didn’t want the sensation of Wonwoo’s hands to stop. Wonwoo could probably tell that he had little to no scars to rub the oil into now, but he obliged Mingyu’s silent request anyway. Wonwoo dipped down to reapply some more oil onto his fingers, and then he was back to massaging his fingers and thumbs into Mingyu’s bicep, and Mingyu couldn’t help but quirk his lip when Wonwoo’s hands stayed put a little too long on each one. It felt nice, to be appreciated this way. Mingyu was well aware that people liked looking at his body, but nobody had stuck around to make themselves a home there. With Wonwoo, Mingyu didn’t have the same worries.

Wonwoo had seen his scars, had massaged them, and seemed just as reluctant to leave Mingyu’s body as Mingyu was reluctant to let Wonwoo’s fingers stop.

To prove Mingyu right, once Wonwoo had finished applying the oil to Mingyu’s arms, he didn’t retract his fingers. Instead, he kept them lingering on Mingyu’s shoulders, and he glanced up to meet his eyes.

“Do you have any more?”

Mingyu inhaled sharply, but his body had made the decision before his brain did. Keeping his eyes locked on Wonwoo’s, his own hands came down to rest at the bottom of his cardigan, and he lifted it up off of his torso and pulled it over his head. He discarded it to the side of him on the couch, revelling in the way that Wonwoo hadn’t looked away once. If Mingyu had really thought about it, he could have teased. His cardigan had buttons, he could have undone them one by one. But this wasn’t that type of tension. Not yet. Maybe they would get there, and Mingyu would be satisfied when they did.

But for now, this was about appreciation, and worship, and undoing old knots and anxieties. It was less about desire. Though, Wonwoo’s eyes had darkened. Mingyu bit his lip to stop his body from getting any ideas. One day. Just not today.

Wonwoo seemed to get the message, because he eventually looked away from Mingyu’s eyes, and his gaze settled hotly on Mingyu’s bare chest and torso. The scar there was the worst, the big slash across his body, the first scar Mingyu had ever decorated himself with. He despised it, even if it was the one scar that had settled nicely. It was like he had been born with it, the way it had calmed against his skin, and was barely a lighter colour than his usual tan. It wasn’t red raw like the ones on his arms, but it was still the one Mingyu was displeased with the most.

It was his first, and you always remember your first.

Mingyu figured he should say something. He had Wonwoo on his knees in front of him, massaging his mystery scars. He should explain himself. Tell Wonwoo everything. But his throat wouldn’t work; the sound of opening his jaw barely made a click in the silence.

Wonwoo didn’t seem to care. Wordlessly, the witch reached down for more oil, and then he gently settled his palms on the swell of Mingyu’s chest. The touch was reverent, and Mingyu closed his eyes to really become one with the sensation of Wonwoo’s fingers. He also didn’t want to watch any longer. This scar was his second greatest shame, and he didn’t know how to feel when he compared his own feelings with the look in Wonwoo’s eyes. Wonwoo didn’t look ashamed, or even pitying. He expected to get the impression that Wonwoo felt sorry for him, but he hadn’t. Wonwoo had been almost in awe of his body. He couldn’t keep eye contact with a being who made him feel like he was on top of the world when he couldn’t even make himself feel like that.

“You know,” Wonwoo whispered, his hands gently working against the muscle of his abs now, “I do use my stove.”

“Hm?” Mingyu swallowed a little to get the lump out of his throat, but he could do this.

Mindless conversation was better than trying to explain himself.

“You were wrong about me,” Wonwoo continued, and Mingyu could almost picture Wonwoo smirking, “You said I didn’t use my kitchen. I do. It’s how I make these oils.”

“Oh.” Mingyu pictured that cramped kitchen, and all the plants and herbs. “Do you have a fire alarm?”

“You’re awful,” Wonwoo chuckled, his fingers pinching Mingyu’s side in retaliation. “I’ve never caused a fire in my life.”

“I’m calling bullshit,” Mingyu grinned, losing himself to the feeling of Wonwoo part massaging him and part feeling him up. “You always leave open flames near your greenery, and now you’re telling me you use that stove in that space and you haven’t set fire to anything at all?”

“You have zero faith in me. I know what I’m doing you know, I’m not a pyro. I’m a professional.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“You know what,” Wonwoo huffed, but his sentence ended there, like he didn’t have the words.

Instead, he ended up just pinching Mingyu’s shoulder after massaging the area there so thoroughly. The pinch made Mingyu open his eyes this time, and he was blessed with the image of Wonwoo slightly curled over Mingyu’s lap, his left hand still on his shoulder, his right hand flat against the centre of Mingyu’s torso scar.

He looked nothing short of an angel, and Mingyu wanted to stay here in this moment, with no regard to the outside world. He wanted Wonwoo so selfishly; he didn’t want anyone else seeing Wonwoo like this, so giggly, so open, so relaxed. So ready to eat Mingyu alive.

Mingyu would let him.

Just when he thought he had felt enough, that he had seen enough, and Wonwoo had finished massaging the oil into his body, he suddenly felt something wet and cold press against the centre of his chest. The kiss to his scar was short and sweet, barely anything at all. But Wonwoo had seen the worst of him and had kissed it better. Mingyu’s eyes couldn’t help but water, because who was this man? Who was he, and could Mingyu keep him?

Slowly, Wonwoo leaned back onto his knees again, but he lifted his head to meet Mingyu’s eyes. His glasses had sloped even more, barely hanging on, and Mingyu lifted his own useless hands to at least adjust the glasses so Wonwoo could see better. Wonwoo leaned into his touch, and Mingyu let out a shallow breath into Wonwoo’s hair.

Too soon, the moment broke, and Wonwoo shakily brought himself back up to his feet. A small bottle was pressed into Mingyu’s palm, and Mingyu automatically curled his fingers around it.

“Keep it,” Wonwoo said softly, “I’ll grab another one for you too. We used up practically half of it already.”

Mingyu nodded, still too stunned by what had happened to speak.

Wonwoo lingered next to him, fiddling with his own sleeves that hung over his palms. “Are you okay?”

Was he? Mingyu took a moment to collect himself, but eventually he came to the right conclusion. He was okay. He was more than okay. He had never felt like this before, and he worried he would be chasing this high for another fix until he found it. But if Wonwoo was willing to stick around, maybe he wouldn’t be left bereft.

“I’m okay,” Mingyu said, and he meant it.

Wonwoo smiled at him softly and moved to pick up Mingyu’s discarded cardigan. He fixed the sleeves and undid the buttons and carefully brought it around Mingyu’s shoulders to help him put it on. This was the first time Mingyu could remember being babied, but he refused to say anything and break the spell. Wonwoo was taking care of him. Mingyu had wanted someone to take care of him for years. He wasn’t going to jinx anything.

With one last check to make sure Mingyu really was okay and was no longer crying, Wonwoo went back to the Apothecary table to grab one more bottle of oil, and he grabbed another burlap bag to put the bottles in so Mingyu could carry them home.

Wonwoo shook the bag in front of Mingyu’s face, and Mingyu reached up to grab it. Before Wonwoo could pull away, Mingyu took a hold of Wonwoo’s outstretched arm and leaned forward to gently kiss his knuckle. Mingyu watched with a smirk when Wonwoo simply blinked back at him, but he could see the thoughts churning in Wonwoo’s mind even if he wasn’t a mind reader. Mingyu was slowly understanding now that Wonwoo wasn't as opposed to physical touch as he first seemed. Mingyu planned to ruin Wonwoo for everyone else; that meant plenty of kisses and embraces.

He was so sure Wonwoo had liked being in Mingyu’s arms almost as much as Mingyu enjoyed holding him. He’d have to test out that particular theory later though.

“You should come tonight,” Wonwoo said out of the blue.

Mingyu tried to keep up with him. “Come where?”

“We’re going to be gathering at Jun and Minghao’s café tonight. A little Saturday night tradition.”

“Oh.” Mingyu frowned. “We?”

Wonwoo softened in front of him, and he squeezed the hand that Mingyu still had a hold of. “Jun, Minghao, Chan, Seokmin, Jeonghan. Maybe Soonyoung and Jihoon if Jihoon is up for it. You’ll get to meet Shua-hyung too.”

Mingyu frowned harder. “What about Seungcheol?”

“He’ll be there.” Wonwoo took a step closer to him. “But it’ll be okay. We’ll all be there with you. You got off on the wrong foot, but Seungcheol should apologise. He can’t apologise if you’re not there.”

It was good logic. And Mingyu was an opportunist. He did deserve some kind of apology, even if Mingyu still believed that maybe Seungcheol had been right. Mingyu didn’t think he deserved to be thrown to the curb, but he understood that he wasn’t a gift to this neighbourhood. He was a liability. It would only be a short amount of time until everyone else here realised it.

Maybe not Wonwoo.

Hopefully not Wonwoo.

“I’ll come.”

Wonwoo seemed to brighten up next to him, and Mingyu decided to wrap him in a quick hug anyway. Wonwoo might as well get used to how clingy Mingyu could be. Wonwoo rolled his eyes a little, but he didn’t pull away.

“Good. It’d be nice to have some company for once.”

“What do you mean? You just said everyone else will be there.”

“Yes, but, they all have their pairs, and I…. Well, not so much. They’re great friends, and we all love each other, but sometimes even the loudest group can make you feel lonely.”

Mingyu’s heart broke. He squeezed Wonwoo’s waist tighter.

“I promise I’ll be there.”

Wonwoo melted into his embrace. “I know.”

They stood there like that for a while, Wonwoo in Mingyu’s arms, and Mingyu couldn’t help but feel content. His skin was no longer tingling, but that was because his muscles felt more relaxed than they ever have been, and Mingyu could only thank Wonwoo for that. He did take the liberty to try and work out just what was on Wonwoo’s coffee table from this angle though, but he seemed to be getting restless because Wonwoo laughed and pulled himself out of his arms.

“If I let you look around, can I go get one of those books and read on the couch?”

What an excellent compromise. Mingyu beamed and agreed. Wonwoo shook his head at him but disappeared upstairs again, and Mingyu came to settle on one of the cushions. He reached out to look at all the burlaps, some filled with what seemed like wheat, and some filled with herbs. Some were just empty, much like most of the bottles on the table. He still hadn’t explicitly asked about the bottles. He was still convinced that they were potions. He wondered what kind of spells Wonwoo put in them. He only knew one way to find out.

When Wonwoo made his way back to the living room, Mingyu picked up one of the empty bottles and shook it in Wonwoo’s direction. “What are these for?”

Wonwoo squinted his eyes to somehow get a better look despite how it should have hindered his vision instead. Slowly, he straightened up and seemed to decide that this would be the first question of many. Instead of sitting far away on the couch, he came to sit on a cushion next to Mingyu.

“Those ones are just spares,” Wonwoo said once he had settled, “But I usually keep herb essence in them.”

“Herb essence?” Mingyu sounded sceptical. “What does that mean?”

“It means that I brew ingredients that I find in nature, or from plants I purchase,” Wonwoo said, already opening up the first page of his new book. “I then bottle them up and slap labels on them for customers. When you drink them, they can give you positive or negative effects, depending on the plants I used or depending on your mood when you drink it.”

Mingyu stared hard at the empty bottles, putting them back down on the table. “Customers buy them and drink boiled plants, and then they decide if it put them in a good or bad mood. Sounds like their imagination. Like—”

“Placebo?”

Mingyu already knew that Wonwoo was grinning at him. He loved to prod Mingyu’s open wounds. Mingyu dramatically threw himself back, so he was sprawled out on Wonwoo’s living room floor.

“You’re not a witch at all. You just sell herbs in every form possible. Want to get to sleep? Have some herbs I melted into oils. Want to feel better about your life? Look, here’s some more herbs that I melted, but they’re in a bottle this time.”

“You’re complaining, but it works.”

“You’re a scammer.”

“And I do it so flawlessly,” Wonwoo hummed.

He was still reading. Mingyu could hear every flip of his page. Strange, he seemed to be reading faster this time.

“Oh.” The page flipping stopped.

Mingyu removed his arm that he had thrown over his forehead to peek at Wonwoo. The witch was looking back at him, and suddenly he stood up.

“I almost forgot, I have something for you.”

He moved out of Mingu’s view, so Mingyu pushed his heavy body to sit up.

He rubbed his bleary eyes and his vision refocused on brown paper packaging that Wonwoo was holding in front of his face. Mingyu frowned a little but he slowly took the packaging out of Wonwoo’s hands, and he removed the brown paper. Wonwoo was stood up above him, his bottom lip trapped between his teeth. He looked nervous.

Mingyu glanced down into his own hands.

It was a candle.

“You said I could do better than the rose one,” Wonwoo said quietly. “So I thought I’d try to make something better for you. I hope you like it.”

Mingyu turned the candle around in his hands, trying to see if the glass container had any packaging on it that would display what the scent was supposed to be. There wasn't one. Mingyu leaned ever so slightly forward to give the wax a sniff. He sniffed it once, and then once more. He couldn’t really pick up any particular scent, but after the third time, his nose finally caught on to what he was smelling. It was vanilla with a hint of pomegranate.

He could tell because that’s exactly what his Aunt’s study smelled like. It had been his Aunt’s favourite perfume, outside her usual florals, and she had sprayed it so much in her many years that the scent had subsequently stuck to the old shelves, the blankets and the curtains. The scent was faint, and you had to strain to smell it in person, but it was still there, and it felt just as comforting as his Aunt’s shawl.

He refused to let his eyes water another time, but it was a close call.

He looked up to find Wonwoo still watching him, a small smile playing on his lips.

“It’s lovely,” Mingyu complimented, because it was the truth. “I—Thank you. Really. This means a lot. You didn’t have to…”

Mingyu didn’t really know what to say. Wonwoo had worked on this for him. And realistically, he only had one night to do so.

He couldn’t see any black circles under Wonwoo’s eyes, but he can’t have slept that well.

“It’s amazing,” Mingyu continued, his mouth not wanting to stop now that it’s started, “You’re amazing. Wonwoo—you didn’t have to do this. Thank you so much. It’s going right on my dressing table.”

“And you lectured me about fire safety,” Wonwoo muttered, but the worry in his eyes had slowly started to disappear.

Wonwoo cared about what Mingyu thought. Immediately, Mingyu stood up to hug Wonwoo. This time, unlike both the times Mingyu had initiated a hug, Wonwoo held him back.

Mingyu knew he would never feel like this again. It meant that Mingyu had to work hard to keep this, to keep Wonwoo. And that meant he needed to show him how much this meant to him. He squeezed him tight, not wanting to let him go.

“I’m glad you like it,” Wonwoo said into his shoulder, “Is it better than the rose?”

“Much better.” Mingyu insisted. “But the rose was good too. It’s just…. This is better.”

“Better,” Wonwoo repeated quietly, like he was assuring himself.

Mingyu pressed a kiss to the top of Wonwoo’s hair, and Wonwoo nuzzled gently against his cheek.

The nuzzle was all it took for him to make a decision.

Mingyu would fight to keep this. He would fight anyone. Even Seungcheol. Especially Seungcheol.

Bring on tonight.

Chapter Text

Mingyu didn’t know what to wear. It sounded cliché, but considering he was living out of a suitcase he packed a few nights ago, it felt valid. He was stood in front of the guest room’s dresser, which had a crumpled pair of jeans, some sweats, a pair of shorts, and a few jumpers and cardigans stuffed into it. It wasn’t like he didn’t count them as real clothing, especially since everyone from the neighbourhood had already seen him in jeans and a sweater before. But tonight felt more special than that. He didn’t want to look like a mess, not like the way he had done on Thursday. He wanted to make a better second impression, since the first time didn’t go as well as he had wanted it to. He wanted to dress smart casual. It might make Seungcheol like him more. He wasn’t sure if tactics like that worked in smaller villages, but it definitely helped him get into university and then hired for his job in the city.

Though, if he wanted to dress smart casual, he would have to make his way back to his city apartment to pick up more clothing. Maybe that was a good idea anyway. He clearly hadn’t made a start on cleaning his clothes with his Aunt’s washing machine. It would probably be a good thing to get more stock now rather than worry about it later.

He really wanted things to go smoothly. A voice in the back of his head was maybe trying to tell him that looking the part would only get him so far, especially with someone like Seungcheol, but he had to start somewhere.

Wonwoo was worth it. This place was worth it. Mingyu wanted to stay here.

He couldn’t help but smile down at his dresser like a fool at the thought of Wonwoo. They had stayed on the floor together for another couple of hours, their shoulders pressed against each other as Wonwoo read and Mingyu picked at the clutter Wonwoo’s home was littered with. Eventually, Wonwoo needed to go run an errand, and Mingyu needed to sort himself out before they planned to meet again tonight at Jun and Minghao’s café. It was logical, to separate and get themselves ready, but Mingyu found himself missing him.

It shouldn’t affect him this much already, but he can’t stop something that was already in motion. His skin still felt soft from how Wonwoo had massaged him, and his heart still felt tender from it too. He couldn’t get the feeling of Wonwoo generously rubbing oil into his arms and his chest out of his mind; it was such a subtle form of driving him mad. It wasn’t a heat he needed to scratch out, but it was a simmering warmth he wanted to always be enveloped in.

He was almost sure he would never feel the cold again.

That was why he needed to look the part of a put together boyfriend. Not that that’s what he was, at least not yet, but Wonwoo had confessed he had liked him. Mingyu knew he had him in any way Wonwoo would let him, and he was aware now of just how much Wonwoo would give him. Mingyu could read him better now, better than any book his Aunt would recite on repeat. And that meant he needed to impress him in front of his friends. Seokmin, Soonyoung, Minghao and Jun already seemed to like him, and maybe Jihoon too. But he had barely spoken to Chan and Jeonghan, and Seungcheol would be tough to crack. It probably didn’t help that Mingyu didn’t have a very cookie cutter appearance anymore. He used to look like a presentable young man, even after being bitten. Despite his muscles growing bigger, he had admittedly let the rest of his skin and hair routine go out the window these past few months. He had never felt motivated to put more energy into himself than he would others. He had to change that now.

And he only knew one man for the job.

Grabbing his phone, Mingyu dialled the number. It rang once, twice, and then a third time, and then a voice picked up.

“Gyu?”

“Seungkwan? Do you think you could meet me at my apartment in an hour? I need your help.”

“I thought you’d never ask. I’m on my way.”

~~~

“You look—”

“Like a mess?”

“I was going to say moderately ruffled.”

Mingyu let out a short bark of a laugh before falling backwards onto the middle of his double bed. He hadn’t been back to his apartment for a few days now, and he had mail to go through that had been left at his front door, and his kitchen had a subtle distinct smell that was signalling it had out of date food in the fridge that needed to be thrown away, and yet Mingyu was here, glaring at his ceiling like a child. They were in his bedroom at his apartment, and Mingyu was desperate.

“I think you look ruggedly handsome, hyung.”

“Don’t fool him, Nonie.”

“No, keep fooling me,” Mingyu huffed, raising his head to look at his one saving grace in this whole mess.

Vernon. His favourite ever dongsaeng. If anyone was put on this planet to make Mingyu feel better about himself, it was Vernon. It didn’t help though that Vernon was the quiet one between him and Seungkwan. And it also didn’t help that Vernon liked the sound of Seungkwan’s voice.

It triply didn’t help that Vernon was all the way in the other corner of his bedroom, sat on a stool, and Seungkwan was stood proudly next to Mingyu and his sorry excuse for a wardrobe.

“Remember when you were cool?” Seungkwan raised an eyebrow. “I always thought you were cool. Looking at your options, I’m starting to think you’re a hermit. But with a very nice apartment.”

“It’s not a nice apartment,” Mingyu frowned. “It’s average at best.”

“Average is our best though,” Vernon said thoughtfully, so Mingyu sunk back down on the bed to check his privilege.

Vernon was right, anyway. His apartment was fine. It had more rooms than he realistically needed, considering it was just him that lived there, but after spending a few nights in his Aunt’s house….

Maybe bigger was better. The house was still far too quiet, but he was sure that he could find a way to fill it with warmth, the way Wonwoo had rubbed warmth into his arms.

Company. Friends. Homemade meals for dinner parties. Mingyu had ideas.

“Uh, hello?” A hand waved in front of Mingyu’s face, and he blinked his eyes up to look at Seungkwan hovering over him. “Look, I’m going to be honest. You have a few nice white shirts, and you have a blazer. But these trousers don’t look like they’ll fit you anymore. Either you always were an ankle shower, or you’ve grown since uni.”

“I haven’t grown that much,” Mingyu mumbled petulantly.

“Then you’re an ankle shower,” Seungkwan decided. “And that’s worse.”

“No one wants to see your ankles, hyung,” Vernon nodded from his little corner.

Mingyu almost wished Seungkwan hadn’t invited him. He couldn’t take being mocked by both his dongsaengs at the same time. That wasn’t fair.

“I don’t need a blazer and slacks,” Mingyu settled on instead. He sat up, frustrated. “It’s only a café.”

“A café?” Seungkwan wrinkled his nose. “Why didn’t you say that in the first place? I thought you were going somewhere fancy. You told me it was important.”

“It is important. Just because it’s at a café with terrible but charming décor doesn’t mean it’s not important.”

Mingyu ignored the twin looks Seungkwan and Vernon were giving him. He knew that he wasn’t making much sense. But like he said, he was desperate.

“You know how I said that my Aunt’s place meant a lot to me? And that the neighbourhood seemed nice?” Mingyu waited for two nods before continuing. “It’s just, the neighbourhood is nice. It’s so nice. And there are so many people our age, and they’re all so important to each other, and they’re so interesting. I’m nothing like them, I know that. But I still want to fit in. I want them to like me. I… There’s this guy….”

“Ah.” Seungkwan’s face cleared. “That makes so much more sense.”

“No, it’s not like that. Well. It is like that. But imagine what it’s like and then imagine it even better.”

Seungkwan and Vernon exchanged a look that told Mingu they thought he was crazy, and sometimes he did feel crazy, but this time he felt valid. They wouldn’t understand. But they had to get it. Mingyu really needed this to go right.

“Hyung, you know you’re enough, right?” Vernon broke eye contact with Seungkwan to look directly at him.

Mingyu blinked once, twice, and then looked away. He didn’t need Vernon looking into his soul. Even if Vernon always seemed to say the right thing, when he dared.

Vernon thought he was enough. Vernon wasn’t the type to lie.

Mingyu wanted to believe him.

“Can you just help?” Mingyu looked to Seungkwan as an evasion. “I don’t know what I’m asking for. I’m asking for just a little bit of magic, Kwannie.”

That seemed to light Seungkwan into action. “For you? Sure, I got some magic.”

Mingyu smiled, relieved. If he believed anyone, it was Seungkwan.

And Mingyu got to watch the great Boo Seungkwan in all his glory. Luckily, it didn’t take as long as he thought it might. Seungkwan started with emptying out all of Mingyu’s clothes onto the bed, after shooing Mingyu away of course, and he made Vernon collect all of Mingyu’s miscellaneous products from his bathroom. In the end, all it took was a simple black tank top, a cuffed denim jacket, and dark wash jeans. Seungkwan said it made him look cool and mysterious, and even though it definitely didn’t make Mingyu feel like either of those things, he could agree that it looked good. Better than just having a regular sweater on top, at least. Seungkwan even gave him the full treatment, making him sit in front of his bedroom mirror that was above his dresser so he could do some subtle make up and get some product into his hair. The length of his hair was still long and unruly, but Seungkwan found a way to make it sit intentionally on his head, rather than all over the place.

He looked fine. He looked more than fine.

Mingyu breathed in relief at the sight of himself looking almost normal, and he leaned back against Seungkwan’s shoulder whilst holding eye contact with Vernon in the mirror. “Thanks guys.”

“No problem, hyung. Let us know how it goes, yeah?”

“Duh.”

~~~

Mingyu did end up getting rid of the out-of-date food from his fridge, as well as sorting out his junk mail. He was still an adult with responsibilities at the end of the day, and he didn’t want to start neglecting everything. He even packed another bag of clothes and random belongings to take back with him to his Aunt’s house, and he tried to investigate his fridge to see if there was anything else he could take back with him to save more from going out of date again. With his two new bags of clothes and ingredients, Mingyu loaded up his car and set off. The drive was peaceful and uneventful, but Mingyu felt brighter. Driving down quiet roads with his window rolled down was a feeling Mingyu could get behind, one hand on the wheel, one arm resting on his window. The cool breeze brought itself through his car, leaving him relaxed and centred, but the breeze was not enough to counteract how warm Mingyu felt. If anything, it made him feel it more.

He looked good, he had great friends, and a bit of wind wasn’t going to change his mood.

In fact, he was almost certain the breeze had blown him all the way back to the Garden of Wonders.

With a cocky smirk, Mingyu smoothly swerved into a parking space just outside the garden centre’s side entrance, where Jihoon and Soonyoung were crouched down on their knees, inspecting some broken plant pots and presumably deciding what to do with them.

Mingyu honked the car horn to get their attention.

They looked up with a start, and Mingyu leaned out the window to wave at them.

“Ah, it’s you!” Soonyoung exclaimed, standing up and hurrying over to the car to give Mingyu a quick fist bump.

It was the friendliest any of them had been to him yet, other than Seokmin hugging him goodbye, and Mingyu grinned up at him, “Jihoon got you working again?”

“Doesn’t he always?” Soonyoung giggled, before turning back to look at Jihoon quickly as if checking if Jihoon had heard him.

Jihoon was stood up too but hadn’t come any closer. That was okay. At least it seemed like he was smiling instead of glaring this time.

“Will I be seeing you later tonight?” Mingyu called to him.

He hoped so. If Jihoon was going, that meant Soonyoung would most likely also be going. Mingyu didn’t know what he’d do if he lost two of his defences.

“I don’t know,” Jihoon shrugged, but he peeled off his garden glove as if to say he was done working for now.

“I’ll buy you dumplings,” Mingyu offered.

Mingyu didn’t expect Jihoon’s giggle to be so high pitched, but he couldn’t help but smile when he heard it.

“I’ll hold you to that. Is there anything else that you’ll be buying?”

Jihoon’s body was turned towards the garden centre, one of his eyebrows coming up to a small arch of judgement. It was a look of expectation.

Mingyu’s smile turned into another smirk as he rolled up his window and then got out of his car completely, “You know, I think there just might be.”

Soonyoung stepped back to make room for Mingyu, and he ended up trailing after Jihoon and Mingyu’s long strides into the garden centre with a confused face, “What do you mean?”

Mingyu turned to look down at Jihoon, “Do you happen to have any baby’s breath or white roses?”

Jihoon looked up at him with a pleased smile, ignoring Soonyoung’s whines behind them. “I think I might just have both.”

~~~

Armed with food, clothes and roses, Mingyu tiptoed his way into his Aunt’s house and tackled his bags one by one. Firstly, he placed the roses on his kitchen counter. They weren’t going to be staying there, but they looked nice in their temporary placement. He unloaded his ingredients into his fridge, and he hoped they’d be fine to use tomorrow when his family came to visit. He promptly ignored the fact that he still had a few tubs to look through in the living room, but that was easy. His family could even decide what to do with them if they wanted to. Mingyu would still have this house and would still have his Aunt’s study. Not everything was black and white. He was still learning to understand that. What better way than to leave it up to his parents instead of making the difficult decisions on his own?

Mingyu liked that way better. It also prevented Mingyu’s mini high from crashing into a new low.

Passing by his entryway again, a bright mess of fabric caught his eye, and Mingyu turned to find the doll Seokmin had dropped off for him laying face down on his floor. He couldn’t remember the last place he saw it, or where he had left it, but he refused to believe he didn’t just knock it over. Instead of thinking more on it, he bent down to pick up the doll and gently placed it onto his accent table. It looked quite nice propped up against the mirror. It certainly gave the room more colour and character. He’d have to thank Seokmin later tonight.

With a pep in his step, he skipped up the stairs to dump the clothes he was still holding into his dresser, rotating out the ones that he had already used and probably couldn’t get away with wearing again. He was a man, but he still had morals about hygiene and how he smelled.

Speaking of, he brought more cologne with him, and he went into the bathroom to put them into his Aunt’s cabinet, next to the rest of his belongings. Like this, Mingyu could almost envision his own bathroom from back at his apartment. The shelves and cabinets looked almost similar now, even if his bottles were still mixed in with his Aunt’s floral perfume. A part of him thought that maybe he should throw them away since no one would be here to use them, but a part of him couldn’t justify that. He didn’t want to get rid of her so soon. Her essence still existed, even if it was only contained within this house – Mingyu wasn’t about to scrub that away. He wanted to keep it for as long as possible.

Before he left the bathroom, his elbow caught the side of the blanket that was covering the floor length mirror, and Mingyu paused.

The mirror.

Did he need to keep that covered up anymore?

Mingyu bit his lip. Just because Wonwoo hadn’t run away from him for having his scars exposed, it didn’t mean it had inherently changed how Mingyu thought about them. They were still proof of his mistake many years ago, much like how the moon reminds him every day. They were still ugly. They still wouldn’t be there if Mingyu didn’t have a monster laying dormant inside of him.

But…. Were they really that scary?

Wonwoo hadn’t thought so.

Mingyu had seen glimpses of proof, of proof that his scars held some value, and that they weren’t just a part of him that should be hidden forever. Could he ever be himself in front of Wonwoo, or his new friends, if he couldn’t even be honest with his bathroom mirror?

Besides, this was his Aunt’s mirror. His Aunt’s mirror would never judge him. Mingyu shouldn’t let it.

Slowly, Mingyu brushed his fingertips across the top of the blanket, feeling how soft it was under his touch. The blanket wasn’t serving its right purpose, covering up that mirror. It was perhaps a dumb thought, but sometimes it takes a dumb thought to make a tough decision. With one precise flick of his wrist, he pulled the blanket away, revealing his full body reflection in the mirror. He was covered by his clothes, but now he could get the full effect that he didn’t get when he was back at his apartment.

When he didn’t hunch his shoulders, he was tall. He could look proud. His tank top’s dipped neckline revealed tanned skin that contrasted with the white light of the bathroom, and if he took a picture to always look back on when he had bad thoughts, maybe he wouldn’t have as many anymore.

He looked… Fine. Like Mingyu.

He looked like Mingyu.

He’s never allowed himself to think that before. Mingyu was the human, the wolf was the monster. He was one or the other, never both.

But he was both.

And Wonwoo had kissed him for it.

He was seeing his true self for the first time, and maybe he didn’t have to be so disgusted by it. Maybe he could even like it.

With misty eyes and a slow hello wave to himself in the mirror, Mingyu left the bathroom and returned the blanket to where it belonged, keeping his Aunt’s study warm.

~~~

Wonwoo had told him to come to the café at six. Mingyu liked to be punctual. He should have known that meant that everyone would already be inside and Wonwoo was running late. He figured that because with one peek into the window, he couldn’t see Wonwoo, but everyone else was loudly gathering around Minghao and Jun’s table. A few tables had to have been pushed together, because they definitely weren’t that long before, but Mingyu had dipped out of sight quickly to not be seen so he didn’t know for certain. That also meant that he couldn’t see where everyone was exactly and who was sat with whom. He liked to think he would be sat with Wonwoo, so planning where the seats were shouldn’t matter, but that didn’t mean he wanted to end up with Seungcheol next to him or in front of him. It wouldn’t have hurt to strategise in advance. If anything was a positive though, he could definitely hear Soonyoung from where he was stood outside, so at least he had sufficient support for this evening.

It didn’t need to be this dramatic. Seungcheol only told him that he was going to ruin this neighbourhood and that he shouldn’t be allowed to stay here. No biggie.

“Min?”

Mingyu sharply turned away from the blind spot he was hovering in next to the café, and he lit up at seeing Wonwoo stood only a few feet ahead of him. With a quick scan, Mingyu deduced that Wonwoo must have also cared about his appearance, even just a little bit. He clearly decided that a nice pair of jeans were appropriate to wear, but he had topped it off with a leather jacket.

A leather jacket.

If you had offered Mingyu any amount of money, he would never have wagered Wonwoo even owning a leather jacket, never mind casually wearing one. The same man who wore oversized cardigans and lots of layers. The same man who was checking Mingyu out the exact way Mingyu was checking Wonwoo out.

To get out of the flustered mess he could very easily become, Mingyu stepped forward with a bouquet at the ready, “Here, these are for you.”

Wonwoo blinked at him, but he reached out to take the flowers with a small smile playing at his lips. He seemed just as pleased as Mingyu had hoped he’d be.

“Thank you,” Wonwoo reached out to squeeze Mingyu’s arm, and that must just be a thing now.

Wonwoo squeezing his bicep. Mingyu wasn’t complaining. In fact, he flexed a little, his arm coming round to hold Wonwoo by the waist.

“I’m glad you turned up,” Mingyu said softly, “Even if it was fashionably late. Again.”

“Again?” Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at him.

“You were late at the Thursday meeting too,” Mingyu accused confidently.

Wonwoo breathed out a small laugh and relaxed his hand holding Mingyu’s arm. “That wasn’t lateness. I really wasn’t going to go. But Soonyoung said you’d be there. It was a last-minute decision.”

Mingyu almost froze. What a fascinating piece of information. Wonwoo had been curious about him from day one too?

“Oh, so you really do like me,” Mingyu teased, breaking out into a smile of wonder.

This day couldn’t get any better. Two confessions and a kiss. Maybe tonight he could make it two confessions and two kisses.

Wonwoo huffed and stepped around him, clearly making his way towards the door, “Come on, idiot, they’ll be waiting for us.”

Mingyu grinned and skipped in behind him, almost forgetting about the chaos they were about to walk into. He was quickly reminded when the door of the café closed behind him, and all the noise Mingyu had previously heard just sobered up.

Mingyu looked around Wonwoo to find nine pairs of eyes on them, from various levels. Chan, Jeonghan, Seokmin, Soonyoung and Jihoon were already sat at the few tables that had been squeezed together, and they were all looking up at Mingyu and Wonwoo. Whereas Minghao and Jun were still standing, plates in hand. Along with Seungcheol who was helping them, and –

“You!” Mingyu exclaimed, stepping out of Wonwoo’s protective barrier, “I remember you. You were talking to the ground.”

The man from the tree clearing on his morning jog blinked his eyes wide in surprise at the noise, but he didn’t look overly shocked to see Mingyu again. Not that Mingyu particularly expected it at this point.

“Oh,” Wonwoo looked between them, “You already met Shua?”

“We had the pleasure of meeting, yes,” Shua said with a hint of a smile, and he bowed his head in recognition at Mingyu.

Mingyu bowed back shyly, embarrassed that he didn’t hold his urge back. But he couldn’t help but wonder at the coincidence. Of course it was Joshua he had met this morning. Who else would it be? They were all as strange as each other.

He was liking them more and more.

Except, when his eyes naturally passed by Shua to land on Seungcheol again, Mingyu took a small step back into Wonwoo’s space. It didn’t help that Seungcheol seemed to be eyeing what Wonwoo had in his hands.

Minghao also noticed, but he simply smiled and stepped forward, “Would you like me to put them down for you so you can sit and eat with us, Wonu?”

Wonwoo smiled bashfully but carefully handed Minghao his bouquet, and Minghao took them away to put them in a safe space. Mingyu placed his hand at the small of Wonwoo’s back to remind him that he was here, and that he had someone to lean on. Wonwoo was clearly uncomfortable with all the eyes on them, even if the looks were mostly just curious. Still, it was probably best if they sat down and stopped putting attention on themselves.

Mingyu gently guided them both forward to two empty seats next to Chan, and Wonwoo shot him a grateful look. He couldn’t help but puff up a little in pride.

What was Seungcheol going to do, fight him in the middle of a peaceful café? There wasn’t even any room for it.

Mingyu was safe.

“Those are nice flowers, Wonwoo,” Shua said softly, dipping down to sit opposite them, “I wonder where you got those from.”

The group tittered like it was a running joke, Soonyoung and Seokmin a smidge louder than the rest, and Mingyu spied Jihoon shaking his head next to them.

“Jihoon always grows nice flowers,” Wonwoo said diplomatically, but he didn’t sound on edge.

He sounded like he did belong here with this group, even if Mingyu could still feel the fact that he hadn’t completely relaxed into his seat yet. Not that Mingyu was complaining, because it meant that Wonwoo was mostly leaning against Mingyu’s arm rather than the back of his chair. Mingyu was honoured to be used.

“It’s nice to see everyone together,” Jeonghan said from somewhere behind Mingyu, and he couldn’t help but startle a little in his seat.

He hadn’t even seen Jeonghan move, and now suddenly he was right behind him. Jeonghan’s hand was gently resting on the back of Mingyu’s chair, but it didn’t feel invasive. Mingyu didn’t feel intimidated at all, it was more like Jeonghan was greeting him like an old friend, leaning against him in a familiar way. Mingyu forced down a blush and looked down at the table. Maybe tonight would be okay.

“Yeah, glad to see Shua could make it this time,” Seokmin cheered, “And Wonwoo, of course.”

“Wonwoo?” Mingyu frowned.

“Yes, our Wonu doesn’t always like to show up to our group meetings,” Jeonghan hummed, moving away from Mingyu to slyly tap at Wonwoo’s shoulder, “Oh, how we do miss him.”

“Hyung,” Wonwoo complained, ducking his head down against his chest, refusing to look at anyone directly.

Mingyu was still frowning, but this did make sense. When he had asked if Jun and Minghao knew Wonwoo, they said they knew him but didn’t see him often. And Chan had let it slip that Wonwoo didn’t always go to the town hall meetings either. Maybe he was more of a homebody than Mingyu had perceived. Or maybe Wonwoo wasn’t lying when he said that sometimes he felt lonely when he was surrounded by them all.

Mingyu squeezed Wonwoo’s waist in reassurance, and Wonwoo subtly leaned more into him.

“Well we know why he turned up today,” Soonyoung teased, “What with tall, strong, and handsome over here.”

Wonwoo looked up sharply. “Jihoon—”

“Already on it.” Jihoon reached over to pinch at Soonyoung’s thigh, and Soonyoung yelped in surprise. “Shut up.”

“What?” Soonyoung huffed in pain, “Can’t I say—”

“No, you can’t.”

“None of you are normal,” Jun complained, easing his way into the centre of attention so he could announce the full plates that had magically showed up on each placemat of the table.

Well, not magically. Jun and Seungcheol had brought them over amongst all the noise, and Mingyu relaxed a little knowing that everyone would shut up as soon as they started cracking into their delicious meals. It also meant that everyone had already ordered, or just that Jun and Minghao were generous enough to make almost everything on their menu so their friends could eat well and be full. Mingyu would have to thank them and tip them generously. And maybe buy Jihoon dumplings later too.

They waited for Minghao to come back, and then their hosts took their seats.

“It all looks wonderful, Junnie,” Jeonghan complimented.

Jun ducked his head bashfully in acknowledgement of the compliment, and Minghao smiled proudly next to him. Before Mingyu could pick up his chopsticks to tuck in, all eyes turned to their leader. Right.

“Like Jeonghan said, it’s nice to see us all under one roof again, enjoying Minghao and Jun’s food as always,” Seungcheol began, the only one left stood up. “I would like to greet Shua back from his journey, and hope that he had a safe adventure, and that he’s always welcome back whenever he gets pulled in by the tides of homesickness.”

The table let out a soft cheer, a big hoot in particular coming from Seokmin, and Joshua stood up slightly to bow at them all before sitting back down.

“I would like to thank us all for being here together, sharing this moment together, and I would once again like to thank Minghao and Jun for always being so generous with their humble abode.” Seungcheol finished with a small bow of his own, and then finally settled into his own seat next to Jeonghan and Joshua.

Though, before anyone could start eating, someone at the table made a point to clear their throat. Mingyu’s eyes flitted to Minghao, confused that Minghao seemed to have done it intentionally to be heard, rather than just a reflexive action.

Minghao and Seungcheol locked eyes, and a look flickered between them.

Eventually, Seungcheol swallowed his pride.

“One last thing. I would like to apologise to someone at this table.” Seungcheol turned to look directly at Mingyu, almost making him flinch. “Whilst I stand by what I said, I should have not said it in the manner that I did, especially not in front of everyone. I ruined our meeting. My apologies, Mingyu.”

Well. At least that was honest. Mingyu didn’t expect Seungcheol to have changed his mind, but at least now he knew for certain. That was okay. Not everyone liked Mingyu. It was fine.

“Apology accepted,” Mingyu said quietly, his eyes flickering back to his food.

He really just wanted to eat.

Jeonghan cleared his throat this time, but then put on a smile for everyone, gesturing to the warm plates on their table. “Everyone, please, tuck in.”

No one needed to be told twice. Everyone picked up their chopsticks to eat, and even though there were a few stray moments filled with tension, everyone seemed to ease into chattering amongst each other between bites and slurps of the assortment of dishes in front of them.

Next to him, Wonwoo was quiet, picking up what seemed like three pieces of rice with his chopsticks and eating them, only to slowly repeat the process. Not that Mingyu was monitoring him eating, but he felt like he couldn’t look at anyone else at the table. The noise was quiet whilst they ate, but Seokmin and Soonyoung were giggling quietly together as Jihoon focused on his own rice, and Jeonghan and Seungcheol seemed to be engaged in a chat with Joshua about his trip out of the neighbourhood. Caught in his own observations, a nudge to his shoulder brought Mingyu’s mind back to the present.

“Hey, hyung,” Chan said from beside him, and Mingyu was grateful for the distraction. “You look cool.”

Huh. Mingyu smiled back at him shyly, because the compliment seemed genuine, and it was nice that Chan had decided to strike up conversation just to say it. Mingyu gently pressed his shoulder back against Chan’s in a happy nudge.

“Thanks. I got some help.”

“Oh? From who?” It was Wonwoo this time.

Mingyu glanced at him, hoping he wouldn’t be judged. “Oh, just my friends. The ones I work with, actually.”

“What do you do for work, Mingyu?” Jeonghan asked.

Mingyu looked up from his own bubble, and found that a few eyes were looking at him, and some were pretending not to look at him but were bad at it. It didn’t take long for him to realise that it was him who was actually being monitored.

He tried not to let that bring him down.

“Oh, uh. Just construction.”

“He builds houses,” Wonwoo supplied.

Mingyu refused to look at Seungcheol. If he received anymore judgement, he might just combust.

Fortunately, Soonyoung existed. And he lit up immediately, almost knocking over a dish in front of him as he outstretched his arm towards Mingyu.

“No way, that’s awesome, we could build a town together!”

Mingyu couldn’t help but laugh, “I think that would take a while.”

“It’ll be our retirement plan,” Soonyoung grinned. “See, we have vision. Ignore these guys, they don’t know what it means.”

“Your vision means nothing,” Seokmin complained from next to him, protecting his bowl of noodles from Soonyoung’s flailing arms.

“My vision is everything. Have you been to Wonders?”

“Everyone’s been to Wonders, Youngie,” Jeonghan smiled indulgently. “You did a lovely job.”

“See?” Soonyoung poked at Seokmin. “Why can’t you all be like Jeonghan-hyung?”

Seokmin protested loudly, and Mingyu tried to lean back away from the fighting and found that he was the one now leaning on Wonwoo’s arm. Wonwoo’s arm was across the back of his chair. When had he done that? Mingyu quickly glanced in his direction, but Wonwoo had gone back to eating his rice one grain at a time. If he kept eating like that, Mingyu was sure they’d be here all night.

Though, with the look of judgement on Minghao’s face right now, Mingyu was also sure that Minghao wouldn’t mind kicking the lot of them out if they got to be too much.

With a grin, Mingyu tucked into his own food, delighting in taking big bites of the food that he had grown to love here. He didn’t think he could find better anywhere else. Jun really knew how to grill pork.

“Whoa, did you just inhale that?”

Mingyu wasn’t sure if the question was aimed at him or not, but he looked up to find Seokmin staring at him. Mingyu swallowed his bite with minimum difficulty and sheepishly wiped his hands on a nearby napkin.

“You can’t talk,” Jihoon said, “You eat just as quickly.”

“Yeah, but did you see his teeth? I know Jun’s meat is tender but damn, he ripped that meat with ease.”

The pork in his belly started to simmer into a swell of discomfort, and Mingyu swallowed his next bite with more difficulty. He subconsciously folded over his hunched shoulders in his seat, in an attempt to make himself feel less seen. Seokmin didn’t mean anything by it. It was a compliment, if anything. It didn’t make Mingyu’s stomach feel any less queasy from the comment though. He needed to take smaller bites. He needed to control himself. He couldn’t get sloppy.

“Hey,” Wonwoo whispered next to him, “You okay?”

Mingyu nodded. He didn’t want to talk. He wouldn’t know what to say.

Things simmered down after that. The food in front of them slowly depleted, and Jun stood up to get everyone another round of drinks. Joshua and Minghao helped him, and Mingyu would have gotten up to do the same, but something was keeping him glued to his seat and it wasn’t the fact that he had one hand still around Wonwoo’s waist. He could feel eyes on him at every moment, and it was never the same set of eyes. He’d catch Minghao looking at him, but he was sure Minghao was just silently asking him if he was alright. Chan looked at him sometimes, but he couldn’t get a read on why. Jeonghan might just be taking him in, he seemed to be calculated on the inside, rather than intimidating on the outside. And Seungcheol’s stare was, well, chilling. He wasn’t being aggressive, or outwardly hostile, but it didn’t feel right. Mingyu didn’t feel right.

He couldn’t shake the thought that something was going to go wrong.

It didn’t help that when everyone’s glasses had been refilled, Mingyu didn’t have a good grip on his drink even though he thought he did. It meant that when he tried to put his glass down, he instead managed to knock it over, and the drink spilled into the side dish of his wanton soup.

“Shit.” Mingyu immediately stood up after righting his glass, stumbling over his clumsy hands and his tongue, “I’m so sorry, let me just—I’ll clean it up.”

He tried to pick up some napkins and failed, and Wonwoo ended up being the one to dab the table clean, which just made Mingyu feel more guilty. He took hold of the wanton soup to get rid of it, and apologise again, but Minghao reached out to stop him.

“I’ll do it.” Did he sound mad? “Mingyu, sit down, it’s fine.”

Everyone was staring at him now, and Mingyu didn’t know what to do. No one seemed mad, even if he couldn’t get a read on Minghao, and Chan simply clapped him on the shoulder.

“Bet you’re used to spilling things, with those hands. They’re like paws.”

Paws.

Chan, Soonyoung and Seokmin had another giggle, and Mingyu looked down at the hands in question. Were they really that big?

Big hands. Big teeth. All wrong.

Mingyu couldn’t help but torture himself some more by looking at Seungcheol, but what made him angry was that Seungcheol didn’t look mad at him. Sure, spilling a drink is a simple mistake, but he expected Seungcheol to gloat about Mingyu’s incompetence. Instead, Seungcheol seemed to know that his silence would do the same thing.

Seungcheol was pleased that the table was poking fun at him. Mingyu was being teased, and it was from friendly people, so it shouldn’t have hurt.

Mingyu didn’t want to let it hurt.

A hand came up to cup his elbow, and Mingyu looked down to find Wonwoo gently pulling him back down to his seat. Mingyu sat down, and Wonwoo used his last napkin to gently wipe at the sleeves of his jacket which had gotten caught in the crossfire.

“It’s fine,” Mingyu managed, “You don’t have to.”

“I know,” Wonwoo said softly, looking up at him. “I want to.”

Wonwoo hadn’t changed. Even surrounded by Wonwoo’s friends who seemed to love poking at Mingyu, Wonwoo hadn’t joined them. Wonwoo hadn’t laughed when Seokmin commented on his teeth, and he hadn’t laughed when Chan pointed out his hands. He even helped Mingyu clean up his mess.

Wonwoo still liked him.

If they were alone, Mingyu would have pressed closer, would have hugged Wonwoo just to see if Wonwoo would hug him back, just like how he had hugged him back at his house. He can’t do that here. They were still being watched.

“Wonwoo, c’mon, we were only messing.”

The voice was Seokmin, but Mingyu didn’t look at him. What did that mean, they were only messing? And why did they address that at Wonwoo? Was Wonwoo mad too? He shouldn’t be mad. There was nothing to be mad at. Mingyu was just sensitive sometimes.

“That’s enough.”

That was Jeonghan.

Why did Mingyu want to cry?

“Mingyu.” Joshua this time. “Are you alright?”

He’s fine. He’s fine, and he’s not going to cry over having big teeth and big hands. People liked big hands.

Did Wonwoo like big hands?

Mingyu shook his head, not caring if Joshua took that as an answer. Wonwoo discarded his napkin but brought his hand back to Mingyu’s, practically holding it. Mingyu squeezed his fingers, and Wonwoo squeezed back.

Mingyu could do this.

“I think it’s time we addressed the elephant in the room.”

Seungcheol.

Mingyu could not do this.

“Hyung, not now,” Wonwoo cut in, looking up from Mingyu to their leader. “Haven’t you had enough?”

“Had enough?” Seungcheol wrinkled his nose. “It smells like wet dog in here.”

That was it. Mingyu growled.

It was a low sound, a deep rumble in the back of his throat, and he felt it in his chest. It wasn’t an aggressive growl, teeth out, jaws open. But it was a wounded growl, a warning that he wasn’t going to just sit here and hear himself be described in such a way. It was a growl from deep within, like his wolf was still stuffed down inside, but that was just Mingyu too.

There was no half Mingyu, half wolf. No Mingyu in the morning, wolf in the evening. It was just Mingyu, day and night, waning moon Mingyu all the way to Full Moon Mingyu.

He was a werewolf. And the werewolf was Mingyu.

He wasn’t a fairy, or a witch, or a traveller, or an adventurer, or a lost soul who had stumbled across a lovely neighbourhood and made a home there. He wasn’t soft and demure and careful with his food; he was loud and big and clingy and too much. Always too much.

He was never going to be like them.

Seungcheol was never going to accept him.

The growl had rendered the table silent. It was rude. Mingyu was being rude. He should apologise. At least to Minghao and Jun, who had been nothing but nice to him, and hadn’t said a word against him. They hadn’t laughed at him either. They didn’t deserve him at his worst. He really should say something.

Mingyu looked at everyone at the table, some faces shocked, others wary. He felt a squeeze to his hand, and it brought his attention back to Wonwoo.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his throat catching on his own guilt.

“I know.” Wonwoo leaned up, about to press his forehead to Mingyu’s.

Mingyu panicked and backed away. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve sympathy, or care, or affection. Not from Wonwoo, who deserved the world. Who was so special that Mingyu didn’t deserve to hold him in his arms.

“I’m so sorry.” Louder this time, for the whole table.

No one looked wary anymore. They didn’t look scared either. They looked like they understood, like they were sympathetic and that they felt bad that Mingyu was the last person to catch up on the inside joke.

So he was right.

They did know.

He looked back down at Wonwoo.

Did he know?

“Go,” Wonwoo ushered, his hand reaching up to push gently at his side. “It’s okay. I’ll come find you.”

Was Mingyu always going to run away from his problems?

No.

He said he would fight for Wonwoo. That meant he had to fight for himself too.

“Did I do something to offend you?” Mingyu turned to Seungcheol, trying to look as big and imposing as he never wanted to feel.

Seungcheol seemed taken aback to be addressed, but he stood up too.

Mingyu really didn’t want to fight.

“I’m sorry if I did,” Mingyu began, trying not to lose himself in a ramble. “I didn’t mean to offend you, or anyone at this table. I’m sorry for growling, that wasn’t fair. But this isn’t fair either. If you knew what I was, you should have said something. I know I…. I know I’m not ideal… I know I’m cursed. I’m literally cursed, of course you don’t want me here, infecting your magical neighbourhood. My Aunt loved you. She loved all of you. But she loved me too.”

Mingyu didn’t know where he was going with this, but he couldn’t stop now. Who cares if he cried in front of Seungcheol?

“She loved me, even though I’m a mistake. All I can do is apologise for being that mistake. I never want to threaten any of you or hurt any of you. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Mingyu looked away from Seungcheol to sniffle, to look at all the faces that Mingyu had grown to care about, that Mingyu couldn’t wait to see again, who Mingyu missed and wanted to invite round for dinner and conversation and movies. People he wanted to run with. People he wanted to form a pack with.

“I’ve been here a week, and I’ve never felt more warmth and more love since before…. Before she…. Before I lost her. Before we all lost her. But meeting all of you helped me with that. I felt like a child again, discovering the world for the second time. I just wanted to say thank you. Even if we never see each other again. I’ll always be grateful.”

Mingyu took a moment to swallow a few breaths, his tears salty against his lips, and then he felt a presence against his right arm. Wonwoo.

“Let’s get you home,” Wonwoo murmured against him, his hand interlocking with Mingyu’s and squeezing tight.

Wonwoo pulled Mingyu gently away from Seungcheol, and Mingyu felt a few hands tapping at him. Jeonghan patting his jacket pocket, Jun reaching up for his upper arm, and Mingyu felt some hope inside.

They didn’t seem like they were rejecting him. They certainly weren’t yelling at him. Seungcheol even looked torn.

At least he was leaving with some sense of dignity. Yes, he cried, but it felt right. Seokmin had told him that their second meeting as a group would go better than their first.

Maybe Mingyu’s version of better and the world’s version of better didn’t quite match up, but the world was mysterious. And so was Seokmin. And his new friends felt very real, they didn’t feel like they would disappear from his life. They were worth so much more than him, but maybe Mingyu wouldn’t mind being a charity case if it meant he still had friends to turn to.

A voice stopped Mingyu and Wonwoo from leaving completely.

“Don’t forget these.” It was Minghao, reaching out to Wonwoo. He had the bouquet.

Wonwoo reached over to take the flowers after a quick side hug with Minghao, and Mingyu let out a breath that was surprisingly easy to let go of.

“Hey,” Seokmin stood up, coming over to briefly pull Mingyu into a full hug. “For what’s its worth, I don’t think you smell like wet dog.”

Mingyu immediately wrapped his arms around Seokmin’s back in a tight embrace, the only right response for feeling so respected. These guys weren’t scared of him, or mad at him. They saw what he was and embraced him. Maybe his fangs and his hands were being complimented. Maybe these guys saw that Mingyu was different and saw him the way Mingyu saw them. Maybe this wouldn’t be the end.

Seokmin patted his back before stepping away, and then Wonwoo was by his side again, taking his arm in front of everyone. Wonwoo had grown out of being publicly shy, it seemed. Or maybe he just knew what Mingyu needed at all times, even when Mingyu wasn’t sure what it was that he did need.

He didn’t need to know. Wonwoo knew for him.

“We’ll see you guys later,” Wonwoo told everyone, before finally walking Mingyu out the door.

We.

His face was still damp, and the nightly air did sting against his tears. But he had Wonwoo hanging onto him, holding onto a bouquet Mingyu bought him, and was walking him home like a gentleman after a date.

They exchanged no more words the whole walk home, but that was okay. Mingyu was still sore, even if he felt hopeful. It wasn’t the best ending of a night, but he felt refreshed. He felt less in the dark. He had laid his cards out, now it was up to fate to decide what was going to happen. He wanted to stay friends with everyone, and he wanted to keep dating Wonwoo, and he was almost sure that everyone else would welcome him back.

Though, he did vow to find Minghao and Jun again no matter what to apologise. They deserved it.

Even if they knew. Just how Wonwoo knew. Wonwoo had seemingly known about his scars, but Mingyu had chalked that up to being sloppy and allowing Wonwoo glimpses of his body that rewarded Wonwoo with the whole patchy picture. Now he wasn’t so sure if it was his own fault, or if Wonwoo just knew.

Did it matter if he did? He could be mad that Wonwoo had played him, but had he? Wonwoo had been nothing but sincere. He had been there for Mingyu when he had needed him, at every point, and had never shied away from him. Wonwoo had been nothing but honest and had massaged away his hurt.

Mingyu hadn’t been played. He had been seen and loved despite what was seen.

“Hey,” Mingyu spoke as soon as they got to his Aunt’s door, holding onto Wonwoo so he couldn’t escape yet.

Even if Mingyu was the one with the tendency to run away, not Wonwoo.

“Yeah?” Wonwoo tipped his head up to look at him, and he looked so soft in the casts of moonlight.

No one had ever looked so captivating. Mingyu squeezed his arm again and leaned down to almost touch his forehead to Wonwoo’s.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Min,” Wonwoo shook his head, but Mingyu stood firm.

“You didn’t have to defend me. That was my fault, back there. They were only teasing, and I made it into a big deal.”

“Seungcheol didn’t help. But it’s okay, they’ll forgive you. Soonyoung, Seokmin, Chan…. You’ll get used to them. They mostly mean no harm.”

“Yeah,” Mingyu huffed, “I’m starting to get that. Still. I fucked up tonight.”

“I don’t know,” Wonwoo tilted his head further back to look at the sky. “We were all together, and I had some very nice food. It wasn’t all bad. Besides, you saved me from having to help Jihoon get a drunk Soonyoung home."

“I guess that’s a good thing,” Mingyu allowed, a small smile escaping from his lips.

“And there is one other good thing.”

“What?”

Wonwoo levelled his eyesight until he was looking right at Mingyu again. “You look awfully nice at night.”

Mingyu’s breath caught.

“You didn’t let me say it before because you ran away,” Wonwoo continued, the hand not holding the bouquet reaching out to brush against Mingyu’s cheek. “You’re always beautiful, but in the moonlight…. I don’t think I could get used to this. But I want to.”

“Even though my eyes are black? And I have big claws? And my fangs—”

“Are charming,” Wonwoo interrupted, tapping his cheek. “You’re charming, Mingyu.”

Mingyu thought about turning away, but once more he stood his ground. He had to get it out. This was it.

“Even on a Full Moon?”

Wonwoo didn’t break eye contact. Mingyu thought he would pull away, but Wonwoo only seemed to advance until their toes and knees were practically touching, and Mingyu could feel Wonwoo’s breath on his face.

“I don’t know,” Wonwoo whispered, “But I’d like to find out.”

Mingyu all but collapsed forward, grateful that a sturdy body like Wonwoo’s was right in front of him, ready to steady him when needed. Their foreheads pushed together, their noses awkwardly smushed, but Mingyu didn’t want to pull away. He couldn’t. Nobody would ever be able to pry him out of Jeon Wonwoo’s arms. He would bite them. Literally bite them.

“Can I kiss you?” Mingyu asked, his eyes falling shut on their own accord.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Under the pale waxing moonlight, in front of his Aunt’s gate, Mingyu and Wonwoo barely held any consideration for the poor bouquet of roses as they pressed together in every way possible. Wonwoo’s lips were soft, and he wanted to melt into him, to feel like this forever. Like he was cherished, and special, and was worth kissing. Their mouths opened into each other with a soft sigh, and Wonwoo pressed forward in a claim, like he too was memorising this, like he wanted Mingyu to feel it.

Mingyu felt it.

A soft meow behind them broke them apart, only to allow the both of them to giggle against each other’s mouths, but Wonwoo pulled away to regard Tabby fondly. Tabby was by their feet, swishing her tail back and forth, and Mingyu couldn’t help but feel blessed.

“Get him home safely, won’t you?” Mingyu cooed, bending down to ruffle up Tabby’s fur. She purred into his palm, and pushed against the side of his knee, and Mingyu almost melted a second time.

Maybe Mingyu was a cat person.

“Alright, let’s let Min-ah get to bed, hm?” Wonwoo reached for Tabby, and Tabby immediately switched sides.

Mingyu didn’t blame her. She knew what she wanted.

Wonwoo took a step back like he was going to leave, Tabby by the gate and his squished flowers in his heads, glasses askew on his nose, his mouth with a little red tint in the dark.

He was nothing short of everything Mingyu had ever wanted.

“Text me when you get home, hyung.”

“I will.”

Wonwoo still didn’t make a move to actually leave, and Mingyu giggled breathlessly in the dark. Why did he feel so giddy?

“Go on,” Mingyu laughed, going over to give him a little push, “If you stay any longer, I’ll kidnap you.”

“Okay, okay,” Wonwoo chuckled.

He left Mingyu’s vicinity and his front garden, but only after one last press of his lips against Mingyu’s cheek.

Mingyu was left standing, frozen, as he watched Tabby walk her favourite human home.

Mingyu couldn’t be jealous when he had gotten three kisses from Wonwoo in one day.

Maybe tonight wasn’t the biggest disaster in the world.

Mingyu got inside, locked his door, and grinned at his entryway like a maniac. He waved to Seokmin’s doll in greeting before all but running up the stairs to his room.

There was no way he was going to get a good night's sleep, but he was definitely going to try. It would make tonight go faster. Though, before Mingyu stripped completely and dove on his bed, he reached for his phone.

To: Kwannie~~
From: Mingyu
Thank you.

Mingyu didn’t have to wait long for a reply. Seungkwan was always ready for him.

To: Mingyu
From: Kwannie~~
Did it work??

To: Kwannie~~
From: Mingyu
He walked me home and kissed me goodnight.

To: Mingyu
From: Kwannie~~
!!!!!!!!
You’re welcome, though you owe me for my services

To: Kwannie~~
From: Mingyu
Always <3
Goodnight!!!!

To: Mingyu
From: Kwannie~~
Goodnight, Gyu <3

And it was.

Chapter Text

Beyond the sun rays and the clouds orchestrating Mingyu's foggy dreams, three succinct knocks echoed on the other side of his bedroom door. Taking no notice, he instead turned into the warmth that enveloped his body, currently in the form of the natural light seeping through his open window. He didn't bother closing his curtains last night. He didn't bother with anything at all. He had made sure that Wonwoo had gotten home safely before falling on top of his mattress and succumbing to well-earned sleep. Now his well-earned sleep was frequently being destroyed by even more aggressive knocking.

And some yelling.

"Gyu? Mingyu, I swear to god, if you're still naked in there—"

The sound of his sister's voice should have jump started his brain into becoming more conscious of the morning and his surroundings. Instead, it just made Mingyu want to burrow himself deeper into his covers. He hasn't had a mindless dream in years, a dream that meant nothing at all except peace in a lovely open field, the sun draping over him, and with warm grass pillowing his body from the ground. No nightmares. No bad thoughts. No ugly memories he always had to relive. Just some grass and some sun. He didn't want to exchange that with reality. At least, not yet.

"Alright, you asked for it. I'm coming in."

Okay, maybe he should get up.

Mingyu managed to pull the covers up to his neck to shield his naked torso as he sat up amongst his messy sheets, his feet now exposed and cold outside of his cocoon. He tried to wipe away the sleep in his eyes, but that was all he could manage before Minseo had opened the door to alert her presence more prominently.

Why did she have to be so early?

And if Minseo was here early, that meant their parents were here early too.

Shit.

Completely caught off guard, he blinked against the violence of the natural light of the day, trying to look past the brightness to see his sister leaning against his doorframe. She definitely looked unimpressed.

"Good to see you too," she quipped, her voice now changed to a cheery tune that complemented the lightness of his dream but contrasted with Mingyu’s grumpiness at now having to be awake.

Mingyu grimaced. He didn't want his sister seeing this much of him. He didn't like to sleep fully clothed.

"Why are you here so early?" he asked instead, carefully manoeuvring so his feet were on floor, but so the covers were still wrapped decently around his waist.

"It's noon."

Oh. Fuck.

Keeping the duvet around his body like a dressing gown, Mingyu immediately stood up.

"What?" He looked around, trying to find a shirt and some sweats to make himself look less out of his mind. "Why didn't any of you call me?!"

Minseo smirked as she watched him turn around again and again like he didn't even know what room he was in. She was enjoying his disorientation way too much.

"We did," she said smartly, "You just didn't pick up."

Mingyu huffed. During one more turn of distress, he glanced at the carpet to see his phone face down on the ground. He must have silenced the calls and pushed his phone away to go back to sleep.

Instead of accepting his loss, Mingyu picked up a tank top from his dresser and threw it behind him in hopes it would land on his bed, "And how did you get in?"

"Mama kept spare keys."

It was of course a very reasonable answer, but Mingyu grumbled to himself anyway. He'd have to ask about that. About keeping the keys in general. And the house.

"Can you turn around?"

Minseo raised an eyebrow. She didn't answer.

Mingyu pouted at her and vaguely gestured to his new wrap around toga with his spare hand. "Is this something you really want to see?"

That finally got a reaction. Minseo frowned at him and turned around to leave his room completely.

"I'll meet you downstairs. Mama and papa are waiting. You've got a creepy doll in your entryway."

Mingyu bent down to pick up a sock simply so he could throw it at her retreating back, "Don't be rude!"

He heard her laugh even as she disappeared, which was as good a sign as any to drop his duvet and get changed. Before he joined his family downstairs, he quickly dipped into his bathroom to brush his teeth, relieve himself and try to tame his hair. Mingyu was starting to really hate how his spare strands tickled the back of his neck. He really was going to have to get Wonwoo to cut it for him. Or maybe Minseo would if he begged enough.

Mingyu looked himself over in the mirror once, twice, and then a third time.

He shouldn't be nervous to be face to face with his parents after a week. He was never usually anxious to see them, but it had been a hell of a week, and somehow, he had managed to grow so much. He didn't want them to see through him, to make judgements about this house or his Aunt. To make anything final. He had wanted a chance to sort this place out and he hadn't, really. He had looked through three boxes and made very little decisions. But he knew what he wanted. And that was to stay here, indefinitely. Without a timeline. To pay the bills and make this place a home. Mingyu might not deserve it, but deep down, he was realising that this is what his Aunt would have wanted.

This house had history, love, magic.

Mingyu refused to just list it on a moving site and watch his parents sell it to the highest bidder. He would have to work harder to afford it, but he was so sure he could make it work.

He was an opportunist.

He didn't deserve it, but that meant no one else did either.

If not Mingyu, then who?

More confident now than ever, he squared his shoulders and brushed his hands one more time through his hair. He could do this.

He marched downstairs to confront his family, already expecting their faces of disbelief and perhaps even outrage from his father when they realise that the boxes were still very much in the living room. They had been sorted, minimally, but Mingyu was willing to fight for himself. For his own feelings. He wasn’t going to let his father drag him down or emotionally barrage him over this. However, instead of finding two angry faces, he found himself walking in on sizzling coming from the kitchen and the door to the living room wide open. No arguments, no hushed whispers. It all seemed calm.

Too calm.

First, Mingyu peered around the corner to the kitchen, only to find his father at the stove, cooking meat in a pan. Mingyu was mostly relieved that his father hadn’t waited around to scold him, but a part of him was more relieved for his stomach. He could hear the faint grumbling now, telling him that he was indeed ready for breakfast. Or, well, lunch. With a smile, he left his father to cook, mentally happy with himself that he had the forethought to save some ingredients yesterday from his apartment.

Now to tackle the living room.

Both his sister and his mother were there, his mother sat on the couch, Minseo crouched down looking at an old diary from one of the opened cardboard boxes he and Wonwoo had looked through.

Minseo glanced behind herself when she realised that he had walked in on them, grinning from her position on the floor. “Good to see you in clothes.”

Before their mother could turn around to look at them, Mingyu stuck his tongue out at her in retaliation. Though he regained his composure when their mother stood up from the couch and rounded on them, a tut already leaving her mouth. Mingyu bowed his head a little in defence, but mostly in acquiescence.

“I thought you had been working on your sleep schedule,” she said immediately, “It’s midday, Mingyu.”

“I know, I know,” he sighed, opening his arms to her. “I’m sorry.”

As a mother is wont to do, she took him up on his offer and came to hug him. It was a simple greeting, but it felt like a greeting he hadn’t been granted in a long time. A week ago, he would have been angry. She could hug him hello after scolding him, but she couldn’t hold him after his Aunt passed away. It should have been irritating. Instead, Mingyu took it for what it was. Making up for lost opportunities. If he complained now, he may not get it again. Sometimes he needed to let things go from the past. Black and white didn’t exist on a singular plane. It was okay to make mistakes, to grow and then not make them again. The thoughts he had learned from his time with Wonwoo made him smile before he could stop himself, an involuntary thing, his hold on his mother tightening because of it.

Maybe he could still appreciate his life, and all the people in it.

Slowly, his mother pulled back, but she didn’t go far. Her hands lingered on his shoulders, and Mingyu watched as her eyes flicked across his face. He could see the exact moment they softened right in front of him.

“You look good,” she said, “Better. Much better.”

“Mama,” he complained, trying to pull away.

She kept him steady, “No, I’m being serious. You look relaxed. I haven’t seen you relaxed in a long time.”

Oh. Mingyu swallowed. He didn’t know what to say. Instead, Minseo cleared her throat, and Mingyu was grateful for the distraction. He couldn’t stop the faint blush that crept up his neck at the praise though. He did feel more relaxed. His dream definitely helped. Besides, the moon seemed much less temperamental these days.

Mingyu couldn’t help but wonder if that was a moon thing, or if it was a Mingyu thing. If they had to be mutually exclusive.

“So,” Minseo said, “Is this what you call sorting out?”

Mingyu couldn’t help but laugh. If it had come from his father, he would have been defensive, but he knew Minseo meant no harm. She was simply teasing him. Mingyu quickly hopped down to join her on the floor, his hands reaching out for the boxes to push them aside.

“I thought you’d want to keep the glassware, or maybe to sell it,” Mingyu said first, since the one pile that had remained from his embarrassing experience with Wonwoo was all the crystal Wonwoo had put aside for his family.

His mother hummed, possibly agreeing, so Mingyu left the pile where it was. He could probably find a way to empty one of the cardboard boxes so he could put the glassware and anything else his parents wanted to keep inside it and close it up. They could travel with it more easily, and it would relieve Mingyu in being possession of one more box.

“What about all this?” Minseo asked, reaching into the box next to her, still filled with runes and tarot cards.

Mingyu could see she was genuinely curious, especially since she still had their Aunt’s diary in her lap.

“Keep them.” Mingyu nudged her shoulder, smiling slightly.

Minseo looked up at him sharply. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Don’t you…” She trailed off, turning the runes around over and over again in her hands.

The box had books, runes, tarot cards, and a mix of marbles. Mingyu watched fondly as she took most of them out but frowned when she dumped them back in the box. He really had no issue with her keeping them. Besides, if he negotiated with his parents well enough, he’d have this whole house, including the trinkets in his Aunt’s study and her room. He didn’t need extra boxes if he was going to be preserving her memory by living here.

“They’re yours,” she forced out.

Mingyu shook his head, “They’re ours. But they could be yours, if you want them. You could take the whole box. If anything, you’d be doing me a favour.”

That cracked a grin out of her, and Mingyu nudged her once more before pushing the box towards her.

“Seriously,” he insisted, “Keep them. I wouldn’t know what to do with tarot cards, anyway.”

Mingyu would just turn them into decoration, or they’d collect dust in a drawer. There was no point keeping them. Tarot cards weren’t even Wonwoo’s division. The thought made him smile, and he ignored the look Minseo gave him. Slowly though, she nodded.

“Thank you.”

Mingyu saluted her, “No problem. Aren’t I such a good big brother?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

Mingyu laughed happily. Leaving Minseo to look through her new belongings, Mingyu grabbed the box that only had old jewellery boxes and broken clocks left inside it and stood up to show it off to his mother.

“We could do with getting rid of all of this, none of it is particularly valuable.”

His mother gave him an odd look but took the box from him anyway.

“What?” he frowned.

“Nothing.” She paused and then tipped her head to look up at him properly. “I just don’t understand. Last week you didn’t want to throw any of this away. You got mad at us.”

Without thinking about it, Mingyu’s frown deepened. The idea of getting rid of any of his Aunt’s belongings still didn’t feel great, but it felt easier. There was no point in hoarding broken trinkets if they didn’t hold any sentimental value whatsoever, it just made room for more trinkets that meant more to Mingyu. To his family. To his new friends.

Like room for bouquets of white roses, or spaces for creepy colourful dolls.

Immediately, Mingyu’s frown disappeared.

“I’m still hurt,” he chose to say instead, feeling tall and proud, “But I’m healing. I’m not sure if our Aunt would really care if we threw away some of her broken clocks.”

His mother eyed him warily, like she didn’t quite understand. That was okay. Mingyu met eyes with Minseo instead, and Minseo nodded a little. She looked relieved, almost. Like she had been carrying a burden over the knowledge that Mingyu himself was carrying many burdens. It was nice to relieve something from her shoulders. She was younger than him. It was his job to look after her, and if that came in the form of his own mental wellbeing, then he needed to make sure to take better care of himself.

“I’m still keeping the blanket,” Mingyu grinned it off, rounding the coffee table to get back to Minseo, opening the box with the blanket from his Aunt’s study.

Without thinking, Mingyu crouched down and threw the blanket around his shoulders like a cape, making his mother leave the room with a shake of her head and Minseo rolling her eyes at him. He carelessly looked down with a smile and was instantly greeted with the wolf pack that had almost caused him to have a panic attack a few days earlier. The wolves in the box were all snarling up at Mingyu mockingly, almost challenging him to curl up in a ball and cry again. Instead of feeling choked up in self-hate, Mingyu huffed softly. He picked up one of the wolves and held it to his cheek instead. He glanced at Minseo and bared his teeth playfully at her.

“Do we look similar?”

Minseo stared at him in disbelief. “We’re not related. You’re crazy.”

“We’re like twins, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes, actually,” she deadpanned. “But I’d say their teeth are bigger.”

“Hey!” Mingyu huffed, tossing the wolf back into the box.

“Sorry,” Minseo shrugged, not looking that sorry about it, already going back to opening their Aunt’s diary. “You’re just not that scary.”

Huh. Mingyu pushed his weight in his lower back down to sit on the floor, his eyes falling to the wolves in the box. Not that scary. He knew what he looked like to himself. He didn’t really know how others saw him. Seungkwan and Vernon liked him well enough, and Wonwoo had looked up at him in the moonlight and had called him beautiful. Mingyu might not feel that beautiful, but maybe he didn’t need to feel like this, either. Like he was a physical manifestation of the pain lodged deep inside of him. Maybe he could feel pain and be beautiful at the same time.

“I’m gonna keep these,” Mingyu announced quietly, almost to himself.

Minseo hummed next to him, not really listening. Mingyu smiled to himself and was about to close the box until Minseo quickly reached over to poke him in the side.

“Hey!”

“No, wait,” she said, putting the book down to pick up a neatly folded piece of paper from the box she had claimed for herself. “I don’t want this. It has your name on it.”

Mingyu knew exactly what it was. Wonwoo hadn’t put it in the throw away pile. He hadn’t realised he had put it back in its box though. He reached forward to take the picture from his eight-year-old self and gently slotted it into his box with the wolves.

It felt cathartic in a way. His childhood and his adulthood in one box. A pup and a wolf.

Mingyu was both, and that was okay.

“What are you going to do with these?” Minseo asked, gesturing to the three tubs he had gotten from the attic.

“Gonna leave them to papa, I think.”

The look Minseo gave him made Mingyu chuckle. It was a look of disbelief, and Mingyu stood up and stretched his arms with the blanket above his head.

“What happened to you?”

Mingyu winked at her, “Magic.”

“Insane. You’re insane.”

“Yet you love me,” Mingyu taunted, reaching out to ruffle her hair.

She dodged him, but she was smiling.

“Come on,” Mingyu hummed, reaching a hand out for her, “Papa should be finished cooking by now. And then he can come sort these boxes out and put them in their car. They’re clogging up my living room. How am I supposed to decorate?”

Minseo let herself be pulled up to her feet, but instead of dropping his hand, she squeezed it instead. “I like this.”

“Like what?”

“You, like this.”

“Oh.”

She nudged him once and then made her way to the kitchen. “Don’t get used to it.”

Mingyu grinned as he tucked the blanket into his box and then followed her to the kitchen.

~~~

Lunch was pleasant, the four of them in his Aunt’s kitchen, talking over each other as they passed each other plates and drinks, and Mingyu felt more confident than ever that this was what the house was missing. It was a lovely house, but this was what made it a home. Lively dinner, chatter, people, and love. And it was all centred around Mingyu. His father had done the cooking, but Mingyu was at the head of the table, carving the meat, distributing the food, and he couldn’t help but puff up in pride when his mother complimented him on keeping the house tidy as if Mingyu wasn’t a grown man who cared about his environment. Still, it felt nice to be acknowledged and appreciated. His father didn’t have any complaints either. It was just… nice. He knew it would be a disappointment when they all left again, but he would invite them all round often, and he had friends to invite round now too.

He really should go around the neighbourhood and collect everybody’s numbers. It would be nice to be more involved with all their traditions. Maybe they would be open to Mingyu starting his own traditions too.

And if not, Mingyu knew he could invite Wonwoo round and not be refused, even if it was simply because Wonwoo had a sudden craving for his ramen again.

“He’s making that face again,” Minseo spoke up in judgement.

Mingyu huffed quietly but refused to answer by putting more meat in his mouth. The more, the better.

“Mingyu, be polite,” his mother chided, and Mingyu ducked his head in apology.

“You do look happier,” his father said, and maybe that meant the most out of all of them.

Mingyu felt happier. He was happier. Maybe this was the moment.

“I was thinking….” He trailed off, struggling to ask for what he wanted the most.

They probably already knew. Minseo may have even told them. Or maybe they knew Mingyu better than he thought they did.

“We’ve been thinking too,” his father picked up the lull of silence, “Your mother and I have decided not to sell the house.”

Mingyu almost dropped his chopsticks.

“So does that mean—”

“Yes.” His mother softened into a smile. “Yes, honey, you can stay.”

Mingyu was still mid chew, his hand coming up to hide his mouth from view, but he was practically vibrating in his seat. After eventually swallowing, he hurriedly opened his mouth, but his father held up a hand to stop him.

“Your mother insisted on helping you financially at first, but it is your responsibility to keep up with the bills yourself in the long-term.”

“Of course,” Mingyu jumped in, ecstatic and not knowing how he should show it respectfully, “Of course, yes, I will, I promise. Thank you, thank you so much….”

“We know how much this place means to you,” his mother smiled, “And we’re not sure if we’re ready to let this place go either.”

Whatever the reason, Mingyu was grateful. He reached underneath the table to grasp at Minseo’s hand. He felt tears prickle his eyes when she squeezed back.

“So,” Minseo piped up, to try and lighten the mood, “What’s with the flowers in the living room? You don’t buy flowers.”

Mingyu huffed. “How do you know I don’t buy flowers?”

“You never buy me flowers,” his mother interjected.

Minseo raised an amused eyebrow at him, and Mingyu went back to twirling his chopsticks around on his plate.

“They’re for the house,” he shrugged, “I thought they were a nice touch.”

The table collectively hummed, and they went back to eating.

Mingyu frowned. Maybe he should have taken the opportunity.

“And… I may be seeing someone.”

He didn’t care for the way Minseo smirked down at her plate, but he was more receptive to the warm smile that graced his mother’s features.

“That’s nice, dear. Can we meet them?”

“I’d have to ask, but I don’t see why not.”

His mother nodded and then went back to her meal like it wasn’t a big deal.

Mingyu quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and hunched over the table to pull up Wonwoo’s contact.

To: Wonwoo<3
From: Mingyu
Would you like to meet my family?

Mingyu placed his phone face down on the table before going back to eating, but it only took a few more minutes before his phone vibrated with a notification.

“At the table, Mingyu?” his mother frowned, and Mingyu immediately apologised.

It didn’t stop him from checking his messages anyway.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo<3
Good afternoon to you too.

Mingyu couldn’t help but melt. Was Wonwoo expecting a good morning text? How cute. Mingyu would have to remember that for the future.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo<3
But I wouldn’t be opposed. When?

To: Wonwoo<3
From: Mingyu
Not today, don’t worry. But soon, maybe?

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo<3
Soon it is.

“Mingyu, phone.”

It was his father this time. Mingyu bit his lip to try and contain his grin, and he quickly shot off a heart emoji to Wonwoo before digging back into his meal.

He really was happier.

~~~

An hour later, Mingyu’s family had cleared out of his new house, and they had taken the rest of the boxes with them. Finally, he had a clear space he could work with, even though their presence was very quickly missed. It was okay, they could come round again. Maybe make Sundays a weekly family day. Minseo might need convincing, but Mingyu was willing to try and pester her about it until she gave in anyway.

Still, his living room was now free, and Mingyu only had one box to put away. It didn’t take long to fix the issue, as he carried the box with one arm up the stairs, and he put the blanket back into his Aunt’s study because he was sure he could make use of it later. Maybe when Wonwoo came round again to read more books, Mingyu could set up a little blanket fort for them. It was childish, but the idea made Mingyu giddy regardless. He wanted to share these things with Wonwoo, and after Wonwoo had massaged his scars and kissed him in the dark, Mingyu had managed to come to terms with the fact that Wonwoo was right there with him. Maybe there was a spell above both of their heads, and Mingyu would pray every night to make sure it never broke.

Proud of himself, he looked back down into the box at the wolf statues, and he was grateful that the sight of them no longer made him afraid. He picked one up to inspect it once more. The wolves looked sturdy, and Mingyu hummed quietly, coming up with an idea. Maybe they would fit nicely on his Aunt’s bookshelves as bookends. It felt like the right choice, rather than covering the box and hiding it up in his attic. It might make him feel better, using them as something productive. Not that the bookshelves needed bookends, as the shelves were so packed that both ends of books pressed against the wood of the bookshelves anyway. But there was a gap now, from where Wonwoo had borrowed some, and they looked like they needed to be propped up. Mingyu liked to be useful, so the wolf statues could be too.

Delighted with his idea, Mingyu propped up the current gap in the bookshelf with the wolf that he had in his hand. Happy with that, Mingyu then carefully arranged the rest of the wolf pack on top of the coffee table, so they were all huddled together in one spot, just next to the lunar calendar Mingyu hadn’t bothered to get rid of yet. Besides, the lunar calendar would be of great use to him. He had to keep it.

Before he could crush up the last remaining cardboard box, the one barrier between it being a home for his Aunt and a home for Mingyu, was the drawing of his family. Mingyu unfolded it with a serene smile and went over to the windowsill. He propped it up against the window and admired his steady free hand from when he was a child. Wonwoo had been right, it wasn’t a terrible drawing. The sight of it made him want to get his palettes and canvases and sketchpads he had from back at his apartment. Actually, he had to clear out his apartment completely if he was going to move into this home permanently.

Mingyu groaned, happily crushing the box in his hands. He thought he was done with packing and unpacking. He was mentally exhausted with having to go through his Aunt’s things, he didn’t want to have to do it with his own.

Thank god his apartment wasn’t even that big.

Still, that was a job for tomorrow Mingyu, possibly after work. He really didn’t want to drive to his apartment to start packing tonight. He had better things to be doing. Like getting fresh air and maybe seeing Wonwoo.

After looking over his Aunt’s study once more with a pleased smile, Mingyu felt centred. He felt right. It looked like nothing had changed from a week ago, except from more blankets, more wolves, and a scratchy drawing. He could still feel her in the air, and he hoped she would always be here, with him. He always wanted to be with her.

He didn’t ever want to let her go, but maybe making room for himself too wasn’t such a bad thing. It was how you grew.

Mingyu could stand to do a little more growing.

He approached the large windows with the draping curtains and decided to undo the knotted ropes that kept the curtains bunched up and open. With one swoop, the curtains came together in a curtain call close, and Mingyu almost bowed. The light in the room dampened, and the ambiance of the blue glow truly allowed the study to shine in all its natural glory. It was perfect. It was what his Aunt would have wanted.

Mingyu patted the closed curtains with a smile and closed the study door behind him when he left. There was nothing wrong with giving her a little privacy.

~~~

A meow greeted him when he left the house to put the crushed cardboard into the recycling bin, and Mingyu grinned to himself as Tabby followed behind him. After throwing away his rubbish, Mingyu turned around to see and feel Tabby pushing up against his leg. However, before he could crouch down to greet her properly, she pushed off of him and started to walk towards his gate. He frowned as he watched her leave him, almost disappointed by her showing herself and then disappearing, but she stopped to turn back and meow at him again.

Confused, Mingyu took a few steps to follow her, and she carried on. When Mingyu stopped, she stopped.

Oh. Okay. Mingyu smiled a little, wondering where Tabby was intending on taking him. There was one answer that was glaringly obvious. Wonwoo. Mingyu brushed his hands on his thighs, checked that he had his keys and his phone on him, and then took off after Tabby. She trotted ahead quickly, only meowing when Mingyu couldn’t keep up with her fast enough, and he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Tabby really was similar to Wonwoo. He still hadn’t asked if Tabby was Wonwoo’s cat, or if Tabby was his familiar, or if Tabby was a magical being all on her own.

Maybe that was it. If everyone here was magical in their own right, it made sense that Tabby was too. Mingyu didn’t need an answer as long as Tabby came to see him like this. And came with side quests now too, apparently.

Mingyu realised far too late that he was being taken into the centre of the neighbourhood. Not towards the market, but instead towards the almost abandoned park. It seemed abandoned because from the very few times Mingyu happened to cross by it, he had never seen anyone there. The neighbourhood had a school too, and Mingyu barely saw any children either since the market, but it wasn’t like he was looking for them. The park was pretty much a long stretch of grass, outlined by fences, and a few rusty pieces of playground equipment that definitely wasn’t up to standard. At least Mingyu’s standard. No wonder kids didn’t play there, Mingyu would be worried for their health. Maybe he should hit up Soonyoung and they could tackle the park together. They could definitely make something better for the kids than this.

He also realised he wasn’t keeping up the right pace when he felt a bite to his leg, and Mingyu yelped dramatically. Tabby had never bitten him before, and Mingyu pouted. Turned against by his oldest friend here. Tabby was full of betrayals. To keep him alert, Tabby bit him once more, and then raced ahead of him, and Mingyu huffed as he tried to jog after her. Luckily, she eventually slowed down once Mingyu had gotten through the park gate, and she started walking towards the rusty swing set.

The park definitely wasn’t abandoned today. A figure was sat on one of the swings, a hood tucked over their face so Mingyu couldn’t get a good look at them. Importantly though, it didn’t look like Wonwoo.

Tabby stopped walking, but Mingyu’s curiosity got the best of him. He kept walking towards the swing set until the figure looked up, and then Mingyu froze.

Seungcheol.

Mingyu immediately shot a glare to Tabby, but she merely meowed once and then turned her back on him, running out of the park at almost lightning speed.

Mingyu really needed to have a word with Wonwoo about his troublesome cat, if she belonged to Wonwoo or not.

This was not fair.

“Mingyu?”

It sounded like a genuine question as to why Mingyu just ran into the park by himself like an idiot, but he was convinced that Seungcheol hadn’t just been sat on a swing set all by himself, no phone or anything on hand. Surely someone like him had something better to do on a Sunday afternoon. Had he been waiting for Mingyu? Had Seungcheol sent Tabby to get him?

“Uh.” Mingyu often tried to be eloquent, but sometimes he missed the mark. Like right now. “Hi?”

“Hello.” Seungcheol watched him for a moment, but then he tipped his head back ever so slightly, and his hood fell off.

Seungcheol didn’t say anything else, and his gaze remained fixed to something in front of them, rather than at Mingyu directly. Mingyu swallowed and didn’t dare move. It wasn’t like he was scared of Seungcheol, but… Alright, so he was afraid of Seungcheol. He just didn’t want to be.

Eventually, Seungcheol quirked an eyebrow at him. “Are you going to sit?”

Oh. Right. Mingyu muttered an apology, not even sure why he was apologising, but he did move jerkily until he was sat down on the swing next to Seungcheol. What a couple of idiots they must look like. Both of them had big frames, they were well-muscled, and Seungcheol was shorter than Mingyu but not by much. But they were squeezed together on a child’s swing set. Mingyu could laugh.

From next to him, Seungcheol spoke up. “Five years ago, I didn’t want to be here.”

Mingyu frowned, his hands coming together to fidget in his lap. He never thought he would be here, sat with Seungcheol, listening to him like this. Seungcheol’s voice was calm, measured, like he had rehearsed what he was going to say. The slightest shake from the back of his throat gave away the nerves Mingyu was sure Seungcheol didn’t want him to know about.

“I didn’t want to be anywhere,” Seungcheol continued, eyes still looking straight ahead. “I never had a true home. A safe space. My body was always in fight or flight mode, and I always seemed to favour fight. If I could fight my way through things, I could have the control. Flight seemed so… I don’t know, like I was giving up. Like I was prey, just waiting for someone to hurt me. It made sense to hurt them first.”

Mingyu wasn’t quite sure what that meant, who Seungcheol was supposedly fighting, but he knew not to interrupt.

“Jeonghan was the one who taught me that fleeing and vulnerability didn’t mean that I couldn’t protect. That sometimes, to flee with those you love, was a form of protection in itself. Getting out of a hard place instead of fighting in that hard place and losing yourself to it completely. I’m a stubborn man, Mingyu. But Jeonghan knew that there was a better place for us out there. We left our home because it was strangling us, and if it wasn’t for him or us finding this neighbourhood along the way, I wouldn’t be here.”

A pause. Finally, Seungcheol glanced at him. “Do you understand?”

Mingyu nodded once. He understood. He almost felt the same.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to rely on others, when you know you can rely on yourself.” Seungcheol kept looking at him whilst he spoke, and Mingyu briefly glanced back. “I know who I am, what I can do, what I can’t do. All three of those things scare me. I know how stubborn I am, how controlling I can be. It’s because I know I can protect everyone here, because I’ve done it before, and I will do it until I’m dead.”

It was honest. Too honest. Mingyu didn’t deserve his thoughts and feelings, especially if Seungcheol thought he needed to protect everyone from Mingyu. He wouldn’t know how to come back from that. If he was the threat in the neighbourhood that Seungcheol felt like he needed to ward off. He looked ahead, his body almost drooping. This was it. Seungcheol was going to beat him up until Mingyu promised to never come back again. He wasn’t sure if he even could make that promise.

Still, Seungcheol didn’t stand up to fight. He carried on instead.

“I know I can keep them safe. I know what I can do. But I know what you can do too, and that scares me. Because you can do what I can’t.”

Mingyu’s head shot up, his body going rigid.

“What?” Mingyu could barely speak, his throat working around the word like glass.

Seungcheol sighed, his head coming down to his chin. His posture was completely relaxed, in a show of remorse. He wasn’t pulled together and ready to fight. It looked like he was giving in. Mingyu wasn’t sure what to say.

“We’re similar, in a way.” Seungcheol said quietly. “But we’re different in ways that make me wonder if everyone is going to keep needing me if you’re here.”

Well. That wasn’t what Mingyu was expecting. This time, he did laugh.

Seungcheol looked up sharply, like Mingyu’s laugh offended him. Mingyu didn’t even care.

“What are you talking about?” Mingyu couldn’t control his disbelief. “Everyone here loves you. You literally told me you’ve protected them before, and that you’ll put your life on the line for them. I just got here last Sunday.”

It was bizarre. Mingyu didn’t want Seungcheol to think he was poking fun at him, but maybe he was. With the way Seungcheol’s lips tilted up in slight amusement and concern, Mingyu wondered maybe it was fine that he was.

“You just got here last Sunday, and Seokmin and Soonyoung already talk about you like you’re their new best friend. You’re Minghao and Jun’s favourite customer. Shua thinks you’re sweet, and Jihoon knows where he can find an extra pair of hands if Soonyoung is busy,” Seungcheol said it all, his mouth thinning out, his smile disappearing.

He was looking at Mingyu like it was Mingyu who didn’t understand.

Maybe he didn’t.

“I’m sorry?”

Seungcheol studied him for a moment, thoughtfully looking him over, before eventually he shook his head. He was smiling again though, despite how slight it was. It was better than the icy looks and cold glares Mingyu had received from him before.

“Don’t be sorry,” Seungcheol sighed, glancing away, down at the grass beneath them. “It’s me who should apologise. Jeonghan talked to me after yesterday. Scolded me even more than Minghao. He told me that I’ve become hardened with the burden of keeping this place perfect, when it wasn’t perfect when we found it, and it’ll never be perfect. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be right. I was worried that with you here, things would change. I don’t think I was ready for that.”

That, Mingyu could understand. No one liked change.

“I don’t know what you think I’m going to do, but whatever it is, I promise it’s not like that.”

Mingyu wanted to say his piece, he didn’t want Seungcheol thinking Mingyu wanted to run for mayor. Not that this small neighbourhood had one anyway, but still.

That at least made Seungcheol huff out a tired laugh. “I think we’re more alike than I first wanted to admit. As small as this place is, there might be room for the both of us.”

“I don’t think it’s as deep as you think it is,” Mingyu said softly, not wanting to big himself up as much as Seungcheol has. “Soonyoung and Seokmin, they’re just easy to get along with. Jeonghan-hyung seems like he’d adopt anyone. And Chan seems just as easy-going as Joshua-hyung. I’m not special. They don’t like me that much.”

“Wonwoo does.”

Mingyu’s face immediately blushed, and he scuffed his shoe along the grass, head tucked down again.

“Still not special.”

“Wonwoo thinks so,” Seungcheol insisted. “Wonwoo means a lot to me. A lot to all of us. He’s always been there for us, even if he doesn’t always show up to our meetings. He’s the peaceful calm that keeps everyone together. He and your Aunt got along the most. She taught him a lot. We…. I may be slightly overprotective, but it’s because I know what he’s gone through. We were heading down the same dark path of not wanting to be anywhere at all, and this place healed us. But we healed each other too.”

A long pause, and then Seungcheol was looking at him again. Mingyu gave him the grace of looking back.

“I was scared of what would happen to the group if you joined. Just because Dalnim was your Aunt didn’t mean you were anything like her. I know I’m nothing like my family. I was wary of you at first, you were just a stranger. I was worried for us all, but I worried for Wonwoo the most. He was so taken with you. But now, everyone’s come to me with stories about you, how you make their day better, and you spare them smiles, and you…. You’re bright, Mingyu. Brighter than I’ll ever be.”

“That doesn’t mean they don’t need you,” Mingyu reasoned.

On the inside, he was touched. He had no idea everyone loved him that much already. He was pleasantly surprised. And to hear that Wonwoo was just as smitten as he was, he couldn’t have been happier.

“No,” Seungcheol allowed. “They could need both of us, and that would be fine. Whatever they need, I want them to have. It’s always been us and it will always be us. Together.”

Something dislodged itself in Mingyu’s chest. It felt like his first breath of fresh air.

“Together,” he whispered, overjoyed.

Seungcheol nodded once, looking pleased, and Mingyu playfully kicked off the ground, setting his swing slowly in motion.

“I’m sorry, Mingyu.”

This time, Seungcheol sounded genuine. Mingyu smiled into the wind.

“Apology accepted.”

Swinging in the light breeze, Mingyu half expected Seungcheol to leave him, both of them much more relaxed now that the conversation was over. It felt nice, to know what was in Seungcheol’s heart, and to know his animosity had come from a place of true love for the community here, rather than full on hatred for Mingyu and what he was.

Though, before Seungcheol did leave, maybe Mingyu should bring up the worst now. Rip off more band aids.

“The werewolf thing,” Mingyu said it quicky, deliberately not looking at Seungcheol. “How did you all know? Do I smell that bad?”

Next to him, Seungcheol wrinkled his nose. “It’s not that bad. I’m sorry I said you smelled of wet dog, that was inappropriate. You don’t smell… unhygienic.”

Well. Not great, but better than nothing.

Still. He didn’t understand.

“But how did you guys all know?”

Now, Mingyu glanced at Seungcheol. He was looking up at the sky, but he turned his head to meet Mingyu’s eyes. He looked guilty.

“There were prophecies,” Seungcheol said eventually. “Prophecies from your Aunt, but prophecies from books too. It’s also very easy to tell when someone not like regular humans comes into our circle.”

“Circle?” Mingyu frowned. “What, like a fairy circle?”

Seungcheol shrugged next to him. “It’s a Shua thing. It protects us.”

Oh.

“Which proves you deserve to be here, and I shouldn’t have tried to push you out.” This time, Seungcheol really did sound sorry. “Not only did I doubt you, but I doubted Shua too. Truly, Mingyu, forgive me.”

Mingyu frowned, but he nodded anyway. He did forgive Seungcheol. He didn’t know why he was frowning. Maybe because everyone here knew exactly what he was the moment he drove into the neighbourhood with his family a week ago. Soonyoung had ran up to him, knowing exactly what he was. Minghao and Jun had welcomed him into their café, knowing exactly what he was. Chan had smiled and waved at him, invited him to the hub meetings, knowing exactly what he was. Seokmin, Jeonghan, Joshua, they never flinched, they all embraced him knowing exactly what he was. Jihoon had given him a chance, knowing exactly what he was. And Wonwoo sold him overpriced oils and a candle and had gone to the meeting just to see him, knowing exactly what he was.

Slowly, Mingyu’s frown melted into a fond smile. He felt fond. Of all these people who barely knew him, but also in a way knew him better than his own flesh and blood.

Mingyu knew exactly why Seungcheol was so protective of them. Mingyu felt that way too.

“You do have a distinct smell though,” Seungcheol pointed out, like he didn’t want to let Mingyu’s ego inflate too much.

Mingyu didn’t care. He smirked, kicking his feet to simply soar higher. “Looks like you’re all going to have to get used to it. I’m officially moving here.”

“Maybe I’ll just get Wonwoo to make sure you shower more often,” Seungcheol quipped.

Mingyu laughed and pushed himself even higher. “Perfect, I’ll get him to join me.”

Beside him, Seungcheol immediately stood up with a groan.

“The youth,” he muttered, “I can’t deal with you all.”

Mingyu simply tilted his head back, allowing the wind to whip through his hair, his feet dangling in the air.

Seungcheol left him like that, but Mingyu didn’t care. He felt free.

Happy.

Maybe he’d even thank Tabby with a treat later.

~~~

Before Mingyu headed back home, he knew there were a few stops he needed to make first. With a light skip in his step, he made his way to Minghao and Jun’s café, announcing himself by gently rapping on the door. Once he stepped inside, he was greeted by a pleasant smile from Minghao, who was wiping down the tables.

“Mingyu, what an honour it is to see you.”

“I know you’re lying, but thank you,” Mingyu grinned, going up to the till area and drilling his fingers on the counter.

“I’ll be with you in just a minute,” Minghao said, his arms still full of cloths and a spray bottle.

Mingyu nodded with a smile and simply rested his weight on the counter. He wasn’t in any rush. He didn’t mind taking in the new posters that had been hung up. Still, he came here for a reason. Well. Two reasons.

“I’m sorry,” he started, almost sheepish. “About last night. I shouldn’t have made such a big scene. You made us all lovely food, and I had to go and ruin the entire evening.”

Minghao brushed past him, the sound leaving his mouth something akin to a tut, and he dumped his cleaning equipment behind the counter unceremoniously. Clearly, he had done this just so he could prop himself on his side of the counter to give Mingyu what could only be described as a judgemental side eye, except straight on. Which was even more terrifying.

“Last night wasn’t your fault,” Minghao stared straight at him, leaving no room for doubt. “They were tactless with you, and Seungcheol-hyung was being infuriating. You deserved better.”

“Oh.” Mingyu blinked at him, slightly lost for words. “Uh. Thanks. Still, I—”

“It’s fine,” Minghao insisted. “Make it up to us by buying something before you leave, hm?”

That, Mingyu could do. He pulled out his wallet with a grin. When had he become so comfortable to just part with his money all the time? It didn’t matter. Jun’s food was worth it.

“That’s why I’m here, actually,” Mingyu said, flashing his card. “Two boxes of dumplings to go, please.”

Minghao raised an eyebrow at him that looked ever so slightly amused. Mingyu refused to elaborate, and Minghao simply rung up his order instead of asking any questions. He didn’t need to ask any questions. He knew who the dumplings were for.

“Jun!”

With practised ease, Jun popped his head out from the kitchen doorway and then came over at the sight of Mingyu. Was Jun smiling already? Mingyu wasn’t sure if his ego really had been inflated by Seungcheol or not, or maybe he was just noticing how much everyone here liked him. Maybe they would be happy when they all find out Mingyu had no plans of going anywhere.

“No pork today?” Jun asked, his arm coming round to hold Minghao’s waist from behind the counter.

“Not today,” Mingyu smiled, shaking his head. “Maybe another time. I have to drop these off first.”

Jun nodded like he understood, and Mingyu couldn’t help but rub the back of his neck with a small smile. He knew he was very transparent, but it was embarrassing when everyone smiled at him in a way that proved it. Mingyu didn’t need reminding that he was a smitten puppy. He knew that already.

Before Jun could go back into the kitchen to make the dumplings though, Mingyu remembered another reason for why he was here.

“Oh, wait, can I get your guys’ numbers?” he asked, his hand already straying to grab his phone from his pocket.

For a cold second, there was silence, but Mingyu was an adult, and he refused to feel the sting of rejection. Unless they thought…

“Wait,” he floundered, looking back up at the two faces that were just staring at him, “I didn’t mean—not like that—”

Curtly, Jun laughed at him, but it wasn’t cruel. “Don’t worry, we weren’t thinking that.”

Thank god.

“You’re too in love with Wonwoo,” Minghao said, and Mingyu couldn’t even find the words to disagree.

“Am I that obvious?”

It was embarrassing, but it meant something more when other people could see it. When they could sense when something was real, and it wasn’t all made up in Mingyu’s very vivid imagination.

“You don’t have to ask that question,” Jun said, “And besides, we’ll just add you to the group chat. Then you can have everyone’s numbers.”

Group chat? Huh. That would be much easier.

Mingyu was definitely blushing now, but he tried to clear his throat to appear more natural, “Uh, sure. Yeah. That’d be great, thanks.”

Jun laughed again, a deep quiet chuckle, and he headed back into the kitchen to start Mingyu’s order after squeezing Minghao’s side. It did mean he was left alone with Minghao, who had stayed silently judging him, but it was almost a warm silent judgement. Like Minghao was judging him but still liked what he was judging. Only Minghao could make someone feel that way.

“I’ll add you to it now,” Minghao hummed, getting out his phone.

Mingyu nodded once, in time with the bounce on his toes, and he smiled like he belonged.

~~~

Looking at Wonwoo’s house never failed to create an itch in his fingers, an eagerness to get on top of that roof and do some real fixtures, but right now Mingyu’s hands were full. Well, one hand was holding their take-out box of dumplings, and the other hand was busy knocking on the front door. Now that he was looking at it properly, the lilac definitely needed a touch up of paint too. He added it to the current list of issues he needed to fix for Wonwoo’s house, but luckily the door was pulled open before he could add anything else onto the ever-growing list. Wonwoo just had to say yes, and Mingyu would be all over it for free. Well. Maybe not free. Mingyu would happily take kissing as a payment.

“Oh. Hi.”

The door revealed Wonwoo himself, back in a cream cardigan, this time with a pattern of floral detailing and a plunged neckline. The view of Wonwoo’s collarbones did not make Mingyu stutter, nope, not at all. He was a grown man.

“Hi.” Mingyu melted into a smile, and he tried so hard to will his feet to keep still.

Instead of diving forward and capturing Wonwoo in his arms like he desperately wanted to, he simply raised the hand that held their food. Wonwoo’s eyes took a moment to find the box of dumplings, his stare seemingly content to stay on Mingyu’s face. Mingyu would blush if most of his blood hadn’t rushed elsewhere. Slowly though, Wonwoo seemed to catch on to the fact that Mingyu was here acting as a delivery service, and Wonwoo’s eyes lit up as he reached for the box of food, still fresh and warm from Jun’s kitchen.

“You’re trying to make me gain weight,” Wonwoo huffed, but his smile was very much in Mingyu’s face, so much so Mingyu could simply lean forward and taste it with ease.

Still, Mingyu was offended. “Have you even eaten today?”

“None of your business,” Wonwoo shot back, but he was still smiling, so Mingyu knew he was teasing.

Mingyu would happily stand outside and admire Wonwoo’s soft beauty all day, but he knew that huddling together on Wonwoo’s couch eating dumplings was a much better prospect. Still, he didn’t want to just barge in uninvited. He hadn’t texted Wonwoo a warning, he wanted it to be a surprise. That meant though that maybe Wonwoo was busy and didn’t actually want to see him.

“Am I allowed inside?” he settled on asking, trying not to show his nerves.

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at him, leaning sideways to rest on his doorway. “I think I might want something first.”

Mingyu couldn’t help but pout a little at the vague answer, which only caused Wonwoo to chuckle at him. Whatever Wonwoo wanted, Mingyu would happily give him. Wonwoo only had to say what he wanted. He could tell Mingyu to jump, and he would.

“Anything,” Mingyu said, taking a small step closer.

The movement caused Wonwoo to tilt his head back ever so slightly, just so he could look up at Mingyu, and something dark fluttered inside of his chest. It had happened plenty of times before, but Mingyu had forced himself to ignore it, thinking it was ugly. This time, he pressed forward even more, a single breath apart separating them, and Mingyu felt satisfied. He still wanted to be closer, but this felt nice too. Towering over Wonwoo without suffocating him, and Wonwoo seemed pleased.

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

“Big puppy,” Wonwoo murmured, his spare hand coming up to gently brush against Mingyu’s cheek. “Kiss me hello, and you can come inside.”

How simple. Mingyu would be a fool to disobey.

Mingyu took the step needed to lean forward and melt his mouth over Wonwoo’s, and the sigh Wonwoo let out at the contact made Mingyu aware that he had been waiting for it. Good morning texts and greeting kisses, Mingyu would have those tips seared into the back of his mind. He would not fumble this. From the way Wonwoo’s hand on his cheek travelled to the back of his neck to pull him closer, Mingyu figured he was doing okay. He smiled into the kiss, pushing them both so he was covering Wonwoo against the wall, and the slight gasp Wonwoo let out almost made Mingyu rumble in return. He hadn’t realised how thirsty he was until Wonwoo let him have a taste of him, and he was worried that no matter how many gasps he drank from Wonwoo’s lips, he would always be parched for more.

“Wait,” Wonwoo whispered, but the sound was enough to make Mingyu pause immediately.

He instantly pulled back, slightly alarmed when Wonwoo’s hand on his neck tightened as if afraid of Mingyu running away. He frowned, confused, and Wonwoo opened his eyes to huff at him.

“I just meant – the food. You were crushing it. Oaf.”

The way he said oaf dripped with fondness, and Mingyu had to stop himself from giggling. Right, the dumplings. Mingyu took a steady step back then, in an attempt to salvage the crushed box against both of their torsos, and Wonwoo’s hand reluctantly let go to simply brush its way down Mingyu’s back. They could hear each other’s breathing, and this time Mingyu did giggle.

“Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry at all.

Wonwoo shook his head a little, his red lips pulling up into a smile. They were shinier in the day, and Mingyu wanted to bite them.

“Just—come inside,” Wonwoo stuttered out, backing up into his tiny entryway, and Mingyu grinned at him as he followed.

He made sure the front door was closed behind him, and then he was instantly enveloped in the smell of rain and sandalwood that Mingyu had come to associate with Wonwoo. It was warm and cosy and Mingyu wanted to burrow himself inside and not resurface. Though, his fantasy was broken by having to squeeze through the galley kitchen again, the plants almost looking more unruly compared to yesterday, and Mingyu could only laugh until they both found their way into Wonwoo’s living room. The couch was still pushed to the side, and the cushions still centred around the coffee table, but in place of all the empty bottles on the table itself was the bouquet Mingyu had bought for Wonwoo. Next to the couch was the pile of books Wonwoo had borrowed from his Aunt’s study, all of which had bookmarks in at different points, like Wonwoo kept rotating through them instead of seeing one until the end.

This wasn’t Mingyu’s home, but it was Wonwoo’s, and everything felt right. Mingyu knew this house had welcomed him just as much as Wonwoo had, and he couldn’t control his urge anymore.

Wonwoo had simply moved to put down the dumplings on the coffee table, as if ready to unwrap the box to eat, but that became a much more difficult task when Mingyu possessively wrapped his arms around Wonwoo’s waist from behind. He squeezed Wonwoo close, his chin coming to prop itself up on Wonwoo’s broad shoulder, and he let out the breath he hadn’t realised he had been holding when Wonwoo melted back into him.

“How are we going to eat like this?” Wonwoo asked indulgently.

Mingyu hummed, swaying Wonwoo in his arms, “We don’t.”

“And we let the food go cold?”

Wonwoo’s deep tone vibrated in Mingyu’s chest, and he simply turned his head to press his face against Wonwoo’s neck. He closed his eyes and brushed his nose in circles against Wonwoo’s cold skin. Mostly because Mingyu was brimming with affection and had no idea how to let it all out, but also in an attempt to keep Wonwoo warm. Wonwoo simply sighed, as if exasperated by Mingyu, but not once did he try to pull away.

Mingyu had him. He knew that now.

“Dumplings taste better cold anyway,” Mingyu lied, refusing to let go.

Wonwoo didn’t disagree. Mingyu smiled against Wonwoo’s neck, daring to apply soft pressure underneath Wonwoo’s jaw, littering him with gentle kisses. Feeling for a reaction, Wonwoo didn’t tense up in his arms, but he did shudder, a quiet sound escaping his mouth. Mingyu took that as permission to lightly brush his lips down Wonwoo’s neck to where his shoulder began, and he nuzzled against the space, pulling Wonwoo tighter against him. He could feel Wonwoo swallow, and Mingyu bit at him playfully, causing Wonwoo to shake with laughter in his arms. He had never felt this joyful, this happy, just to play around and treasure someone he felt so deeply for.

“Are you always going to tease me?” Wonwoo asked breathlessly.

That made Mingyu pull his head out of Wonwoo’s neck, a small frown catching his lips, “What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing bad,” Wonwoo turned a little in his arms to look at him, his features all softened, but his cheeks looked flushed. “You just make me feel a type of way. I didn’t realise you were doing it on purpose, at first. The way you looked at me, the things you said. The fact that I can feel all of you, I didn’t stop to think it meant something. I didn’t think I was—”

“You are,” Mingyu cut in, sensing where this was going. “Wonwoo, one day you’re going to believe me. You’re special. So special.”

Wonwoo kept looking at him, almost biting his lip to stop himself from arguing, and Mingyu squeezed his waist and bent down to bite at his shoulder to prove a point.

“I don’t just bite anyone, you know,” he wriggled his eyebrows.

Wonwoo laughed, and he looked away, but he looked just as happy as Mingyu felt. “So that’s why you didn’t want the dumplings, then? You wanted to eat me instead?”

“Jeon Wonwoo,” Mingyu’s voice was a playful growl, “Don’t offer dangerous suggestions.”

Wonwoo laughed with his whole body that time, almost curling over in Mingyu’s arms. Mingyu watched him in awe, his arms tightening to keep him balanced. Wonwoo looked up at him, eyes and smile bright, and Mingyu just had to lean forward to capture his lips in one last taste. Wonwoo had given him permission, he wasn’t going to waste it.

He could feel the way Wonwoo melted into him, kissing him back like Mingyu was the special one, and Mingyu was dizzy with affection.

Slowly though, Wonwoo pulled back, simply to rest his forehead on Mingyu’s. “Maybe we should start with the dumplings. It’s Monday tomorrow.”

Mingyu couldn’t help but laugh again, “What does that even mean? You work nights, you told me.”

“But you don’t,” Wonwoo said softly, “You have to be up in the morning. And I have to prepare things for my stall tomorrow.”

That made Mingyu buzz a little in his skin, almost making Wonwoo bounce with him.

“Can I watch you?” Mingyu asked, “You know, your oils and potions and stuff.”

Wonwoo shook his head a little, like he didn’t understand Mingyu’s fascination, “I told you I just melt the herbs.”

“And I want to see,” Mingyu pouted.

Wonwoo eyed him once but then leaned in for a surprise peck. Mingyu blinked and Wonwoo was already gone, leaving his warm arms to go get them utensils for their food. Mingyu briefly touched his fingers to his lips, his ears turning red, and then Wonwoo was back, and he gestured for Mingyu to take a seat on one of the cushions.

Just when Mingyu thought Wonwoo was going to refuse his company for later, Wonwoo hummed after finishing off one of the dumplings to get Mingyu’s attention.

“You can watch.”

“Really?”

Mingyu couldn’t contain the excitement in his tone, and Wonwoo looked at him funny for it. Mingyu frowned, reaching over to nudge at him.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Wonwoo tilted his head a little, almost like he was figuring something out. “I thought you were going to get bored.”

Mingyu could only frown harder, “Bored? Of what?”

“Me, Mingyu. Bored of me.”

Mingyu almost dropped his dumplings. That didn’t make any sense.

“You said it yourself, I’m barely a witch,” Wonwoo said, chewing thoughtfully, “I live a very boring life. I sleep in, I wake up, I melt herbs, I sell them, I read books, and I wake up to do it all over again. Why wouldn’t that bore you?”

Mingyu stared at him in disbelief. He couldn’t understand what he was hearing. There was only one thing that he could think of to put this idea to rest permanently.

“Why wouldn’t I scare you?”

Slowly, Wonwoo put his dumplings down, along with his chopsticks. He stared at Mingyu for a long time, his words barely finding him. Mingyu watched him through it, patient.

“Mingyu, I don’t…”

“You knew exactly what I was when we met for the first time,” Mingyu clarified. “And you still came to the meeting to see me, you still came to my Aunt’s house to clear her things with me, you still ran with me in the night, knowing exactly what I was. You’re insane, Wonwoo. No one would let a werewolf chase you the way you did. I’m a beast, I’ve hurt myself, I could hurt others too. Look at my nails, my teeth, the Full Moon isn’t even that far away—”

“And we’ll tackle it together,” Wonwoo said evenly, his face smoothed out to one of sincerity, rather than confusion. “Mingyu, you never scared me, because you’re not scary. I could sense you, I can still sense you. I just thought it was wishful thinking. Not many people visit my stall. But you did. And you were so curious about what I had to offer, and a part of me thought you were genuinely interested, but a smarter part of me knew that you just… liked me.”

“You knew?” Mingyu frowned, “From the start?”

“I thought I knew,” Wonwoo sighed, “But I didn’t let myself completely believe it. It genuinely confused me, why you were so happy to see me in the meeting. When you asked me to help you with the boxes instead of Soonyoung. I knew you liked me, but I didn’t let myself fully believe it until yesterday.”

That made some sense, but it just proved how little Wonwoo had thought of himself before Mingyu. It made him think of what Seungcheol said, about the dark path they had both been on, and Mingyu only wanted to be even brighter for Wonwoo. For everyone. He didn’t know he could do that for people still, being what he was. It gave him purpose. There was a possibility that he was still a good person.

“If you believe that I like you no matter how boring you are, I’ll believe that you like me despite having a moon ailment,” Mingyu compromised, grinning cheekily.

“Brat,” Wonwoo huffed, picking his chopsticks back up. “A moon ailment, is that what you’re calling it these days?”

“If I say ailment, you might be able to find some herbs to melt for me, make me less wolfish once a month,” Mingyu grinned, crushing up his empty dumpling box and laying it flat on Wonwoo’s coffee table.

“Don’t think you’re getting another discount.”

“Ah, there truly are limits to love,” Mingyu sighed, leaning back on his hands.

Wonwoo laughed into his next bite, bending over again like he couldn’t control his body when he was this happy, and Mingyu watched in veneration.

Wonwoo might be boring, and Mingyu might have a wolf problem, but Mingyu couldn’t think of anywhere he would rather be, or anyone he would rather be with.

They could grow and learn, together.

Chapter Text

For the first time in a long while, Mingyu woke up before his alarm. His room was coated in darkness from the lack of light outside his window, and even though half of his body had wriggled out of his sheets, all he could feel was warmth. He either didn’t dream last night or simply didn’t remember dreaming, and even that was a victory on its own. There were no grassy meadows or a gut clenching abyss lingering in the back of his mind. Instead, it was the first time Mingyu had slept simply to wake up again. His body was on autopilot, having its own ambition to live another day as soon as possible. His giddiness was palpable, his toes already wriggling as he eagerly pushed himself up out of his bed and towards his dresser. Mingyu loved to sleep in, but right now his mind was buzzing with activity, with ideas for the day, with a long list of things he needed to accomplish so he could start his week on the right foot. Monday was usually the worst day of the week, but after the week Mingyu’s had, he’s eager to live through another one. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this excited to face life head on.

Despite the fact that it barely let extra light into his room, Mingyu pulled back the curtain to reveal the dawn outside his window. The one thing that Mingyu had noticed heavily between living here and back in the city was the lack of noise in the morning. It was nice to simply breathe in the fresh air and watch the trees rustle in the wind and not have to worry about congested traffic or blaring sirens. It was refreshing in the best way, and Mingyu yawned into the night as he tousled his bedhead to a more respectable shape.

The moon wasn’t visible from where Mingyu was standing, but with a clear and less polluted sky like this, that meant she wasn’t supposed to be seen. It meant she was evolving into a new phase, and Mingyu leaned out of his windowsill to get a better lungful of air. The moon was in the stage of overcoming her own problems, getting ready for a Full Moon, and Mingyu was ready to do the same. Not before yawning again though. Just because he was awake didn’t mean his body wasn’t instinctively tired. He planned to shower and jog around the neighbourhood before he needed to be ready for work, and he hoped that would be the best way to freshen himself up a little. It worked last time, and he wondered why he hadn’t forced himself to do it every other day too. He needed to start making it his daily routine, so he might as well start now. He used to be able to discipline himself a lot more, but he was sure he could get back into taking care of himself if he had clear goals and boundaries in mind. It was going to be hard, but Mingyu loved a challenge, and this wouldn’t be any different.

He quickly covered himself up in sweats and a hoodie, ready to run downstairs and start his morning. The ringing sound coming from his phone stopped him from leaving the bedroom without it, though, and he reached over to silence the alarm. As he was about to drop his phone again to discard it, a thought immediately struck him. He couldn’t stop himself from grinning as he opened up his newest familiar contact and shot off a quick text. This would be part of his new morning routine, and he was glad for it. His heart was warm as well as his body now, which served him well since he was about to go into the cool air of the night, and he waited for his phone to buzz in confirmation that it had sent the message.

To: Wonwoo-hyung<3
From: Mingyu
Good morning, hyung!! Hope you slept well! I know I did <3

Once it had sent, Mingyu swiped his thumb across the screen of his phone. His grin softened to a smile. He wasn’t expecting a text back right away since a part of him assumed that Wonwoo had only realistically fallen to sleep a few hours ago. Still, he knew Wonwoo would wake up, see his message and think of him first thing in the morning, and that made him feel lighter than he has in a while. He started to believe that this wasn’t a feeling he would need to chase. That Wonwoo wasn’t someone he needed to chase. He didn’t have to run for this, he didn’t need to exert himself to keep feeling this happy, when Wonwoo had asked for this. Wonwoo wanted his texts, wanted him to stop by, wanted his kisses. If he played his cards right, he would be feeling this light for a long time, he didn’t need to worry and panic and try too hard to keep it. He just needed to be himself. And he was slowly figuring out what that meant now. It was the first time Mingyu believed it could mean something good.

Pocketing his phone and making his journey down the stairs to his front door, Mingyu skipped over his entryway with a quick wave to Seokmin’s doll. It had slumped over onto its side, but it was such an afterthought that Mingyu didn’t make a move to correct it. He was too energised and lacked the patience required to take in his surroundings properly, never mind washing his hair right now, so he figured he’d get sweaty first from the jog and then shower before work. It worked better for him this way anyway. He still had some of Wonwoo’s oil that was gifted to him, maybe he could apply that before he went to work too. He certainly had enough time. His scars would thank him for it.

If his feet took him faster than a jog would imply, it was no one’s business but his own.

~~~

Well, his business meant his own, and Seokmin and Joshua’s, apparently. He was going to have to get used to meeting people in his path on his morning jogs, especially if he wanted to share the strip of trees behind the bustle of the neighbourhood. The strip of trees that seemed to favour Shua, anyway, so Mingyu would have to be the respectful one. Not that Seokmin and Shua weren’t respectful, because they immediately stepped to the side of the path when they realised that they weren’t alone. Still, it would be rude to simply brush past them.

“Morning,” Mingyu called, and he jogged up to them with a breathless smile.

Seokmin was quick to step up to him, his hand coming to Mingyu’s shoulder and half bringing him into a hug, “Morning, Gyu! Tired already?”

“You don’t know how long I’ve been going for,” Mingyu huffed, subconsciously pouting even as he hugged Seokmin back.

Seokmin laughed next to Mingyu’s shoulder like he did in fact know how long Mingyu had been jogging for, and he was grinning when they both pulled out of the hug. Shua was smiling by Seokmin’s left, and he bowed his head a little in Mingyu’s direction in greeting. Mingyu shyly bowed back, only just now realising what state he must be in. He was stood in damp grey sweats, his hair shiny from a little grease, and he was next to two completely put together individuals even though it was barely five in the morning.

“Sorry,” he said reflexively as he gestured to himself, even though deep down he knew he had nothing to be sorry for.

“Not at all,” Shua shook his head, his smile softening, “It’s good to see you.”

“It is?”

Mingyu perked up, his tail and ears metaphorically twitching, and Seokmin laughed against his side like Mingyu was cracking jokes to save his life. He might have been fishing, just a little bit, but sometimes he had to remind himself that he was new here and that there was so much more to these people who had let him into their lives. He had so much to uncover, whereas he himself was an open book. He would say his wolf issue was his best secret, but everyone already knew, so what else was there to Mingyu? He was merely a spec compared to all of them and their beautiful personalities. It would take a little longer for Mingyu to fully believe he was just as worthy as them to share such a sacred safe haven. And yet, Seungcheol knew he was staying, and had promised they would protect the pack together.

His pack. Mingyu had a pack.

“Of course,” Seokmin chipped in, “It’s nice to see a friendly face so early in the morning, before the sun rises. Apart from Shua-hyung, of course. Everyone else here is so lazy.”

He said the last part with his lips pressed against Mingyu’s ear, like he was letting him in on a secret, and Mingyu had to bite his lip to stop himself from giggling. It was nice, to have such camaraderie, to be in on jokes, to be part of the banter and the teasing. It was how Mingyu showed his affection. But Mingyu knew how to show his love in many ways, it was the one thing Mingyu knew how to do. It was just nice to be included. It made his chest warm.

“Besides, the trees like you,” Shua said, breaking Mingyu out of his thoughts.

Mingyu briefly wondered if he should have been worried all along about the nature of this place shit-talking him. Imagine if a twig Mingyu accidentally snapped made its way to Shua and told him Mingyu was disrespectful to his environment. Definitely a new fear unlocked that Mingyu never knew he would ever have.

“That’s a good thing,” Seokmin nudged him, misinterpreting Mingyu’s panicked expression.

“Well, thanks,” Mingyu managed to get out, almost shy again. Though, he did ease into a smile.

The trees weren’t shit-talking him. They were being nice about him. He wondered just to what extent everything was sentient. Were the rocks sentient? If the trees were, then rocks would be, surely. He had so many questions, and even though Shua was right there, he felt they were too inappropriate to voice out loud. He didn’t want Shua to think he was making fun of him.

“Would you like to walk with us?” Shua asked him, his voice gentle and comforting.

Even though the question sounded genuine, Mingyu didn’t want to overstay his welcome. This was clearly a private moment for Joshua and Seokmin, since they seemed to be the only pair of the group willing to be up at this hour. Mingyu didn’t want to third-wheel. Besides, he had another stop to make before he had to go home and shower, and he wanted to be able to take his time.

“It’s okay,” Mingyu bowed at them, and he hoped they wouldn’t be offended, “You guys enjoy. I’ll see you later though, yeah?”

“Duh,” Seokmin grinned, at the same time Joshua simply nodded.

They were the calm and the storm, both equally as warm as each other, and Mingyu needed to stop leeching off of their serenity. It did wonders for the earth though, Mingyu only just now noticing the little flowers that had sprouted from the ground that hadn’t bloomed before Shua’s arrival back into town.

Even though he was confident Joshua would message him back if he texted, Mingyu made a mental note to hit Seokmin up and plan a playdate of their own. This neighbourhood could do with another duo of mischief.

~~~

By the time Mingyu had made it to the town hall, Chan was carrying a stack of three wooden beams down the side path of the building, disappearing from Mingyu’s sight as he reached a second iron gate. Mingyu waited patiently by the fence, tapping his fingers against the spikes, but he quickly disregarded the idea of waiting and pushed open the gate to the grounds on his own. He saw ten more wooden beams scattered on the front lawn, and he reached down to pick up five just as Chan started walking back into view.

“Hey,” Mingyu grunted as he lifted the beams onto his shoulder, “Need any help?”

Chan’s eyes widened as they took him in, but eventually he nodded, and he reached down to pick up three more beams for himself, “Hey, hyung. Do you always wake up early?”

“I do try,” Mingyu shrugged with difficulty, the wooden beams limiting him.

Chan simply hummed and walked down the path to the back of the hall, and Mingyu followed him down. The land encased in an iron fence and a stone wall looked well-kept and watered, with polished ivory running up the side of the building like its supposed to be there rather than an infestation that hadn’t been dealt with. However, the lawn itself had wooden beams and gardening equipment strewn across it, and Mingyu raised an eyebrow as he added his five beams onto the already existent pile.

Despite the fact that the weight didn’t feel heavy, he could still feel Chan eyeing him with awe.

Chan added his own three beams, and whilst it didn’t look like Chan had struggled, he still looked more out of breath than Mingyu felt.

He decided he could probably grab the rest of the beams on his own. There were only two left to bring, anyway.

“Wait,” Chan stopped him with a hand to his shoulder when he realised where Mingyu was going, “I can get them, don’t worry.”

“It’s fine,” Mingyu waved him off with a smile. “It won’t take me two minutes.”

Chan eyed him for a moment, but then reluctantly let go of his shoulder. Mingyu waited for him to nod, and then he left to grab the remaining beams. It did in fact take him less than two minutes to add the last beams to the pile, and it took an extra five to ten seconds to wipe the wooden dustings off his hands and on to his joggers.

“What are they for, anyway?” Mingyu asked. He looked up from his dirty clothes to where Chan was surveying his equipment.

“Soonyoung dropped them off yesterday, he’s going to build a shed for us,” Chan explained, “But he got caught up in another job and just left everything at the front door. I figured I’d use my time to get everything in a pile for him. Besides, it was a sight for sore eyes.”

“Will he get the job done?” Mingyu raised an eyebrow, but he wasn’t worried.

It seemed that this place had lasted this long simply because Soonyoung had forced it to. Mingyu figured there would be evidence of Soonyoung’s forgotten endeavours across the whole neighbourhood if you knew what to look for. But a community space for the group, Soonyoung wouldn’t easily forget, Mingyu was sure. Chan seemed to be too.

“Of course, it’s just a matter of when,” Chan snorted, and Mingyu grinned a little as he caught his breath.

His jog from Seokmin and Joshua to here was more of a run, and he was certainly more dishevelled than he was twenty minutes ago. But he had wanted to catch Chan before Chan clocked off of work and got home. He briefly wondered if Seokmin had forgotten that Chan worked nights and therefore had to be awake, or he simply didn’t count Chan because he had to work and couldn’t go on a pleasant walk with his hyungs at five in the morning. Still, he didn’t want to forget him.

“Did you want me to walk you home?” Mingyu ventured, watching as Chan finally pried his gaze away from the ground.

“Did you come all this way to ask me that?” Chan tilted his head a little, clearly taken aback by the kind gesture.

Mingyu shrugged, but his body was open, and his smile was gentle. “Why not? It wasn’t the first thing on my mind, but I remembered I bumped into you here before. It’s scary at night, y’know. Let hyung walk you home.”

Chan laughed in his face this time, but even the laugh seemed good natured, like he was caught even more by surprise. Mingyu didn’t know what was so strange about it. If he had to work nights on ground that clearly could be haunted – anything was possible in this neighbourhood – then he wouldn’t want to walk home on his own.

“Alright, dad,” Chan grinned, and Mingyu immediately reached out to try and cuff him around his head.

Chan dodged, but Mingyu followed him, and their laughs echoed along with their feet hitting the pavement as they ran. Their laughs teetered off into huffs of amused breath as their feet slowed to a walk, but Mingyu was still determined to walk Chan home as they got to the gate. Slowly, Chan opened it, letting Mingyu walk through, and then locked it behind them.

“Come on then,” Chan sighed, like this was a huge inconvenience to him, “Walk me home, hyung.”

“Brat,” Mingyu scoffed, but Chan ignored him, walking down the street already without waiting for him.

Mingyu followed with a light skip in his step.

The sun was slowly rising now, settling a nice glow along the path, and Mingyu was beginning to feel warm against the valiant breeze that still lingered in the air. Still, he was sweating, so he rolled his sleeves up as they walked.

Even though they were both mostly quiet, it was comforting and not awkward, and Mingyu relished in having another dongsaeng that Mingyu could potentially dote on. He was good at being an older brother, and he was going to prove it. Pack was pack, and Chan just happened to be the baby.

Eventually though, just as they were coming up to an alcove of houses, Chan broke the silence. “Are you strong because you work out, or because you’re a werewolf?”

The question was so abrupt that Mingyu almost stopped walking. Chan clearly was still thinking about the way Mingyu had carried the wooden beams, but Mingyu still didn’t think it was anything impressive. He has to do much more and much worse at his day job. And he did definitely work out, or at least he used to, so that could still be it. But Chan had asked so innocently and honestly, and Mingyu hadn’t thought about his wolf side in his human body for as long as he forced himself not to.

“I don’t know,” Mingyu frowned into the dawn, his shoulders hunched forward. “Maybe both? I don’t think I’ve tested just how…. Y’know, how strong I can be.”

“Huh.” Chan let out the breath like it meant nothing and his walk didn't falter once. “Cool.”

Was it cool? Mingyu wouldn’t have said so a year ago. He wouldn’t have even said so a week ago. But just like everyone else here, Chan wasn’t afraid of him. He was impressed.

Mingyu was impressive.

If he didn’t cry, his ego was going to get so enlarged he wouldn’t be able to make it through his front door anymore.

Mingyu absentmindedly watched as Chan made it to his own door, and he looked back to smile at Mingyu. The smile felt like a thank you.

“Did you want to come inside?” Chan asked, quirking his head towards his house.

Mingyu shook his head before he could think about it.

“Thanks for the offer, but I gotta go,” Mingyu said regretfully.

Luckily, Chan nodded like he understood. Maybe Chan only asked to be polite. Still, it was nice. Mingyu could already see this being a part of his morning routine too.

Chan waved goodbye, and Mingyu waved back. Chan didn’t seem like the maknae of the group who bent over backwards to please his hyungs, but he let Mingyu walk him home, and he offered to share his space with him. Mingyu would take it. Chan thought he was cool, it was the best start as any.

~~~

When Mingyu got home, he took the time he had left to shower. Luckily, he had placed Wonwoo’s cardamom essential oils in his bathroom cabinet so he could apply the oil after shaving, and he definitely felt soothed and refreshed after he had finished. Combining the fact that he had gone on a run with the oils themselves certainly had made his body feel well rested and calm, and he would never question Wonwoo’s credibility again. Even if his division was simply herbal remedies, he definitely knew how to make the best out of what he could. And it had been fascinating to watch when Wonwoo had let him stay last night, the way he boiled the herbs in his terrifyingly tiny kitchen and simply channelled “energy” into them for spiritual effect. Wonwoo had been concentrating the whole time, later admitting that he didn’t want the first fire he set off to be in Mingyu’s presence. Mingyu had laughed so hard that Wonwoo had to pin him down and kiss him to get him to shut up. He hadn’t complained at the time, and he wasn’t complaining now at the memory.

He couldn’t imagine being devoured by Wonwoo, at least not right now, when he had to brush his hair into something respectable and get dressed for work. Though it was definitely something Mingyu had caught himself thinking about, and feeling warm in the shower was better than feeling warm out of the shower and in his car. Like Wonwoo said, thoughts like those weren’t meant for Mondays, but Mingyu would ask if they could be a Tuesday thought instead. Or if they were to be saved for Wednesday. Or even the weekend, because Mingyu was a patient man, and he knew nothing else would be worth it quite like this. Like Wonwoo.

With a grin, Mingyu towelled off his hair and lunged into his bedroom to get changed. Though, now that he was going to be staying here permanently, he would have to rethink his living situation. The guest room was all well and good, but it was smaller than the other two bedrooms in the house. Normally Mingyu wouldn’t need a big room. However, it was more the bed that was the problem. Mingyu was too large for it, and he knew there were perfectly acceptable sized beds in his Aunt’s and Grandma’s rooms.

This was Mingyu’s house now, and he shouldn’t be living in a house that had two permanently locked rooms. If the moon was overcoming her challenges this week in preparation for the Full Moon, Mingyu would have to overcome some of his own. He had already done so well in the past week, but there were still improvements to be made. Like not feeling nauseous at the thought of not having those two bedrooms left the exact way they are right now. Ruining them felt sacrilegious, felt ungrateful, like he was a child spiting his ancestors.

Mingyu didn’t want to spite them. He wanted to live among them.

His Grandma used to tell him that he took up so much space, but she had never made him feel bad about it. He was fully grown now, taking up all the space that he could. He couldn’t be greedy and take more.

A voice in the back of his head that sounded like his Aunt said differently. It said that sometimes he deserved to make space for himself, because who else was going to do it for him? He couldn’t hide himself in the smallest room of the house, curled in on himself, when he knew he had so much to fill, and that he could do it if he just gave himself permission.

His Aunt and his Grandma were equally unashamed of him, so he should do them justice and be unashamed of himself. Biting the bullet, dressed in clothes appropriate for work, he came out into the hallway to get the task over and done with. If he did it quickly, he wouldn’t be able to ruminate over his fears. He would just have to accept the reality. Besides, as much as he clearly felt their presence in this house, he had never seen any ghost activity. Which meant Mingyu was most likely more alone than he thought, and did he plan to be alone forever? No. So he had to make room for those he wanted in his life.

His Aunt and Grandma were no longer here to enjoy this home, but Mingyu would make sure new people could. He owed it to them.

Unlocking the bedrooms was the first step, starting with his Grandma's, and then his Aunt’s. The first thought Mingyu conjured up after seeing both rooms open and bare, was that they needed a clean. A small laugh bubbled up in his chest, almost like trapped gas, like the relief of the thought was physically leaving him.

He had two rooms to clean and one room to renovate, and a whole apartment to pack.

His Aunt wasn’t angry at him; she was most probably laughing at him. Mingyu loved to clean, but he hated when he had to clean. And yes, there was a difference. She knew that more than anyone.

Mingyu clicked off the bedroom lights to save energy, and he smiled to himself as he made his way back down the stairs.

He’d sort the rooms out later, but at least he felt better about having to do it. Where else was he going to sleep? He was old enough to suffer with backpain, and then he’d never be able to recover from Wonwoo laughing at him for it.

That was far scarier than his Aunt’s wrath, so she would simply have to forgive him.

Mingyu was starting to forgive himself, anyway.

~~~

The past five times Mingyu had driven to work from his Aunt’s house, he had never been graced with the sight of the Garden of Wonders, only ever on the way back. He didn’t think he had changed his route to somehow make this happen subconsciously, but it didn’t matter. He was passing by now, and he could see that the lights were turned on. It was still early in the morning, and it made Mingyu wonder just what time Jihoon set up for the day. He still had over an hour before he had to be on site with Seungkwan and Vernon, so it wouldn’t hurt to stop by and ask. Not at all to check out the new stock, or to look over preexisting stock. Though, he supposed he didn’t need to lie to himself. He knew when he was about to part with some of his money again. Hopefully parking his car in the otherwise vacated car park wouldn’t put Jihoon or anyone else inside the garden centre at unease. Anyone genuinely buying a plant at this time in the morning either had way too much time on their hands, or none at all.

Mingyu didn’t put himself in either category, but he still parked up and walked up to the building regardless. A part of him wondered if Jihoon just got here early to stock up, but no, the glaringly obvious open sign had green and red garland wrapped around it, making Mingyu smile as he stepped inside. Funnily enough, the first person to enter his eyesight wasn’t Jihoon at all, but Soonyoung. It was only a flash of Soonyoung, who clearly had a destination in mind and was running across the garden centre to get there, but it was definitely him. The stature and hair stood out among the brown and natural tones of the environment. Mingyu ducked under some low hanging plants as he followed the retreating form of Soonyoung, distractedly humming along to the quiet music that was playing on the speakers in the background. He hadn’t noticed any music playing the past couple of times he had visited, but it was a pleasant surprise. The air was much more chilled compared to last time, which made Mingyu be grateful that he was wearing a jacket, but it was a pleasant temperature. Not warm, but not cold. Almost like Jihoon himself.

At first Mingyu had thought Soonyoung was making his way to the stock room, but Mingyu found himself venturing out into the outdoor section of the garden centre, mostly where vines and thicker trees resided. He spotted a couple of wheelbarrows in the corner, where Soonyoung was stood inspecting them. Mingyu cleared his throat a little as he walked over, and Soonyoung let the wheelbarrow hit the ground again as he let go and flung his arms around Mingyu instead. Mingyu barely had chance to catch him, but it didn’t matter to Soonyoung. He certainly knew how to cling.

“Gyu-yah, what are you doing here?”

The excitement in Soonyoung’s voice managed to wake Mingyu up even more than his morning jog and his small personal crisis had. The warmth that had stayed in Mingyu’s chest from earlier had blossomed through his entire body, tingling his fingertips and making his arms gain the strength to pull Soonyoung up a little, even tugging him off the ground.

It had both grown men laughing, enough to attract the attention of Jihoon, who was stood to the side, his arms crossed.

“Am I interrupting something?”

A week ago, his tone would have made Mingyu self-conscious. Today though, Mingyu let go of Soonyoung after setting him on the ground, and he simply turned around to open his arms up in Jihoon’s direction instead.

“Why, do you feel left out?”

The tease was out of his mouth before he could control it, and Soonyoung cackled loudly next to him, and he watched as Jihoon’s mouth scrunched up in distaste. Despite Jihoon turning his face away when Mingyu crowded closer, he didn’t actually take a step back. Or punch Mingyu in the face, which was always a win.

“Do we have to deal with you at all hours of the day?” Jihoon groused, his eyes stubbornly set to the side, rather than on the two manchildren in front of him.

Mingyu dropped his arms but kept on grinning, “You can’t get rid of me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Shame.”

Mingyu blinked once, waiting it out, and then there it was, the tiny smile that betrayed Jihoon’s words. He was a softy on the inside, and Mingyu knew it.

“It’s a good thing he’s here,” Soonyoung said as he went back to his discarded wheelbarrow, “He can help cart the plants out from the back.”

Jihoon shook his head, going over to take a wheelbarrow for himself, “I’m not paying him, so no.”

“He’s free labour,” Soonyoung countered.

Mingyu pouted, crossing his arms in a childish act. “I’m worth more than you could ever afford.”

“Good thing I use Jihoon’s bank account,” Soonyoung winked at him, cracking Mingyu’s character and making him laugh.

Jihoon shook his head more vigorously now, but his smile had grown to a grin. Jihoon and Soonyoung simultaneously held up their wheelbarrows and started walking their way back to presumably the stock room, so Mingyu kept pace as he followed them in awe. He had never seen two people so different and yet so synchronised. They seemed to just work, and it wasn’t a wonder why Jihoon kept Soonyoung around.

Mingyu took in the sights as he walked with them, only half hearing the distant chatter the pair kept up among themselves.

After his eyes caught on a sequence of bright yellow flowers, an idea sprung in his mind.

He stopped, not necessarily expecting the other two to notice. However, after a moment, the sound of two wheels squeaking stopped. Mingyu looked up and found Soonyoung and Jihoon looking back at him.

Mingyu bit his lip. “Do you sell canolas?”

It took a second, but Jihoon nodded. “Yeah, we do. On their own or in a bouquet?”

“On their own,” Mingyu decided, but then paused. “Wait, are they in season?”

“I didn’t know you were into growing flowers,” Soonyoung said thoughtfully.

Mingyu almost laughed. It was the confidence that made Mingyu feel closer to Soonyoung than some of the others. He knew he could grow to love them all equally and dearly, but Soonyoung was the first person to warm up to him, and he had adopted the habit of talking to Mingyu like they already knew everything about each other. Of course Soonyoung wouldn’t know if Mingyu grew flowers or not, but it was the mindset that mattered. That to Soonyoung, they were best friends. That’s what Seungcheol said.

Mingyu began to believe him.

“I’m not, but a friend of mine is, and I owe him a lot. It would be a nice gift, I think,” Mingyu explained, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck.

He didn’t want to be embarrassed, but he was a little out of his depth. Jihoon nodded a little, but it seemed more to himself than anything, and then he was off again. Though instead of walking straight ahead, the direction he and Soonyoung had clearly been going in, he steered off to the left. Mingyu followed after him, and Soonyoung caught up with them from behind.

“Are you going to the night market, Mingyu-yah?” Soonyoung asked pleasantly, and Mingyu hummed.

The question seemed innocent enough, but he could hear a little teasing in Soonyoung’s voice. He smiled in spite of that fact.

“Yeah, of course. Are you and Jihoon?”

“Nah,” Soonyoung shook his head, but Mingyu had to look behind himself to see it. “We don’t usually. I’ve seen it all before, and Jihoon isn’t a big fan of all the noise and the crowds. We prefer a night in to ourselves.”

It sounded nice. Domestic, in a way, to build a routine and a habit around each other, and reaping the benefits of it. Mingyu wondered if he and Wonwoo would be like that. He hoped so.

“It’s nice to see you,” Soonyoung whispered, now that Jihoon had gotten a second wind and was racing ahead of them.

Mingyu startled a little when he realised that Soonyoung was walking right beside him rather than behind him.

“What do you mean?”

Soonyoung frowned and he glanced down into the empty wheelbarrow as they continued walking.

“After the café meet up, I was worried that – you know – that you’d have gone back.”

“Gone back where?” Mingyu asked, a little touched from the concern in Soonyoung’s voice.

“The city.” Soonyoung stopped walking then, causing Mingyu to stop too. “I thought you’d leave and stop visiting us. That you’d have given up.”

Soonyoung looked so put out by the idea of Mingyu just packing his bags and moving out that Mingyu grew a second resolve like another skin. He was proud of himself for standing his ground and hearing Seungcheol out, but he had never considered that anyone would truly be saddened by Mingyu going back to his apartment. He knew now that being a coward didn’t only affect himself. It affected his pack too.

He would never get tired of thinking that.

But he definitely didn’t want to see Soonyoung pouting at him. It didn’t suit his face.

“Come here,” Mingyu smiled, pushing the wheelbarrow aside and taking the initiative to hug Soonyoung first. The way Soonyoung melted against him proved to him it was the right choice. “I’ve moved into my Aunt’s place indefinitely. I have the keys, I pay the bills. It’s mine. I’m not going anywhere. I don’t scare that easily.”

It was a lie, but Mingyu was as good as getting over his fears as he was at acquiring them.

Soonyoung didn’t say anything, but the way his arms tightened around Mingyu said enough.

They only broke apart at the sound of Jihoon’s voice, again.

“Do I need to be worried about you two?”

Soonyoung immediately pulled back, but Mingyu didn’t miss the way Soonyoung brushed his hand against his eyes as he did so.

“Not at all, jagiya,” Soonyoung said, his voice cracking slightly. “You know I love you the most.”

The way Soonyoung said jagiya managed to make even Mingyu melt, so he had no idea how Jihoon withstood it. Though Mingyu did see a little crack under Jihoon’s neutral expression, and he definitely didn’t miss the way Jihoon reached for Soonyoung’s hand to soothe him. Soonyoung pulled Jihoon into an embrace, his lips landing on Jihoon’s hair and forehead multiple times until Jihoon grunted and tried to pull away. Mingyu grinned as a bystander, a complete third wheel, but he didn’t mind. It wasn’t too bad.

Eventually, when Soonyoung’s frayed nerves seemed to be soothed, the pair began to separate. Soonyoung moved to step away, and Jihoon pointed in Mingyu’s direction.

“Come on, this way. We’ll get you your canolas, and then we can all get back to work.”

Mingyu didn’t disagree.

~~~

“You’re glowing.”

Mingyu danced across the threshold as he held up a freshly purchased packet of canolas and rapeseed, and he waved it in front of Seungkwan’s face. He pointedly decided to ignore the way Seungkwan was staring at him as if he had lost his mind. Seungkwan could glare all he wanted, Mingyu would happily take the compliment.

“And you look grumpy,” Mingyu shot back, his face exaggerating a gleeful smile to mock him further. He wriggled the packet of seeds some more. “And these, are for you.”

“I hate you,” Seungkwan grumbled, but he reached out to take the present anyway. “What are these for?”

“Because they’re your favourite,” Mingyu explained as he pulled away to take off his jacket and put on his high visibility gear. “I thought I’d be nice. If I knew you’d be mean today, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

“I thought it was a compliment, hyung,” Vernon said from where he was perched on the scaffolding, his legs dangling from a floor above. “Besides, you are glowing.”

“Thank you, Vernon,” Mingyu chirped, blowing a kiss to his favourite dongsaeng.

“Kiss ass,” Seungkwan huffed, but he opened his duffel bag to put the packet of seeds inside. “Hyung. Thank you.”

Mingyu grinned to himself. Worth it.

“How was your date, hyung?” Vernon asked.

Vernon never seemed to be an avid gossiper like Seungkwan, but he was always interested. If you told him something in passing, more often than not he would remember it more than you would. It was one of the many things Mingyu had come to love so dearly about him.

“Do you have to ask?” Seungkwan laughed, adjusting his hardhat. “Look at him. His skin is brighter than his vest.”

“You’re just jealous,” Mingyu shot back, sticking his tongue out.

The three of them shared a laugh, right until Seungkwan decided that enough was enough and that they needed to get some work done. Vernon took the cue to play some music as they worked, and Mingyu started up their machinery to start mixing their cement. The music was drowned out to a soft hum, just the way they all preferred it. Not a complete distraction, but just enough so they didn’t have to listen to solely mechanical whirring their whole shift.

They worked until almost noon, getting dirty and sweaty from the hot sun that was now high in the sky. From where Mingyu was stood on the scaffolding, if he looked up, he could see the moon high in the sky too. It was the rare time of the moon cycle that both were visible, and it was more likely to catch the moon during midday to midnight, rather than late into the early morning. It was nice to see two opposing factors so close to each other, and it also meant it was time to take a break. It was definitely the moon in the sky telling him that, and not his stomach growling at him. With one hand on the railing, Mingyu jumped down to the ground, startling Vernon out of his daze.

“Sorry,” Mingyu shouted behind him, and Vernon simply shook his head at him.

Mingyu had brought them all snacks in his bag, and he tossed them out to Seungkwan and Vernon before crouching down on the pavement and tucking into the food himself. He only had a protein bar for himself since he planned to eat all he wanted at the night market tonight, and he knew he was going to be hungry, but the spicy pork was going to be worth it.

During work Mingyu didn’t use his phone, he was always respectful of being on the clock, but it was free game when he was on a break.

Which was very lucky when his phone buzzed with a brand-new notification. Mingyu thumbed it open as he grinned around his snack bar.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo-hyung<3
Good morning, Min.

It was 11:37. So cute. Mingyu couldn’t be smiling any harder if he tried.

To: Wonwoo-hyung<3
From: Mingyu
Someone was tired.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo-hyung<3
Correction, someone stayed up too late. You distracted me last night. I needed to finish my supplies for tonight.

Cute, cute, cute.

To: Wonwoo-hyung<3
From: Mingyu
I didn’t hear you complaining.

He didn’t get a response from that one, which he could see being his fault. Still, Mingyu couldn’t help but feel giddy. Mingyu knew that Wonwoo hadn’t suddenly discarded his phone, and he wanted Wonwoo to keep talking to him, if only for a little while. He switched tactics.

To: Wonwoo-hyung<3
From: Mingyu
Go outside and look up.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo-hyung<3
Why?

Mingyu huffed. He typed ‘just do it’ and hoped that would be enough to convince him. Sure enough, a few minutes later he got another message.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo-hyung<3
First quarter?

The question took Mingyu aback. He fell out of his crouch and ended up with his ass fully on the concrete. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that Wonwoo knew what phase the moon cycle was in right now, even though Wonwoo hadn’t previously known anything about it. He didn’t know what waxing crescent had meant when Mingyu had brought it up to him before.

That meant that Wonwoo had either lied to him back then or had researched it just for Mingyu.

Wonwoo hadn’t lied to him before.

Which meant….

This man. Mingyu was going to marry this man.

To: Wonwoo-hyung<3
From: Mingyu
I didn’t know you knew what that meant.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo-hyung<3
I didn’t. I do now.
It’s pretty.
Like you.

If Mingyu could run degrees hotter than the sun, he certainly would be now. He hated blushing, he hated how it clashed with his golden skin, but he was afraid he was going to have to get used to it if he was going to keep Wonwoo around. Which he very obviously was going to. No one would be able to pry him away.

Still. Wonwoo was dangerous.

“Have you ever seen a face more disgusting than that in your life, Nonie?”

Seungkwan. Mingyu ignored him.

“You were the one who said he was glowing.”

Vernon.

“I take it back.” Seungkwan. Scathingly. “He looks sunburnt.”

With the voices behind him and the thoughts churning in his own mind, Mingyu’s fingers hadn’t cooperated fast enough to type a reply. Wonwoo did it for him.

To: Mingyu
From: Wonwoo-hyung<3
Go back to work, Min. I’ll see you tonight?

As if the man had to ask. Mingyu planned to be there.

Let Seungkwan laugh at him, Mingyu didn’t care. He was far too happy to care.

“Hey, Kwannie.” Mingyu turned around, catching the act of Seungkwan side eyeing him. “What would you say if I asked you for a haircut? Home cooked meal as payment.”

Even though Seungkwan barely acknowledged Mingyu as a hyung, and loved to laugh at him at his expense, Boo Seungkwan never let his friends down.

“I’d say, give me a challenge, and buy me fried chicken instead.”

Mingyu grinned. “Deal.”

~~~

Hours later, the three of them had finished work for the day, Mingyu had driven them both to his apartment, and he had sat in front of his bedroom mirror for another hour whilst Seungkwan cut his mane down to a reasonable size. Or Seungkwan claimed it was reasonable, at least. It was cut shorter than perhaps Mingyu would have done himself, but Seungkwan only wanted a box of fried chicken in compensation, so Mingyu was in no position to complain. He looked… cleaner. Fresh. His face looked more masculine without his long hair to cover it up, and Vernon had called him handsome, but Vernon always called him handsome even if it wasn’t true. The less hair he had, the less he was able to hide himself. His skin was perhaps a little blotchier than he thought, but maybe the oils would help with that too.

He wasn’t going to let the haircut turn his thoughts about himself even more negative. He looked fine. Now at least his hair wouldn’t get in the way.

He would just have to get used to it.

Vernon and Seungkwan had looked at him funny when he had ordered food for them and nothing for himself, but they didn’t complain. They got free fried chicken, after all.

“Stop worrying,” Seungkwan said between his bites of a chicken leg.

“I’m not worrying,” Mingyu protested, even though he was.

“You look fine,” Seungkwan said again.

Mingyu frowned but forced himself to look in the mirror once more. He hadn’t realised that he had a small scar just below his hairline on his right side. He sighed. Of course his body was hiding more scars. Though, with his short hair, it did kind of make him look cool.

Maybe Vernon was right. Maybe this wasn’t a disaster.

“Always a critic,” Seungkwan sighed dramatically.

Vernon nodded as he continued to eat his chicken, but Mingyu’s smile grew the more he stared at himself in the mirror.

No, it wasn’t that bad at all.

Mingyu could work with this.

Hopefully Wonwoo would like it.

Mingyu grinned, clapping his hands together as he turned to look at his two lovely dongsaengs. “Now that you’re both here, which one of you is going to help me pack?”

Two groans filled the room in unison, and Mingyu laughed to himself as Vernon simply stood up and left.

~~~

Unfortunately, Mingyu hadn’t managed to convince Seungkwan or Vernon to provide free labour, but that was alright. Mingyu would pack another day. He was in no rush. He was, however, in a rush to park up and get to the night market before it got incredibly busy. He hoped he wasn’t already too late. He had made the right decision to set off from his apartment the time that he did, because it was still very much daylight outside. Whilst the lights of the market had been unforgettable with how they mimicked the starry night sky, the warmth that came with experiencing the market with the sun still shining was remarkable. The way the market was set up was visible and trackable now, and the way the stalls weaved amongst each other to create natural foot traffic was magical in and of itself.

Mingyu could actually see where he was going, and there were more artists out with the light of day, making it much easier for them to paint their patrons and clients. Mingyu could smell the distinctive aromas of food being set up for all the shoppers that were about to storm the street, and his mouth was already watering. He could see the magic of each stall being set up in front of his eyes, he could hear the excited chatter amongst the merchants who were saying hello to each other and catching up on old market gossip.

Children skipped along the paths, giggling as they ran away from their stressed parents, and Mingyu’s chest was back to fluttering. He had flashes of scenes of his own children running away from him and jumping up at the stalls, putting their grubby hands everywhere they shouldn’t be, and it was the kind of imagery Mingyu had never thought for himself. When he thought of children, they were an abstract concept. Or he would have memories of himself and his sister as children. Never children of his own, who would undoubtedly have the same amount of energy as him, the same amount of stubbornness, and his dark and long hair. Not that his hair was long anymore. He could certainly feel the difference now, being outside with the breeze affecting him not nearly as much. But the idea of his own children had never existed before, not since the bite, when he had stopped living and had simply survived.

He could start living again, and clearly, he had dreams for the future that he had long kept from himself. He hadn’t realised he had even done that.

To bring him out of his reverie, his senses were overloaded in the best way possible. He had a distant thought that maybe last week had been a fluke, that the market was mesmerising because Mingyu was visiting for the first time since he was a child. But here he was again, retracing his old steps, bumping into bubbly kids and handsy merchants who wanted Mingyu to part with his money.

He’d love to pay them, but he was saving the money that he had in his pockets. He had a feeling he would need it.

“See, Cheollie, I told you Mingyu was good for us!”

Mingyu perked up at the sound of his name, and he spun around until familiar faces caught his eye. It wasn’t surprising to see Jeonghan waving and smiling, almost jogging up to him like Mingyu was about to run away. Next to him, however, was Seungcheol, who looked flustered as he tried to keep up with Jeonghan’s unpredictable pace. The sight was amusing, at best, and something tight dislodged in his chest. Seungcheol was in a hoodie and shorts, and he looked flushed. Not intimidating at all. Mingyu realised that he hadn’t even tensed up when he saw him.

“Jeonghan, wait!”

“You’re good in a crowd,” Jeonghan said as soon as he had caught up to Mingyu, without any context. “We could see you from a mile away.”

Ah. Well. Mingyu would take it as a compliment.

“Hi Jeonghan-hyung,” Mingyu bowed his head, and when Seungcheol finally arrived next to them, he did a small bow for him too. “Hi Seungcheol-hyung.”

He had said hyung without thinking about it, and he was ready to be hit for speaking so familiarly, but Seungcheol didn’t even blink. He was too busy scolding Jeonghan for running away like he was one of Seungcheol’s children.

“We’re just here for some desserts,” Jeonghan informed Mingyu with a twinkle in his eye, completely ignoring Seungcheol’s complaints.

Mingyu didn’t remember asking, but he smiled anyway. There was a particular way in which Jeonghan spoke to Mingyu that made him feel like he was part of the inside joke. It was touching.

“It’s a long walk, but we enjoy it,” Seungcheol added with a nod.

It was one thing having a sit-down conversation with him, but it was another to be integrated into his conversations like they were friends. It was hopeful that they could put everything behind them and move forward. Mingyu supposed that was what Seungcheol had promised, but for all Mingyu knew, it could have been all talk. It didn’t seem like that was the case. Seungcheol was being friendly.

“It’s nice here,” Mingyu admitted. “I came last week too. I’m here for the food. Oh, and—”

“Let me guess,” Jeonghan said cryptically, and he made a point of tapping his chin. “To see Wonwoo?”

Seungcheol rolled his eyes at his antics, and Mingyu flushed.

“I’d be a bad boyfriend if I didn’t come and see him,” Mingyu mumbled in an attempt to ignore his own embarrassment.

Except he only landed himself in more embarrassment. Seungcheol and Jeonghan didn’t look particularly surprised at his word choice, but they did exchange a knowing look between them. Mingyu didn’t want to find out what it meant.

“In fact, I shouldn’t keep him waiting,” Mingyu kept going, already planning his exit and taking a few steps back.

Only, he wasn’t looking where he was going, and he bumped into a pair of strong arms, which caused him to shriek like he wasn’t the biggest predator in this neighbourhood. Or in all the other neighbourhoods. Or the city.

Embarrassing.

“It’s okay,” a voice soothed him, “I’ve got you.”

Jun. What were the chances.

“I’m so sorry,” Mingyu righted himself immediately.

He pointedly ignored Jeonghan’s laugh that he tried to muffle against his sleeve. Mingyu could still hear him. Jeonghan wasn’t loud enough to drown out Minghao though, who had magically appeared from behind Jun.

“Mingyu, Seungcheol-hyung, Jeonghan-hyung, hi.”

They all bowed, and Mingyu took his cue to take more steps back, looking behind himself to make sure he wouldn’t run over anyone else.

“Where are you sneaking off to?” Jun asked, his head at a tilted angle.

“He’s off to find his boyfriend,” Seungcheol teased, and the sound knocked the embarrassment out of Mingyu.

Why did he care? No one else did. He didn’t need to be embarrassed. If Seungcheol was teasing him, that meant everyone knew, and everyone was okay with it. And so was Mingyu.

“Just because I got here a week ago and I already have a boyfriend,” Mingyu huffed at them, puffing his chest with pride. “I’m charming, you guys aren’t.”

“Jun is charming,” Minghao countered. “Your argument doesn’t work with us.”

“Seungcheol and Jeonghan, then,” Mingyu rolled his eyes. “They’re just jealous.”

“So jealous, honey,” Jeonghan cooed, and the four of them laughed together.

Mingyu could see them teasing him, and he felt bright. It meant that he was worth enough to be teased, that they cared enough to tease and mock and play with him. It had hurt on Saturday, but that was because he didn’t understand them then. And truthfully, he didn’t understand himself either. He was slowly getting better at that. He wouldn’t mind being teased, because that meant they cared.

“Alright, alright,” Mingyu laughed, “I’m gonna go now. Enjoy yourselves, guys. And get home safely!”

Mingyu turned around to the sound of four voices shouting back ‘you too’ in different variations, and Mingyu’s heart had never felt fuller than it did now. He had eleven people in his life, all caring about him in their own way, and that didn’t even include his family. Mingyu had never known himself to be lucky in any sense of the word, but that just proved how blind he had been. How he hadn’t opened his eyes and seen what he could have had for himself sooner. Sometimes it didn’t hurt to be selfish, when he had the right people to be selfish with.

Well. Make that twelve.

Subconsciously, his feet walked him right up to the shack that had brought this week in a full circle. It was yet again at the edge of the market, blocking an entire path. It was still adorned with hanging plants and tea lights that were rather ineffective during the day, but the candles were different colours and scents to what they were last week, and the plants weren’t the same either. An aloe vera sat comfortably on the main shelf, but there were flowers on top of the beam that the hanging plants were attached to too. The petals looked to be inspired by the bouquets Mingyu had bought the vendor of this particular little shop, and he looked like an idiot as he smiled and tried to count each one.

Saffron and rain overtook his senses this time, rather than the additional scent of sandalwood. Without his time in this neighbourhood, he wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. His nose was a different breed now. Scents and incense hate to see him coming. Speaking of, next to the aloe vera came the clutter. The incense, the burlaps filled with herbs, and the bottles of potions. Different colours from last week too, more hues of orange and purple, but Mingyu didn’t have any questions as to what were inside these ones. Not when he had a front row seat last night, watching them be brought to life.

The very same hands that belonged to the witch who had made these burlaps and potions waved in front of Mingyu’s face, and Mingyu immediately reached out to take them in his own ownership. Wonwoo looked surprised across from him, he clearly thought that Mingyu was daydreaming. He wasn’t. Mingyu was very much present. And he very much treasured holding Wonwoo’s hand.

“Hi,” Mingyu breathed out the exact moment he let go of all the tension that had built up in his time without Wonwoo.

It wasn’t like he was nervous, but seeing Wonwoo everyday was like testing the universe. When will he stop feeling like this?

He hoped never.

“Hi, Min,” Wonwoo sighed softly, and his fingers interlocked with his own as they held hands above his stall.

Idiots. They were idiots.

Mingyu tensed when Wonwoo’s eyes went from looking at their hands to his face. Immediately, he began to gnaw at his bottom lip. He watched those same eyes flit around his face as if looking for the hair that was no longer there. Bracing himself, he almost closed his eyes, but he was glad he didn’t, because he would have missed the way Wonwoo’s eyes slightly widened as they took him in completely. From the way Wonwoo’s face softened, his pale cheeks flushing slightly, Mingyu took the haircut as a win.

Still, it didn’t hurt to make sure.

“It’s a change, I know,” Mingyu started, a frown set on his face.

Wonwoo shook his head. He took his hand out of Mingyu’s grasp, only to move it closer to cradle Mingyu’s jaw. His thumb brushed out to dislodge Mingyu’s bottom lip, so he was no longer chewing it, and Mingyu all but melted into his touch. Wonwoo could only be described as looking at him tenderly, and Mingyu wished there wasn’t a whole shack between them. He would take him right here. As gently and lovingly as possible. That’s what Wonwoo deserved.

“It looks….” Wonwoo couldn’t seem to finish his sentence.

That was fine. Mingyu could guess.

He could still tease though. “Not ugly?”

Wonwoo huffed out a small laugh, and he tapped Mingyu on his lip again as if to reprimand him. It took all of Mingyu’s willpower not to take that thumb into his mouth and bite it.

“I like it,” Wonwoo murmured. “It suits you. You look strong. Handsome.”

Vernon had called him handsome, but this felt different.

“Not beautiful anymore then, huh?” Mingyu huffed out a laugh, but instead of finding his joke funny, Wonwoo’s fingers tightened around his jaw.

“Min, you’re always beautiful.”

Well. Mingyu swallowed once, twice. A third time. Nope. The lump was still there.

Wonwoo seemed to realise that they were still in public when a little girl skipped behind Mingyu, and he softened his grip as an afterthought. He pulled back, but he still tried to look at Mingyu in a way that made Mingyu almost melt into a puddle right in front of him. Like he was the only one worth looking at, even though this market was the entire heart of this neighbourhood, and everyone in it was special.

Wonwoo was definitely dangerous.

“How are you feeling?” Wonwoo asked softly.

Mingyu blinked, “What do you mean?”

Wonwoo shrugged a little, his hand reaching out in front of him to fiddle with his burlaps. “The moon. Last time something was different, you couldn’t sleep. Are you sleeping well now?”

Mingyu refused to let a simple observation bring him down to his knees, but it was a close thing. He had never felt so seen before, so understood. Wonwoo managed to make him feel like all the nuances inside of himself mattered. He only pledged to do the same for Wonwoo, to be there, always when needed. To show Wonwoo just how much he cared about him.

“Much better now,” Mingyu leered, batting his eyelashes at him. Wonwoo looked at him flatly, so Mingyu recovered with a laugh. “No, but seriously. I don’t think I’ve slept this well in… a long time. Years, even.”

The flat look that had graced Wonwoo’s features softened in front of him, and Wonwoo reached up to adjust his glasses in a nervous tic. Still, he was smiling, and he nodded as an afterthought.

Cute.

“This is the part where you put on your merchant hat and tell me that if I buy some more of your oils, I’ll keep sleeping better,” Mingyu added to make Wonwoo chuckle, leaning over the shack and tossing a wink in for free.

Wonwoo shook his head, but he didn’t bite his lip to suppress his smile. He was giggling under his breath, and no sound had ever struck a match in Mingyu before this. He wanted to catch fire and never be doused. Eternal warmth, wouldn’t that be something.

“I did wonder why you were here,” Wonwoo said, the tease in his voice evident, but it was the shine of his eyes behind his glasses that gave him away.

Mingyu scoffed, raising a hand to his chest in offense, “Can’t a man visit his boyfriend at work anymore?”

Mingyu had said it intentionally this time, mostly because it felt right, but also to test the waters. They had confessed they liked each other, and Wonwoo had certainly enjoyed kissing him, but Mingyu wanted to hold onto something more solid. If Wonwoo needed more time, he would happily give him that. He would just rather know what they were now, before he got ahead of himself and ruined it with his own hope.

He had expected a pause, for Wonwoo to freeze, for a little surprise or panic to betray him in his eyes.

Against his expectation, Wonwoo simply raised an eyebrow at him. “Not when you’re driving away all my customers.”

Well. Okay. Boyfriends it was.

“It’s still light out,” Mingyu huffed just to be a pain, “And what if I pay you so well that you don’t have to work for the rest of the week?”

“Tempting,” Wonwoo teased, his fingers tapping away on the wooden shelf, “But I don’t think you have the money for that. No more discounts, remember?”

“Yah, hyung,” Mingyu whined, and he forced his lips into a petulant pout.

Wonwoo didn’t take the bait. He did however slide over a green burlap bag that Mingyu knew had cinnamon in it. Mingyu wasn’t sure where it had appeared from though. This particular burlap hadn’t been there when Mingyu had done a quick sweep of the shack and its current display. He didn’t think that Wonwoo had taken it out of his pocket, but maybe he had missed it.

“For you,” Wonwoo said.

Instead of picking up the burlap sack and handing it to Mingyu directly, Wonwoo’s slender fingers reached for Mingyu’s hand first and then brought both of their hands down onto the burlap bag. Wonwoo murmured something under his breath that Mingyu didn’t quite hear, and then the warmth of Wonwoo’s fingers had gone. Ironic, when Wonwoo’s fingers were usually ice cold.

“I thought you weren’t going to give me a discount?” Mingyu couldn’t help but ask, in awe of perhaps being given a personal charm.

Wonwoo didn’t use spells, but he had said last night that language helped to channel energy. It had certainly felt like Wonwoo whispered to the herbs he used rather than casted anything on them. It was different to all the witchcraft Mingyu had been exposed to via the media, but he had never seen anything so serene. So comforting. Mingyu could perfectly envision Wonwoo and himself in a nest of his own making, with Wonwoo channelling his energy into his crafts. He never wanted to stop churning ideas for the future.

Neither of them had to feel cold again.

When Mingyu finally pocketed the small charm and looked up, he found that Wonwoo was already looking at him. His breath caught in his throat.

“Not a discount,” Wonwoo shook his head, his voice a small rumble. “For free. It’s for good luck.”

Mingyu perked up and he leaned even closer to Wonwoo. “I think I’m pretty maxed out on good luck, don’t you?”

Wonwoo definitely didn’t look pale anymore. His cheeks looked healthy in their flush, and Wonwoo tried to avert his eyes like he was embarrassed by Mingyu’s intensity. Mingyu wouldn’t be backing down. Not when Wonwoo melted for him so beautifully.

“For when you’re not in the circle,” Wonwoo explained, his eyes still off to the side rather than on Mingyu’s face. “It’ll keep an eye on you for me, make sure you’re okay.”

Jeon Wonwoo.

Mingyu was going to break this damn stall down.

“Come here.”

Wonwoo finally startled into looking back at Mingyu again.

“Huh?”

“Come out from behind there,” Mingyu insisted. “No one’s watching. I want to hold you. Five minutes?”

Wonwoo’s eyes flickered around his face, clearly in search for the blatant lie, but eventually he seemed to give up. “Fine. Five minutes.”

Mingyu took a step back and waited patiently for Wonwoo to step away from his stall and join him on the other side. Well, patiently is a strong word. If bouncing on the tips of his toes and getting ready to shoot his arms out counted as patient.

Too slowly, Wonwoo stood in front of him. It didn’t matter. He was here now. Mingyu was about to reach out and catch Wonwoo by the waist, but he didn’t expect Wonwoo to catch his shoulders first. Wonwoo wrapped his arms around Mingyu’s tall frame and leaned up to press their foreheads together, and Mingyu wanted nothing more than to push Wonwoo against his own stall and let everyone see.

Pushing down his instinct for another day, Mingyu settled for nuzzling their noses together until Wonwoo was chuckling. Mingyu wasn’t sure if Wonwoo would let him kiss him in public, but how easily Mingyu could lean forward and capture the lovely sound made him want to find out.

“I missed you,” Mingyu mumbled, swaying Wonwoo in his arms slightly.

“You saw me last night,” Wonwoo laughed, but he sounded happy.

Mingyu wanted to keep making him sound like that.

“Say it back.”

“No.”

“Hyung…”

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, but he did pull back to brush his hand through Mingyu’s short hair. The cold of his touch had stopped startling him, and Mingyu simply relaxed into the tender way Wonwoo always seemed to hold him. Slowly but surely, Wonwoo’s hand settled on his jaw, and he tilted Mingyu’s head so he could lean up and steal a quick kiss.

When he pulled back, Wonwoo’s eyes were warm pools. “I missed you too.”

“I knew it,” Mingyu whispered, but the sound was drowned out by Wonwoo kissing him quiet.

Five minutes had definitely passed, but neither seemed to be counting. Wonwoo did actually need to make some money though, and Mingyu refused to be selfish in this relationship, so eventually he pulled back. One of them had to be responsible.

“Go back to work,” Mingyu said, “And I’ll go scope the place out for some food. Want me to bring you anything?”

“I don’t know, maybe some dumplings?”

Wonwoo was lucky that he had already gone behind his stall.

“I’m going to cook for you again,” Mingyu threatened, “And it’s going to be a balanced meal, you hear me?”

“I hear you,” Wonwoo grinned. “So scary, Min.”

“I don’t know why I like you.”

“I do,” Wonwoo said, not missing a beat. “Your Aunt predicted it.”

That made Mingyu pause. “What?”

“Your Aunt.” Wonwoo repeated. “She used to tell me stories about you all the time. When we got close, she told me that she knew you’d like me, if you ever visited.”

“Oh.” Something pleasant churned in his stomach.

He had expected the words to hurt. His Aunt had been so close to everyone here, but Mingyu had never bothered to visit. He had been too scared to show who he had become to the one woman who saw the best in him. But even then, she had praised him. She had talked him up to Wonwoo.

She had seen exactly what Mingyu would see in Wonwoo.

She had given them their blessing.

Mingyu’s eyes began to water, and instead of swallowing them back, he let them fall.

“Oh, Min.” Wonwoo reached up to brush away his tears, and Mingyu laughed a little.

He wasn’t sad, not really. He was relieved.

“So its destiny,” Mingyu decided.

Wonwoo pulled a face, and then startled himself out of it, like it was a reflex. Mingyu laughed, the sound bright and airy, and it felt like he was back on that swing set, soaring high into the sky, his feet kicking freely in the air.

“You can’t hate me, I’m your boyfriend, and I’m going to buy you dumplings,” Mingyu sung.

“Hurry up,” Wonwoo said, but his voice was affectionate, and he was peering up at him, and he looked every bit as angelical as he had last week.

Sun or moon, Wonwoo shined in every light.

Mingyu wanted to share every cycle with Wonwoo. He could only hope that Wonwoo felt the same.

“I’ll be right back,” Mingyu said, worried his feet wouldn’t take him away and back quick enough.

“I’ll miss you anyway.”

The way Wonwoo had said it, like a fact rather than a sentiment, made Mingyu want to pick him up and carry him around in his pocket. Wonwoo would be the death of him. And he definitely couldn’t get the pork and dumplings fast enough.

That was okay. Wonwoo would wait for him. Of that, Mingyu was certain.

The daylight had disappeared, and the moon would soon go to rest at midnight, leaving the night sky simply illuminated by the fairy lights hung across each stall, and the glow sticks that were held tightly in fists of small children. The crowds were larger now, making quick endeavours a struggle. But the sounds were worth it. Chimes of bells, hollers from merchants, families and friends chattering away together, all safe and loved within this very circle of a neighbourhood.

Mingyu had never experienced anything like it. He knew he never would again.

Seeing this every week, being an observer to all the stalls changing, of all the children growing up, of all the adults slowing down. It was a slice of life Mingyu never had in the city, a type of hope Mingyu never could grasp.

He wasn’t a lucky man, and one accident had ruined the very nature of his being forever, but he had never had solid proof that the world kept on spinning until now.

Everything he had missed, everything he would continue to miss if he didn’t slow down and appreciate that the bite hadn’t killed him.

That it was his Aunt who had brought him back here, even in her death, because she knew Mingyu needed her, needed this place, more than ever. She had known his fate, known just how entangled his life would be with the moon itself, and she had learned about it all her life to protect him. To understand. To guide him. She had given her blessing, because Mingyu and the moon were in sync, and it meant Mingyu would never be alone again.

He had a life to live. And people to live a life with. Mingyu was going to have that here.

It was fate, it was destiny. It wasn’t just simply luck.

It was magical.