Chapter Text
Yongseung stares at the stretch of forest in front of him. There are protection spells just beyond the tree line - live ones, ones that will alert their maker as soon as he steps within their range. They don’t seem to cover the whole forest but it’s far enough that Yongseung can’t see the building from where he stands.
It’s not unheard of for witches to live this far away from the world but it’s not a common occurrence, either. Most of the witches Yongseung knows are too arrogant to keep to themselves for long. His family’s coven certainly was.
So really, while it’s not unheard of, it certainly is curious. It definitely comes in handy now, when he’s sniffling and the clouds above get darker, slow but steady. It’s a little ridiculous that a light witch can’t heal themselves from a heavy cold but his magic needs rest to focus on anything other than keeping him going and rest… It’s not not something he’s had a lot of lately. The constant rain storms certainly aren’t helping.
The location of this witch’s home is a little odd - a few days away from the remnants of a village he’d stumbled upon, a few days away from the rumored massacre of the east wolf pack. The rumors surrounding that pack have made the surrounding area void of any magical creatures for a long time and if anything, the rumors of their demise only solidified that. It’s strange that a magical creature would settle in such a place.
When setting out to see what’s left of the east pack for himself, Yongseung expected that to be the highlight of his journey. It might still be - he has yet to reach his destination. The village, however. Yongseung doubts it’s something that will leave his mind soon.
It seemed to have been small enough to not exist on most of Yongseung’s maps but then again, there isn’t much to put on the maps now. Almost every building this village had was burned to the ground and the only indication that there was ever something living there were the singed remains of their stronger buildings, the occasional door or window sill or a chimney sticking out of the ash like long forgotten skeletons. That, and the neat rows of graves in what Yongseung thinks was their religious temple. It was the only place where mounds of regular old dirt rise above the ashes that cover everything else. He's not sure what the religion was, exactly, but whatever happened to this village, someone took the care to bury its people. Somehow, Yongseung doesn't think it was their god.
It was a ghost town but without the ghosts.
Even without the graves as the glaring proof, the hints of magic had still lingered in the air. Subtle because there has been time and even then, whoever did that tried hard to cover their tracks. Yongseung still wonders, if he hadn’t spent half his life solving mysteries, would he have even noticed? There were no angry ghosts around, no lost souls looking for their way out or their way home. Just empty streets covered in ash.
And then there was the house.
A little further than the village itself, obscured by trees not unlike the house before him right now. The traces of magic had been heavier there, so thoroughly elemental that it puzzled Yongseung. It still does, even if there were flecks of that same magic from the village itself. On the surface, the story seemed obvious: an elemental witch coming into contact with a pure one, things going badly, exploding. Elemental magic explosions of this magnitude are far from unheard of. The pure witch survives somehow, taking the time to make sure there is no ghost lingering around.
Witches are arrogant and selfish but ghosts can be a lot of hassle in the long run. The story this the ghost town had painted is not hard to believe and yet something in Yongseung itches to know more.
He steps closer to the line of the protection spell. A step further and the witch that made it will know he’s here. He doesn’t take the step, instead sending a ripple of his own magic swirling over the spell. A question. A knock, so to say. The protection spell comes to life in a moment, getting stronger in the next. Its maker definitely knows, now. Youngseung could just barge in, sure, but he’s always preferred the diplomatic approach. It’s no use picking fights when it’s not your life on the line and hopefully the witch would be nice enough for that to be avoided.
There isn’t much he can do now, so he takes a seat in the grass just outside of the spell’s reach. He only hopes the witch shows up before the rain starts pelting again.
*
It isn’t until almost sundown that someone actually comes. The witch appears to be a young man but appearance doesn’t really mean a lot to magical creatures. His expression is hard, even though Yongseung can see flashes of worry in his eyes every now and again. His mouth seems to be frozen in a permanent frown.
“I’m sorry to intrude like this,” Yongseung says, with the most polite voice his mom taught him. There’s a thunder somewhere in the distance and he flinches. “My name is Yongseung, I’ve been travelling for a while and my magic is struggling to keep up. Would you be so kind to take me in for the night? I promise I’ll be out of your hair as soon as the storm blows over.”
There are more magical creatures lurking in the trees behind the witch. They weren’t there before - so he doesn’t live alone, then. Yongseung can feel a shifter, a canine of some sort? Likely a wolf, considering their proximity to the east pack and the thought sends shivers down Yongseung’s spine. There is a vampire too, a little further back.
The witch’s frown deepens. “You’re light. How do I know you’re not here with ulterior motives?”
“I don’t know you,” Yongseung hiccups. It’s swallowed by a cough a moment later. “And I think you can feel that I’m in no position to harm any of you.”
The witch doesn’t budge even if his eyes soften a bit.
“Stop being so stubborn,” a new voice says, tinged with a blend of exasperation and worry. “You brought in three strangers when there were only three of us, we can’t just leave him out in the storm.”
It’s the vampire, Yongseung realizes belatedly. He’s moved closer and Yongseung can make out his features now. He catches a glimpse of blue, which is a relief, even if he can’t make out the color of his other eye. Only that it’s different.
As the protection spell reluctantly opens up to let him in, Yongseung wonders just what he got himself into this time.
*
The house is a big but simple one. It has been built for practicality rather than appearance and there is no magic laced through the foundations. Built by a non-witch, then.
The shifter only shows themselves once they reach the clearing in front of the house. Definitely a wolf. They keep a distance from Yongseung and by extension, the rest of the group. The vampire has had a hand on Yongseung’s elbow ever since he stumbled on a branch at the edge of the clearing - the witch, Dongheon apparently, never strays far.
Hoyoung, Yongseung corrects himself sternly. Not the vampire. Offending your hosts in a faraway home in the middle of nowhere is probably not a good idea. Odd as they are.
And they are odd. There wasn’t much light in the treeline but now that they are in the clearing, the moon is bright enough that Yongseung catches a glimpse of Hoyoung’s eyes. One of them is completely brown and the other speckled brown as well. He swears there wasn’t this much brown when he first saw Hoyoung’s eyes. Or eye? Yongseung isn’t entirely sure what he’s seeing anymore. So, odd. Definitely. But they don’t seem to want his blood, which is more than he can say for some of the other magical creatures he’s met through his travels.
On the front steps of the house, Dongheon turns to Yongseung, almost causing Hoyoung to crash into him, since he’s still holding Yongseung’s arm.
“I don’t trust you,” Dongheon says evenly. It looks like he has more to say but a look to the left, probably to Hoyoung makes him sigh. “Just be very, very careful.”
He doesn’t wait for a reply, instead walks right in, with the door wide open behind him. The shifter sneaks in before they have the chance to, and Yongseung can hear Hoyoung muttering so dramatic, under his breath.
It sounds fond, though. Yongseung wonders if someone has ever talked like that about him. (Probably his mom, once. Before he left.)
*
He’s only somewhat surprised to meet all the occupants in the house. There is Kangmin, an elemental witch; Yeonho, another shifter; Gyehyeon, a dark witch. The other shifter is apparently called Minchan, although Yongseung has yet to meet him as a human.
“He doesn’t like new people,” Gyehyeon had said. “He’s probably not going to shift for a while.”
Kangmin on his own would be curious enough but the people here make up a good part of the supernatural species out there, most of which hate each other as a rule. These here… hate is the last thing Yongseung can sense in this house. Even his own coven had been brimming with tension and unsaid words, when it was supposed to be family. At the end of the day, it was the exact reason he ended up chasing his fate elsewhere.
Once inside, Yongseung is seated in the kitchen while Dongheon prepares tea for him. The storm has started already and rain pelts on the windows like tiny arrows. Yongseung allows himself to get a better feel for the spells wrapped around the house. Curiosity eats at him, considering Dongheon is the only one he can’t quite place. A witch, obviously, but what witch? He’s only somewhat surprised to find that the entire house has been sun-blocked. It makes sense, considering a vampire lives in it but what is surprising is that its magic carries the same feeling as the protection spells do. No dark witch can weave a protection spell this strong.
Which - of course.
“You’re mixed,” Yongseung blurts out as Dongheon sets the cup in front of him. For a moment, the entire room gets eerily quiet.
The cup clatters on the table, a bit of the tea spilling out. Dongheon never looks up from it. “And?”
Yongseung shivers, even though the house is warm. “I’m sorry,” he hurries to explain because on top of that now everyone is looking at him as well. “I didn’t mean to- I just haven’t met a mixed witch, I think?”
Dongheon’s posture relaxes somewhat, even if he still won’t look up. Hoyoung reaches out to lace his fingers through Dongheon's, then pulls him into a backhug, resting his chin on Dongheon's shoulder. It's such a casual, intimate gesture that in a moment, Yongseung realizes that the varied species in this household aren't the only unusual thing about it.
He tries to imagine living like this, with people like this. His family definitely wouldn't have approved and the coven would've kicked them out, assuming they'd take Dongheon in the first place.
But then again, he's never seen his mom look at his dad like Hoyoung looks at Dongheon either.
“You must be tired,” Yeonho says after an appropriate amount of awkward silence. “We are mostly nocturnal but there is enough room, we’ll fix a place for you in a bit. We’ll try to not make noise.”
“We don’t make a lot of noise usually,” Kangmin huffs, which startles a laugh out of Dongheon.
“Sure, definitely.”
All at once, the tension dissipates and Yongseung can breathe a bit easier. There’s a lot of warmth in this place and it has little to do with temperature. He wonders if this is how covens were meant to be, once. His coven certainly never felt warm.
*
The noise comment, somewhat predictably, is a lie. Yongseung wakes up by a loud crash somewhere down the hall. A trickle of magic tries crawling over the walls outside, briefly blocking the voices before it slides off again. It's tired, strained and Yongseung’s own magic is uneasy in sympathy. A peek out of the window tells him it’s just before sunrise, the stretch of forest outside his window still dark even if the sun is definitely trying to peek out over the trees.
Which means the commotion doesn’t really make sense. Yeonho had said they’re mostly nocturnal, hadn’t he?
He pads out of the room he was set up in and immediately, an almost suffocating wave of worry envelopes him whole. It’s a wonder his magic didn’t pick it up from inside the room too. Maybe whoever tried blocking out the noise had some barriers up after all? He finds the kitchen on hazy memories - the house looks so much different in the budding sunlight. What he finds in the kitchen is curious, as it is concerning. Dongheon is leaning on a chair and there is another one, upturned, just next to him. Hoyoung is beside him with an expression caught somewhere between fear and regret. Someone Yongseung doesn’t recognize is helping Dongheon stay upright while the rest are scattered around the three of them, in various stages of distress.
Too late, Yongseung notices the beginnings of a sun spell around Hoyoung's eyes. And his eyes themselves. One is brown, dead just like it was last night but today the other one is eerily similar - more brown than blue.
Hoyoung looks up and one by one, all of them do. The man helping Dongheon stay upright frowns.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up," Yeonho says sheepishly, a little awkward. Yongseung feels so, so out of place.
“It’s fine,” he mutters. He doesn’t dare take a step closer since everyone is already looking at him. Subtly, both Gyehyeon and Kangmin move towards Dongheon.
It’s defense, he realizes quickly. They’re ready to protect him.
Dongheon, on the other hand, is looking at him curiously. His magic thrashes and whines, weak and tired, and Yongseung’s own twists in sympathy. Gently, he allows a wisp of magic crawl over to Dongheon, wrap around his wrist and calm the thrashing somewhat. His face doesn’t change, Yongseung knows it doesn’t and the flash of surprise, then relief is quick to disappear off Dongheon’s face. None of the others react and like this, Yongseung realizes something else as well: no one in this room even knows how drained Dongheon is. Gyehyeon’s dark magic isn’t accustomed to sensing these things in other people and Yongseung doubts anyone thought to teach Kangmin how to. Dongheon is the only person that could and he seems like the type of witch to keep things away, for the sake of others.
So Yongseung has to make a choice.
He has known these people for barely a day and they have no reason to trust him. Moreover, he has no reason to try and help them, for the exact same reason. But they did take him in when they didn't have to and when some of them quite clearly weren't happy about it.
"I can finish that," he says softly, glancing at the smudged ink on Hoyoung's face.
Everyone was already looking at him but now, their eyes feel more like needles in their intensity.
"You can't," Dongheon replies. His voice is soft, a little hesitant and a lot more curious. "It's my magic, you'll have to start anew."
Yongseung nods. "I know. I don't think I can make it more than a day and a half at most, since I'm not at full strength yet but it's something? It looks like a time sensitive thing."
Hoyoung laughs, which effectively breaks the tension that was building so far. "That's a very nice way to say I'm almost dead. Again."
"Shut up," Kangmin says, with a lot more feeling than the joke warranted, questionable as it is. Hoyoung looks apologetic too, even if no one mentions it. Yongseung wonders.
It's Gyehyeon that doesn't take his eyes off Yongseung, now curious as well. "You can set it for a certain amount of time? I thought it only goes for three days. I don't think Dongheon has set up a time frame before."
"I haven't." Dongheon frowns, a little indignant. "I didn't know you can set conditions to a sun spell. I've never learned how to make it."
Yongseung blinks at him. "But you can? Make it?"
“An old friend had the spell. I had to make it, so I did.” Dongheon shrugs. He says it like it’s normal, like you just do things when you have to. Like Yongseung didn’t spend endless days on little to no sleep trying to remember which line goes where, let alone how to channel enough magic into it.
It’s impressive as it is annoying, but Yongseung doesn’t let either of these emotions show on his face. “You can set it up for as long as you need the spell to last. The longer it is, the more it takes out of you and the theory is that if you make it too long you could exhaust your magic permanently. Probably your life, too.” He pauses because it feels right. Dongheon doesn’t meet his eyes this time.
“What’s the longest you can make it for?” Kangmin asks. He sounds so excited that for a moment, Yongseung is glad elemental witches can’t perform magic this complicated. It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
He pushes the thought away. It’s not his place. “Five days. It knocks me out for about a week.” He motions towards Dongheon. “You’re stronger than I am, though, so you probably can manage longer. The first sun spell I managed to complete lasted about two days and for a while, it was all I could do.”
“So this spell,” the unfamiliar shifter says - Minchan, probably. “You will do it? It really is time sensitive.”
Yongseung nods again. He turns to Hoyoung, glancing at the unfinished sun spell. “I’ll just need you to clean up the original spell so it won’t interfere with mine. It will be less uncomfortable for you if you do it yourself, or have someone you know help. Taking magic off before its time, even unfinished, can be an aggressive thing and your body is probably accustomed to the magic around you. While I assume Dongheon’s is the only one you’ve experienced on yourself, the others will feel a lot better than mine.”
Dongheon makes to volunteer but a step off the chair has him wobbling and Minchan brings him right back down, to Dongheon’s displeasure. Gyehyeon is the one that follows Hoyoung out of the room and once again, Yongseung is left being the center of attention.
“You seem to know a lot about how interpersonal magic works,” Yeonho points out.
“I grew up in a very traditional coven,” Yeongseung replies, softer than he’d like to. He doesn’t miss his family, not really, but watching these people together, caring about each other so obviously makes him miss what his family should have been. He looks up at Yeonho, allows himself to smile. “I spent a lot of time studying. They were very determined to make me an honorable member of the coven."
“But you’re here now,” Dongheon says, gentle, like he’s telling a secret.
To the floor, Yongseung mumbles, “Are you all not here too?”
*
The spell is like a punch to the gut, like it always is. He blacks out but only for a moment, only enough to have Hoyoung staring at him in worry. But the lines are already fading into his skin and it doesn't matter. The spell is complete. Yongseung allows himself to crumble and six pairs of hands, Dongheon included, reach out to keep him upright. But Dongheon wobbles too and Hoyoung moves back, helps him instead. Once the commotion passes, the person that remains holding Yongseung up turns out to be Minchan. He still won’t look him in the eyes but his hold is steady so Yongseung doesn’t mind as much.
“It’s going to last a day,” he says, glad his voice seems under control at least. “You’re going to start feeling the effect of the sun at some point tomorrow morning but it won’t be truly harmful until well in the afternoon.”
"I see, good,” Hoyoung replies but he doesn’t move. He just stands there, with a faraway expression and fingers tracing the lines of the sun spell. When his eyes snap back to Yongseung, his expression shows nothing. “It feels different than Dongheon’s.”
Yongseung shrugs, tries his best to sound calm because once again, all eyes are on him. “My magic is different from his. Even if we were the same type of witch you would’ve still felt the difference.”
“It’s a good spell,” Dongheon says. It’s a compliment but it feels more like a permission.
The tense atmosphere dissipates and Yeonho smiles at Yongseung. It’s like there was a question Yongseung wasn’t aware of was hanging in the air but now there is not, and everyone is happy with the answer.
Kangmin is the first to move, and it’s to nudge Hoyoung away from Dongheon and take his place. “Is his spell better than yours? I can’t really tell the difference.”
“The new guy is here for a day and you’re already trying to replace me?” Dongheon huffs but he’s smiling, and he doesn’t pull away when Kangmin plants a loud kiss on his cheek. He does make a sufficiently disgusted sound, though.
It's nice. Their banter is beautiful and while not part of it, Yongseung feels a sense of honor about being able to witness it. But as good as it feels to be here, the sun spell is a merciless hourglass and the sun outside is well past rising.
Yongseung doesn't have the heart to say anything but thankfully someone else does.
“There isn’t much life around,” Minchan says, voice a lot more gentle than Yongseung thought possible. He glances at Yongseung then, quiet for a long moment before he turns back to Hoyoung. “My family made sure of that. You’ll need to travel a lot and I’d rather have you back before the spell runs out.”
His… the east pack. Yongseung did suspect but faced with the fact, he can’t help the fear crawling up his spine. Minchan’s hold on him doesn’t change - he doesn’t move away or hold tighter but he does tense. There's a moment of silence, then Hoyoung straightens up.
"I don't want to be gone for long either, I like my house in one piece."
Another moment, then Gyehyeon and Dongheon burst out laughing, almost at the same time.
Kangmin sputters indignantly. "Excuse you, we're perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves."
“Of course you are,” Hoyoung says, probably meant to be patronizing but it sounds fond instead. He lingers a bit more before finally heading for the door with one last See you soon!
Now, Yongseung hasn’t known many vampires in his life. His family was rather elitist and the vampires he met during his travels weren’t exactly eager to make friends. But even if this wasn’t the case, a vampire this reluctant to feed seems a little extraordinary.
*
The majority of the household retires to their rooms soon after and that's another extraordinary thing. Yongseung didn't particularly notice the night before but it looks like all of them have assumed nocturnal life even though only one of them needs it. It's a parallel he can't make with his own coven since they weren't exactly diverse in species. It's hard to decide if that's normal but then again, he finds it hard to imagine his mother leaving behind her precious routine for anyone.
There is an extra layer of protection along the walls when Yongseung himself is helped back to the room he was given. It's not a very complicated one, more alarm than anything but it makes him smile. If there's anything he's learning about the people here, it's that their trust is hard to gain.
*
He can’t fall asleep.
It’s not a surprise, considering he isn’t exactly nocturnal normally and even if he was, he did sleep through most of the night. The exhaustion of the sun spell is weighing on him but the sun is bright and pretty outside. He can’t bring himself to close the curtains.
Youngseung tries to, for a bit. Closes every last curtain, all of them heavy like they’re made to keep the sun out entirely instead of simply shading from it. They probably were.
In the darkness, Yongseung tries to imagine never seeing the sun again. His skin is warm now, kissed by the sun through all his travels but it used to be paler, back when all the sun he ever saw was through a library window. He closes his eyes and imagines the curtains he’s clutching thrown over the library window back at home, leaving candles as his only source of light. There is something wrong with the picture but he can’t quite place it. The curtains at the library had been similar, thick to accommodate visits from their guests. ‘ Guests’ was a term his parents used in front of the magical creatures Yongseung practiced on. ‘Guinea pigs’ was what they used when alone.
When Dongheon walks in, Yongseung is still clutching at the curtains, cutting out the sunlight.
“I thought I would miss it more,” he starts, unprompted, making himself comfortable on the bed. He doesn’t move when Yongseung throws the curtains open again. “The sunlight. I thought I’d miss it more when it stopped meaning visibility and threat all in one. I still miss it sometimes.”
Yongseung walks over carefully, sits next to Dongheon but at a distance. It’s not his room; it’s not his home. “You gave it up anyway,” he says quietly, a statement, because it feels like everything these people mean to each other is set in stone, never a question. Even if everything else about them is.
Dongheon shrugs. “Sometimes I wake up early to see the sunset, or stay late for the sunrise. See, I thought I’d miss it but every time I stay up for the sunlight I end up wanting to go back to bed.”
“To go back to Hoyoung?” Yongseung prompts. Not your place, screams something mean in his brain, something that sounds a lot like his father. Dongheon smiles.
“To go back to him, yes. Sometimes he stays up with me - the whole house is sun-proofed so the sunlight won’t kill him but it makes him want to go out and feel it.” he stares off into the woods outside the window, a lot less scary now, during the day. “What’s the point of a little light when it makes my own dull?”
Yongseung isn’t exactly sure how to reply to that, so he doesn’t. The silence stretches, before Dongheon huffs out a laugh.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I actually did have a reason to come here.”
“You did?” Yongseung asks, trying to push down the sliver of fear. Even with a mostly full night’s sleep, after the sun spell his body is weakened again. He’s not looking forward to braving the woods so soon.
“It’s a favor,” Dongheon says before Yongseung’s thoughts can spiral further. What? Dongheon motions in Yongseung’s general direction. “Could you,” he purses his lips, visibly uncomfortable. “Could you teach me how to do that? Have control over the sun spell?”
For a moment, Yongseung can’t seem to process the idea. He doesn’t consider himself weak, that his parents managed to drill into his brain. He is good at what he does, powerful even, but Dongheon is so much more. It feels a little like a teacher asking him for technique advice but then again, that’s the thing. Dongheon is so much more powerful than him, amazing at the spells witches need to survive and then some, but it doesn’t seem like anyone bothered to teach him the boring little details.
“Of course,” he says eventually, because Dongheon is starting to look like he regrets ever coming in. “I’m not sure if I’ll be a good teacher but you seem like you’ll be a great student anyway.”
Dongheon’s eyes widen, then he laughs. “I suppose that’s fair. Shall I call you teacher then?”
“Please no,” Yongseung rushes, probably too fast. It feels wrong, like calling your mother by name. Worse, because now he’s thinking about that too and somehow comparing Dongheon to his parents feels wrong like few things have since he came here.
Dongheon laughs again, a bright thing Yongseung wouldn’t have thought he’s capable of. It takes a bit for him to calm down too, and it’s - adorable. It’s pretty. All of the people in this house are pretty, Hoyoung especially so, but there is something so breathtaking about the way Dongheon smiles that makes Yongseung wonder if he’s worthy of seeing it.
“Thank you,” Dongheon says at the end, softer than anything he’s said so far.
Yongseung can only nod. He doesn’t trust his words right now. Dongheon doesn’t seem to need them anyway.
*
It’s hard without someone to practice on. Preparing the ink is one thing, but the majority of the differences are in performing the actual spell. Few as they are, Dongheon picks up the preparation differences with a speed that makes Yongseung a little jealous. He tries to explain the channelling magic in a way you can control it completely and Dongheon picks that up too, even though Yongseung has some reservations about his teaching abilities.
Once again, Yongseung pokes at the memories of sleepless nights spent buried in books, trying to grasp the concept of summon, enhance, control. He had to wrestle his magic out of its hiding place whereas Dongheon’s magic, tired as it is, seems to float around him like an old friend, almost like it has its own mind.
“Maybe I can practice when Hoyoung comes back,” Dongheon says, out of breath but trying to hide it.
“I’m sure he would appreciate the extra days in the sun,” Yongseung says in the gentlest voice he can muster, “but I don’t think you should be doing anything complicated just yet.”
Dongheon gives him this look, half surprise and half exasperation. Like it has happened before and like Yongseung wasn’t meant to notice.
“I’m perfectly fine,” Dongheon insists, exhaustion hidden a lot better this time.
“Sure,” Yongseung agrees. It sits wrong in his gut but what else is he supposed to do?
“I’m fine,” Dongheon repeats.
Part of Yongseung wonders how many times Dongheon has said these exact words and people have believed him. Yongseung definitely would have, if he wasn’t taught to be on the lookout for weakness at all times. He’s been here less than two days and Dongheon is intimidating but Yongseung grew up with the promise of power and authority. It’s something he turned his back on, sure, but speaking even when it’s not necessarily your place to is a hard habit to get out of.
“You’re not fine,” he says. He makes sure his voice is calm, unaccusing. “You have a thousand spells on this whole house which alone would be enough to knock someone out. I can sense your magic.”
Dongheon looks at him for a long moment. He sighs. “Neither Gyehyeon nor Kangmin have ever noticed. Hoyoung does, but we’ve been around each other for so long.”
“I’m a healer by nature,” Yongseung points out, which isn’t exactly a lie. “And stronger than both of them,” It feels like bragging but it’s also a fact. Kangmin is most likely good at his element but everything else would be dull at best. Gyehyeon’s magic is mostly a candle flame where Yongseung’s is more like a fireplace. Dongheon, on the other hand, feels like a forest fire.
“You are,” Dongheon agrees. “Maybe you should stay a bit longer, if you can. It would be good to have someone to practice mundane magic with.”
Common sense would spell this as a bad idea but Yongseung has always trusted his gut over that, despite what his parents taught him. And right now, his gut is telling him he is exactly where he should be.
“I have nowhere else to be,” he says eventually, ignoring the warmth spreading across his chest when Dongheon gives him another smile.
He doesn’t say more but he doesn’t move to get up either, so Yongseung also doesn’t bother. He still hasn’t fully recovered from the sun spell and it’s nice to have company where silence is comfortable, too.
*
Hoyoung comes back a little after sunset the day after. His good eye is bluer than it was when he left but it’s far from the solid, bright blue of a vampire that has just fed properly. Dongheon notices it at the same time Yongseung does.
“Yongseung taught me the basics of how to control the sun spell,” he says, voice perfectly disinterested but Yongseung can see the concern in his eyes. “Maybe I could try to practice so you can go feed some more.”
“I’m not going right back out,” Hoyoung says, gentle but firm. He looks tired, more than anything, but the look he aims at Dongheon is full of fondness and relief. Briefly, Yongseung wonders if he should even be present for this, even though Gyehyeon and Kangmin are also poking their heads through the kitchen door.
Dongheon doesn’t press, doesn’t stop Hoyoung from heading for his room either.
Yongseung waits until Hoyoung is out of sight before turning to Dongheon. “I know it’s not my place but I really don’t think you should be trying a sun spell so soon.”
“He can probably still hear you,” Dongheon points out with a sigh. “It’s fine, I can handle it. Thank you for caring, though.”
*
It’s not fine.
The first sign of just how not fine it is Yongseung waking up two days later, the protection spells around the house crashing around him like they’ve been blown over by a storm. It should be around noon because the sun is high in the sky and he doesn’t feel like he went to bed all that long ago.
The spells around the room he’s in dissipate first, then the sun protection fading out of the rooms one by one. The magic around the house thins until it’s barely there and Yongseung feels it, almost as if it’s his own magic hurting.
In record time, someone is banging on his door.
That someone turns out to be Hoyoung. His skin is sizzling, his left cheek and arm, his neck bubbling up like a particularly nasty soap. The sun protection is gone and there are curtains open but he doesn’t seem to care. There smudged remnants of a sun spell on his face. Of course.
“You’re light, right?” Hoyoung rushes out, doesn’t wait for a reply. “And light means healers. Please help him.”
Yongseung doesn’t waste time replying, just follows as Hoyoung all but flies across the stairs. Normally, he’s great at toning down his enhanced abilities to match the rest but this time it’s different. Yongseung can only try to keep up.
When he reaches the room, Dongheon is unconscious, sprawled on the bed. He’s been moved, that much is clear because the vials of the sun spell ink are scattered across the floor, seeping into the floorboards with their magic dissolving as soon as it hits the surface.
It’s a well made ink. It took Yongseung months to master the sun spell but it figures Dongheon would be near-perfect within days.
He sits on the bed next to Dongheon, a hand over forehead, then his chest. His magic is restless around him, like a child suddenly left without parents. But the parents aren’t gone - they’re just taking a much needed rest.
“He’s not hurt,” Yongseung says, looking up to meet Hoyoung’s worried eyes. Here, at least, the curtains are drawn and the bubbles along Hoyoung’s skin are gradually fading. “He’s depleted, though, and he’ll need a lot of rest.”
“I should’ve known,” Hoyoung murmurs, fingers tracing the smudged lines of the sun spell. “I thought there was something wrong but he insisted he’s fine, why did I believe him-”
“Love,” Yongseung interrupts, startling both of them. He turns back to Dongheon. “That's how it is supposed to work, isn't it? You trust the people you love.”
There’s a moment of silence, then Hoyoung sighs. “I guess it didn’t work out this time.”
“To be fair, I’m not sure he was aware of how bad it was,” Yongseung points out. He lets his own magic float around him, calm and reassuring. It takes a moment, but eventually Dongheon’s calms down, settles. He figures it has been a while since Dongheon wasn’t using all of his magic, all the time.
“You don’t seem surprised,” Hoyoung points out.
Yongseung shrugs. “These things have been drilled into my head since I was a child. Know your surroundings, always be aware of your opponent’s condition before they themselves are. I don’t see any of you as opponents,” he adds before Hoyoung can get any ideas. “It’s a habit. I guess I failed to see the extent of how stubborn he is, though.”
Hoyoung sits next to him, hand gently carding through Dongheon’s hair. “He didn’t show it, or maybe we all failed to see it. The sun spell moment was the first time he wasn’t at his best in front of us.”
Yongseung’s own palm feels on fire where he was touching Dongheon only moments ago. He ignores it. “Dongheon is very powerful,” he says, eyes trained on Hoyoung’s hands still. “The amount of protection he has on this house alone could knock some witches out. The magic didn’t feel strained, though, so I figure it’s not only the protection.”
“He has been through some things,” Hoyoung says, voice quiet. “We have been. I don’t think he ever got proper rest after that. There was no time. And he’s been...”
Yongseung figured as much. Blood seems like a natural thing to exchange if you have a relationship with someone who needs it. Not that he has the experience to back that up - but then again, he doesn’t have the experience to back up most of the things he’s seen in this house.
“It’s not your fault,” he murmurs. It feels important to say it, even if it makes his heart crash against his ribcage. “It’s not his fault, either.”
*
“What are we going to do?” Minchan asks a little later, once the sun has gone down. All of them are gathered on the kitchen table. Everyone looks gloomy, worried and Kangmin has been staring at a crack in the wall for most of the conversation.
Yongseung isn’t entirely sure why he’s even here. His deal to stay was with Dongheon only and where that leaves him now is a mystery.
“I can sun-block, but I don’t think I can manage more than one room at a time.” Gyehyeon offers. He’s frowning at nothing in particular. The whole room is enveloped in an air of helplessness.
“I’m more worried about the protection spells outside the house,” Hoyoung sighs. He turns to Yongseung. “They’re still there, right?”
Youngseung nods. “They are, but a lot weaker than they were when I came here. It’s a wonder he can manage to keep them even like this.”
“Typical,” Kangmin laughs, fondness sneaking into his humorless tone. “He takes care of us even when he can’t take care of himself.”
No one speaks for a while after that.
Yongseung straightens up, a decision already formed in his mind. His deal may have been with Dongheon but all these people seem to trust Dongheon with their lives. “I can help strengthen the protection, if it’s okay. It won’t be the original strength still, since our magic hasn’t willingly blended but it will be better than it is now.”
“We don’t know you,” Yeonho points out, not unkindly.
And really, it’s a wonder it took this long for someone to mention it. Despite what Yongseung may feel, these people are a family and you don’t just decide you deserve to be part of that. Sure, they may have relied on Dongheon for safety but Yongseung is fairly sure all of them could protect themselves if it came down to it.
The feeling of right has only heightened since he first came but that’s something he’ll have to deal with on the way out.
Hoyoung heaves a sigh. “Dongheon said he asked him to stay anyway. He wouldn’t be very happy if we send Yongseung away while he’s out of it.”
“I know my magic doesn’t exactly mean a lot,” Kangmin says, waving a hand to shush the budding protests. “What I meant was, it feels right, somehow? That he stays?”
Gyehyeon nods next to him, reaching to lace his fingers through Kangmin’s. “I feel it too. I figure Dongheon must have too, if he asked him to stay so soon.”
"You let us stay when you had no reason to." Minchan says. He won't look at Yongseung so Yongseung feels a little better about staring. Until, of course, Minchan turns around and meets his eyes, a tiny quirk of a smile when he finds Yongseung looking already. "And to be fair, Yongseung is a lot nicer than I was at first."
"I like the past tense there," Yeonho says in a fake whisper, which earns him a giggle from Gyehyeon and a glare from Minchan.
The tense atmosphere is broken; Yongseung isn't really sure what this means in the long run but for now, it looks like his gut feeling won. He's staying.
*
Yongseung ends up as more of a second line of protection than supporting the first. Dongheon's magic is incredibly stubborn and there is more of the protection left than Yongseung initially thought. Part of him wonders why they need this level of security this deep in the woods. Especially now that the wolf pack terrorizing the area has been mostly dismantled. But then again, he doesn't know the story. Something in this house, in them, tells him that the story is a bit more complicated than a wayward son running away.
He finds a balance of live spells in the more obscured parts of the treeline and alarms where the outside is easily seen from the house. It helps him keep a mostly functional state of being, especially since a lot of the magic keeping the household going was courtesy of Dongheon. A lot of what's keeping the household going was Dongheon, really, even if it looks like none of them realized it.
Another side effect becomes apparent quite fast, too. It’s not particularly unexpected either - Hoyoung’s eyes are almost the same color now.
Yongseung pulls him aside on a pretty, moonlit night just after sunset. He’s mostly nocturnal now too, and it’s a little too early for the others to be awake.
Faced with Hoyoung, alone, the words suddenly feel a lot harder than they were in his head.
In the end, what he says is, “Your eyes.”
Hoyoung stares at him for a long moment, then laughs. “What if I told you I liked them like this?”
“What if I told you I liked you alive,” Yongseung fires back, too quick to consider the weight behind his words. They are true. They are just words that seem better fit for someone else. Someone who has the right to say them.
The laughter dies and Yongseung is worried the lack of expression means he did mess up this time. Then Hoyoung smiles, small and pretty and blinding, and Yongseung is a little breathless.
“I haven’t heard that in a long time,” Hoyoung says, still with the smile, still with Yongseung’s heart fluttering in his chest like a caged butterfly. Then the smile dims and Yongseung’s butterfly crashes pathetically. “I don’t have time to go hunt again. Last time was hard enough and it barely did anything.” A pause. Hoyoung sucks in a breath, words barely audible. “Dongheon was feeding me too, on top of everything. I probably deserve it.”
“You- no.” It’s definitely not Yongseung’s place. It doesn’t even make sense to have the emotions bubbling inside him as intense as they are. It doesn’t change the reality, though. “Limits are a bendable thing, and sometimes they’re hard to accept. It’s not a bad thing to trust someone with knowing their own and I may not have been here for long but I’m fairly sure Dongheon would have some words for all this nonsense you’re saying.”
Hoyoung seems frozen long enough that Yongseung’s insecurities flare up, his words catching up with him and eating him from the inside-
“I feel like that’s something he would say,” Hoyoung says at the end, with another laugh. It’s softer this time, sweeter and it makes Yongseung think of Christmas bells, the only time of the year his family acted like a real family. Christmas is far away still but somehow, it feels like the warmth that it comes with for Yongseung isn’t seasonal for this house.
*
The resolution is fairly simple. Hoyoung takes a bit of convincing to warm up to the idea but Yongseung gets what he wants in the end.
It shouldn’t feel as intimate as it does. It’s just something that has to happen, for very natural reasons. Very natural urgent reasons and yet as Yongseung unbuttons his shirt it feels a little like he’s baring his entire soul.
Hoyoung watches him curiously, eyes trailing from his face, to his neck, to his trembling fingers. It’s so hard to stay still.
“You don’t have to do this,” Hoyoung points out, again, like he has at every step that has led them here, in Yongseung’s room, with him naked from the waist up and Hoyoung’s good eye almost matching the dead one.
Like all the times before, Yongseung shrugs. “Shifters are uncomfortable with that kind of thing by nature. Gyehyeon and Kangmin’s healing magic isn’t as good as mine and I’m stronger than both of them in general. You need a lot and there would be the least damage.”
Hoyoung sighs. “I know the rational reasons behind it. What I’m not comfortable with is forcing you in a position that makes you uncomfortable just because it’s the rational choice. You’re shaking,” he adds at the end, a lot softer.
Yongseung forces his body to stop.
“It’s fine,” he says, tone more sure than he really is. “I’ve never cared about something enough to make sacrifices for. It feels nice, even if this isn’t much of a sacrifice.”
“You don’t measure sacrifices,” Hoyoung sighs again, a little exasperated. “And it’s not discomfort you’re putting on the line here, it’s your life. I can kill you.”
“You won’t,” Yongseung says, without a hint of doubt this time. Why this is the thing he’s absolutely sure about, he has no idea.
*
It hurts. It hurts a lot and Yongseung isn't sure if it's just a low pain tolerance on his part or vampire teeth are just extra painful. It's like that time he accidentally stepped on a nail as a kid and the nail went nearly halfway into his foot. Except now the pain is doubled and on his neck, and maybe quadrupled, actually? He can feel the blood being sucked out too, which is such a strange feeling, definitely not a pleasant one. He tries to fight off the magic that shields him from Hoyoung's glamour but it's like trying to move a brick wall.
Hoyoung is careful not to touch him unnecessarily which is fair, but through the haze of pain, Yongseung decides he deserves at least a little comfort. He clutches at Hoyoung’s shoulders, harder when arms wrap around him and pull him closer. Hoyoung isn’t warm but his hands are smooth and his shirt feels soft. For a moment, Yongseung can almost forget about the pain.
His magic ripples out of his skin and towards Hoyoung but between the protection spells and the feeding, the involuntary attack must barely be a pinch.
Still, Yongseung has enough presence of mind to try and extract himself. “I’m sorry,” he says, careful not to look at anything in particular. Anyone.
“Silly,” Hoyoung laughs, then brings him close again. “You let me hurt you, it’s only fair I let you hurt me in return.”
“That is not how it works,” Yongseung grumbles, even if he doesn’t have the energy to really fight it. In fact, a nap sounds great right about now. His magic gives another weak attempt at an attack but settles soon enough. He doesn’t try to move this time.
“See,” Hoyoung says, fingers carding through Yongseung’s hair. “This is exactly how it works.”
Yongseung allows himself to look up, make sure that Hoyoung’s good eye is more blue than brown. It is, and he breathes a sigh of relief. His own eyes slip shut, body and mind comforted by the thought that it’s over and it was a success. A distant part of him feels bad about falling asleep like this, where he should not be, but he’s too tired to care, definitely too tired to move. It doesn’t look like Hoyoung minds anyway.
*
Life goes on.
They settle into a routine. Kangmin tries to keep a constant barrier of clouds during most days. Not quite a storm but enough to block out most of the sunlight. Hoyoung has been temporarily moved to Gyehyeon’s room, which he keeps sun-blocked just in case. Yeonho and Minchan take turns to keep watch on the lesser protected areas of the treeline. Yongseung tries to limit his magic use as much as possible to accommodate Hoyoung’s hunger. The pain doesn’t get better but eventually he learns to ignore it.
It’s odd, the hunger. Yongseung didn’t have the chance to interact with vampires a lot outside of his training but he did study them. They’re supposed to really need blood every few weeks, stretched to a month or even more if they try hard enough. Hoyoung’s good eye goes brown every few days instead and, yet again, Yongseung can’t help but wonder. There are so many things to wonder about, really - the empty expression on Kangmin’s face each time he summons a storm, Gyehyeon’s screams that sometimes wake Yongseung in the middle of the day, always followed by the unmistakable flutter of a silence spell. Hoyoung’s unseeing eye is merely the tip of a very large iceberg that Yongseung may never get to see.
It’s during a feeding time that he feels the spells on the house ripple to life one by one. First the protection, then the sun-blocks. Hoyoung detaches too fast and Yongseung’s wound tears a little further, it hurts, but he bites back the yelp of pain. Hoyoung is standing stock still, like a cat ready to attack. There is a trail of blood where Yongseung’s skin tore but Hoyoung doesn’t seem to notice. He doesn’t seem to notice anything, really.
Yongseung covers the wound on his neck with one hand and uses the other to wipe the blood off Hoyoung’s chin.
“Go,” he says gently and finally, Hoyoung seems to focus back on the present. “He’s awake. Go.”
Hoyoung hesitates for a moment, before he disappears out the door, so fast Yongseung barely catches the movement. He sighs as his hands drop down to his sides. Both of them are bloody and his collar is too, since Hoyoung never closed the wound properly. He’ll have to clean up before he follows Hoyoung out of the room. The wound still hurts but it’s a bit duller now, or maybe he’s just getting used to the pain.
He doesn’t heal it.
*
There is so much commotion coming from Dongheon’s room that Yongseung hears them gather there long before he even reaches the staircase. He stands on the top of the stairs, just watching candlelight flicker through the open door. It goes out then someone lights the candles again and the voices are loud. Excited, worried, relieved. Yongseung doesn’t bother making out the words but he doesn’t have to. One by one, the protections around the house come to life, reaching their previous stability in almost no time.
The candles flicker out for the third time, someone lights them again and Yongseung can hear sniffles this time.
He takes a step back, then another.
His magic is a violent storm as he squeezes the handle of the room he’s been thinking of as his own for a while now. Then his coat, then the front door. His magic rages on but he lets it happen, just like he let the pain of Hoyoung’s teeth happen. In the commotion, no one notices the spells he left flickering out of existence just like the candles in Dongheon’s room. No one lights them again, though.
At the treeline, he allows himself one last glance at the house. He’s been in this house for maybe two weeks, and yet leaving it hurts a lot worse than leaving his childhood home ever did.