Chapter Text
See if Mingi’s pack will send someone as an envoy for us. Maybe Mingi can do it. It doesn’t have to be official. We just need someone to stand in as an envoy.
Sighing, Yunho rubs his hands together as he eyes the little cabins that make up Mingi’s pack lands. He’s not exactly happy to be back here considering his last experience with them, but Hongjoong had asked for his help. Yunho isn’t going to say no to the fae. He’s practically Yunho’s Alpha at this point.
He doesn't make it far in before someone comes to stop him. Yunho can at least breathe a sigh of relief when he recognizes Mingi. The other werewolf holds his hands out to stop Yunho, eyeing him up and down with a curious gaze. Clearly, he’s just as shocked to see Yunho back here. “What are you doing here?” he asks, glancing back towards the cabins nervously. “I know we were wrong about you, but I think it’s best for our Head Alpha not to see you. He’s still looking for blood.”
Yunho nods his head once in acknowledgement and allows Mingi to lead him somewhere away from the cabins. More private.
“What is it?” Mingi asks him when they’re away from the prying eyes of his pack.
Yunho crosses his arms over his chest and stares at the other man. “I have a favor to ask you,” Yunho says. “Your pack nearly killed me for something I didn’t do, so I think you owe me.”
Mingi swallows back the lump in his throat and asks, “What is it?”
“A fae is behind the killing of your packmate,” Yunho tells him. “She ordered a werewolf under her influence to do it, but she is the mastermind behind all this.”
Mingi blinks, evidently caught off guard by Yunho’s claims. “A fae killed one of us?” he echoes dubiously. “Why?”
“She has her own motives,” Yunho explains vaguely with a shake of his head. “I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m telling you the truth.”
“Oh.” Mingi appears troubled by his words, biting down on his bottom lip as he thinks about what Yunho is telling him. “Should I pass on the information to my Head Alpha? Will you bring us this fae soon?”
Yunho frowns and shakes his head again. “I’m afraid it’s more complicated than that,” he murmurs. “She’s the Queen of a northern fae court. We’d be hard pressed to just go and arrest her to bring back here.”
Mingi sputters at his accusation, reeling backwards in shock. “A Queen?” he repeats. “Why would a Queen do such a thing? What are we supposed to do if a Queen is responsible?”
“It’s worse than just that though,” Yunho tells him, pressing on his advantage. “She didn’t quite get what she wanted out of killing your packmate. She will probably cause more trouble for you in the future if she’s not taken care of.” Mingi gulps at the warning. “I need help to stop her.”
“What do you need?” Mingi asks.
“Act as a diplomat for your pack,” Yunho requests. “Threaten war. If she thinks she may be on the brink of war, she’ll step down.”
“A diplomat?” Mingi stammers, horrified by the notion. He has no idea what any of that would mean. He’s just a member of his pack. No one important. He’s probably not really qualified to go around claiming to speak on his pack’s behalf.
“We don’t need a real one,” Yunho clarifies. “We’re not actually trying to start any conflict with your pack. We just want to stop her from causing any more trouble. And frankly, I think it’s the least you can do after what happened with your pack.”
Mingi flinches at the reminder, shoulders sinking down in shame. He really hadn’t expected his pack to take Yunho hostage like that. He figured that if they heard San’s testimony it would be enough, but his pack wanted revenge. And that was definitely a problem. “I mean, I can do that for you,” he volunteers, “but my pack will actually want something out of this. One of ours is dead. Someone has to pay for that.”
Yunho squares his shoulders and claims confidently, “We can arrange that.”
I know she won’t be easy, but if you can convince Yongsun to be on our side I think we’ll have much more leverage to threaten the Queen. I hate to say it but she would be a vital ally. If you can’t convince her...it’s okay, but it would be perfect to have her on our side.
As per Hongjoong’s request, San recruits Yongsun to help with his plan. But despite his words, San had gotten the distinct feeling that things would not be okay if Yongsun didn’t agree to their plan, so the next time she shows up at the bar, San is on her case.
“And why would I want to get involved in fae politics?” she asks when San finishes explaining their situation and Hongjoong’s plan, appealing to her for help. “She’s not caused me any problems. She’s bothering your friends. I’m sorry about that but it’s hardly my problem.”
“If she hasn’t caused you direct problems yet, she probably will soon,” San warns her.
She raises an eyebrow at the certainty in his voice, bloody mary halfway to her lips. “Oh?” Her interest piqued, she sets her glass aside to give San her full attention. “How do you figure that?”
“You protect this city—”
“I protect my people,” she corrects. “Protecting the city is just a convenient side effect.”
San presses his lips together into a thin, angry line as he pauses to rethink his strategy. “Alright. I guess that’s true. Keeping your clan safe means keeping hunters off your back, right? Which benefits everyone else.”
Threading her fingers together, Yongsun rests her elbows on the bar counter and leans her chin into the back of her hands. “Between inter-clan wars and hunters I already have my hands full,” she comments. “The presence of her court is concerning, but so long as she doesn’t mess with me I have no reason to place my weight behind you or your fae friend no matter how much I like you.” She smiles at the human when his expression turns pouty. “Don’t take it to heart. I just need to do what’s best for my clan.”
“She conspired to kill my mate by assassinating a member of the local pack here,” San argues. “And she failed on top of that. Things like that will hardly escape the hunters’ notice.”
“I find it difficult to believe they care that much about an apparent scuffle between werewolves. How would they even know a fairy court had any role to play?”
“Hunters are always looking to expand their control,” San warns her quietly. “Chaos erupting like this would be the perfect opportunity for them to move in.”
Humming, the vampire takes a sip of her drink and thinks over his words. “In that case,” she says with a smack of her lips, “would I not be better off throwing my support behind her and making sure her business is wrapped up neatly? You are four people. She has an entire court.”
“Would you trust her?” San challenges. “She moved into the city without a word. Her agents continue to pour in and become more numerous with each passing day. She draws more attention to herself with each passing day. More than that her court hails from the north.”
Yongsun contemplates his words carefully before she remarks, “Hunter territory.”
“They might not be here yet, but they’ll notice the change in her court’s movements.” San places another drink down in front of her on the house. A bribe. Wooyoung would yell at him if he knew, but the human needs to play his cards right if he’s going to win. “I’m sure you’ve thought of that already though.”
“I think of everything,” she assures him as she quietly accepts the drink. “I’m old enough to think long-term, but I’m also wise enough not to make any unnecessary moves. Every choice has a consequence, and I have to make sure to minimize mine.” She traces the rim of the glass with one ring-decorated finger. “Taking your side would certainly silence her and the trouble she caused quietly, but I could very well end up in a position where I have declared war on a fae court.”
“It won’t get to that point,” San assures her.
“And how can you guarantee that?” she challenges him. “You have that much faith in your fae friend? He hasn’t been in a court for decades. For all I know he might have lost his touch.”
“Because we can’t afford for it to get to that point,” San answers fiercely. “War wouldn’t benefit us, or the werewolves, or you.”
“This is a risky game you’re playing in that case.”
“And I’m asking if you want to place a bet with us.”
The vampire smiles at him, lips pulled up into a large grin. Gambling was an old weakness of hers.
“So, what exactly is your plan?” Seonghwa pesters the fae, following Hongjoong around as the redhead digs through his draws, pulling out all the clothes in each drawer systematically. He watches Hongjoong make a mess on the floor for a few seconds longer before he grabs the fae and forcefully turns him around. “What are you looking for?” he demands.
“Clothes,” Hongjoong says simply as he shrugs Seonghwa’s hands from his shoulders.
“What clothes? For what?” Seonghwa presses him. “We promised no more secrets, didn’t we? Why aren’t you telling me anything!”
“I’m not keeping anything from you!” Hongjoong denies as he continues to empty his drawers out. “I’m just still thinking through it, okay?”
Seonghwa presses his lips together in a thin angry line. “Then think out loud,” he demands. “What the hell are you looking for?”
“Court clothes!” Hongjoong yells out in frustration because Seonghwa just won’t shut up. And where the hell were those court clothes anyway. He’d always kept them for sentimental value and because he always thought they might come in useful someday. “I’m going to court to threaten a Queen. I’m not going there dressed in human street clothes.”
“Is that your plan?” Seonghwa asks skeptically. “You’re just going to show up at her court and threaten her to leave us alone?”
“More or less,” Hongjoong murmurs. He sighs when he finishes emptying that drawer, quickly moving on to the next one. He pauses to look over to Seonghwa to tell him, “Less reckless than that though. I have a plan. I hope.”
“And exactly what is it?” Seonghwa asks.
Hongjoong rests his arm on the drawer he just opened and turns to face Seonghwa fully. “Fairy courts are all about politics. Not unlike the hunter clan you come from, many of our clans are run by their own internal politics. Werewolves, vampires, fairies. And like all political systems, if you nudge at their weak points they’ll break. The Seelie courts have always been threatened by the Unseelie King. She will want to avoid conflict at all costs because she knows that would leave her and her people vulnerable to him, and her court is well aware of that. If I can manufacture the idea that she is under threat, they will turn on her. She will no longer be a threat.”
“And exactly how are you going to convince her she’s under threat of war?” Seonghwa asks. “You are one courtless fae. Yunho is a packless werewolf. And neither San nor I belong to a hunting clan anymore. We’re not exactly threats to her.”
“But a werewolf pack would be,” Hongjoong says. “So would a vampire clan.”
Seonghwa narrows his eyes at him. He does not like where this is going at all. “You cannot depend on them,” he warns.
“I don’t have a choice,” Hongjoong snaps back. Seonghwa reels back a little at the harshness in his voice, staring at the fae with concern.
“Hongjoong—”
“Don’t,” the fae warns him before he can even begin. “I have no choice because I’ve put you in danger. Because I couldn’t stay away from you.” He turns back to his drawer and begins pulling out his clothes again, this time in a much less hurried pace. “I always knew,” he tells the human. “Even when we first met, and you probably thought you had the one up on me. In the back of my mind I knew you were a hunter. There were warning signs there, but I ignored them because...because you looked so familiar to me.”
He yanks out t-shirts and sweaters, letting them pool into one haphazard pile at his feet while Seonghwa quietly watches him. “At the time, I thought you were him—my lover I’d lost so long ago. I thought he was alive. I wanted to believe it so badly, but you were a hunter. And that was enough to sober me to the reality. He was dead, and you weren’t him.” Hongjoong pauses when his eyes catch sight of something, and he pulls out a sheer, silky white shirt that Seonghwa has never seen before. “But then we became partners more or less, and...I came to like you anyways.”
With the silk tunic clutched in his hand, Hongjoong turns around to face Seonghwa and finally sinks down into the mess of clothes he’s strewn across the floor. “It hurts to think about, but you were right,” Hongjoong tells him as he lifts his eyes up to meet Seonghwa’s gaze. “I got him killed when I tried to make him a part of my life without telling him everything. And I don’t want to let that happen again. So please,” he begs the human, “just let me do what I need to. I can handle the court on my own.”
Seonghwa scoots closer to him, gently pulling the silk tunic from the fae’s hand. “I don’t think that you can’t,” he tells Hongjoong. “I’m not upset because I don’t think you can do it. I’m just worried about it. I’m worried about you.”
Hongjoong laughs at his words and ducks his head down to hide from the human. “I guess we can agree on that at least, huh?”
The corner of Seonghwa’s lips pull up into a brief smile before his expression drops again. “I trust you,” he tells the fae. “I will trust you on this if you want me to, but I want you to be safe too.”
“I’ll be safe,” Hongjoong promises him. “And I’ll make sure everyone else will be too. You, Yunho, San. I won’t let her hurt you guys.”
Seonghwa nods his head once. It’s an acknowledgement and a concession. He doesn’t like it, but he’ll let Hongjoong have his way, and he’ll trust the fae to do this. Looking down at the silk shirt in his hands, he carefully unfolds it before holding it up to the fae’s frame like he’s testing the fit.
Hongjoong tilts his head to the side at his behavior and asks, “What?”
“Nothing,” Seonghwa dismisses as he sets the tunic down on Hongjoong’s lap. “I’d like to see you in that, I think. That’s all.”
Hongjoong stares at him for a moment, lips parted in surprise. Then he moves forward quickly, much more quickly than Seonghwa anticipates, and the human grunts as he falls back onto his heels as the fae scrambles into his lap. He tries to call for the fae’s name but can’t because Hongjoong covers his lips with his own, cutting the human off before he can even say anything.
Seonghwa doesn’t mind though. He adjusts to the situation fluidly, wrapping his arms around the fae’s waist and pulling him closer as he tilts his chin up to deepen the kiss. Hongjoong pulls away with a breathless little gasp to say, “I’m going to fix this. I’m going to ruin her so that she’ll never dare touch me or mine ever again.”
Seonghwa just pulls him down into another kiss to hide his smile.
“Here.”
San turns around to face Yunho who offers him a small little vial filled with salt crystals. The human holds a hand out for it and blinks when Yunho places it in his hand. “What’s this?” he asks curiously.
“Salt,” Yongsun notes as she walks up to them and plucks the little vial from the human’s hand. Yunho growls at her action and reaches out to snatch it back only for the vampire to hold it up higher. “You’ll never get through into the court with an iron weapon, but they likely won’t be able to find this if you keep it hidden. It will protect you from any potential magic they might try to cast on you.” She places it back in San’s hand before reaching up to ruffle the werewolf’s hair.
Yunho's face twists up in annoyance, but she only laughs at him. “Oh, no need to get so jealous. I’m only here to help you guys.”
“I don’t like this,” the werewolf says as he looks to San with wide, pathetic eyes.
“We’ll be fine,” the human assures him as he pockets the vial of salt.
Mingi walks up to Yunho, prodding at the other werewolf’s arm. “Do you have another one of those?” he requests with a hint of panic in his voice.
“No,” Yunho tells him, pulling his arm away from Mingi.
“Are you scared little puppy?” Yongsun coos at him.
“Werewolves and magic don’t mix very well,” Mingi comments.
“Then why are you here?”
Mingi startles at her question before his gaze moves over first to Yunho and then to San. “I caused them trouble,” he says in a small voice. “I owe them for that. What about you?”
Yongsun smiles and looks over his shoulder to where Seonghwa has pulled Hongjoong to the side, speaking to him in hushed voices. Then she looks over to San and her gaze softens the slightest bit. “What can I say? I get leverage out of this. Besides,” she reaches out to pat San on the cheek only for Yunho to catch her by the wrist. She smiles at the werewolf’s behavior. “Humans have quite a way with words,” she finally finishes as she gently pulls her hand from Yunho’s grip.
Mingi frowns, not sure he totally follows her explanation but also not wanting to think too much about it either. He knows of her vaguely, and he’s honestly a bit terrified of her although he wonders how San and Seonghwa apparently convinced her to come out here with them.
“Are you the werewolves’ envoy then?” she asks, eyeing Mingi up and down curiously. He’s not much of a diplomatic looking fella in her opinion, but she’s never had high expectations when it came to werewolves. They were typically ingrained in their old ways. Forming alliances and using diplomacy were not part of their forte.
“Yeah,” Mingi says proudly as he puffs his chest out and squares his shoulders. The vampire hides a laugh behind her hand. “I mean, uoffically that is. My Alpha doesn't know that I’m here.”
“He doesn’t know that you might potentially declare war in his name?” she asks him.
Mingi hesitates, suddenly worried as he scratches the back of his head and looks to San for help. “Uh, I mean. No? No. I thought we weren’t going to do any of that or something…”
“It’s a ruse,” San assures the werewolf before looking at Yongsun. “A game. As I recall, you aren’t so eager to go to war either.”
“But I also have the authority to do it,” she replies with a smile. “Fret not. I will play this game with you.” She crooks a finger at Mingi, beckoning the werewolf closer to her. “Come here, little puppy. Let us discuss exactly how to play this game. I will turn you into the most excellent liar in these few minutes before we depart.”
Yunho takes a step back when Mingi crosses in front of him, heeding the vampire’s orders. The packless wolf watches him go with a little shake of his head before turning his attention back to San again. He steps up to the human who tilts his head up to meet his gaze. The apprehension must be clear in his expression because San smiles at him and reaches out to hold Yunho’s hand.
“We’ll be okay,” he assures the werewolf. Yunho tightens his grip on San’s hand, running his thumb along the back of the human’s knuckles. San bites down on his bottom lip and stares at the way the werewolf’s hand practically engulfs his.
“I know that you’re a trained hunter, but you’d still be the most vulnerable,” Yunho says in a low voice.
“Don’t say that,” San tells him lightly. “I don’t think Mingi is faring any better than I am.” Yunho frowns at his joke, clearly not in the mood. San clears his throat and tries again. “I’ll be fine. I was raised a hunter, Yunho. I know what I’m dealing with when it comes to fairies. I won’t do anything stupid, and I’ll be with the others the whole time.”
Yunho glances around the dirty parking lot in front of the forest Hongjoong had led them to, staring at the small group that has gathered around. “I don’t trust the vampire,” he finally says. San laughs because he could have guessed that one. “And Mingi…” Yunho sighs, looking back down at the human. “He’d likely seek you out for protection if something goes wrong.”
“I’ll be with Hongjoong too,” San reminds him.
Yunho bites down on his bottom lip, clearly conflicted by San’s reminder. “Don’t get me wrong. I love Hongjoong, and I trust him with you, but you are not his number one priority. You are my number one priority, and I don’t like the idea of you going in there without me.”
“I’m not exactly on their radar,” San reminds him. “I’m going to make sure Hongjoong stays safe.”
“That doesn’t mean—” San cuts the werewolf off by pushing himself up onto his toes to catch Yunho’s lips in a kiss. The werewolf responds immediately, leaning down to meet him and encircling his arms around the human’s smaller frame. San sighs happily when the werewolf pulls him closer. His body heats up when Yunho’s kiss becomes more intense, his lips warm and soft against San’s and his tongue licking its way into San’s mouth.
The human pulls back with a little gasp, fingers digging into the sleeves of Yunho’s shirt. As much as he would like to stand here and kiss the werewolf silly, there is a time and place for that, and San would be lying if he said Yunho’s lips had no effect on him. “I’ll be fine,” he assures the werewolf one more time before pulling away when Hongjoong beckons him as well as Yongsun and Mingi over.
Yunho’s jawline tenses when San pulls away from him, his fingers reaching out uselessly for the human. San tilts his head forward, acknowledging Yunho’s worries but also trying to alleviate his concern. The werewolf drops his arms to his side and steps back, and San finally turns his back to him to trot over to Hongjoong. Although Yunho may have given him silent consent, he remains unhappy as San follows Hongjoong into the forested area, off the path the humans have clearly carved for themselves.
Seonghwa slowly makes his way over to the werewolf and tells him, “Hongjoong wants us to leave and wait for them. He doesn’t like the thought that we’re so close.” Yunho glances over to him, and Seonghwa raises his eyebrows at the hard expression on the werewolf’s face. Once upon a time, Seonghwa can honestly say he never would have expected such an expression to mar Yunho’s face, but it isn’t so surprising anymore. Not on a werewolf. “I’m not going,” he adds.
“I’m not either,” Yunho agrees. They’re blanketed by silence for a moment. Only the sound of the wind howling and trees rustling cut through the silence of the night. Then Yunho turns to the human and asks, “What’s going on with you and Hongjoong anyways?”
Seonghwa barks out a laugh, covering his mouth with his hand.
“There’s a burial mound deep in this area. That’s where the Queen has taken up residence for centuries now,” Hongjoong explains to San as he points in the direction that they’re heading. He looks over at the human with a pinched expression. “Are you sure you want to come? A fae court is hardly the safest place for a human, and Yunho…” he trails off, feeling sorry for the werewolf.
“You can stop acting like I’m a lamb being led to slaughter,” San assures him. “I know what to avoid when it comes to fairies.”
“Don’t get too overconfident,” Yongsun pipes up from behind him. San glances at her, doing a double take when he sees the way she’s practically dragging Mingi along with her. The werewolf is shivering and shying away from every branch that he dares to venture too close to. “A fae Queen who wants something or someone can be very determined. You’d be doing yourself a favor by flying beneath her radar.”
“I wasn’t exactly planning to make myself a target,” San assures her.
“Speaking of which, don’t you think you should explain to the rest of us exactly why your friend Seonghwa is being targeted,” Yongsun calls out to Hongjoong.
The fae falters in his steps, nearly tripping over himself before he whips his head around glare at her. “You already know,” he growls out at her.
“Sure, I know, but they are here on your behalf as well. Should they not also be caught up to date?”
Hongjoong’s lips twist up into a snarl as he whips his head back around to face their destination. As much as he needed her, he knew the vampire would be awful to deal with. “I know what this is about,” San interjects.
“Do you?” Yongsun asks curiously.
“Sure.” San shrugs his shoulders and looks over at Mingi, the only one of the group clearly lost. “Hongjoong used to be a part of this fae court, but he was banished some time ago. The Queen wanted to hurt him by trying to kill Yunho since they’re basically a pack and all.”
Yongsun smiles at his explanation as her sharp eyes move over to Hongjoong. She’s already stabbed him in the back, so she figure she might as well twist it for maximum pain anyways. “If that’s the case, why bring you instead of his hunting partner? As I recall, you are officially retired. He is not.”
“Well…” San trails off as he looks at Hongjoong curiously. It had been an odd exchange that first time, but lately everything about the two of them has been odd, so San isn’t so sure he can really judge. “Because he’s worried about Seonghwa,” he finally answers. “That much is obvious.”
She grins, thoroughly enjoying San’s response. “Yes,” she agrees, “that certainly seems to be the case. I suppose you worked things out with your little lover boy then?”
Hongjoong turns his head to look at San, a polite smile plastered on his face as he couches himself to keep his body relaxed. Posture should be open and not defensive. “Seonghwa is a target of hers along with Yunho,” he tells the human. “For reasons that are too complicated to get into right now. I preferred for him to stay back for his own safety.”
San blinks but slowly nods his head in understanding. “Because...of your relationship with Seonghwa or something?” he clarifies.
“Something like that,” Hongjoong says. “I’ll explain after this, but for now we need to remain focused and unified.” He gives Yongsun a pointed look at the last statement, but the vampire only grins at him. She’s more than pleased by his response to her poking and prodding. He might not have been in a fairy court for a long time, but he clearly isn’t all that rusty either.
“Here,” the fae calls out for them when they come across a small little mound. San eyes the thing curiously but keeps himself on guard. It might not have appeared all that impressive, but he knows fairies are well adept at magic. Besides, they did tend to prefer to reside in some of nature’s most interesting formations.
Hongjoong releases a breath, rubbing his hands against his loose-fitting pants as he tries to recall how to summon himself into the court. Thankfully he doesn’t need to worry about it because someone is quick to greet them. Hongjoong takes a step back in surprise when Minho seemingly materializes in front of them and storms up to Hongjoong.
“You’ve lost your mind,” he says to the redhead.
“I’m doing what I need to,” Hongjoong snaps.
Minho narrows his eyes at his old friend before looking around at the allies he’d gathered and growls out, “Oh, I know exactly what you’re doing.”
“Then you should be on my side,” Hongjoong appeals to him. “She stripped you of your rank. If she goes, you can position yourself—”
“As if she will go!” Minho explodes, cutting the redhead off. “You might be able to scare her and her court off enough to leave you alone, but she will not be dethroned. Her court supported these actions. And when your werewolf friend demands someone to pay for Jisung’s deed, who do you think she will send?” Hongjoong shrinks beneath Minho’s withering gaze. He hadn’t thought about that. He never thought that Minho might be the scapegoat for her this time. “You will get me killed.”
“I won’t,” Hongjoong says meekly.
“How can you know that?” Minho demands. “You didn’t even think about it until this second.”
“Yes, but now I have. And I have time to think of something.”
“Hongjoong—”
“I have to do this,” the redhead cuts in. “I’ll do what I can, but I need to do this, Minho. She will move against me if I don’t move against her first.”
Minho purses his lips up, his frustration evident in his expression, but before he can chew into his old friend again, Yongsun peeks her head around Hongjoong’s frame and smiles at the fae. “Then run if you are so scared,” she tells him. Hongjoong nudges her back with his elbow, but she steps out from behind him instead. Minho presses his lips together and lowers his eyes when he sees her, respectful of the vampire’s presence. “Or do you not trust an old friend’s abilities?”
“I am not here to seek retribution for what your friend did, and I will do what I can to keep you out of it,” Hongjoong promises him. “But I need to do this. You can do whatever you need to, but I will not let you stop me here.”
Bowing his head down, Minho thinks about it for a moment before he finally steps away from the mound. In his wake a hole into the mound appears, and he gestures for them to enter. Yongsun takes the invitation first, flouncing over to the entrance and walking through. Hongjoong motions for San to follow after her. The human takes hold of Mingi’s wrist, guiding the werewolf over as well as they both enter the court as well.
Hongjoong pauses in front of the entrance to look at Minho. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes.
Minho breathes in deeply before releasing that breath with a shake of his head. “No, don’t be,” he tells the redhead. “I guess I’m just a little jealous.”
“Jealous?” Hongjoong echoes.
Minho looks at him with a kinder expression that Hongjoong can only blink at. He hasn’t seen his old friend look at him like that in over a century now. “You’ve always been able to do what you had to,” Minho compliments him “You took the banishment to spare your lover added pain, and you’d challenge our Queen to save that human of yours. But look at me.” He smiles ruefully as he looks down at himself. “I couldn’t help Jisung. I had to wait for you to do something for him, and even now I’m selfishly thinking about myself.”
“It’s a fae’s nature,” Hongjoong tells him. “Self-preservation should be your first instinct. I cannot fault you for that.”
“Perhaps I should take a page from your book and leave the court once and for all,” Minho remarks. “I feel as though they’ve betrayed me enough for one lifetime.”
Hongjoong shakes his head at the suggestion. He feels for his friend. He really does, but he also knows the consequences to his suggestion, and it’s not one he would wish upon Minho. “Don’t be so hasty. Your friend still bears this court’s seal,” Hongjoong reminds him. “He’s safe for now, but so long as that mark remains the Queen will threaten him.”
Minho frowns, finding no fault in the redhead’s argument and hating it all the more, so Hongjoong reaches out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Maybe I won’t overthrow her today,” he says “but I promise you the effects will be felt for decades to come. Bide your time. Find your allies. You could do more in this court than you think.”
“Duly noted,” Minho replies in a quiet voice. “Now come. Your friends are waiting for you.”
San eyes roam along the throne rooms walls, taking in everything with deep fascination. He’s heard stories of the extravagance and excess that can only be found in a fairy court, but he’s never seen it first hand. The floors are an artful masterpiece of marble. The walls are equally as beautifully lined as they are with the roots of trees. San would have thought it would be dusty and dirty, but the throne room is immaculate.
Yongsun and Hongjoong seem the only two unphased by the lavish set up. Mingi bumps shoulders between the two of them before he stumbles his way over to San as his eyes dart around. “Remember our short training,” Yongsun reminds him quietly. “Fairies will feed on your fear, so don’t let them.” Clearing his throat, Mingi stands up to his full height and does his best job to keep a straight face.
A couple of fae girls stride up to them, carrying platters of food and drink. One of them offers a pastry to San, and the human hates to admit that he salivates a little at the sight of it. It looks delicious and tempting, but he shakes his head with conviction. With a gleeful smile, she moves on to Mingi who seems just a bit more tempted by the food, reaching out before he can help himself only for San to pinch him on the side.
“Ow,” the werewolf whimpers.
“Don’t be stupid,” San hisses at him.
“It looked good though.” Mingi licks his lips and watches as the fae girl carries the food away from them.
Another quickly takes her place, setting a delicate hand at the base of San’s neck. San tenses up at her touch because he hadn’t seen her coming at all. It was like she just suddenly appeared before him. Smiling at him, the fae slowly circles him like a predator sizing up its wounded prey. He fingers drag across his chest and shoulders as she goes, caressing across his back, before she finally halts in front of him again.
San swallows down his nerves as he stares at her. She’s beautiful in the way all fairies are, but San feels nothing but wary and scared of her. She leans in close to him, close enough that he feels her breath tickle his skin. “You’re quite pretty for a human,” she compliments him. San remains tense when she pulls away to eye him once more. Then she peers up at him from beneath carefully styled bangs and says, “I’d love to make you mine, but I do so hate the scent of a mutt.”
Finally, San feels like he can relax. The reminder of Yunho helps ground him against her intimidation tactics. It helps to tell himself that he belongs to Yunho, and that it’s obvious to everyone else too. “If you don’t like the smell of werewolves I would suggest you kindly fuck off,” he says politely with a smile plastered on his face.
Her eyes flash in amusement, and her lips stretch out into a grin that reveals serrated teeth. San holds his smile until she turns around and flounces away. Only then does he release the breath he’s been holding. When he looks over to the others, Yongsun grins at him like a proud mother while Mingi looks awestruck as if he can’t believe San would have the audacity to sass a fae like that. Hongjoong, however, doesn’t appear to have even noticed. He’s staring ahead at the empty throne with narrowed eyes.
Then Mingi asks the question that’s on all their minds, “Where’s this Queen we’re supposed to talk to?”
“Seems appropriate to make us wait,” Yongsun comments. “It wouldn’t do for the guest of the hour to show up early.” She shrugs it off. That’s how she tends to operate at least.
“She’s hiding,” Hongjoong whispers under his breath. Even Yongsun swivels her heard to look at the redhead as he continues to glare at the empty throne. “She’s a coward. I always knew it.”
“Hiding from what?” San asks.
“Us,” Hongjoong clarifies. “Me. Minho knew why we were here. It only makes sense that she knows too. That they all know. She’s probably trying to solidify her forces behind the scenes.”
“Well, I guess it’s good to know that we scare her,” Yongsun says smugly as she crosses her arms over her chest.
“Who is scared?”
Mingi visibly jumps at the voice that speaks. It’s not booming in any sense, but somehow the calm and elegant voice carries through the crowd of fairies to reach them. Hongjoong glares at the immaculately dressed fae who emerges from the crowd, an older gentleman following behind her. San straightens up as he stares at her. She’s beautiful. Her glamour is flawless as she stares at the four of them with a thinly veiled glare. Her dark hair is impossibly long, with little braids added as accents.
She strides up to the unoccupied throne and gracefully seats herself down. All chattering among her court ceases at that moment before she waves a hand towards one of her attendants. Immediately, a fae scurries forward with a large goblet and makes her way towards them. She briefly glances at Hongjoong before quickly moving on to Yongsun. The vampire smiles at the proffered cup and waves her hand dismissively. She moves to Mingi who eyes the item like it’s a test.
He looks first to San and then to Yongsun who gives the barest shake of her head. “No, thank you,” he declines politely in a small voice.
The fae moves on to San, offering the cup up to the human. San stares down at it with a hard gaze. He might not be well versed in court traditions, but he knows danger when he sees it. Lifting his eyes up, he glares at the fae who dared to bring him such a thing and loudly rejects it. Hongjoong winces when his voice echoes through the throne room, and the Queen raises an eyebrow at his behavior.
“It is considered rude not to at least accept a drink while at court,” she tells the human. “Won’t you indulge me?”
“I’m not so stupid as to take anything a fairy offers me,” San retorts. “I’m not the human you wanted, so let’s not pretend as if I’ve insulted you.”
Hongjoong sucks in a deep breath. Yes, he can definitely see now that Seonghwa definitely mentored this kid.
“And what is it that you are implying?”
“Let’s just get straight to the point,” Hongjoong interrupts her as he steps forward. He can at least be grateful that San is straightforward. “It’s been so long since I was in court politics, and I can honestly say I hate the pleasantries, so shall we just get to the matter at hand?” he suggests, internally beaming at the way she sneers at him.
The man beside her leans down to speak something into her ear before she leans a little bit forward in her seat, radiating authority as she does so. “You may no longer be a part of this court, Hongjoong, but we have our traditions and we—”
“Have been causing a lot of damn trouble lately,” Hongjoong interrupts her. A murmured ripple sounds throughout her court as she sits back in her seat, expression momentarily shocked by the interruption. “You think I’m here for some petty revenge against you because you banished me over a century ago? I haven’t thought about you for a single day since then.” He relishes in the stormy expression that overcomes her features as her fingers curl around the armrest of her chair. Clearly the sentiment hasn’t been shared.
“Then what are you here for?” she asks politely.
“A few weeks ago a werewolf was killed,” Hongjoong announces as he briefly scans the court. They’re quiet, waiting to see what he has to say. “I was hired to investigate the incident.”
The Queen scoffs at his proclamation. “And?” she asks dismissively. “You came all the way here to tell me about how you’ve been playing detective lately?”
“I came here because you killed him,” Hongjoong accuses. Her gaze is cold and calculating, but the redhead spies how her fingers dig into the armrests, clearly annoyed by him.
“I’ve done no such thing,” she answers in a measured voice. “What would I have to gain from killing a werewolf?”
“A good question indeed,” Hongjoong doesn’t miss a single beat as he begins to pace along the floors of the throne room. “I’ll concede that you may not have directly killed him, but you did command one of yours to do the deed. That’s why I’m here,” he says as he comes to a halt in front of her throne. “Someone must pay for his blood.”
She tilts her chin up at him and keeps her cool. “Then kill the one who did it,” she says. “It is not my problem. You have the culprit, do you not? Let his blood pay the price. I didn’t kill anyone.”
“We won’t concede to that,” Mingi says boldly, hesitating when much of the attention turns to him. Even Hongjoong turns to stare at him, trying to gesture for the werewolf to shut up. Yongsun sends the redhead a sharp look, however, that causes Hongjoong to immediately back down. They’re supposed to be the chief plaintiffs here. They should express their outrage at the court’s behavior. “We believed a werewolf to be behind the attacks originally. We almost blamed the wrong werewolf for the act, only to discover one our kind had been forced to commit such a heinous deed by fairies.” He looks around the court before lifting his gaze up towards the Queen who quietly stews on her throne. Puffing his chest up, Mingi’s voice booms through the throne room. “We demand fairy blood in retribution.”
Another murmur waves through the crowd as Hongjoong turns back to face the Queen, hiding the surprise on his face. He hadn’t expected Mingi to do such a good job.
“Or what?” she asks coldly. “A werewolf killed yours. Why should I give you fae blood in compensation?”
“Or we go to war,” Mingi spits out. “You can banish and torment your own all you want. Our packs are family and you killed one of us. Give us our demands or there will be no reconciliation.”
She shifts in her seat, and Hongjoong bites back a grin. She doesn’t like the idea, but more importantly she believes Mingi’s lies. She looks over to her side and nods her head towards one of her guards. “Very well,” she concedes to Mingi. “I offer you his charge.”
The werewolf blanches as the fae from before is forced from the gathered crowd. Hongjoong stiffens when he meets Minho’s gaze. He’d been right. Minho knew it would come down to this because it was the easiest way out for her. Mingi looks up at Hongjoong for guidance, but the redhead scrambles to come up with something. Realistically, this should be a good deal. Mingi would get what he wants, and the Queen would come out unscathed having appeased the werewolves and gotten rid of yet another perceived enemy. Hongjoong looks back at San and Yongsun, silently pleading for another interruption, but the vampire only holds a finger up to her lips and looks over to Mingi with a knowing smile.
“I—we refuse this offer,” Mingi says.
“And why is that?” The Queen asks suspiciously. “You want fae blood, and I offer it. He brought that werewolf to this court to begin with. His blood should more than satisfy your pack.”
“Look at him,” Mingi scoffs as he eyes the fae with some guilt. “He looks like he hardly holds any position of power here. This will not satisfy my Head Alpha.”
“I can offer you no better option,” she says through gritted teeth.
“Then consider yourselves our enemy,” Mingi declares as he points an accusing finger at her.
She narrows her eyes but settles back on her throne with a relaxed posture. Hongjoong notes this with some concern. She’d rather take the risk, he thinks. She would rather go to war with a pack than give up someone of more importance.
“Very well,” she agrees. “I’m not scared of a pack of werewolves.”
Minho quietly slinks back into the crowd as Yongsun steps up this time, her heels clanking along the marbled floor as she approaches the throne. “Then I suppose you wouldn’t mind going to war with my clan as well,” she muses as the Queen turns her attention to the vampire. However, she’s quiet—much quieter compared to Mingi—as she waits for Yongsun to speak first.
“You see, almost a year ago, we had an incident with some hunters making their way into my city,” her eyes flash dangerously as she approaches the throne. A guard steps in front of her to block the way when she gets too close, much closer than the other two, and she finally has the decency to stop. “Your antics have drawn too much attention to my city. My clan will suffer as a result.”
“I’ve done nothing—”
“Your agents are teeming within my city,” she interrupts in a cold voice. Hongjoong flinches away from her, genuinely terrified of the vampire for a moment. “More with each passing day, and might I inquire as to why that is? You’ve sent one to kill a werewolf and succeeded, yet your people remain. No, they grow in number. For what purpose are you there?”
The Queen runs her fingers along the arm of her chair and looks up towards her advisor for guidance. Hongjoong watches her carefully. Mingi, she might have planned for, but Yongsun showing up had clearly been unexpected, and even he can tell that she will have to tread carefully with this vampire.
“I have caused no problems for you or your clan,” she says carefully. “I would kindly ask that you stay out of my business.”
“Then I would kindly ask you to remove all your agents and your presence from my city,” Yongsun answers back. “Or else how many more bodies do you plan to strewn across my city before you're done settling a petty score from years ago? I don’t care much about your feud with our little redhead over here,” she motions to Hongjoong, “but I will descend on you with all the might and terror of my clan if you do not remove yourself from my city. Your mere presence is a danger.”
“Your city is equal parts human and us,” the Queen replies. “I hardly think our presence is a danger to you.”
Yongsun turns to the guard who blocks her way, lifting a hand up to caress his neck as she admires him. “I would think a fae Queen smarter than this,” she murmurs in a pitying voice as her hand moves like a threat down the column of his neck. “Perhaps vengeance has blinded you. Perhaps you truly are stupid to the threats that lie before you.”
“What do you speak of?” the Queen asks.
“Do you know who the human you so desperately seek even is? Do you know who that werewolf even is?” she asks as she easily moves the guard aside with a slight push. He gasps when the force of it sends him to the floor as she strides up the few steps to the throne.
The Queen sits back in her seat, holding her hand up to stop the vampire, but Yongsun grabs hold of her wrist. Hongjoong gapes at the display. By no means has he been respectful during this process. He had no intention of being respectful, but he is also well aware that they are deep within enemy territory. And he knew Yongsun was terrifying in her own right, but he never expected her to act as if she is the highest authority here.
“I am much older than you, child,” the vampire hisses at her. “I knew your mother and father when they were younger. I built my sanctuary city from the ground up, and I will not tolerate it being under threat by a child who cannot even choose her fights correctly. Do. Not. Test. Me.”
Hongjoong takes an unconscious step away from the throne. So maybe she was the highest authority here. She releases her hold on the Queen’s arm and strides down the steps of the throne as quickly as she had gone up. The room is dead quiet in the wake of her behavior. Even the guards are frozen in place.
“Hongjoong,” Yongsun calls for the fae. “Tell her what Seonghwa is. Don’t say he’s your boyfriend, preferably,” she jokes, but Hongjoong can’t laugh at her. Not anymore.
“He’s a hunter,” Hongjoong says slowly, breathing a quiet sigh of relief when the vampire nods her head in approval.
“And Yunho?”
“He is a packless werewolf,” the Queen hisses. “He is a nobody.”
Yongsun raises her eyebrows at that. “Oh yeah?” she challenges as she turns to face San. “San,” she calls for the human, motioning for him to step forward which he sheepishly does. “Explain to everyone why kidnapping and killing a hunter and assassinating your werewolf would be very, very bad for me.” San stares at her like she’s gone mad. He has no idea what she’s talking about, but she tilts her head down at him encouragingly. “You convinced me,” she reminds him quietly. “Convince them too.”
San’s gaze moves over to Hongjoong, the redhead’s expression pleading. San had come here for Yunho, worried about the werewolf’s safety if this court wanted his head just to hurt Hongjoong, but it was also more than that. Seonghwa was a target too, apparently, and it occurs to San then that this is why Hongjoong is here. It isn’t that Yunho isn’t important or that he wouldn’t have been equally as upset, but he wouldn’t have gone to these same lengths.
This is for Seonghwa.
“He’s—we’re from a hunting family,” San finally says.
“Hunters?” someone nearby him whispers in a faint voice.
“You see, though, as far as they’re concerned we’re missing. They don’t know that we’ve been residing in that city under Yongsun’s generous permission.” The vampire positively beams at him when he says that. “If you killed Seonghwa, it would only be a matter of time before news of his death reached our family. If you killed Yunho…” he trails off as he looks over the vampire’s shoulder to meet Hongjoong’s gaze. The redhead tilts his head forward, encouraging him to continue. San had never been a part of this plan, but he won’t deny that the human could be perceived as a threat in his own right. “I wouldn’t have had anyone else to turn to. I would have told my family, and they would have descended upon that city in droves.”
The Queen’s hands curl up into fists on top of her arm rest. “You can’t possibly have known that,” she says before turning her attention to Yongsun. “Do you honestly believe such lies? And yet you claim to be so wise.”
“A dead body makes news,” Yongsun says simply, “a living person typically doesn’t. And someone who has lost everything is prone to recklessness. Even I am incapable of stopping that kind of information from disseminating fast enough.”
The Queen takes in a deep breath before releasing it quietly. “Exactly what would you like me to do then?”
“Remove all your agents from my city,” Yongsun says quickly. “I don’t want a single new murder case until that is finished. If a dead body shows up before then, I will slaughter you and your entire court. If I ever see one of yours in my city again, I will slaughter you and your entire court. Are we clear about that?”
She sputters at the vampires demands, face turning red with embarrassment as more chatter disseminates through her court. “I—you dare threaten me in my court?”
“I do, little girl!” Yongsun barks out in delight. “You may be a fae Queen, but you are of little consequence to me. Or shall I let your father know what you’ve been up to? Too busy causing trouble amongst werewolves and hunters and trying to exact petty revenge on an old court fae? I’ve heard he is very eager to unite the Seelie courts beneath him, and I wonder how he will take to some of his daughters misbehavior and weakness?”
“Very well,” she whispers out, trembling on her throne at the mention of the Unseelie King. “We will pull out of your city as you request. Now leave. You are not welcome here any longer.”
Yongsun lips curl up into a smile, satisfied at the outcome, but Hongjoong isn’t finished rubbing salt into her wounds. “You’re missing something,” he reminds her.
Her gaze snaps to him, sharp and glaring and almost unhinged. She has never been much of a leader, in Hongjoong’s opinion, rising to her position slowly off the lineage of her blood. It still gave her power within her court, of course, or at least it did. Hongjoong wonders what the fall out within the court will be like when this is over. But she clearly didn’t hold a candle to those with real power like Yongsun, Hongjoong is quickly coming to realize.
“What do you want?” she snaps at him.
Smiling, he nods his head towards Mingi. “They still require a criminal.”
“I have declared war with them!” she growls back as unrest begins to grow in her court. Clearly, that is no longer a popular opinion.
“Then I will stand by the pack,” Yongsun declares easily. “If they go to war with you, they will have my allegiance.”
She shrinks back into her throne, the color draining from her face at the threat. “What? Why?” Yongsun only smiles cryptically in response.
“Hand over a suitable surrogate,” Hongjoong demands. “Or are you willing to go to war?” The Queen looks across her court with a worried gaze. The whispers are hard to ignore but worse than that, who could she send that wouldn’t cost her?
“Shall I pick?” Yongsun asks, perking up with interest.
“No,” the Queen says sharply. “No. Only I know who could be a suitable candidate.” She looks across the court again as her nails dig into the wood of her throne.
“How about you pick then, Hongjoong?” Yongsun suggests as she turns to the redhead. “Surely you also know whose blood would be fair.”
“No,” the Queen says again, more forcefully this time, but Hongjoong doesn’t even hesitate as he lifts a finger up to point at the man standing next to her. An older gentleman with white hairs peppering his hair. With a squeal, the vampire dives for him although it’s not necessary. He doesn’t try to run as the vampire leads him back to the four of them.
“I thought you didn’t come here for petty revenge,” he remarks as he stares down at Hongjoong.
The redhead only smiles at him. “I didn’t come for revenge,” he assures the older fae, “but your Queen truly just handed it to me on a silver platter. I always told you I’d get you for what you did to me, and I’ll make sure those werewolves give you a slow and painful death.”
“This court will be in ruins without me,” he says.
“Ask me if I care,” Hongjoong snorts. “You were the one who got me banished in the first place.”
Yongsun shoves him over to Mingi who yelps a little as he catches the fae into a bear hug, cheering and jeering at the werewolf as she guides him out of the throne room. San looks over at Hongjoong before he motions towards Mingi and Yongsun, a silent inquiry, but the fae shakes his head as he ascends the stairs up to the throne instead.
The Queen leans back from him as he approaches her, and he leans down until they’re eye-level with each other. Hongjoong carefully studies her face for a moment, not the least bit satisfied at the anger and defeat he sees in her eyes. Maybe it’s because at one point in his life he had tried his best to make her court into something great.
“Did you really think I was an Unseelie agent?”
She scoffs at his question. “Despite what you think, I am not a fool, Hongjoong.”
“Then why did you do that to me?”
She takes a deep breath. “You might not have been an Unseelie agent, but I always thought you were a threat to my throne. I know you never thought of me as a good leader. I did what I had to to get rid of you. I just wanted your human toy to make that extra clear.”
Hongjoong quietly seethes with anger that doesn’t quite make it to his voice when he says, “You aren’t a good leader, but I did what I could to support you. I never had any ambitions to unseat you.”
“Then what do you call this?” she hisses at him.
“You did this,” Hongjoong retorts. “I haven’t thought about you once in the years I’ve been courtless, but I did think a lot about what you did to me. I agonized over my loss for years.” He clenches his teeth together as he glares at her, his anger finally seeping through. “And then you wanted to do it all over again. You tried to kill my family, and take Seonghwa from me. You messed with my own, and I paid you back in kind. Is that not the fair folk way?”
Her nose scrunches up as she pulls her lips back into a sneer. “Where did you even get allies like that?”
Hongjoong lifts himself back up with a little grin, turning to look at San who’s still waiting for him at the base of the throne. “What can I say? I suppose I never lost my touch with diplomacy.”
“Do you think that will be the end of this?” San asks as they make the trek back towards the parking lot. Mingi and Yongsun have gone far ahead of them, leaving San and Hongjoong to catch up.
The redhead looks over to the human who stares at him quizzically. “I owe you an explanation, don’t I?”
“I—” San sputters before blinking. “I, yeah. I guess so.”
“I love Seonghwa,” he blurts out before he can even really think about it. It feels both relieving and odd to confess like this to San. The human clearly feels the same way because he stares at Hongjoong with an uncomprehending expression. It’s the first time he’s really expressed these feelings truthfully which is relieving, but it’s also demonstrably bizarre to have done so to San of all people.
“Wait,” San pauses when Hongjoong’s words finally sink in for him. “Are you and Seonghwa dating?”
“Yes, sort of. I think.” Hongjoong scratches at his head as he continues to walk back his answer.
“Since when?”
“Not too long ago, but, um, since always too.”
San furrows his eyebrows together, clearly lost by Hongjoong’s explanation. “Is that why you said Seonghwa was a potential target? Because she knew about it?”
“Yeah,” Hongjoong confirms.
“Then they’re safe now, right? Yunho and Seonghwa.”
Hongjoong hesitates before finally settling on, “Yeah, they are. The court will be in shambles after this. They won’t have time to try and make a move on us, and anyways, you heard Yongsun. If they step foot in her city again they’re dead.”
San shivers at the reminder of the vampire’s threat. “I always got a feeling that she was, like, old, you know?” he says with a shake of his head. “I didn’t know she was that old and terrifying though.”
“You convinced her to advocate for us though,” Hongjoong reminds him. “Thank you for that, by the way. Without her…” he doesn’t need to finish the thought because it’s clear to the both of them. Without her the plan would have quickly fallen apart. “And thank you for being there. It—it was oddly comforting to have a hunter there.”
San grins at him lopsidedly. “I was defenseless though.”
“That didn’t matter. Your presence was enough.” He smiles at San as he feels warmth bloom in his chest. He has, admittedly, never really liked the human. It had been an outright hatred at first for the danger he put Yunho in as a hunter. He came to begrudgingly accept the human’s presence after Yunho chose to settle down here, obstinately referring to San as his mate. Hongjoong knew he would have to just accept the fact. But now, the fae can honestly say that he likes the human. He’s glad that San was there for him.
San holds his hand out to the redhead as an offer, and Hongjoong stares down at it curiously. “Take good care of Seonghwa for me,” San requests, wiggling his fingers to ask for a handshake.
The fae laughs at him before he takes hold of San’s hand and gives it a firm shake. “Do the same for Yunho and you’ll have yourself a deal,” he counters.
Hongjoong peers up over the top of their current case file to watch Seonghwa curse and abuse the little coffee machine in their office. The human fiddles with a part of it and just barely holds back a scream when that piece breaks off.
“I thought you said you fixed this,” he accuses the fae, banging the top of the machine a couple more times for good measure. Surprisingly, it doesn’t help to produce any coffee.
“I did fix it,” Hongjoong insists as he digs his nose back into the case file.
“Does it look like it’s fixed?”
Sighing, the fae sets the file down on his desk so he can cross his arms over his chest. He stares pointedly at the part that Seonghwa had broken off and says, “It looks to me like you’re slowly tearing the poor thing apart.”
“It’s already broken,” Seonghwa sniffs as he casually tosses that part into the trash.
Pushing his chair back, Hongjoong stands up from his desk and walks around the side of it to make his way to Seonghwa. He plucks the empty mug from the humans hand before setting it down in front of the coffee machine. “Now watch carefully,” Hongjoong warns him. “I don’t want to go over this a second time.”
Seonghwa watches curiously as the fae crouches down to the machine and fiddles with a few of the buttons. He cocks an eyebrow, expecting nothing to happen only for the machine to suddenly whir to life.
“What the—” he sputters as coffee begins dispensing itself into his mug. “How the hell did you do that? It’s broken.”
Grining, Hongjoong turns to face the human and smugly says, “Fae magic.”
“Bullshit,” Seonghwa calls, waiting impatiently for his coffee. “I’m getting a new machine. This one is broken and apparently can only run on fae magic.”
“No!” Hongjoong protests sharply at the notion of a new coffee machine. “You can’t get a new one.”
Seonghwa blinks at his demand. “And why not?”
“Because then what will you need me for?” Hongjoong pouts.
“Oh, don’t be so overdramatic,” Seonghwa scolds him, catching the fae around the waist when he tries to sulk off. He pulls Hongjoong in closer and croons into his ear, “I’ll always need you.”
“Ugh,” the fae makes a noise of disgust. “When did you get so corny?”
“What? You don’t like it?” Seonghwa asks, tucking Hongjoong’s head beneath his chin as he thinks of a new one. “Shall I call you my knight in shining armor instead? Since you saved me from your fairy court and all?”
“I hate you,” Hongjoong declares as he pulls back to glare up at the human. Seonghwa only grins back in response, his coffee completely forgotten.
Hongjoong still hasn’t said those words to Seonghwa yet. I love you. They’re not easy to get out, and Hongjoong is a little scared to in some ways. He used to speak those words so easily once upon a time, but they felt like they meant almost nothing in the aftermath. He loved someone once, but what did it mean with his death? Hongjoong digs his fingers into Seonghwa’s shirt as the human’s smile falls a little when he gets the distinct impression that something is wrong.
Seonghwa leans down to press a kiss to the corner of Hongjoong’s lips, effectively snapping the fae out of his thoughts as he blinks up at the human. “You okay?” he asks when he has the fae’s attention.
“Yeah,” Hongjoong says after a short pause, but he means it and Seonghwa can tell. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
Maybe he hasn’t said those words to Seonghwa yet, but this time he has a whole lifetime to get there.