Chapter Text
Sometimes the silence felt more deafening than the storm. Wooyoung hated the way his ears rang after. How he heard the jagged breathing rustle in his own lungs. The right corner of his mouth felt sticky from the drying blood. A weird taste – something like iron – lingered on his tongue. His position hasn’t changed yet, still cowered in the corner of the living room. The only thing that had changed were Wooyoung’s arms who had left its defending stance. They had brought nothing anyways. The knock on the door being tons more effective. His cheek and ear burnt, blood moistening his skin. The splinter of glass laid close to him; remnants of the bottle that had been struck across his face. If not for the knock, Wooyoung was sure that this would have not been the end.
He got himself up on wobbly legs, knowing he’d get mad if he’d stay there. Sometimes Wooyoung wondered if it all was worth this. His eyes had troubles focusing anything in the room, a headache pounding with the steps of people approaching the room. The familiar shook his head to get the feeling off, but it made everything so much worse. Sometimes he felt like his Robin Hood-esque attitude had come back to bite him, as if this was what he deserved now. But Wooyoung gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to give up like that.
“You have made up your mind, I see”, his master said. That was all Wooyoung knew from him anyways – to call him master. Wooyoung’s eyes awaited the group of people as the voice grew louder. Looking as abused as Wooyoung; people would usually hide their appearance in shame. Wooyoung didn’t have to lose anything though, so when Hongjoong and another tall guy entered by the doorframe, Wooyoung’s gaze fumbled with the one of his childhood friends.
Kim Hongjoong.
Flashes of red crossed his face. Recognition. Yet, no other reaction than shaking fists.
Coward! Wooyoung screamed in his mind. A part of him mad, another part begging him to get him out. He was so torn that nothing else, but indifference, showed on his face.
“I’ll bring tea”, Wooyoung murmured, leaving the scene as if he wasn’t with a bleeding bruise on his face. As if his master’s sleeve was not tattered in the same red. Besides, he would have asked Wooyoung to bring tea anyways. Might as well spare himself the act of getting yelled at or punished after.
Seeing Hongjoong like this made Wooyoung wonder if they had felt anything seeing Wooyoung after all those years. Because even though it had thrown Wooyoung’s mood into a turmoil, he still felt something. It felt like his heart had been awakened from a long slumber, making it beat in a soft rhythm again. Wooyoung wondered what seeing him like this did to them. If they recognised him at all.
His teeth crunched as he bit down hard, trying to steady his gaze as his consciousness started to slip, the pounding of his head becoming a full sledgehammer by now. His fingernails dug into his palms, breaking skin until it would burn, reminding Wooyoung to put a foot in front of the other. He knew when he was in the kitchen, he could sit down for some minutes without being bothered before he had to bring the tea.
His hand fumbled for the wall as his dizziness reached a new level. Yet, he was so close. But just as he thought he had made it; he felt something around his arm. When he looked at his wrist, he could swear that there was nothing, but shaking it off didn’t work, making Wooyoung suck in a breath of air sharply. What was that?!
A yelp escaped him as he was suddenly tugged into the dark kitchen. The door closed right behind with a thud. Wooyoung wanted to scream but he knew it would hurt, would rip the dried red on his lips again. Before Wooyoung could decide on any of that, something warm wrapped around his waist and back. It felt like soft fingers in his nape, tugging him close. Wooyoung’s nose brushed something like fabric although there was still nothing to be seen in front of him. Even though the room was still dark, the clouded sky emitted enough light that Wooyoung was sure that he must have been able to see shadows if there was someone. But there wasn’t. Grippling fear crawled up Wooyoung’s legs, pooling in his stomach before it shot to his throat. With a rapid motion he got himself free, something still lingering on his wrist.
“Wooyoung.”
The call of his name made Wooyoung suck in a gasp. Petrified by the word Wooyoung flung himself further back, realising that the hold on himself wasn’t as tight anymore being able to get his arms free to smash his fist against the light switch.
This voice…
“Hey, baby kitten. Are you doing alright? Need help with your homework. Oh, yes! Of course I can come over today!”
Wooyoung’s teeth were chattering.
Gasps sounded in the room, now that it was lit.
“What did that monster do to you…? I’ll make him pay for this…”
Just as Wooyoung was about to doubt his sanity, he saw the scheme of a person sizzle in the space. Edges blurred until pink hair manifested in front of Wooyoung. Although there was a second man in the room with them, Wooyoung’s sole focus laid on-
“Seonghwa…”, Wooyoung breathed, the air getting stuck in his throat.
The small slope of his nose, the round eyes, the pale complexion of his skin. Wooyoung felt like he was confronted with one of his many daydreams. How would they look today? Would they look any different. And although Seonghwa’s hair had never been pink before, he was still soft, yet so powerful.
Wooyoung’s eyes twitched. It had hurt to be confronted with Seonghwa before. But the second time hurt even more.
“What did he do, Wooyoung? Wooyoung!?”, Seonghwa asked, coming closer as Wooyoung did not answer. But instead of giving into his crippling need to lean into Seonghwa’s touch, Wooyoung held him on arm length. His mind screaming at him. Reminding him what they had done. That it was all their fault.
Wooyoung wrapped his arms around his own torso, shaking his head until Wooyoung winced painfully.
“Don’t do that, please!”
“Don’t come closer!”, Wooyoung exclaimed in panic as Seonghwa tried to approach again.
“Wooyoung…”, Seonghwa breathed. His hand hovered dead in the air, not daring to break Wooyoung’s trust. “Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you recognise me?”
The familiar shook his head, making his world spin, “Get lost.” His words were shaking like wind chimes in a storm making his head ring.
“Wooyoung, please stop!”, Seonghwa pleaded as Wooyoung got dizzy, gripping the nearest counter as his world started spinning. Soft hands stabilised his head, making the dizziness stop.
“What do you want!?”, Wooyoung yelled and pulled his head out of the hands, not caring if anyone could hear. He didn’t know why Seonghwa would be here. If this was just a ghost manifested by his endless hope, Wooyoung would not shatter on it. Not again. Help me. Help me.
The witches’ eyes started to glow violet, “We are here to get you out, Wooyoung. We know how he treats you. We will not watch this longer. Not when I finally know where you are. I want you safe-“
“Liar”, Wooyoung coaxed out, voice broken, he was not even sure that Seonghwa was able to hear him. Wooyoung pressed his eyes close as the pain in his head got unbearable, his fingers threading towards the source.
“Please let us help you”, it must have been Seonghwa’s voice again, “You are hurt. We can discuss everything further when you are better. We know that you are not linked to him. You are a prisoner against your will.”
Wooyoung frowned but was not strong enough to fight against his words. If he just knew…
Wooyoung felt the bond thrum numbly through his veins, like poison dragging his movements and thoughts. Yet, he felt like this was a chance.
Staying here would not work out. Wooyoung was not able to fight back after all. It was a miscalculation from his side to ever join this man… so this seemed to be something like an opportunity to change things.
“Okay”, Wooyoung whispered. It was merely a breath, wordless as he felt himself weaken with every passing second.
“Wooyoung!”, Seonghwa exclaimed in a hushed tone, before Wooyoung felt two pairs of arms supporting his dead weight. He was so tired.
“I got you-“
“Get me out”, Wooyoung rasped, and it was the first time the familiar let his walls down in a while. He gripped Seonghwa’s sleeve and pressed his eyes closed, “I have not forgotten what you and Hongjoong did to me. I do not forgive you, but… Please.”
Before they even moved, Wooyoung was able to feel soft fingers on his forehead. Already expecting pain, he winced, but all that came was a soft comforting feeling of magic. Wooyoung felt drunk on it. Now that he felt it so close… he hadn’t felt any magic at all in quite a while… had he?
Wooyoung’s eyes got all droopy, body sluggish in their hold.
How…
… weird…
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The roaring of a tiger got Wooyoung to shriek. He felt like an animal had its canines around his head, making him squirm with a choked scream. His body flinched, arms reaching out, but they were immediately caught by soft hands. Soft magic. Seonghwa.
Wooyoung sighed, his eyes fluttering open. They felt heavy yet it was the first time he could breathe this freely in a while. There was a painful pull in his lower abdomen, but despite that, he was warm. The pain, that had sizzled at his ear and cheek, had been reduced to a poor pressure. It was uncomfortable but not hurtful.
“Hey, Wooyoungie”, Seonghwa’s soft voice spoke. The pink-haired was upside-down, making Wooyoung frown slightly. The elder witch had a crease of worry between his brows, his hands on Wooyoung’s cheeks so softly. “We are sorry that we woke you up.”
“Yeah, my bad”, some new voice said, making Wooyoung dip his head a bit to the side. He was laying somewhere – probably Seonghwa’s lap – while Seonghwa’s hands helped him turn his head. Some boy sat in the front at the wheel, a sorry smile thrown over his shoulder towards Wooyoung with a wave of his hand. His dark eyes lingered on Wooyoung’s cheeks, eyes analysing before he looked to the front again.
Another boy sat on the passenger seat, also looking to Wooyoung shortly before checking the street again.
The sound of the engine must have woken him up. Wooyoung felt his legs lay on someone else’s legs. He must have been carefully draped over the people in the backseat.
“Where’s Hongjoong?”, Wooyoung slurred as he couldn’t make out the fierce leader.
Seonghwa drew comforting circles in the side of Wooyoung’s head, making the familiar hum.
“I told you not to… touch…”, Wooyoung said weakly but with no further resolve. He was out of there… He was not at the mansion anymore. How did they…?
Wooyoung closed his eyes slowly again. His magic not thrumming in his body like he expected to. That was the price he’d pay after all. He knew that this safe haven was temporary. Yet, Wooyoung wanted to give himself the bliss for just the split of a second.
Wooyoung wondered if they had their eyes on Wooyoung since a long time already? If they had seen when master had put him in the basement for days without food. Or had they only found him by accident when they came over? Had they felt strongly when they had seen him after all those years again? How long did it take for them to realise who he was? What had they talked about when they left? What had become of Hongjoong just now? Had he been there as a decoy? What had become of his… master? Did he take Hongjoong now that they must have realised that Wooyoung was missing? Was he even able to take Hongjoong captive? And why… of all things… did Wooyoung care so much… what would happen to Hongjoong? To Seonghwa… to them all. Why… did Wooyoung still care?
A light weight on his body made Wooyoung open his eyes again. He frowned at the black coat on his stomach. “Wha-?”, Wooyoung rasped, looking to the front.
“You looked cold and shivered”, the driver said, beaming a smile through the rear mirror. “Please accept it.”
Wooyoung shivered but this time not because he was cold. With a content expression, he snuggled into the warm coat of the stranger, letting himself relax, kitty ears jumping out of his dark strands. He heard a little gasp, heard someone coo, and smiled a little. He still was not at peace with Hongjoong and Seonghwa. He wanted to talk this out. Needed to, after all they’d done to him. But Wooyoung and the others all needed this right now. This moment of relief while Wooyoung drifted to sleep on the backseat of the coven’s car.
Wooyoung always thought that it was weird to dream the prettiest things when shit things happened. All he felt were the rays of sunshine, a cute smile on his lips as he squinted his eyes against the light of the late afternoon. He felt someone touch his shoulder, making him laugh. More and more people were gathering around Wooyoung, his heart sparking in joy. Was it a faint memory he had from childhood days or something of another universe? It was not reality – Wooyoung was sure of that, because whatever this was, felt like a family.
And he didn’t have… a family.
When he scrunched his nose, he felt the sun tickle his skin. At least not everything of his dream was untrue. Something soft indeed touched his shoulder, but when he looked it was not a hand of a lover but a fluffy warm blanket. Wooyoung’s head pounded a bit as he turned his head to see more of the room he was in, but his view was cancelled by a gigantic round Shiba plushie. Wooyoung’s eyes must have been as wide as the ocean as his fingers curled from underneath the duvets, reaching towards the thing. His fingers dipped deep, making him smile. It was so soft.
Now that he felt more awake, he let his hands travel to his face. There were some band aids on his lips and cheeks, a bandage wrapped around his head like a bandana. Wooyoung wondered how bad it must look, but at least it didn’t hurt as much anymore, they must have taken good care of him.
For a second longer Wooyoung smiled to the plushie before his eyes ripped open, hands stilling.
They.
Where did they bring him?
Wooyoung’s eyes flit from one side to the other. There was no one in the room. Yet, where had he even gone? A pain stroke him like lightning at his nape, making a hand bolt up to rub the pain again. Shit. He had left the mansion. By the height of the sun Wooyoung was sure that it must have been another day too. What happened to his master and to Hongjoong? But even worse – what was happening to him now?
He managed to detangle himself from all the blankets and pillows that had been thrown onto the bed for him. A pair of soft slippers stood at its edge, kicked to the side by Wooyoung’s shuffling feet. Wooyoung crunched his teeth. He had agreed to leave in a moment of weakness. And he couldn’t even be mad. His nightly dreams were haunted by his master and by this place. If there was anything Wooyoung wanted more since months, than it was to escape. But Wooyoung should have never gone.
His fingers wandered to his nape again, eyes trembling. This will have consequences.
On top of it all, Wooyoung couldn’t have Seonghwa and Hongjoong getting dragged into all of this. In contrary to Wooyoung, they had a family. He knew he’d cave with them and Wooyoung had sworn to himself he wouldn’t. But just the fact that he was here, presumably in their coven’s home, meant that Wooyoung had fucked up.
The doors hit open with a bang. Wooyoung jumped as he had not wanted to open with such force, with such warning signal for everyone else in the house. What a way to be discrete.
Wooyoung was still wearing his clothes from the door before, holding his torn blouse while running. He didn’t pay the surroundings much mind. It looked like a big old house. Quite friendly for a witch coven. Something Wooyoung was not used to as all witches he ever visited at home had cold, cruel homes. No decoration, no sense of home and safety. Wooyoung didn’t allow himself to even have the slightest idea of calling this ‘nice’.
His breath hitched as he stopped at the balustrade of stairs leading downstairs. His heightened familiar senses tried to hear anything related to a person, but it seemed like the hall was clear. Wooyoung swiftly looked over the chandelier holding back a frown as he tried to wrap his head around that he was in Seonghwa’s and Hongjoong’s coven. The most powerful coven in Seoul. That must have come with quite some wealth too.
His steps sounded loudly on the stairs, one hand on the balustrade as he dashed. He nearly tripped over, catching his steps like his breath with some flailing. A big portal of marble sat at the halls opposite, making Wooyoung hopeful to escape. He didn’t want to go right back to the mansion, but he surely couldn’t stay here.
Wooyoung’s breathing came out in short-breathed yaps. His hands shook. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
He couldn’t stay away.
Just as he reached forward to grasp the handle of the door, he felt strong arms wrapping around his small form. Wooyoung gasped, breath stuck in his throat like a stone, making the air unable to enter his body. Wooyoung choked on nothing, fighting against the grip around his body but it was way too strong. The lack of oxygen started a coughing fit.
Who was that?! His body went in overdrive gasping as he tried to get out of the arms. It felt like the first time Wooyoung had served his master’s tea the wrong way. The first time Wooyoung was met with a cold wrath.
“Shhh, calm down. Please”, the voice was unknown to Wooyoung spiking his anxiety. He had trusted Seonghwa to bring him to safety, but who knew where he really had been brought too. Wooyoung felt muscles move against his back.
“Hey… breathe.”
But all Wooyoung answered with was a piercing scream. It was all he could muster up. His familiar side tried to access his magic to fight against the attacker, but he couldn’t reach it. It felt like his magical powers had been taken away from him. He knew why after all – but that didn’t mean that it made any of it better now.
Wooyoung’s knee gave in as his screams stopped in sobs. Whoever held Wooyoung was way too strong for him. He felt his chest contract, making it difficult to breathe. More than already before. The arms would still stay around him, following him to the floor. “Please let go of me…”, Wooyoung hiccupped.
“You are safe here. I promise that nobody will hurt you here. You just need to-“, soft words spoke but for Wooyoung tit felt so intimidating.
“San! Let go of him!! NOW!”
Seonghwa’s voice broke through Wooyoung’s panic. It was the first familiar thing to him since he had woken up and his mind latched on it as if it was a lifeline. But at the same time, Wooyoung dreaded the moment Seonghwa kneeled next to Wooyoung.
Wooyoung’s eyes focused the door that blurred more and more. He had been so… close…
He started to feel nauseous.
The arms around him suddenly disappeared, but Wooyoung couldn’t suck to the floor as other arms kept him alright. He flinched violently and wanted to scream again but the soothing touch of healing magic instantly flooded his veins. His muscles relaxed as the magic opened up his lungs. A deep breath grounded Wooyoung. The magic made him feel at peace, kind of like a high as it had immediate effect. It was the same that he had felt in the mansion and the car when Seonghwa had touched him.
The magic lulled him in, making it hard to understand what was talked above his head. It seemed like a wall of cotton soaked it all up, giving Wooyoung just snippets of their conversation.
“… panic attack… can’t hug him…”
“Shit… so sorry… looked scared… worried…”
Wooyoung blinked through the haze of the magic, not a fan of how it made him feel but at least he was able to breathe again. It was a welcomed change to what he was used to feel at his master’s mansion.
A hum escaped his lips as he looked to the side. Seonghwa immediately caught his gaze.
“Wooyoung? Does anything hurt still?”, his attentive gaze graced his tired features, cupping Wooyoung’s cheeks gently, “My baby kitten, what had he done to you?” He took reference to all the bandages and bruises in Wooyoung’s face. A small part of Wooyoung was happy that they didn’t undress him and change into different clothes. They would have seen the rest and although a big part of Wooyoung screamed for them to see – to see and help him – his mind knew that would not end well.
Wooyoung still felt drunk on all the healing magic but not enough to not look at Seonghwa’s hair. Had it been pink when they had visited the mansion the first time too? Wooyoung could swear that it was pitch black then – but maybe he was wrong…
“Don’t call me like that”, Wooyoung said, mustering all of the protest that was left in his body.
Seonghwa looked hurt. But it was only a part of what Wooyoung had gone through years ago.
“Your aura is all over the place…”, Seonghwa further said, soothing hands going back to give him magic.
“That must be my fault.”
This voice again. It was different than Seonghwa’s. It was rich and deep. There was the slightest of growls to it as it sounded rough on its edges. It was the voice from before, from those steel arms that had prevented his escape. Goosebumps spread over his body, yet Wooyoung turned to look over his shoulder. His eyes widened. He was met with a hard, stoic face. A perfect cut jaw, small and sharp eyes. His cheekbones sat high, accentuating his nose. With the black hair to the back, his whole face laid open making him appear hard like stone. Given the way his chest bulged underneath the black T-shirt, Wooyoung was sure that the strength that had kept him on his feet had not come from any magic but pure physique. A coat in black laid around his shoulders like a cape.
“I am sure San didn’t mean to scare you.”
“San?”, Wooyoung asked quietly, looking back to Seonghwa who had spoken up.
“I really just wanted to help. The sudden change of aura scared me. I should have not acted on my feelings alone though. You were in obvious distress. I am sorry what I caused.”
The man behind him looked beaten but all Wooyoung could think about is – why. Why would that stranger even care?
The man behind him gritted his teeth with a lowered head when Wooyoung tried to make eye contact. San missed the suspicious look of Seonghwa as he came to his feet leaving Wooyoung on the ground to himself.
“I’ll take my leave.”
When San turned sideways, Wooyoung’s eyes widened again. The profile… it seemed familiar. The honey skin looked paler in this light than back in the car when he had looked at him from the driver’s seat. Wooyoung had felt his dark eyes on him in the rear mirror. Recognised the coat that laid around San’s shoulders as the same one he had dipped his nose yesterday while his consciousness slipped into the lands of dreams.
Something in Wooyoung stirred, wanted to grab San’s hand, pull him back down and tell him that it is alright. That he should stay. But Wooyoung didn’t. There was no reason to do so, so the man left with a hanging head.
“Kitten, are you alright?”
“Stop – the fuck – calling me like that!”
Wooyoung knew that Seonghwa probably did not even do it on purpose. It was a nick name from their teenage years, because Wooyoung loved to change into his cat form the most. It had established quite quickly due to Seonghwa being the mother friend of their group but right now, Wooyoung couldn’t stand it – sounding like a term of endearment and the last thing Wooyoung wanted from Seonghwa as of now was endearment.
Only now that San was gone and Wooyoung’s focus didn’t lie in his back he noticed the other guy that was at his side. He must have rushed to his aid together. His lingering healing touch was even stronger than Seonghwa’s.
“I- I am quite alright, thank you”, Wooyoung said sternly, pulling away. He was not used to so much kindness.
The boy smiled, looking like a giant teddy with those big round eyes. “That’s good. I am glad you are better. You scared all of us when you came here with all those injuries and asleep. Hongjoong was pretty shaken when he came back, and you were unresponsive.”
Wooyoung already wanted to ask about Hongjoong but bit his tongue.
“My name is Jongho. It is nice to meet you, Wooyoung. The Hyung’s have told us a lot about you.”
At the mention of Seonghwa and Hongjoong, Wooyoung shivered. Weird… Wooyoung thought that they had probably forgotten about Wooyoung. Why else would they have abandoned him like that otherwise?
Wooyoung shook Jongho’s hand carefully. He was nice. He felt less intimidating than San, but on the other hand also not as breathtaking. But they both gave him the same feeling of safety and strength.
“A-are you all from S-Seonghwa’s coven?”
Jongho smiled, offering his second hand to help Wooyoung stand. The familiar was a bit wobbly on his legs but could catch him well enough with Jongho’s support.
“Yes, we are. My brother is also part of it.”
“Your brother?”, Wooyoung asked with a frown. He thought he hadn’t encountered anyone else yet.
Jongho grinned, “Yes! San. You just met him.” The witch chuckled, “It’s funny actually. He seems to be kind of obsessed with you. He talks nonstop about how pretty your aura is. All blue and calm like the waves of an ocean.”
Wooyoung knitted his eyebrows together. Oh… Had he? Seonghwa had not often talked about Wooyoung’s aura, only mentioned it when it felt wrong. But he never mentioned what his normal form looked like.
Wooyoung looked to Seonghwa with doubt, but the pink-haired witch nodded slightly before dipping his head and tipping his index finger on his chin, “It is quite remarkable though that San was able to pick up your aura that fast. I was closer to your room, and I had felt nothing.”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it, love. You haven’t slept in a while. It is to no one’s surprise.”
Wooyoung’s shoulders jumped as he heard Hongjoong enter the room.
The coven leader stood in the door frame to the hall, arms folded lazily as he leaned against the wall. His eyes were trained on Seonghwa, filled with love and care. So much that Wooyoung felt their connection to his very bone. Wooyoung was sure that when Hongjoong would look over to him that expression would change into a hard grimace, stern eyes and upset frown. But it all stayed the same as his eyes flicked over to the familiar. If anything, something new mingled to the positive emotions – relief.
“I am glad you are awake. You slept for so long. How are your injuries?”
“Good”, Wooyoung replied shortly, a grumble of his stomach making Wooyoung clasp his rips and dip his head down.
Back in the days, Seonghwa and Hongjoong would always laugh at Wooyoung if that happened. But they didn’t seem amused at the notion of Wooyoung being hungry.
“San are you still preparing a meal for work?”, Hongjoong asked loudly in order for San to hear through the closed door.
The handsome witch appeared with his head out of the door again, “Yeah. Why?”
Hongjoong gave him a soft smile, “Could you prepare something small for Wooyoung too?”
San’s eyes widened, looking to Wooyoung, “Of course. That’s no problem.”
“I don’t want anything to eat”, Wooyoung grumbled, making San look at him with a frown.
“Your aura is very weak, Wooyoung…”, their eyes crossed, making Wooyoung hug his arms in front of his chest. What would this San even know…
“San is right, Wooyoung”, Seonghwa said, eyes sparkling in worry. “Please eat something. Your aura is nearly gone – usually that only happens to people who are about to faint.”
It would have been a lie when Wooyoung said he was feeling alright. Well even. He felt miserable. His limbs were still shaking from all the things he had been through the last days, especially with their sudden appearance, everything got thrown upside down. His head still hurt, and light made him wince in pain as well as sharp movements of his neck.
“I don’t want to eat”, Wooyoung said again, his lips almost not moving as he avoided everyone’s gaze. “It’s okay, I am fine.”
The lie was so loud that even Wooyoung winced at its volume. The room was quiet and Wooyoung disliked the attention so much. His glitter tickled against his cheeks, making him rub the back of his hand over it. Seonghwa had always cooed when Wooyoung had done that in school – it always reminded him of a kitten. However, the glitter only bothered him when Wooyoung was unwell. Otherwise, it was never noticeable to Wooyoung. It was like a warning sign, tingling until it hurt. You’re in danger. Take care of yourself.
“Thank you for saving me”, Wooyoung said at last, trying to lift the weight of the room.
Wooyoung was really grateful for that. Flashes of blood jumped to his mind, making him shiver like crazy. He heard that awful voice over and over again before the sound of glass shattered in his ear. Wooyoung took in a shaking breath.
He felt a warm hand take his. It was Seonghwa – looking close to crying. “Please, Wooyoung. Please let us help you. Accept our help too. We… we can all talk it out later. I just want you to be here and to be save. To recover at least. Please. I cannot let you suffer… not after we finally found you again.”
The prospect of it sounded nice, didn’t it? Stay here. Get better. But Wooyoung’s eyebrows drew in as he cracked a bitter smile. Things were not as easy.
Inch for inch, Wooyoung pulled his hand out of Seonghwa’s, watching with horror how the witches’ hopeful expression fell. “Seonghwa, I…”
Without the warmth of Wooyoung’s hand, Seonghwa’s arms fell limply to his side.
“I can’t.”
Why can’t you stay? What is keeping you from it? Are you that hurt? Who hurt you? Had it been us? Had it been the CEO?
Seonghwa’s glassy eyes were torture to watch but Wooyoung knew he had to keep the contact otherwise he’d break down himself. Needed Seonghwa to anchor him, because the situation seemed so lost for him.
There was no use in even discussing the chance of staying, of mending things here, of making himself a new home again.
It was hopeless.
“If you worry about the CEO, I have already retrieved every document. We get you out of that. Ingenuine bonds are illegal”, Hongjoong entered the conversation with a determined gaze. “I know that we probably don’t understand what you’ve been through, and we don’t deserve your full trust anymore. But please let us do that for you. We can help you escape him for good. Everything else will be in your hands.”
Wooyoung felt his powers fade with every second. San and Seonghwa detected the sudden change too, both reaching out immediately.
“What’s that!?”, San exclaimed holding Wooyoung at his back, both hands pressing flatly against his shirt while Seonghwa had taken a grip on his shoulder.
Wooyoung had not even swayed. There was nothing showing the change, not visible for any of the others. He knew why they had reached out and he also knew that it would not get better unless…
“What? What happened?”, Jongho asked, ready to jump in with his powers again. Hongjoong too looked as if he was about to catch Wooyoung if he had to. A sigh came from Wooyoung’s lips, his tense shoulders slumping for the first time he had woken up in the bed. He thought about that cute Shiba plushie. Thought about who must have had put it there. Just to make him feel better. They succeeded.
“I need to go back… I have no time…”, Wooyoung said, passing through Seonghwa and San, both not letting go which brought Wooyoung to a halt, his blouse stretching.
“Let us help you, Baby Kitten. Please I beg you so much. Please”, Seonghwa whined, sounding close to tears. The sad tone made tears well in Wooyoung’s brown eyes, but he kept them at bay. A small part of Wooyoung was there – deep inside, a younger version of himself – crying to give in. To hug Seonghwa and cry into his chest how awful his life had been. How awful people had been to him. He wanted to do it so, so much, that the choice of not doing it hurt more than anything else. Wooyoung knew why he spoke without turning towards his childhood friends – knew he’d give in the second he’d see their broken, shattered hearts. The familiar in his body longed for a safe coven. Longed for a witch to get attached to. Not…
“Wooyoung, you are still not recovered. You are still hurt.”
The words made Wooyoung feel the bandages stick to his face again, to the way he couldn’t move one side of his mouth fully because of the band aid. “That’s not what matters now”, Wooyoung whispered, promptly found by protest.
“Bullshit!”, Hongjoong exclaimed sliding in front of Wooyoung with arms spread to the sides. His eyes had been infiltrated by his infamous red, twinkling a bit in the dim light of the chandelier. “You are important to us. So of course, your well-being is too. And we-“
“Don’t you understand?!”
Wooyoung’s sudden outburst made Hongjoong go quiet. The familiar felt his glitter tickle until it burnt, felt his own magic in shackles as it started to hurt. As if all the blood in his veins started to be lit aflame as he felt his throat contract.
San backed away at Wooyoung’s sudden emotional change. Seonghwa didn’t, his hand still firmly around Wooyoung’s shoulder. Fingers wrinkling his shirt as he tightened his grip the more Wooyoung’s aura must have staggered. He’d never leave.
Glitter fell all the way from Wooyoung’s cheeks to the floor. It was not as if the glitter could disappear no matter how much Wooyoung wanted it gone. He could rub and scrub and it would always stay. Wooyoung felt like it was a curse. Something like an illness. Coming back and back and back. Like the worst of a disease.
Wooyoung felt his eyes tremble strongly as he pushed his hair back into his hands with a swift motion. The blonde and black mix laid in one of his palms, holding it up in a supposed ponytail.
“Pull my shirt down at the back”, Wooyoung addressed Seonghwa, standing the closest to him. The pink-haired witch looked conflicted, but Wooyoung hissed. “Just do it.”
Gentle fingers laid on his nape and Wooyoung pressed his eyes close while he listened to the gasps reverberating in the room as his inked skin came free.
“No, that can’t be”, Seonghwa murmured, desperate as his hand came in front of his face.
Jongho and San looked shocked but not as shocked as the other two who were two seconds from crumbling. Wooyoung wished he could just crumble too. Stay in their arms where it had always been safe. But Wooyoung knew that was no option. And his old self deserved better. He couldn’t give in.
A familiar was a strong pillar. A witch’s support and right hand. Someone to trust. Someone to fight with. Someone you were bonded with. The witch needed the familiar and the familiar needed the witch. The bond was created by a magic so strong that no one could just severe it. That was the beauty about it. Or… the grotesque…
Wooyoung let his two-toned hair fall over the soul bond tattoo again, challenging the coven with an empty look. What emotions should Wooyoung even show, so detached to the whole thing.
“You can’t undo it. I am his familiar. It’s real. And if I stay disconnected from him for too long…”
Wooyoung watched more and more glitter rain down his cheeks, like a dying fairy, catching it with his hands. It must have looked like the tiniest of crying. Sparkling and shimmering from his face.
“Seonghwa…”, Wooyoung whispered voice thick with something he didn’t want to give a name to, “… I’ll die.”