The sun was setting on Seoul. Tiny lights flickered on all over the skyline, lighting up the bustling city. The ever-present sounds of cars, the snatches of music blaring from inside the many boutiques, and the low buzz of conversation formed a comforting symphony in the background, reassuring the world of the presence of so many people.

In the midst of all this bustle, in a slightly quieter corner of Gangnam, stood a tall, seemingly abandoned old building. None of the people passing by gave it a second glance, their eyes simply gliding disinterestedly from the office building on its right to the small flower shop on its left. Yet, to those with the ability to see through the glamour, the building was anything but decrepit. Behind the facade stood a handsome, majestic edifice, all polished white stone and carved wood. The building was a masterpiece of architecture. The words "Seoul Institute" were etched about the huge double doors, delicately carved runes weaving intricate patterns around them.

Deep inside the Institute, in a room filled with warm, sunset-red light, sat a young boy surrounded by books. Curled up in a well-cushioned window seat, the boy chewed thoughtfully on the tip of his pen, frowning down at the sheet of paper filled with scratched-out scribbles. The orange glow that lit him up from behind made him look like an angel. His soft, pastel pink hair was the colour of candyfloss, flopping down over his eyes. His cheeks were adorably round and his cute babyish face was a stark contrast to his toned, well-muscled body. He wore a fluffy oversized cardigan over the standard black clothing that was typical of Shadowhunter gear, long sleeves pulled down over his hands to form sweater paws. Numerous books were spread open around him, showing sketches of werewolves and vampires, strange looking creatures and lethal looking weapons.

He sighed abruptly, throwing his pen down and rubbing at his tired eyes with a small fist.

It was all Taehyung's fault, he thought darkly. Every stupid prank, every reckless adventure that they had ever gotten into trouble for, was a result of some crazy idea or other that his best friend managed to drag him into. He loved Taehyung more than anything - he was his other half, his brother in-arms, his Parabatai - but all of Taehyung's crazy antics just seemed to land them in more and more trouble. Even this essay he was trying to write had been given as punishment for their last escapade - and Taehyung had just abandoned him to deal with it, the little . Jimin was of half a mind to simply refuse to write another word and force Taehyung to finish off the rest. He wondered briefly where his Parabatai was. Knowing Tae, he was probably in the kitchen, making the most out of Seokjin's absence to stuff his face with anything sweet he could lay his hands on.

Jimin's theory wasn't actually that far off. Taehyung was, in fact, on his way to the kitchen to do just that, but he'd been distracted on his way by the litter of kittens he'd smuggled home the week before. The mother cat rubbed her head on his calves, purring contentedly while around her the energetic little kittens tumbled over each other. He was in love - the tiniest one with a fluffy white tummy and silver and grey stripes was his favourite. It reminded him of Jimin, he decided, and set off down the long and empty hallway, cradling little Jiminnie in his arms. The Institute was uncharacteristically quiet, he mused, humming a little tune to himself to fill the silence. Normally the halls would be filled with sound, laughter bouncing off the walls. A total of 9 Shadowhunters currently lived in the Seoul Institute, and 7 of them were naturally hyper and upbeat, which meant that there was never a day that passed without some incident or the other. Seokjin was out, though - fulfilling his role as Head of the Institute. He was in Idris, visiting the Shadowhunter Academy in occasion of the graduation ceremony of its students. He was supposed to bring a new recruit back with him, and Taehyung was super excited to have a new face around. Namjoon had gone with him, as the High Warlock of Seoul, and Taehyung had had a great time teasing his older brother about his not-so-secret crush on the dashing warlock. He wasn't sure where the others were. Yoongi was probably off napping somewhere, and he had left Jimin in the smaller study, which they used as their headquarters. Hwasa and Wheein had mentioned something about a hands-on botany lesson Moonbyul was planning for them, so they might have gone to the mountains to study the various plants.

"Looks like we're all alone, Jiminnie," he cooed softly to the tiny kitten, who simply yawned and butted its head against the boy's chest. He smiled widely, melting inside at the show of affection. He was covering the top of its tiny little head with kisses when he heard his sister's voice, raised in annoyance and frustration. Carefully, he snuck up to the room he heard her voice coming from, and leaned in slightly to peek through the slightly open doors. His older sister, Kim Yongsun, or Solar, as she preferred to be called, was standing with her hands on her hips, glaring down at someone on the couch.

"-more people dead," she was saying irritably. "The werewolf pack is worried, you know they aren't the best against Elapid demons. We should do something about it before things get out of hand." There was an unintelligible mutter from the person on the couch, who, Taehyung surmised, must be Yoongi, judging from the grumpy sounds he was making. Hoseok would never sound like that.

"Why me?" Yoongi grumbled. "Take Hobi or the kids with you. I really can't be bothered right now."

Solar sighed, nostrils flaring. "You know Hobi doesn't like dark crowded places, Yoongi. Moon Byulyi and the girls are out on a trip, and Seokjin isn't here either. The boys are on house arrest. It's just you and me left. Besides, I'm not sure the boys would be able to handle them, even if they weren't being punished." Taehyung flamed up at that. How dare she think they weren't good enough? He seethed. He wasn't a baby any longer, but his older brother and sister always insisted on babying him, treating him like a kid. He pressed closer to the door, an idea simmering in his head.

"Fine," Yoongi grumbled, "I'll go. Where are those damn demons anyway?"

"I'm not exactly sure yet, but Joonmyun said he'd take us there if we needed him to. They've set up their nest close to the werewolves' headquarters, apparently, and it's freaking him out."

"Alright, but not right now. I'm exhausted. Besides, it's late and I'm not tackling anything at night. Let's go tomorrow."

Solar frowned. "I have a meeting with the leader of the local vampire clan tomorrow at lunch. We'll have to wait 'till tomorrow evening."

"Ah, the infamous Kwon Jiyong, huh?" Yoongi drawled, sitting up. Taehyung could see his head, now. "Surprising. I didn't think he was your type."

Solar flushed. "Shut up," she sputtered. "I'm only meeting him because Seokjinnie isn't here. Don't get the wrong idea." Yoongi merely grinned lazily.

"What about you?" she retaliated. "When are you gonna man up and confess?"

Yoongi's grin disappeared in a flash. "What do you mean," he snapped.

"Don't act dumb, Yoongi, we both know who we're talking about. Seriously, though, you should make a move. It's obvious he likes you too, so what's holding you back?"

Yoongi's jaw locked, and he looked positively furious. Solar sighed and sat down beside him on the couch, while Taehyung looked on, shocked by the unexpected information. Thoughts flew around his head, confusing him. Yoongi was gay? or bi, whatever. He'd had absolutely no idea. He himself was gay, and the others all knew about it. They'd been nothing but supportive, but Yoongi had never hinted at also preferring guys over girls. Thanks to Alec Lightwood and his boyfriend Magnus Bane, homouality had slowly become much more accepted in the shadowhunter community, and more and more Nephilim were coming out these days. He was jolted out of his thoughts by Solar's soothing voice.

"You do know that no one here will have a problem with it if you came out to them, right?" she murmured, wrapping an arm around Yoongi warmly. "Besides, you aren't even the only one, or even the first, in this Institute, so I really don't see what the problem is."

Slowly, Taehyung backed away. This wasn't a conversation he should be eavesdropping on, he decided, although he was more than a little curious about who it was that Yoongi liked. little Jiminnie's head, he headed quietly to the kitchen. The Elapid demons though, he ruminated, were a different case entirely. He was positive Jimin and he could totally handle a few measly demons on their own, no matter what Solar thought. He was angry that his sister thought so little of him, and was determined to prove her wrong. What if they took care of the demons before Yoongi and Solar did? he thought, humming excitedly. The werewolves knew where the demon hideout was, and he was sure one of his werewolf friends would tell him where it was with just a little convincing. Now, all that was left was to convince Jimin...

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"No. Absolutely not," Jimin said flatly, face blank. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, polishing his beloved twin knives.

"Aww, come on ChimChim," Taehyung whined, pawing at Jimin's back from where he was sprawled out on the bed behind him.

"No, Tae," Jimin repeated firmly. "Remember why we're grounded in the first place?"

Taehyung pouted. "I still think Seokjinnie hyung overreacted," he grumbled.

Jimin rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, he totally overreacted to you getting drunk off your and trying to jump off the roof wearing a freaking batman cape and yelling 'Behold, Gotham! Kim Taehyung, the greatest Shadowhunter of all time!'. Honestly Tae, if Jongin hyung and Kyungsoo hyung hadn't been there to help me you'd have been a Taehyung-shaped pancake on the sidewalk by now. I really don't know why I let you drag me into your crazy schemes." He slammed the knife he was holding back into its sheath. "And before that, remember when you had that wonderful idea to go make friends with the vampires and almost got us both drained of blood? Not to mention almost breaking the Accords! I was this close to getting bitten, and if Kwon Jiyong hadn't stopped them in time because he'd promised Joonie hyung not to harm 'stupid, reckless underage Nephilim', we'd be vampires already."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry already," Taehyung yelped, holding up both hands in surrender. "I just thought it was unfair that my sister thinks we're incapable of killing a few measly demons on our own." He pouted again, putting on his best puppy eyes. "Come on, ChimChim~ It would be easy; you and me make a great team, remember? And I'm bored, Chim," he whined loudly. Then, he got a glint in his eye and sat up, grinning evilly. "Besides," he said slyly, "I got some quality information about Yoongi hyung that I know you'd be thrilled to hear..."

Jimin paused in his polishing, ears practically pricking up, intrigued. "About Yoongi hyung?" he asked tentatively.

Gotcha. Taehyung grinned madly. "Oh, no, I think I'm suffering from short term memory loss!" he shrieked dramatically, flinging his forearm over his eyes and miming a faint. "If only we could go hunt some demons, I think the exercise would stimulate my mind enough that I'll be able to remember just what exactly it was that I'd overheard!" He swooned, fanning his face with one hand. Jimin looked ready to kill him for a second. Taehyung waited patiently.

"Fine!" Jimin snapped finally, giving in. "I'll go with you."

"Yayyy!!!" Taehyung squealed, engulfing Jimin in a huge hug. "You're the best, Chim!"

"Whatever," Jimin grumbled. "Gerroff me, I'm suffocating." He shoved the taller boy off him, smiling slightly despite himself. He was a er for Taehyung, he knew. He could never win against his cuteness.

"Alright, so we'll go first thing tomorrow morning, 'kay?" Taehyung was already planning their mission. "I'll text Baekhyunnie hyung and ask him to lead us to the demon hideout. He owes me a favor, anyway."

"What exactly do Elapid demons look like, anyway?" Jimin wondered, reaching for one of the books on his bedside table and flipping through it rapidly. "Elapid demons... Ah hah! Here they are. Ugh. Ugly looking things, aren't they?" he showed Taehyung the sketch he'd found. "Elapid demons are massive, snake-headed creatures with thick, scaled bodies," he read out loud. "Their bodies are jointed, insectile, and have a dozen skittering legs that end in jagged claws. Their heads are hooded and their neck flattens out like a cobra's. Yellow venom drips from their fangs, and their black-green ichor burns whatever it touches." He looked up thoughtfully. "We'd better wear protective gear for the ichor, and bring some Witchstone too, to light up the place. You said it was underground, right?"

Taehyung hummed an affirmation, concentrated on texting Baekhyun. "Okay! Baek says he and Chanyeol hyung will meet us in front of the Dunkin' Donuts near the werewolf headquarters tomorrow at 10!" he cheered triumphantly. 

"Let's go kick some demon !"