If there was anything the townspeople could agree on, it was that no one should ever enter the abandoned mansion in the forest.

There was little anyone knew about the building for sure, other than the fact that it was most definitely haunted. That much was confirmed by the townspeople when the last dozen people who had moved into the mansion all disappeared after a few weeks, not to mention the other dozen who had entered the mansion looking for answers that had never come back to tell the tale.

Some speculated it was the work of old souls who had never been properly put to rest, others that it was nothing but a conspiracy theory. Either way, no one ever dared to investigate.

 

 

~

 

 

Realtors were often desperate to get the old property off their hands, selling it as cheap as they could in hopes someone would be stupid enough to move in. Word of this cheap mansion in the middle of the woods eventually spread around, passed around by word of mouth until they finally fell upon the ears of a certain Zhang Yixing.

Now, Zhang Yixing was no idiot. Maybe a little dull at times, but definitely not an idiot.

He had heard the rumours, but he was never one to buy into the whole idea of the supernatural. When he had come across the listing for the old place, he just couldn’t say no.  

It was much cheaper than any other place he could find, he honestly couldn’t care less about the stupid lore that came with it.

He could hear the gasps, the whispers of those in the town when he had first arrived, could feel their gazes as he passed by the establishments in the town. He drove slowly through the narrow streets, watching as the people would take notice of his truck, pointing it out and leaning in to whisper something to their friends.

The cobblestone paths eventually thinned until he was driving on the uneven ground of the forest, truck rumbling as he tried to drive over. Though the struggle to get through was evident, the vehicle pulled through, only getting stuck in a particularly large patch of mud a few dozen feet away from the front door.

Yixing groaned as he dismounted from the truck, also conveniently jumping straight into the mud, dirtying his shoes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it in a long sigh.

“No, no… it’s okay… I’ll just clean it when I’m inside.” he mutters softly to himself before circling around to the back of the truck, which thankfully, had missed the patch of mud. He open the double doors, cracking his knuckles as he took a look at all of his belongings stuffed in the back.

The truck was just close enough to the door to avoid any problems with moving his things inside, but just far away enough to cause an inconvenience for the boy. It wasn’t much of a problem for most of the process, with most of his things packed away in small boxes. The problems for him began when he, a team of one, and only one, had to singlehandedly bring in his furniture into the house without any equipment.

It was a struggle to say the least.

The sun is setting by the time he moves the last of his boxes into the house, stretching out his sore back as he placed a box of plates down on the kitchen island.

He took a moment to lean back on the counter, taking in his new home. It was definitely spacious, more so than the boy had remembered when visiting for the first time. The kitchen was directly across from the den, the area filled with more boxes and the couch he had to drag into the house. Its short legs were covered in dirt, but Yixing decided that it was a problem for the next day.

It took all the energy left in his body to trudge up the stairs into the master bedroom where he had brought his bed hours before, digging in one of the boxes for some bedsheets and a blanket.

The sun had barely gone down by the time Yixing was settled into bed, eyelids growing heavy after the long day he had had. They were fluttering closed when the loud slam of the bathroom door startled him awake, Yixing shooting upright in the bed. The room was suddenly freezing, and boxes around him being lifted and soaring across the room. The overhead light was flickering furiously, bathing the room in light before plunging it straight back into darkness.

In any normal circumstance, the boy would be scared.

But now?

All Yixing could do was groan.

“Listen,” he began calmly, the boxes stopping midair. “I’ve been through hell today and I’m exhausted. If these are the spirits that haunt the house, could you guys, like… At least wait until tomorrow?”

There was a pregnant pause in the room before the boxes floated back down to where they were originally placed, the light flickering a few more times before turning off completely and the room returned to normal temperature.

“Thank you. Good night.”

 

 

~

 

 

“What are you doing?” Jongdae whispered furiously, whacking Luhan on the head. “This isn’t scaring him!”

Luhan held up his hands in defeat. “The dude is exhausted! We may want to get rid of him, but we don’t need to be about it!”

Jongdae sighed, burying his head in his hands. Minseok smiled, placing his hands on the boy’s shoulders and rubbing them lightly.

“Hey, we can try again tomorrow,” he reasoned, feeling the boy’s shoulders relax. “One night with the dude won’t be that bad.”

“That’s what you said with the last guy! He was a hot mess that wouldn’t leave for a whole week and he stunk up the place! It took me days to clean the house of his stink!” Junmyeon argued.

“Not gonna lie,” Baekhyun said leisurely, floating on his back as he flickered the light switch by the door. “He’s pretty cute.”

“Baekhyun!”

“What? Come on, Myeon, you gotta admit you see it.”

“However cute you think he is is beside the point!"

"I, for one, think it's very relevant."

"How are we gonna get rid of this dude if you don't stop fawning over him?"

Baekhyun laughed. "Maybe I'll charm him and he'll be so terrified of how in love he becomes with me that he'll have to run away."

Chanyeol scoffed. "As if, Baek. Do you really think he's gonna do that?"

The shorter winked. "Won't know until we try, now will we?"

Luhan laughed. "What are you gonna do? Seduce him with your light flickering skills? Even I could do that."

"Oh yeah, Lu, because your magic box trick is really that much better."

"At least I'm using my powers to try to scare him! You’re just ing with the light switch!"

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, floating leisurely around the room. "Whatever Lu. You're just jealous because you know I could seduce this kid and you can't."

"Am not."

Baekhyun hissed. "Oh, god, I can feel the jealousy emanating from you."

"I'm not jealous of your stupid hypotheticals!"

"I don't know about the rest of you," Jongdae cut in, "But I'm personally jealous of all the people that don't need to deal with your on the daily, Baekhyun."

"Wow. Rude, much."

"What's rude is some random dude moving into our house and not leaving. A rude problem that we're trying to fix here if you haven't noticed."

"He's not having it man. Just leave it to tomorrow. We'll figure something out by then. Maybe Yeol could set some curtains on fire."

Chanyeol pouted. "But those patterned curtains are so nice..."

"Or maybe Myeon could make some puddles for that kid to slip on. That's some scary stuff, I'm sure he'd bolt once that happens."

 

 

~

 

                                                                                                                                       

When he wakes up the next morning, the sun is high in the sky and his limbs are absolutely aching. He blinks the sleep out of his eyes as he wills himself out of the bed, wincing as he slings his legs over the edge. He takes a few deep breaths there before pushing himself up. The hardwood floors of the old house are cold to the touch, and the mansion is eerily quiet.

He takes small steps down the tall staircase, hanging onto the railing for dear life. He landed on the first floor with an audible oof and continued his way into the kitchen.

Yixing isn’t sure if he’s seeing things when he walks into the large area. The very full boxes he had put down the day before were now completely emptied, scattered haphazardly around the tile floor. The beautiful feature wall he had seen the day before was now covered in a dark red substance (was that… blood?) spelling out a large note that read ‘Sorry for bothering you’.

The boy furrowed his brows, traipsing around the boxes to the cupboards, flinging them open one by one to see all of his plates and utensils put away neatly.

“I… uh…” he began, awkwardly patting his hands against his pants. “T-Thanks for this. I really do appreciate you doing this for me, and I’m not trying to offend you or anything, but I just like putting my things away in a really specific way, so, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna… rearrange a bit of this, alright?” he called out into the empty house, feeling like an idiot for trying to talk to spirits.

He sighed softly. One night in the house and he was pretty sure he was already starting to go insane.

Yixing pulled the drawers out as he began removing the utensils from where they were placed, rearranging them into an order he liked. He stretched his neck back, rotating his head in circles just in time to see one of the closed cupboards near him open on its own, a stack of plates floating out and stopping just short of Yixing’s face. He stared at it for a moment, puzzled. The stack just shook slightly after a moment without response, Yixing jumping a little at the action.

“Um… O-Over there, please?” he said tentatively, pointing out a cabinet overhead. The plates hovered around for a moment before the cabinet door swung open and the plates were let down delicately. “Thanks,” Yixing said, patting the non-existent dust from his pants. There was a pause for a moment as stacks of plates entered the cabinets before Yixing decided to speak again.

“You know,” he began, the stacks of plates stalling in their movement. “I heard a lot about this house before I moved in. That there were evil spirits that killed anyone that tried to move in. Everyone’s pretty scared of you, but I think you’re cool. All things considered, I mean. After all, you’re helping me unpack instead of killing me.”

 

~

 

Luhan chuckled softly as he continued organizing Yixing's things.

"It'd be nice to talk to you," Yixing sighed. "If you're even listening. I feel a bit like a crazy person talking to their imaginary friend. I'm not imagining you, am I?"

Luhan shook his head before realizing that Yixing still couldn't see him. He stood there, unsure of what to do before he abandoned all better reasoning. He closed his eyes before opening them again, staring at Yixing.

"No… I’m here. You’re not crazy." Luhan says, closing one of the cabinets.

"Ah, so you can speak to me. Why didn't you start there last night instead of... whatever you did?"

"You can only hear me now because I'm letting you hear me."

Yixing raised a brow. "Huh. Is there any way you could let me see you too? Or are you a bodiless entity?” he chuckles.

“I have a body too!” Luhan stuttered, almost sounding offended.

“Would it be too much to ask to see it?” Yixing joked.

“Y-You don’t even know my name yet.”

“You’re some sort of spirit, right?”

“I… uh- yes.”

“I don’t know if that means you were ever alive, or maybe it’s just been too long since you were, but when people meet each other in person for the first time, they see the person they’re talking to before learning anything about them.”

Luhan set his lips into a tight line. Yixing had a point.

“I mean, you can already see me. I think it’s only fair.”

Luhan pursed his lips for a moment, thinking it over.

“Unless it really makes you uncomfortable. That’s okay too. Your name will suffice.”

The spirit looked at Yixing for a moment, the boy seeming to be looking right at him even though he couldn’t see him. The boy chuckled.

“Did you walk away from me? You’re being awfully quiet.”

“Luhan,” the spirit said. “My name is Luhan.”

Yixing smiled a dazzling smile. “Luhan,” he repeated, as if weighing the sound on his tongue. “It’s nice to meet you, Luhan. I’m Yixing. I hope we’ll have a good time living together.” He said, flashing the spirit a million-dollar-smile, complete with two adorable dimples.

 

 

~

 

 

Luhan leaves the boy after a while of conversation when most of the dishes are put away, Yixing waving in his general direction as the spirit left to one of the bedrooms, just a few doors down from the one Yixing took as his own. He stretched as he lay on his back, tired from not having used his powers this intensely in so long.

“I thought I heard someone in here,” Jongin began, top half of his body poking through one of the walls. “What’s got you all dead?”

“Other than the fact that I’m not alive? I’ve been lifting all morning.”

Jongin furrowed his brows, resting his head on his hands. “Why the hell have you been lifting ?”

Luhan sat up. “I was helping Yixing unpack.”

“Okay you lost me. Who the hell is Yixing?”

“The dude who lives here now?”

“Is that his name?”

“No it’s his name- “

“Yeah, I didn’t seem to catch it because instead of finding out, I was trying to find a way to get him out of our house.”

Luhan glared. “He’s not that bad when you get to know him.”

“So you’re making friends with the dude now?”

“Look, he’s not like those other guys. He’s not gonna get scared just because we make some lights flicker. We should probably just learn to live with him.”

Jongin raised his brow. “Ah… Okay, I get it now.”

“Yeah, I don’t think- “

“So you wanna keep him around because you have a crush on him.”

Luhan sputtered in indignation. “I-I do not!”

Jongin whistled. “Man, everyone’s falling for this dude, aren’t they? I mean, Baek has already set his sights on him… And if you’re fighting Baekhyun for that piece of … Good luck, man."

“I’m not fighting Baekhyun for anything, alright? He’s just a cool dude and I don’t wanna kick him out.”

“So you have a friend crush on the dude?”

“A what?”

Jongin rolled around midair until he was floating leisurely on his back as he waved his hand in the air. “A friend crush. Y’know, instead of wanting to date the dude, you just really wanna be his friend.”

“That’s a thing?”

“It’s definitely a thing,” Jongin said as he hovered over the spot on the floor in front of Luhan. “You don’t get out a lot, huh? The kids in the town over say like this all the time. But I wouldn’t expect you to know what’s cool now, you old geezer.”

“No one asked you, Jongin.”

The taller hummed. “No, I distinctly remember you asking me.”

“Whatever. No one likes a smartass, Jongin.”

Jongin chuckled. “Whatever you say, my dude. So we’re backing off this Yixing dude for now?”

Luhan nodded. “That would be good, yeah.”

“Aye aye captain,” he said as he got to his feet with a small salute. “Let’s go find the others, then.”

 

 

~

 

 

The spirits held what Jongin liked to call their ‘Lit AF Weekly Family Get-Togethers’, much to Junmyeon’s distaste (“Stop calling it that, it makes us sound like parents trying to sound cool with their kids!”).

Junmyeon sighed as he buried his face in his hands. “You’re suggesting we do what now?”

“I’m just thinking we should let Yixing stay.”

“What the hell is a Yixing?” Chanyeol asked.

“The Chinese city?” Minseok supplemented.  

“It’s the name of the dude that moved in.” Jongin said as he floated overhead.

“Jongin, we talked about this- “

“Yeah, yeah, floaters are gloaters, sitters are glitter, I’ve heard it all before, mom,” Jongin sighed as he sank down to the ground, taking a seat on the hardwood floor. “We have more important stuff to be talking about.”

“Like how impossibly good looking I am?” Baekhyun asked. “I was starting to get worried, really. We’d gone this long and no one even brought it up- I was scared that your eyesight was going bad- “

“Your ego is a problem for another day, Baek,” Jongdae said. “What I wanna know is why Lu wants to let this dude stay.”

“He’s a cool person once you get to know him!”

“Sure, he seems nice now, but next thing you know, he’ll be leaving his dirty underwear all over the house and playing Norwegian death metal in the middle of the night!” Junmyeon almost shouted.

“That was one time, Myeon. In my defense, he seemed harmless when we first met him- “

“And when he left, I basically had to quarantine the place!”

 “I think it’s worth it to give the dude a chance.” Yifan said, putting a hand on Junmyeon’s shoulder.

“If we’re gonna let Yixing stay, we need to lay down some ground rules,” Kyungsoo said. “Make sure this isn’t a repeat of dirty-underwear-death-metal dude.”

“Fine. I’ll give him a chance. But if he touches my antique Star Wars memorabilia, I’m kicking him out myself.”

 

 

~

 

 

The spirits sit around Yixing’s couch as the boy leaves to the kitchen, materializing when he returns with a plate of snacks in hand. Yixing jumps back, pouting when some of his food falls onto the floor.

“My croissant…” he mumbles sadly.

“Hello!” Luhan chirps with a smile, watching as Yixing dejectedly picked up his roll from the floor.

“Luhan?”

The spirit nodded with a small wave as Yixing seated himself on the couch.

“We’re the spirits that live here,” one of them explained. “I’m Minseok, that’s Chanyeol, Sehun, Kyungsoo, Jongdae, Baekhyun-“

“And you’re cute.” Baekhyun cut in.

 “Shut up- and then there’s Junmyeon, Yifan, Tao, Jongin, and you already know Luhan.”

“We figured that if we were gonna be sharing the house, we should introduce ourselves and maybe lay out a few ground rules. Rule 1- “ Junmyeon began.

“I know it’s practically impossible, but try not to fall in love with me,” Baekhyun said with a wink.

“Tao? Could you?”

“On it,” Tao said, pointing a finger at Baekhyun. The spirit’s movements slowed to a stop, mouth left half open. Junmyeon smiled appreciatively.

“W-What did he just- “ Yixing asked.

“He just froze Baekhyun in time for a bit. Nothing to worry about, it happens all the time. Anyways, rule 1!” Junmyeon continued, smile on his face. “Please, don’t leave any of your dirty clothes strewn around the place, especially if you have the tendency to sweat a lot! The house is old and ventilation isn’t very good, so it stinks up the place fast and the smell is very hard to get rid of.”

“I… uh… Alright.”

“Perfect! Now, rule 2- I know a mansion in the middle of the woods seems like a great place to throw wild parties, but we’d really appreciate it if you kept partying to a minimum!”

“Especially if you like Norwegian death metal.” Yifan added.

“N-Norwegian death metal?”

“It’s happened before, and contrary to popular belief, the undead sleep too!”

“Al…right.”

Junmyeon pursed his lips, looking around at the rest of the spirits. “Anything else?”

“Um…” Chanyeol piped up softly. “I like these curtains a lot. Please don’t hurt them.”

“Any questions or concerns?”

“I, uh… I mean, as long as you guys don’t make my stuff float around the room and flicker the lights again, I think I’ll be okay.”

“Great! We look forward to getting to know you, roomie!”

 

 

~

 

 

“Junmyeon seems nice,” Yixing comments as the other spirits retire to their respective rooms in the large mansion. Luhan smiles.

“I mean… So long as you don’t tick him off, yes, I agree wholeheartedly.”

“Do I want to know what he’s like when he’s ticked off?”

The spirit hummed. “It’s never too bad at first. He usually starts by leaving passive aggressive notes in blood around the house- “

“Like the one on the wall yesterday?”

“No, that was an apologetic note. There’s a difference.”

“What is the difference, exactly?”

“Let’s not dwell on that.” Luhan said with a forced smile, following the boy as he picked up his plate, walking over to the kitchen to rinse the dish.

“Well… Remind me not to tick off Junmyeon anytime soon. Or ever.”

“Good idea.”

“What about the rest of them, then? Got any advice for them?”

Luhan pursed his lips, floating up until he was sitting cross-legged on the counter next to the sink. “They’re all pretty harmless, honestly. As long as you don’t plan on bringing any bugs in the house or sneaking up on Tao, you’re safe from being frozen in time… Keep things tidy and you’ll avoid being literally frozen by Minseok,” Luhan said, humming in thought. “For your own sake, I’d recommend avoiding rap music. Yifan wanted to start his rap career way back when, and if you start playing it, there’s a good chance he’ll start rapping and there’s no telling when he’d stop.”

A giggle bubbled up Yixing’s throat as he left his dishes out to dry, one hand moving up to cover his mouth as he laughed. Luhan frowned.

“What is it?”

“People spent weeks, weeks warning me not to move into this place because there were evil spirits who tried to kill anyone that moved in. I just think it’s cute that you’re more concerned about the music I play than my actual presence in your house.”

“It’s not like we didn’t try to get you out!”

“Yeah, and then a few hours after your first attempt, you were helping me move in.”

“I felt bad for trying to scare you when you were so exhausted! We were trying to get you out, we didn’t need to be about it!”

“I appreciate that. Thanks.”

Luhan huffed. “We could be threatening if we wanted…”

“I’m sure you could be.” Yixing said reassuringly, moving one of his hands up to pat Luhan’s shoulder but finding his hand passing through the boy.

“Incorporeal.” Luhan reminded him.

“Incorporeal.” Yixing repeated with a sigh. “Of course.”

 

 

~

 

 

Yixing finds the house a lot livelier the next morning. When he emerges from his room, the other spirits are floating around freely, not even bothered by the human in the house. A few stop to greet him while others just continue on their way. Yixing takes small steps out of his room, shuffling down the steps of the staircase.

The boy blinked when he tall spirit- Chanyeol, was it?- came into sight, sitting right in front of the window as his hand moved up to the curtains. Yixing cleared his throat uncomfortably before the spirit turned his head to see the boy descending the stairs. Chanyeol nodded his head in acknowledgement and turned right back around, back to the curtains, breathing a little heavier.

He continued into the kitchen, shaking the image out of his head as opened a cabinet, reaching up for one of the cups. He shivers as his hand touches the handle, almost pulling it off the shelf to its doom. He lowered his hand to clutch his heart, turning his head when he heard the sound of a clearing throat. He turned his head over to a slightly smaller spirit with large owl eyes.

“Did you just… walk through me?”

“Do you like to cook?” he asked, disregarding the boy’s question.

“I… uh… Sure? I guess?”

The spirit’s mouth split into a small smile. “Okay,” he said, voice lowering. “I’ll remember that.” He continued as he drifted away.

“Al…right. G-Good talk, then.”

 

 

~

 

 

It proves to be an important conversation several days later, when Kyungsoo reappears in Yixing’s bedroom at dawn after almost a week of not seeing the spirit.

“Let’s go.” Kyungsoo said.

“Wha- ” Yixing muttered, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as the spirit looked down at him. “What time is it?”

“5am. Let’s go.” He repeated.

“Where are we going?” Yixing asked, casually trying to tuck himself back under the sheets to get a few more minutes of sleep.

“To the kitchen.”

“Why do you wanna go to the kitchen at 5am?”

“You said you liked to cook. We’re gonna go cook.”

Yixing buried his face into his sheets. “But it’s so early!”

“I know. This is the only time everyone else is asleep and I can get some quiet.”

“If you want quiet why do you need me to go with you?”

“Because you’re bearable. Also, I’m incorporeal and can no longer hold ingredients, so I need you to do it for me.”

“I don’t- “

“I’ll be waiting for you downstairs. Please come down quickly.”

Kyungsoo floats through the door as Yixing finds the strength to pull the covers off. He shivers when the cold air touches bare skin, feeling around for his shirt, still half asleep. His feet feel around the cool hardwood floor for his slippers as he pulled the shirt over his head. He rubbed at his tired eyes, stretching as he caught sight of the sun starting to rise over the horizon.

He takes small steps towards the stairs, inching down them one at a time as he held onto the handle for dear life. He could already see Kyungsoo in the kitchen, head stuck straight into the refrigerator. Yixing cleared his throat as he stepped into the room. Kyungsoo pulled his head out.

“How do you sustain yourself like this?”

“I-I’m sorry?”

“All you have in here are frozen pizzas and a few packs of sliced cheese.”

“I’m still newly moved in, okay? I haven’t found time to go to the market.”

“It’s been nearly 2 weeks.”

“I had other things to be worrying about!”

Kyungsoo frowned. “This won’t do. Put on a sweater, we’re going out.”

“It’s like, 5am right now- “

“The early bird gets the worm.”

“I don’t think anyone’s awake right now. We can wait until a bit later when the sun is actually risen to go out and get groceries.”

Kyungsoo grimaced. “But that’s when… it wakes up.”

“It?” Yixing asked, eyes widening a bit in fear.

The small spirit turned around to face the window, finding that the sun was already up high enough to fill the house with light. Kyungsoo cursed under his breath.

“You didn’t see me!” he told Yixing, diving into the floorboards.

“I… Uh- “ Yixing began, staring down at the floor.

“Whatcha lookin’ at over there?” a voice asked, making Yixing jump a bit. He turned to face whoever was calling him, but found no one there. “Up here!” the voice called.

Yixing’s eyes trailed up to the ceiling to see Baekhyun’s head poking through from the second floor. “Wow, you sure are up early.” The spirit commented.

“I could say the same to you.”

“True, but I’m normally up this early. This is when Kyungsoo normally gets up. Speaking of which, have you seen him? I couldn’t find him anywhere upstairs.”

“I… No. I haven’t seen him.”

Baekhyun clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, coming down from the ceiling with his arms crossed, still upside down. “I could’ve sworn I heard his voice just now though. Maybe I’m just going through Kyungsoo withdrawals,” he said with a puff. “So, what’s got you in the kitchen at sunrise?”

“I was gonna…” Yixing began, taking a tentative look at the fridge. “I wanted to go out to buy some groceries. My fridge has been pretty miserable lately.”

“But all the markets are closed right now.” Baekhyun said, furrowing his brow as he righted himself.

“I know.”

“So you decided to get up at dawn to contemplate your fridge’s contents while you waited for the markets to open?”

“I… um… yes.”

The spirit tilted his head to the side. “You’re weird. I like that. Count me in.”

“What?”

“On your little shopping excursion! I wanna come. It’s been ages since I’ve left the house, it’ll be nice. I should get the others too. I’m sure they’d appreciate a trip too. Man, Kyungsoo loves stuff like this. I wish I knew where he was.” Baekhyun grumbled as he floated straight back up the ceiling.

Kyungsoo popped his head out of the floor almost immediately after Baekhyun disappeared. “What happened?” he furiously whispered.

“Um… Well, I think we’re going on a field trip to the market.”

 

 

~

 

 

Yixing finds himself walking out of the old mansion with almost a dozen spirits trailing after him. He locked the door after himself, the rest of them just floating right through the old oak door. He leads the group down the path he came until the dirt met with the cobblestone of the small town. It was still early in the morning, shops just starting to open as a few people left their homes to run errands.

“Don’t do anything stupid, okay?” Junmyeon asked the others. Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

“You realize we’re still incorporeal, right? I don’t think I could break anything even if I tried.” Baekhyun said. Junmyeon floated towards him, smacking him up the head.

“We might not be able to interfere with the living but I can still beat you up if you pull anything on us, Byun.”

Baekhyun clutched his head. “Okay, okay!”

Jongin whistled. “Mama bear’s getting violent.”

“He’s so hot when he’s violent.” Yifan murmured dreamily.

“You think he’s hot no matter what.” Sehun scoffed.

“Because he is hot no matter what.”

“If you guys are done being idiots, I’d like to get going.” Luhan muttered.

“They’re never gonna stop being idiots, Lu.” Chanyeol said, placing a comforting hand on the smaller spirit’s shoulder. Baekhyun rolled his eyes.

“Okay, Mr. My-best-friend-is-a-tacky-curtain.”

Chanyeol put a hand to his chest with a gasp. “You take that back, you... you cretin!”

“I’ll take it back when it stops being true, Yeollie.”

Jongdae sighed. “Baekhyun, shut up. Chanyeol, your curtain is very nice. What’s important is that you like it.”

“Thank you,” the giant said with a small sniffle. “I appreciate that.”

Yixing stood there, watching the scene unfold as Kyungsoo leaned in.

“I bet if we get going now, we can finish grocery shopping before they finish bickering.” Kyungsoo whispered. Yixing looked over.

“You think so?”

“Yeah. When they start, it’s almost impossible to stop.”

Yixing took another look at the group, setting his lips in a line before shrugging. “Alright. Lead the way.”

 

~

 

They find themselves in a small store, large canvas bag over Yixing’s shoulder as Kyungsoo stayed next to him.

“When you pick avocadoes, you’ll know they’re ripe when you squeeze them. If they’re firm overall, but have a slight give when you push down, it’s good.” The spirit advised as they looked over the selection.

“Is this one okay?” Yixing asked, giving one of them a squeeze and holding it out to Kyungsoo. The spirit gave him a look before passing his hand through the fruit. “Right. This incorporeal thing is gonna take some getting used to.”

Kyungsoo gave him a smile. “Try taking the stem out.”

Yixing rolled it out with his fingers, letting the spirit look. Kyungsoo hummed. “Looks good to me.”

“What else do you think we’ll need?” Yixing asked, putting the avocado in the large bag. Kyungsoo continued through the store, peering at the displays every so often.

“Mushrooms? They look good today. We could make some soup.”

“Sounds good to me, captain.”

 

~

 

“I just think that Baekhyun is jealous sometimes that he doesn’t have a relationship as fulfilling as mine- “ Chanyeol began. Baekhyun sputtered.

“A curtain! You’re talking about a curtain!”

“Why can’t you just let me be happy, Baek?”

“Yeah, I mean, as long as he isn’t hurting anyone with the curtain thing, I don’t see anything wrong with what he’s doing.” Tao said softly.

“Thank you. At least some people understand.”

“Do you know what he does with that thing when you’re asleep, Taozi?” Baekhyun asked.

“I- uh…” Tao began.

“He was making out with it! I was afraid he was gonna start making love to it!”

“That was one time!”

“No it wasn’t!”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you’re both idiots and this is stupid.” Luhan said with a shrug.

“Yeah, okay, like you’re one to talk about being stupid, Lu.” Baekhyun said.

“Yeah, you stay out of this, you’re just as bad.” Chanyeol continued.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“We saw you watching Yixing sleep the other night, okay? Don’t act so high and mighty.”

“I-I don’t- “ Luhan sputtered as Yifan laughed. Luhan narrowed his eyes at the taller spirit.

“What are you laughing at, Mr. Galaxy Fan Fan?”

The smile dropped from Yifan’s face.

“Don’t think any of us have forgotten about your abandoned rap career, you big oaf. And what kind of a rapper name is Galaxy Fan Fan anyways?”

“I was young and stupid, okay?”

“What a stark difference to your current old and stupid self.” Sehun scoffed.

“Listen here you over cooked noodle- “

 

~

 

“-And whenever you cook meat, you want to make sure you’re flipping it as little as possible,” Kyungsoo said as they peered over the butcher’s counter at the selection of meat. “The more you flip meat, the drier it gets. And when it comes to getting chicken, you should also steer clear of white meat until you’re really comfortable with cooking it.”

Yixing looked a little puzzled. “Isn’t white meat the healthier part?”

Kyungsoo hummed. “Yes, but so long as you’re not too concerned about fat intake, dark meat is the better option. While it is higher in fat content, it isn’t by much. Plus, since white meat has a lower fat content, it’s a lot easier to cook the juice out of it, and all you’ll be left with is dry chicken.”

The boy nodded in understanding as he waved over the butcher, the man behind the counter giving the boy a strange look before approaching with tentative steps for Yixing to order.

They finished some time after, Kyungsoo passing on the rest of his food expertise up until the moment Yixing brought his groceries to the cashier.

The cashier was an older man, some ways past middle aged but not yet elderly. “You’re the young man that moved into that old house a few weeks ago, aren’t you?” he asked as he scanned out Yixing’s items.

“Yup, that’s me.” Yixing said, fishing in his pocket for his wallet. The cashier whistled.

“I don’t know how you do it, boy.”

“Do what?”

“Live in that old house. All that’s in there is trouble.”

“I’ve actually found it quite pleasant there.”

“Just wait until those spirits come for you. My wife’s cousin tried moving in there a few decades back. We haven’t seen him since. You oughtta be careful there. Evil things live in there. You never know what’ll come after you.”

Yixing gave the man a polite smile as he continued scanning out his items, not bothering to try to correct him.

 

~

 

“Oh, are we magically gonna forget all those times Tao froze the entire house in time because he thought he saw a bug?”

“Hey! That was a legitimate concern!”

“So you left us all frozen in time for three days because you were afraid of a pill bug?”

“Wait, was that what he froze us for?”

“Tao, those are literally the most harmless bugs! They curl up into themselves when they get scared!”

“But have you seen them up close with all their creepy little legs and their- oh my god I can’t keep going I’m gonna throw up.”

 

~

 

“So what got you into cooking?” Yixing asked as Kyungsoo led him into another store. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Well, before I died, I used to dream of being a chef. I spent a lot of time cooking with my parents growing up, and it was always just something I wanted to do.” Kyungsoo chuckled. “Sometimes I feel like not being able to do it anymore is just sheer torture.”

“Can you still eat?”

“If I put anything into my mouth it would fall through me.”

Yixing clucked his tongue. “Right.”

Kyungsoo sighed as he floated down the aisle, inspecting cast iron pans. “It could be worse, really. I’m not too bothered by it most of the time, not when I have the others in the house distracting me all the time. I guess some things just weren’t meant to be. If I can at least impart some of what I know onto you, it’ll be enough. This one.” Kyungsoo said, pointing at one of the pans for Yixing to take before continuing on his way.

 

~

 

“Shut up you overgrown beanstalk.” 

Chanyeol frowned. “Maybe if you shut up, you little… little…”

“Wow, Yeol, way to show me.” Baekhyun laughed.

“Shut up!”

“Oh my god your is so thick I could cut through it with a knife.” Sehun said, cutting between the two.

“Shut the up we don’t have any .”

“Yeah, and I’m not the hottest spirit in the house.” The spirit scoffed.

“I’m glad you’re finally coming to terms with the truth, Sehun.” The smaller spirit said with a comforting hand on Sehun’s shoulder.

“Shut the up! It’s not even a competition, I’m so the hottest in the house!”

“Please, you aren’t even the hottest one within a 2-millimetre radius of yourself.”

“In a 2-millimetre- wait, but that’s just me- “

“Exactly.”

“Eat a , Byun. I’m hot. I bet you I could date anyone I tried to.”

Baekhyun scoffed. “Okay, like who? The last time you tried to flirt with someone in town, they ran away screaming!”

“That was only because you idiots were ing around and woke up a bear with your screaming.”

“Oh, because it’s my fault that bears have abnormally good hearing?”

Sehun rolled his eyes. “It’s not like you could do any better, even without interference. Even Chanyeol could charm someone easier than you could.“

“Yeah!” Chanyeol agreed before pausing. “Wait, what do you mean ‘even Chanyeol’ you little wipe, obviously, I could charm someone- “

“Yeol, you’re about as graceful as a newborn giraffe, you’re not charming anybody.” Baekhyun said, rolling his eyes.

“I bet I could charm anyone easier than you could. I bet I could charm anyone better than anyone else in the house.”

The rest of the spirits narrowed their eyes at Chanyeol.

“What do you mean better than anyone else in the house?” Jongdae asked.

“Yeol, you know I love you man, but that’s a big claim you’re making there.” Yifan said.

Baekhyun smiled mischievously. “You said you could charm anyone, right?”

“Anyone.” The giant replied with a nod.

“Okay. I’ll take you up on that bet. And while we’re at it, why not extend the invitation to the whole house? Whoever can charm the person of choice gets the rest of us as their manservants.”

The others exchanged unsure looks before breathing out, ultimately agreeing to the spirit’s proposition.

“So do we have a deal?”

The spirits nodded in agreement.

“So who am I charming the socks off of?” Chanyeol asked.

Baekhyun smiled. “Yixing.”

 

~

 

“It’s really nice talking to you, Kyungsoo.” Yixing said with a smile as they left the store. 

“Likewise. It’s nice talking to someone who actually has some sense. So… not Baekhyun.” 

Yixing chuckled. “He seems… interesting.”

“That’s one word you could use to describe him,” Kyungsoo said with a smile as they returned to the edge of the forest where they left the others almost an hour ago. “And we’re back just in time for the Idiot Parade.” He said as they came into earshot. The others turned slowly, all smiling widely at the pair as they approached. Yixing gave them an unsure smile back.

“H-Hello?” he said.

“Yixing!” Baekhyun called, rushing up to the human with a smile. “I don’t think we really got to hang out together yet! You’ll stay with me tonight, won’t you?” he asked, arms wrapping around Yixing’s bicep, going right through the flesh as Yixing shivered.

“I, um…”

“He can’t because he’s hanging out with me tonight, isn’t that right XingXing?” Chanyeol said, floating closer.

“X-XingXing?” Yixing asked tentatively.

“You guys are acting weirder than normal. Which is saying a lot.” Kyungsoo said, brows furrowed.

“Weird? What? Me? I’m just trying to spend some quality time with XingXing here!”

“Right. We should probably get going before more people start waking up. Yixing?” Kyungsoo called, the boy giving the other spirits a small smile before walking hurriedly to match the pace of the short spirit.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol exchanged glares.

 

 

~

 

 

The next few hours prove to be especially interesting.

Yixing sighed as he lowered his shopping bags onto the tile floor of the kitchen, stretching his neck as he returned to his room to change into something more comfortable. He pulled the sweater off his back, revealing bare skin accompanied by a rather loud whistle at the other end of the room.

The boy jumped, whipping around to see Sehun’s head popping out of the floor with his brows raised suggestively. Yixing yelled incomprehensibly as he threw his sweater at the ghost, the cloth just going straight through.

“Where have you been hiding that hot bod- “

“Get out!” Yixing shouted, covering his body with his hands, not earlier realizing that by throwing the sweater at Sehun, he had nothing to cover himself with.

Sehun shrugged, sinking down into the floorboards as Yixing let out a breath. He returns to the kitchen in more clothes than he was in earlier. Kyungsoo gave him a puzzled look. The boy scanned the room in search of the others.

“None of you have the power to like… see through things, right?”

“Um, the last time I checked, no.”

“So none of them could, say, see through my clothes, right?”

“Why is this a concern all of a sudden?” Kyungsoo asked quizzically. “Was someone peeping on you?”

Yixing nodded. Kyungsoo groaned.

“Which one of them was it?”

“Sehun…”

“I’ll go talk to him.”

“Wait, you don’t need to- “

But Kyungsoo was already gone, floating upwards and through the ceiling.

 

 

~

 

 

“I’m sorry for looking at you while you were getting changed.”

“And?”

“I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable because I was watching you get changed.”

“And?”

“I’m sorry… that I didn’t know about your hot bod earlier- “

“Sehun.” Kyungsoo warned, hand on the nape of the taller spirit’s neck, pressing a little harder as Sehun started making faces at Yixing again.

“Ah, okay, okay, I’m sorry for being a creep! Now will you let go?”

Kyungsoo let out a contented sound as he let go of the taller’s neck.

 

~

 

Yixing gave Kyungsoo an unsure look as the shorter instructed him, seemingly ignoring the tall spirit sulking in the corner. Sehun was facing the wall with a pout as Kyungsoo continued, quietly grumbling to himself.

“So you can just start by heating up your pot- make sure there’s water in there, you don’t wanna heat up the pot while it’s empty.” Kyungsoo said, speaking over Sehun’s incessant mumbles.

The boy set his lips in a line, turning on the sink to fill the pot. “Is… he okay?” Yixing asked, still watching Sehun. “He seems a little… down.”

“He’s always like this when he doesn’t get enough attention.”

“Should we… do something?”

“If you keep giving the screaming child what they want, why would they ever stop screaming?”

“Did you just call me a child?” Sehun asked, whipping his head around. “I’m not a child!” he protested, stomping a foot on the floor.

“You’re really proving your point there, Sehun.”

The taller spirit frowned, laying over the kitchen island dramatically with one of his hands over his forehead. “I’m the baby of the house, you guys should be nicer to me- “

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “Sehun likes to play the ‘baby of the house’ card whenever he doesn’t get his way, even though he only died, what, a few months after Jongin?”

“That still makes me the youngest!” Sehun said, sitting up.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Sehun.”

The taller spirit pouted, floating closer to Kyungsoo and wrapping his arms over the smaller, Sehun settling his chin on his shoulder as he let out a breath.

“Why are you so mean to me, Soo?” the taller whined. “Why can’t you love me like I love you?”

“Can you call what you feel for me love?” the smaller asked, unfazed by Sehun’s behaviour.

Yixing wondered how often this must’ve happened for Kyungsoo to become this desensitized to it.

“When will you accept my heart?”

“Maybe when it stops sulking in the kitchen,” he said, bumping his head against Sehun’s on his shoulder. “Did you wash the zucchinis yet?” he asked Yixing.

“I, uh… I’m on it.” He said, still a little confused.

 

 

~

 

 

He finishes cooking under Kyungsoo’s instruction, Sehun latched onto the small spirit the entire time. He quickly excuses himself once he finishes his meal, opting to spend some time alone in his room instead of in the kitchen, feeling awkward staying with the spirits. He lets out a sigh as he closes the door after him, leaning back on the cool wood for a moment before pulling himself away and towards his bed.

It had already been a few weeks since he had moved in, yet a majority of his belongings were still in boxes around the room, save for the small desk by the window. His keyboard was hooked up directly to his laptop, barely visible under the various piles of half finished composition books and loose pieces of sheet music. His guitar was placed right next to his bed, resting comfortably on its stand on the floor.

The house’s location in the middle of the forest made it a lot easier for Yixing to get more work done on his music, especially after his last apartment’s tenants sent noise complaints whenever he tried to compose past midnight.

Yixing let out a sigh as he plopped on the bed, reaching for the instrument.

“Ooh, you play guitar?” a voice asked, causing Yixing to jump.

“You guys really need to stop appearing out of nowhere, you’re shaving years off my lifespan.” Yixing said with a chuckle, grabbing the guitar off its stand and settling it on his crossed legs.

“Sorry,” Chanyeol said with a large, apologetic smile. “I just really like music. I used to play all kinds of instruments before I died.”

“Did you want to play- “ Yixing began before taking a moment to look at Chanyeol, the spirit giving him a knowing smile as he lifted his hands to his face, wriggling his fingers. “Right.”

“I don’t mind just listening in if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind,” Yixing said, strumming the guitar almost experimentally. “But are you sure you won’t get bored just watching me play?”

The spirit nodded vigorously.

“Is there anything you’d like to hear?”

Chanyeol pursed his lips, looking over at the desk where the boy’s papers lay. “You write music?”

“Yeah, I don’t know if it’s any good though.”

“Can I hear you play that?”

“My music?” Yixing asked, eyes a bit wide, not expecting anyone to care enough to ask about it. “I mean, I suppose so.” The boy said, putting his guitar to the side as he rose from the bed, moving to sift around the papers. He pulls one of them out after a while, dark graphite marking the sheet of paper in large, passionate . The boy laid the papers out on the bed before returning to his spot, resettling the guitar to rest on his legs.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played any of my compositions in front of anyone before.”

“Does that make me special?” Chanyeol asked, batting his eyelashes.

“I think the fact that you’re a spirit makes you special.”

“Okay, true.”

 

 

~

 

 

Chanyeol leaves Yixing’s room hours later when the boy decides to sleep the day off, exhaustion hitting him the longer they tried to fix his piece. The spirit left the room happily as Yixing bid him good night, floating back to his own room when he was stopped.

“Did you just come out Yixing’s room?” Luhan asked.

“Yup! We’ve been in there for hours now, I’m actually pretty tired too.”

“Hours? What were you guys doing that made you so tired?”

Chanyeol gave Luhan an exaggerated wink. “I’ll never tell.”

“Stop trying to make it sound like you guys had , everyone knows that your ghost isn’t compatible with his human .”

“That’s a little…”

“Don’t act like it’s not true, Chanyeol.”

“Well, your ghost isn’t compatible with his human either!”

“Okay, good to know we’ve established that with Yixing is impossible, now stop dodging my question.”

“I’m not dodging anything, you’re the one that went on the tangent.”

“Well what were you two doing then?”

“If you must know, I was helping him with a composition.”

“Are you using your music skills to woo him?”

“Maybe.”

“That’s not fair! You know I’m musically inept and now you’re spending extra time with him because of it.”

“Not my fault you never picked up a guitar when you were still alive, Lu. Maybe if you tried a bit harder, you might be the one winning this ‘Woo Yixing’ contest, eh?”

“We’ll see who’s laughing when I use my secret weapon, Park.”

 

 

~

 

 

That ‘secret weapon’ became known a few days later when Yixing wakes up, his room almost completely covered in bunnies.

It was through a casual conversation a day earlier that Luhan had learned that the boy loved rabbits more than any other animal, and it was after that conversation that Luhan had left the house, using his power to carry every wild rabbit he could find back into the old house.

He had made sure to leave at dawn while the others were still asleep to ensure that his plans wouldn’t be disrupted by anyone else. The spirit popped the top half of his head through the floor near some of the boxes where he couldn’t be seen, awaiting the boy’s awakening as the rabbits hopped over, occasionally coming to sniff his face before hopping away.

He watched as the boy stirred from his sleep, blinking his eyes as he took a moment to look around his room, sitting up as he absorbed what was happening. A small smile formed on his face as he reached out to pet one of them, Luhan ready to reveal himself as the sole rabbit provider in the household when he heard something in the distance. He turned his head towards the door, something banging incessantly on its base.

Yixing looked over in confusion but rose to his feet anyways. He opened the door, stepping out of the way when a small black disc of a vacuum came zooming in, weaving around his feet and towards the countless bunnies around the room. The small animals began hopping away and out of the room, followed closely by the little vacuum. Luhan made a sound, accidentally attracting Yixing’s attention. His eyes widened as he heard the boy approach him, falling through the floorboards just in time to hear Jongdae’s laughter.

Luhan narrowed his eyes as he moved under the floorboards, popping his head up in the hall where Jongdae was, controlling the little vaccuum with a finger.

“Hey!” Luhan shouted.

“Mornin’, Lu.” Jongdae said casually as if he didn’t just ruin Luhan’s plan.

“You totally just ruined my plan!”

The spirit raised a brow, smile forming on his face. “Did I, now? I just saw all these bunnies in our house and thought they got lost, I was just trying to help them back to their burrows.” Jongdae said with mock innocence.  

“You… You ding dong!”

Jongdae sputtered, starting to giggle. “What did you just call me?”

“It doesn’t matter! You’re abusing your power to sabotage me!”

“Never made any rules that said we couldn’t interfere.” Jongdae reminded him with a wink.

Luhan grit his teeth. Yixing popped his head out of his room after a moment of silence.

“Do… you guys know what happened with my Roomba?”

 

 

~

 

 

Evening finds Yixing back in his room, stepping directly in a giant puddle left on the floor that was most definitely not there earlier in the day.

Minseok, just wanting to try his hand in the ‘Woo Yixing’ competition, found a beautiful array of flowers in the forest surrounding the old house. He spent the day with Junmyeon, taking advantage of the spirit’s ability to manipulate water as he stayed seated before the flowers, freezing Junmyeon’s water into ice replicas of the plants.

“I didn’t know you wanted a part of the competition.” Junmyeon said, pursing his lips. Minseok hummed.

“I’m just here for fun,” he said as he examined the flower, shaping another one of its petals. “Yixing is a nice person and It’s not like there’s much to do around here anyways. I thought it’d be fun.”

Minseok finished his ice flowers after a while, returning to the house with Junmyeon while Yixing was out running errands with Kyungsoo, leaving his creation in the middle of the room, ensuring the room was a little colder so that the flowers wouldn’t melt before Yixing came back.

It didn’t matter in the end, though, not when Chanyeol entered the room a few beats after Minseok left, raising the temperature in the room to a bit warmer than room temperature.

By the time Yixing arrived back to his room, there was a sizable puddle of water on the floor, thankfully not close enough to anything to do any damage.

Yixing made a puzzled face as he lifted his foot out of the water.

“What the- “

 

 

~

 

 

As the night arrives and the puddle is cleaned up after a long hour spent hunched over the floor, trying to save the hardwood, Yixing sits up, stretching out his back and rolling his neck in circles. The sun was long set, bathing the room in darkness, save for the soft glow of his lamp. He deflated with a sigh, plopping onto his bed and sprawling out as he stared up at the ceiling.

“Hey stranger.” A voice called near his face. Yixing turned his head to find Baekhyun on the bed next to him, not quite resting on the mattress but still level with the boy.

“Hello,” Yixing greeted, focusing his sights back up on the ceiling. “What brings you over?”

“I just wanted to say hello, maybe hang out for a bit. You seem like you had a long day.”

Yixing smiled. “You could say that again.”

Baekhyun nodded soundlessly as he clasped his hands together until they slowly began to glow.

“What are you doing?” the human asked softly.

“I thought it might be nice to treat you to something?”

He looked back in confusion, but said nothing as Baekhyun unclasped his hands, allowing hundreds of small lights to float out, flying around the room and dotting the dark ceiling with mobile little stars. Yixing smiled.

“This is beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

 

 

~

 

 

Yixing isn’t sure if he just missed out on something or something had actually changed, but everyone, with the exception of Kyungsoo, had been acting… weird lately.

“Is it just me, or has everyone been acting weird lately?” Yixing asked Kyungsoo during another one of their cooking sessions.

“It’s not just you. They’re being weird. Well, weirder than normal. Less heat.”

The boy pursed his lips, hand reaching for the dial on the stove. “Do you have any idea what’s going on with them?”

Kyungsoo shrugged. “Beats me. Honestly, I wouldn’t be too worried, they do stupid like this all the time.”

“All the time?”

The spirit nodded. “There’s not a lot for us to do around here. Last time they were acting weird, it was because they were having snail races out in the forest. Things were fine one minute and the next they wouldn’t talk to each other for weeks,” Kyungsoo said, waving his hand around with the roll of his eyes. “Something about cheating snails and . It always boils down to with them.”

“You think this is because of ?”

“I wouldn’t put it past them.”

“How do you think their- “ Yixing began, before letting out a sharp scream, throwing his head back as he fell to the floor. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened comically.

“Y-Yixing? Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” the boy said, catching his breath with a hand on his chest. “I just- “ he began again before letting out another shrill cry, curling into himself more as muffled laughter filled the quiet.

The muffled laughter erupted into boisterous ones as Sehun and Jongin materialized in front of the pair, hands clutching their stomachs.

“Oh my god!”

“What happened?” Jongin asked, wiping a tear from his eye.

Yixing rubbed the back of his neck as he looked up at the spirits floating above him. “My neck has always been a little sensitive,” Yixing said with a soft chuckle. “You guys startled me a bit too.”

“I swear to god, you guys- “ Kyungsoo began.

“It's okay, Soo,” Yixing said with a small sweet smile. “They're just playing around, it's not like anyone got hurt.”

Jongin had to pretend like he wasn't affected. Sehun sputtered.

“Soo?” Sehun asked incredulously. Yixing blinked.

“Like… the short form for Kyungsoo?”

“I know what Soo means.”

“You just seemed a little confused.”

“I’m not confused about the meaning of Soo, I’m confused as to why you’re calling him that!”

“Because… His name is Kyungsoo… And Soo is the short form for Kyungsoo?”

Sehun sputtered more.

“I think what he’s trying to ask is why you’re calling him Soo. As in, why he’s the only one you nicknamed.” Jongin supplemented.

“Well, I just shortened his name. I didn’t realize it was that big of a deal. I can stop calling you that if it’s a big deal- “

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “It’s fine Yixing, you can call me whatever you want. Just ignore them, they’re being idiots.”

 

 

~

 

 

“Did you know Yixing nicknamed Kyungsoo?” Sehun asked, brows knit together as he shook Tao by the shoulders.

“Nicknamed?”

“Nicknamed!”

“What’s the big deal? What did Yixing call him?”

“Soo!”

“Doesn’t everyone call him Soo?”

“Yes, but not Yixing!”

“I don’t even really think it’s a nickname, he just shortened Kyungsoo’s name.” Yifan said.

“But he hasn’t shortened anyone else’s name!”

“Sorry Sehunnie, but I’m not really seeing a problem here,” Tao said with a small pout. “Isn’t that just them being friendly?”

“Exactly! They’re too friendly! If this keeps up, we’re all gonna lose to Kyungsoo, and he’s not even playing! I can’t be a manservant, Taozi! I’m too attractive to be a manservant!”

Tao and Yifan exchanged unsure glances.

“Sure. Let’s go with that.”

 

 

~

 

 

“Um… You know that thing?”

Junmyeon tilted his head a bit in confusion. “The what?”

“That thing…”

“I’m not following.”

“You know… When I first moved in and you guys sat me down to discuss the house rules…”

“Ah, our- “

“Lit AF Weekly Family Get-Togethers!” Jongin called from a room over.

“We never agreed on that name!” Junmyeon called back before focusing his attention back on Yixing. “Family meetings. Let’s just call them our family meetings. What did you need to know about them?”

“I want to call one of those.”

“Something the matter?”

“Everyone’s just been… weird lately. I’m not sure if I did anything wrong or if there’s something going on with them but I think we could benefit from a, um…”

“Family meeting.”

“Yeah. That.”

 

 

~

 

 

It didn’t take long before the spirits were gathered in the living room, sat in a circle on the couches as Yixing sat on an old recliner, hands clasped in his lap.

“Hello everyone,” Yixing began, clearing his throats. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I gathered you all here for a- “

“Lit AF Weekly Family Get-Together.” Jongin supplemented.

“Family meeting. I just wanted to talk with you guys for a bit about what’s been happening lately.”

“What’s been happening lately? Nothing’s been happening lately, nope, we’re normal, everything’s normal, nothing’s weird, you’re weird.” Luhan said quickly.

“Right. It’s just that you guys have been acting a little… weird lately and I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

Luhan sputtered. “Whaaaaaat? Nothing’s wrong, Nothing’s wrong at all.”

“Really selling it there, Lu.” Baekhyun whispered, nudging the spirit.

“I’m trying, okay?” Luhan whispered back.

Chanyeol sighed. “Let me handle it,” he whispered before turning back to Yixing with a smile. “You see, we’ve been having a… uh… predicament.”

“Predicament?”

“You see, Baekhyun has fallen ill and- “ Chanyeol began before Baekhyun smacked him up the head.

“Shut up, you idiot. I’m not alive, how can I get sick?”

“He didn’t know that!”

“I can… still hear you guys.”

“You blew our cover, Byun!”

“Oh, it’s my fault you guys can’t lie to save your lives. Okay Chanyeol.”

“They’re having a contest to see who can woo you.” Jongdae said as the other spirits bickered.

“Jongdae!” they yelled, almost in unison. Jongdae rolled his eyes.

“It was a stupid idea anyways.”

“Okay, wow, hurtful.” Luhan said softly.

“Why?” Yixing asked, unsure of whether he wanted to hear the answer.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. But what does matter,” Chanyeol began, hands tucked under his head as he gave the human a smile. “Is who you like best.”

“Um…”

“It’s no pressure! It’s just a decision that will impact us forever.” Baekhyun continued.

“I…”

“I totally understand if you don’t pick me, but know that my feelings will be insanely hurt if you don’t pick me.” Luhan said.

“If you feel bad telling them that it’s me, I can break the news for you.” Sehun offered.

Yixing pursed his lips. “Why exactly did you guys decide to hold a contest to see who could get me to like them?”

“Whoever wins gets the rest of us as manservants.” Yifan explained.

“Manservants? Why manservants?”

“I like to think the question is ‘why not manservants?’” Baekhyun said.

“So whoever I pick as my favourite will get the others as manservants for how long exactly?”

“We never really figured that out… Indefinitely, I guess.”

Yixing looked over at Kyungsoo, the spirit shrugging. “I pick Kyungsoo.”

“You what?” Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Luhan, and Sehun said incredulously as the others snickered.

“I pick Kyungsoo. He was the only one that wasn’t weird for the past few weeks and so I choose him. Also, he taught me how to cook and so I like him the best.”

Kyungsoo smiled, hand placed dramatically on his chest. “Yixing, I'm so flattered. I had no idea you felt this way.”

“I demand a recount!” Sehun yelled, hand clutching his heart, breathing hard. 

“A recount of what? There was no count to begin with.” Tao said.

“I can’t be Kyungsoo’s manservant! I’m too attractive to be a manservant!”

“Alright Sehun, whatever helps you sleep at night.” Chanyeol snorted.

“I’m gonna die…” Baekhyun muttered. “I’m gonna come back to life and die again.”

Kyungsoo chuckled. 

“You know what Luhan, you were right. Letting Yixing stay really was a good idea.”

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based loosely off this prompt by the lovely djjdkim