“Gil is still on the loose.”

Minho had to hold back the audible sigh that threatened to escape him, eyes rolling unintentionally. He just couldn’t help it! It was the same old story he heard in all the classes he has taken about magic. Granted they are all stories about magic users, but it didn’t make it any less redundant. Humans and magic usually didn’t mix well, or so history has shown. Minho wasn’t sure of the accuracy of these historical accounts but it’s not like he could refute any of them. All he knew was that white magic was good, black/dark magic was bad and humans generally hated magic users for a plethora of reasons.

Okay, so maybe hate was a strong word. Distrust was probably more accurate and Minho could understand - to a point - their reasoning. Hell, he hated magic too! Magic being ‘bad’ was the general consensus that was being drilled into their heads, which was fine. What Minho didn’t understand was why every course on magic - most required - had to repeat the same material, nearly word for word from each other. He thought that at least one course would touch on the subject of how to defend against magic, or how to protect against curses and hexes. 

But no. Every course simply taught about all the horrible and tyrannical magic users of olden days and the reasons why the enforcers were created, as well as how to overall avoid any magic user at all cost.

It was monotonous and boring and Minho couldn’t believe he was wasting his hard earned money on this bull.

‘Two more semesters and you can start fresh. Just two more semesters.’

It was a mantra he had to keep repeating to himself. He could do this!

“Tomorrow we’ll cover the Great Siege.”

Minho absolutely couldn’t stop the long groan of exasperation that escaped him. Thankfully, it was covered up by the sounds of chair legs scraping across linoleum floors as students started packing up and leaving. It took Minho a hot second before he started to follow, taking his time packing in order to let the room empty out. It wasn’t like he had anywhere important to be anyway. Tuesdays were his slow days. One class - which he absolutely despised - in the morning and the rest of the day was void of any socialization. 

Usually.

There are some days where Minho is feeling particularly masochistic and would visit the Maxident Cafe across the street from the campus. It was a bustling little homely establishment that always brought a sense of warmth and familiarity to him, but Minho could never figure out as to why. However, Minho had long since learned that questioning things were futile and to just accept things as they were. It caused less of a headache that way.

Today, Minho was feeling masochistic.

The fairy shaped wind chimes sounded as he pushed open the door to the café - face hit with the most delicious smells Minho ever had the pleasure of sniffing. ‘ Felix must be working today.’

“Welcome in!”

Speaking of the devil, Minho smiled, a soft greeting falling from his lips as he stared at Felix. The brunette was carefully stocking their display shelves with freshly baked goods. “Hey Felix.”

“Hyung!” Felix shot up, nearly dropping his tray in the process. He fumbled with and luckily caught it before it could fall to the floor. He was so adorable. “You didn’t see that.” Felix shot him a pointed glare and Minho laughed, shaking his head.

“Oh, I saw all of it.” he teased with a wink, approaching the counter. The flirtatious teasing had Felix flushing a pretty pink that accentuated the freckles that littered his round cheeks - adding to his beauty. Minho could honestly get lost staring at him.

“Dang it.” Felix pouted, setting his tray down on. He wiped his hands on his apron before turning his full attention to Minho. “Oh well.” he shrugged. “What can I get for you today?”

“A date.”

Felix blinked rapidly a few times, mimicking Minho’s own stare, as he processed the words that left the older male’s mouth. “Hyung!” he whined, another pout gracing his features. “Hyunjin isn’t here today.” he muttered almost sadly. Minho scoffed at the rebuttal. Not that he had anything against the male. Hyunjin was tall, gorgeous and a delight to be around - most of the time - but Felix was definitely more of Minho’s style. Small, cute and easily flustered. Felix also had this uncanny ability to just radiate sunshine and happiness and it was that pure goodness that attracted Minho to him. While the darkness inside him loved to hiss and writhe - like a dramatic diva - for being in the vicinity as Felix, the goodness in him scrambled to cling to the light - to draw from the energy he needed to keep going; to stay good.

He really was masochistic.

“You say that as if I care.” Minho smirked as he leaned against the counter, eyes locked with Felix’s pretty brown orbs - watching as they shook, unable to hold his gaze. “In which, I do not.” Felix cocked his head, batting his lashes in confusion and Minho just wanted to coo at him. A ridiculous notion. He reserved that type of behavior for his cats. Though, Felix could probably pass for a cat if he tried. “If I wanted to date Hyunjin, I would.” And he left it at that. He wasn't sure if Felix understood what he meant by that, but it didn’t matter really. Eventually he would, or least Minho hoped he would. “I’ll take my usual.”

Eyes brightening, Felix rang Minho up and after paying, the younger ran to get started on his drink, the two falling into the familiar pattern of barista/patron. AS he waited, Minho let his eyes wander over the crowded floors of the cafe, students happily chatting away or focused on their laptop screens, showing more dedication to their coursework than Minho had in his pinkie finger. It was a life Minho couldn’t get behind. Of course, it’s not like would purposefully fall behind on coursework or just fail his classes.

Absolutely not!

He had spent way too much money on his education to waste it. But that didn’t mean the thought of working didn’t disgust him. And perhaps he would have more motivation if the subject matter was more interesting. He took these magic courses because he wanted to learn more about magic . He wanted to learn about the history of it - where it came from,  or how it was passed down through the generations. He didn’t want to be put through the hell of hearing the same iterations of stories with only minor changes.

“Here you go hyung!” Minho stared at Felix, refusing to acknowledge how the other startled him. Felix stared at him expectantly and Minho glanced down at the cup between them - so innocuous. Taking the cup, he took a quick sip - face schooled but inside he was screaming as he burnt his tongue. A stupid mistake to make. Of course the drink would be hot, what else had he been expecting?  “Good?” Felix asked.

“Delicious.” Minho forced out, hoping his words weren’t as slurred as he thought they were as his tongue was numb. “Thanks for the drink, Lixie. I’ll see you later.” Making a not-so-grand exit, Minho headed back to his apartment, intent to spend the rest of his day curled up on the couch with his cats, watching whatever drama he could feasibly binge watch in an afternoon. It sounded like heaven and was probably the main reason the normally 10 minute commute only toko 5 minutes.

Upon entering his apartment, he was greeted to a chorus of meows as three furry bodies rubbed against his legs. “Hello babies. Did you miss me?” he asked, smiling as he received more meows in response. Minho was sure they weren’t actually talking to him, but it was fun to think that. Though if they could talk, he was sure he would hear nothing but complaints about how they wanted more food, even though he fed them before he left for class that morning. Shaking his head, he shuffled further inside, careful to not lift his feet fully off the floor in fear of stepping on one of his babies.

“You know.” he started, sending the three cats a frustrated glare. “This would go faster if you weren’t trying to trip me.” he huffed. Though he knew they weren’t trying to actually trip him, he did find it ironically hilarious that as soon as he made that comment, the three cats wandered off. Such a convenient coincidence. “Thank you.”

Unobstructed, Minho headed into the kitchen and against his better judgment, he fixed three bowls of cat food, setting them down in their normal spots by the fridge. “Soonie, Doongie, Dori!” It took a moment, but eventually two orange cats emerged, followed by a gray tabby that trotted over to their dishes and eagerly devoured their food. “So spoiled.” 

Cat dad duties finished, Minho headed back into the living room and plopped down on the couch with a heavy sigh. He wasn’t sure why he still felt so frustrated. He knew the feeling stemmed from the story covered in class but usually seeing Felix and getting his favorite coffee always made him feel better. Today it just didn’t seem to be working. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed once again. Grabbing the remote, he the TV and scrolled through the channels until he landed on a drama that barely caught his interest, mind still a jumbled mess.

Lost in his thoughts, Minho jumped when his phone started ringing, eyes wide as he stared at the offending device. Quickly, his eyes scanned the room, landing on Doongie as the orange cat sat in the corner, watching him with an interested gaze. “You saw nothing.” he warned, the feline yawning in response before curling up and laying down. Talking to the cats was an odd habit surely, but it did help to keep Minho from feeling lonely. With a grunt, Minho grabbed his phone, which had started ringing for a second time. “Hello?”

“Minnie~” Minho cringed at the sickenly sweet coo, mentally kicking himself for taking the call. “What are you doing?”

“Watching TV.”

“So nothing then?” Jungkook.

“No, I’m watching TV.” he corrected with a scoff.

“Perfect! We’re having a gathering tonight and we would love it if you came.”

Minho mulled over the offering carefully. He really didn’t feel like going out and socializing, but he knew gatherings like these were usually fun and filled with people that Minho could tolerate for the most part. “Who is ‘we’?”

“Oh, you know…”

No, he in fact, didn’t know and Minho hated how vague Jungkook was being, but that was to be expected from the socialite. No information given, but he could surprisingly convince anyone to go anywhere and do just about anything. “I’ll be there, Seonghwa -” He started listing off names, but truth be told Minho tuned him out, not at all interested. At least, not until a specific name was listed. “Irene, Chan -”

“Chan’s going?” Minho straightened on the couch and if he were a cat, his ears would have twitched with interest. Jungkook laughed at that and a spike of embarrassment coursed through Minho. However, his curiosity was too great to let him dwell on that for very long.

“Of course that’s the only name you would care about.”

“Arguably the only one to care about.” Minho retorted with a shrug. He pointedly ignored teh scoff on the other end. “What time?”

“7pm.”

“Ugh, really?”

“What? Past your bedtime grandpa?” Minho snorted, rolling his eyes.

“Some of us have class in the morning, slacker.”

“Yeah, but Chan will be there.” And that was such a tempting offer, and Jungkook knew it. The self made Soundcloud producer was such eye candy and a sweetheart to boot. Even with the minimal interaction Minho had with Chan was enough to have him swooning and falling head over heels for the man. Hell, Minho practically tripped over himself once to try and get a moment alone with Chan. Could he really pass up another opportunity to see him?

No way in hell.

“I’ll come.”

“Great! So we’ll-” Minho ended the call mid sentence, knowing full well Jungkook would text him the info later. Dropping the phone on the couch, he let his head fall back, feeling so mentally drained from the call. There was something off about the day. His mood just didn’t feel right and it upset him as much as it concerned him. He normally had a steady plateau of emotion, fluctuating only occasionally and in short bursts. To ping pong between emotions and have none of his normal soothing items help calm him down, it was strange. Hopefully, seeing chan and being around others would fix whatever was broken.

 

-----------

 

The one thing Minho hated most about Jungkook and his “gatherings” was the fact they always included magic of some sort. Usually Jungkook or someone close to him would perform some childish magic trick that still enraptured everyone. And while all the magic users usually invited were white magic users, that never stopped Enforcers from showing up. The magic cops loved to show off their status at any given point - the white starburst badges pinned to their right shoulder sleeve. At least it made it easy for Minho to identify and steer clear of them. He had never had an actual encounter with an enforcer, other than a passing glance. Yet he had an instinctual fear of them and he did his best to avoid them like the plague. Parties were no different. 

After grabbing a drink from the kitchen, Minho made his way back into the living room and made himself comfy on one of the couches. He scanned the crowded room, watching bodies as they grinded together on the makeshift dance floor. Normally Minho would join in, letting the music take over his body - releasing all his worries and stress as he lost himself to the rhythm of the beat. But not today. Not when he knew Chan was going to be there. He would have ample enough time to dance, but the chance to talk with Chan was few and far between. Besides, if he was lucky, maybe he could convince Chan to have a dance… or five. It was a solid plan and all Minho had to do was be patient. 

But he was far from being a patient man.

As the night wore on, he was becoming extremely antsy for Chan’s arrival. His spot on the couch had the perfect view of the front door and anyone who walked in. At least a dozen or so people came and went, and with each new arrival, Minho’s hopes were crushed a little more.

Four drinks and two hours later, Minho wandered back into the kitchen, intent to get another drink. His mind was already feeling fuzzy, but thankfully the ground wasn’t moving yet . He could handle one or two more drinks before he needed to go home. The kitchen was a mess. Empty beer cans and soda bottles littered the floor. Half empty liquor bottles were scattered across various counters and the center island. The room itself was empty except for one person by the fridge. Minho had a witty comment on the tip of his tongue but it disappeared as he spotted the starburst patch on the right shirt sleeve. Every instinct in his body kicked in and his brain was screaming at him to turn tail and run away - which he did. But just as he was leaving, he heard an all too familiar voice.

“Minho, hey!”

Minho paused and against his better judgment, he turned around. His eyes landed on Chan’s beautiful face, a smile so wide and pure that this entire scenario seemed surreal. 

“Chan,” he breathed. “When did you get here?”

It was a stupid question. Or rather, the question wasn’t stupid, just the fact that Minho insisted on holding a conversation was stupid. It didn’t matter when Chan arrived, but when did he become an enforcer? Last he checked, enforcers had to have some sort of white magic in them and Chan was human! There was not an ounce of  white magic residing in him. Of course, it wasn’t unheard of that humans could be enforcers, but the humans tended to be part of archiving and trials. Their badges - according to historians - were different. The starbursts were only for enforcers who actively patrolled and enforced the laws. So why did Chan - pure, loving, kind hearted Chan - have the starburst?

“A bit ago. Jungkook had me held hostage out front.” he chuckled as if that explained everything.

It explained absolutely nothing!

In fact, it only added to Minho’s confusion. Had Jungkook known all along about Chan’s new position in life? It’s not like the older man wasn’t aware of Minho’s dislike for the enforcers.

“O-Oh.” How lame, but what else could he say? There were plenty of things Minho wanted to ask but he wasn’t sure he could ask them without risk of giving away his secret. And he couldn’t do that, not now that he knew Chan was one of them . The silence between them felt weighted and awkward.

“Yeah.” Chan nodded and smiled. “As you can see, I was appointed as an enforcer today.” Chan turned to show off the badge, smiling so widely like he was ecstatic, and he probably was. Minho couldn’t blame him for that. 

“I didn’t know you could use magic.” It was the first thing to pop into his mind and honestly a question he wanted an answer to.

Chan frowned, cocking his head. “You didn’t? I thought for sure you knew. My dad is the current general.”

Minho’s eyes widened at the news, chest tightening with an indescribable feeling. He couldn’t believe this. Chan came from a long line of enforcers. He used magic. He was everything Minho had wanted in a partner and in a matter of seconds the perfect fantasy world he had created came crashing down around him.

Minho swallowed thickly, fighting back the urge to cry. “I didn’t know.” 

“Oh. Well now you do, I guess.” Chan shrugged. “Cool right? Also, thanks for coming to my celebration.”

“Y-Your celebration?!” As if this couldn’t get any worse. This entire party was to celebrate Chan becoming an enforcer. This was devastating. 

“Yeah! When I told Jungkook, he insisted on throwing-” Chan paused, eyeing Minho carefully. “Are you okay, Min?”

Minho felt like the world was spinning and he was going to pass out at any given moment. There was just too much information to process and it felt like the universe was out to get him. “I have to go.” Dropping his cup on the counter, Minho turned and made a hasty exit out of the kitchen and the house, ignoring Chan’s call for him to come back. There was no way Minho could go back and face him. He was nothing but a bundle of emotions now - a swirling mass of negativity the likes he had never felt before.

It was horrible. There was an icky heavy feeling washing over him - his limbs feeling heavy with each step he took. It almost felt like a pressure building and looking for a way to escape, and Minho would be more than happy to release it from his body. Glancing down at his hands - where were feeling a bit tingly - he stopped dead in his tracks, shocked at what he saw. The tips of his fingers were oozing an inky blackness that he had only seen happen  once before.

“. Not now.” he whined, trying to wipe his hands clean, but of course that did nothing. He couldn’t just wipe away magic so easily. Worried, Minho looked around, taking in his surroundings. While it wasn’t busy out, the sidewalk was still occupied by a good number of passersby, all of which posed a threat to Minho. His heart raced as he tried to figure out what his next move should be, because there was no way he could stay out in the open with black magic oozing from his fingers.

Doing a once over again, Minho spotted and alley opening and quickly ducked inside. He needed to figure out a way to get home without being seen because he was absolutely sure he wouldn't be able to wrangle in his magic - not with the whirlwind of emotions currently coursing through him. The side of town he was currently on was one he was familiar with - thankfully - but he had never traversed the back alleys before. He had no idea which alley connected to the next or if any of them could lead him back to his apartment. But he had to try and figure it out. The longer he remained outside, the higher the risk of being caught became.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Minho started down the alleyway, vigilant of his surroundings. The further he moved in, the darker it became. It unnerved him how the light from the streets on either end couldn’t seem to penetrate the darkness of the place. It was quite eerie and if Minho wasn’t so worried about his life, he probably would have turned tail and ran.

“Get away from me! Stop!” Minho froze at the cry, blood running cold. It came from right in front of him and Minho was terrified to take another step forward. Yet something inside him was telling him that he needed to go investigate - to help whoever was in trouble. It was an absurd idea and yet his feet carried him onward as if on autopilot and the horrific scene he came across was sickening to bear witness to. There were two men, one on the ground - probably the man that had begged for his life. The other man hovered over the fallen man, a dark aura surrounding him. It had Minho shivering and he could feel the dark energy within him reaching out, trying to merge with it. 

Another dark magic user. 

A companion …

Minho shook his head, focusing on pulling his magic back. He couldn’t let them combine. He wasn’t like that - didn’t want to use his magic to hurt innocent people. That wasn’t the type of person he was! But he also wasn’t the type of person to stick his nose in situations that didn’t involve him. However, could he really turn the other cheek and just pretend that he hadn’t seen this? If this man died, mentally and emotionally his blood would be on Minho’s hands. And despite how strong he believed he was, Minho wasn’t sure he could live with that knowledge. In a split second decision Minoh his hand forward, expelling the black magic that, up until now, had been dying to be set free. The force of the expulsion sent the attacker flying back - knocking him into the concrete wall a few feet away. A heavy tension filled the air as he waited for the man to get back up.

He didn’t. 

In fact, he didn’t move at all and Minho feared maybe he had somehow killed the guy. “Oh .” he whispered, already taking a few steps closer.

“Don’t!” The warning gave Minho pause and he turned his attention to the man he had just saved. In the dim lighting of the alleyway Minho couldn’t really make out any features, though he sounded young - probably around Minho’s  age or younger. The survivor’s attention was still focused on his attacker, however, and Minho turned back towards the fallen man, ready to go help despite the warning he had been given. But the man’s body was gone.

“What the hell?”

“Black magic.” Well yeah. Clearly the man had been a black magic user. But that honestly wasn’t a great excuse for the disappearance. Minho was pretty sure that all magic users had the ability to disappear - teleport in a way. It seemed a little stereotypical to just group that magical action with black magic users, even if he was correct about this particular situation. Minho wanted to be upset- outraged even, but as the anger was bubbling up inside him, the other man finally got up and walked over to him. “Thank you.”

It felt like a punch to the gut while simultaneously all the energy had been zapped out of his body. Now up close, Minho could out the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever had the pleasure of staring at. Adorable chubby cheeks also adorned his equally adorable looking face. Minho was sure he had been correct in his assumption that this guy was young. He was young and beautiful and Minho had the passing thought of wondering if he was single. 

“My name’s Jisung.” The handsome man - Jisung - introduced himself and Minho became extremely aware of the awkward staring he was doing. Blinking rapidly a few times, Minho cleared his throat, the tips of his ears heating up slightly. 

“Minho.” 

Jisung smiled. “Well Minho, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Wish it was under different circumstances.” 

“Likewise.” Minho looked Jisung over again, trying to get a better sense of the person standing before him, but could hardly make out anything in the dark alleyway. “So what exactly did I stumble upon?”

“Upset patron.” Jisung laughed as if he hadn’t just been moments away from dying. 

“That . Guess he’ll be leaving a bad yelp review.” Minho joked and Jisung laughed once more. “Are you okay, though?” It was probably something that he should have asked earlier.

“Me?” Jisung asked and Minho wanted to roll his eyes. That was such a stupid question, but he held his tongue. “Yeah, I’m fine.” he confirmed with a shrug.

“Oh, good.” A blanket of awkwardness fell over them and Minho wasn’t sure what to do to fix it. It was a new situation that he never thought he would be in, so he was a little socially inapt with how to deal with it. It’s not like this was a movie and now that he saved someone’s life, they’re going to fall madly in love and live happily ever after. In fact, it was probably better that they parted ways and never see each other again. There was less of a risk of being found out that way. Minho was just thankful that Jisung hadn’t seemed to notice the type of magic he used.

“Well, this is awkward.”

Was this guy inside his head?! As far as Minho knew, there weren’t any minder readers. That wasn’t a power that even existed. Maybe it was just a coincidence? 

“Yeah.” Another lame answer, but words were failing him at the moment.

“Well, I hate to cut this short, but I should get going.” Jisung flashed him a smile. “Thank you again for saving me, Minho. Maybe one day I’ll be able to return the favor.”

“Yeah, hopefully not, but maybe.” Minho agreed. Taking a few steps back, Minho gave a slight bow and Jisung returned it. “Bye Jisung.”

“See ya.”

Minho took his heave first, exiting the alleyway only to realize how late it was. The streetlights were on and the road barren save for a random car passing every now and again. And despite the darkness, the air outside was hot and humid. 

Disgusting.

And the black magic still swirling inside him only added to that disgusted feeling. It was way too wound up and excited after coming across another black magic user. He hated how sick it made him feel and once more Minho was cursing his birth givers. He couldn’t even call them his parents because they gave him up at birth and cursed him with the life he had now. He hated it - hated them. Everything wrong in his life was their fault. He couldn’t only hope they were already dead, otherwise if he ever met them -

He paused, shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts. That was a dark train he went on and definitely not who he was. The influence of the black magic was starting to get to him. He needed to get home as soon as possible so he could safely expel it before he did something he’d regret. Minho had spent far too long concealing himself to let it all go to waste because of a heroic good deed.

 

-----

 

3 months, 15 days and 5 hours. That’s how long it’s been since the incident in the alleyway and since then, Minho has been constantly running into Jisung. It was strange, because he had never seen the squirely boy before and Minho liked to think that he was decently social. Sure he didn’t have many close friends - none really - but he knew a lot of people and got invited to a lot of events and parties and Jisung had never been someone he’d crossed paths with before. It was almost comical how frequently Minho saw the other, so it was only inevitable they started to hang out. Jisung was a decent guy and very easy to get along with. Dare he even think that Jisung was his “person”.

And maybe it was this blossoming friendship that distracted Minho. Kept him focused on a future he wanted and not the life he was living. Maybe he would have noticed sooner, the issue bubbling just under the surface. Maybe he could have prevented it from happening.

Maybe…

Stupid! He was so stupid! Minho should have known better than to stay out when he was feeling so bad. It wasn’t like this was the first time his powers got out of control, though maybe it would be his last. The thought terrified him, but not as much as the enforcers that were chasing him.

“Stop Minho!” Chan shouted from behind and Minho probably would have stopped if it weren’t for the beam of magic that went flying past him, just barely missing him. “Don’t make this harder for yourself!”

“Oh yea. Because giving up would be so much easier!” Minho sassed. He yelped as another beam was shot at him, nicking his calf and causing him to stumble. His legs gave out from under him, body collapsing as he tried to catch his breath. Everything hurt - his eyes were crossing and his ears were ringing as the world spun. A shadow loomed over him and panic coursed through his body. He tried to scramble to his feet, but pain shot up his leg, stopping him.

“I told you to just stop.” Chan’s once sweet voice was hardened, sharp. Minho held back the whimper that tried to crawl out of his throat. A foot pressed against his side and with a hard nudge he was unceremoniously kicked onto his back. “Tears won’t help an abomination like you.” Minho wasn’t even aware he had been crying. His heart shattered into pieces as the hurtful words washed over him. This wasn’t Chan. Chan was sweet and kind and wouldn’t hurt a fly. However, Chan was also an enforcer and as painful as it was to admit, Minho knew that there had to be a small piece of malice in him. It was the only reasoning he could come up with as to why Chan could be this mean and hateful to someone who was different.

“Please.” he whispered, almost begging, but all he was greeted with was a hateful stare and Chan’s glowing hand.

“You know how this has to end. I’m sorry.”

Minho didn’t believe it. Wouldn’t believe it. Chan wasn’t sorry because if he was, he would do this. Or at least that’s what Minho told himself. “Chan please!” he begged once more, the tears falling faster. And for a brief moment there was a sense of hesitation. And Mino seized the opportunity. Black smoke like tendrils crept forth from his fingers and he grabbed Chan’s ankle. His magic shot up through Chan’s leg, wrapping around his limbs and constricting. Chan shouted in pain and Minho watched as black veins began to spread over the pale skin, slowly taking over. The sight pained Minho, but nonetheless he climbed to his feet, calf throbbing in pain.

“M-Minho.”

“I’m sorry Chan. I’m so sorry.” His voice trembled as he fought back his sobs. He knew the magic wouldn’t kill Chan - he could never go that far - but it would keep him at bay for now. He turned and started running, though slowed down by his wounded leg. Every stretch of the muscle felt like searing hot iron was being pressed into his skin. It was horrible. But still he pressed on, knowing that if he stopped he would die. Sirens began to blare across the city, shivers rushing down his spine. Minho had only ever heard stories of those sirens being sounded. 

He knew what they meant.

Minho made a beeline for the nearest dense foliage. He wasn’t sure if it would lead out of the city or just provide a place to lay low for a while, but it didn’t matter. The longer he was out in the open, the more danger he was in. He got about half way there when he heard the shouts and the ball of magic began whizzing by him.

“, .” he cursed, looking around for any sort of safety. He wasn’t sure what caught his attention, but for some reason he happened to look over at a store front and there, peeking out of the door was Jisung, waving to him. If this had been any other situation, maybe Minho would have second guessed the other’s appearance. As it was, this was a life or death situation and Minho preferred to live.

Changing course, Minho ran to Jisung, slipping through the open door and coming to a crashing halt against the front counter. Bent over, Minho panted as he watched with weary eyes as Jisung locked and secured the door. When he turned around, Minho’s entire world came crashing to the ground as his eyes landed on the starburst patch on his right shoulder sleeve. “No, no…God please no!” he begged, stumbling backwards as he tried to put more distance between himself and Jisung.

“Min, wait.” Jisung held up his hands in surrender, taking a step or two closer. “I’m not gonna hurt you. I promise.” Minho wanted to believe him, he really did, but there was just too much hurt and betrayal in his heart. He had thought he was friends enough with Chan that the other wouldn’t attack him like had. But he had been so clearly wrong. Their relationship had clearly meant nothing to the older man. And now he had discovered the one person he considered his best friend was also an enforcer, he just couldn’t take it. Everything was falling apart and Minho was powerless to stop it.

“Please, Jisung,” he whispered. “I can’t do this. Not with you. I trusted you.”

“And you can still trust me!” The sincere earnestness in his voice called to Minho and all he wanted to do was hug Jisung. He needed Jisung. Biting his bottom lip, Minho caved and walked closer. If this was a trick and he died, then so be it, but he just needed one last moment of happiness. Jisung smiled and closed the gap between, taking Minho into a tight hug. Minho broke down and buried his face into Jisung’s shoulder as he sobbed. “It’s gonna be alright, hyung.”

“How?” Minho pulled back and stared at Jisung - cheeks red and splotchy, stained with his tears. “They’re trying to kill me, Sungie! All because…because…” he trailed off, eyes going blank and unfocused as he stared off behind Jisung.

“You use black magic.” Jisung finished and Minho nodded numbly. “I never would have guessed.”

“I never wanted you or anyone else to know.” Minho whispered. “I hate this, curse to be hunted. I tried so hard to just use my white magic, but sometimes,” he sniffled and reached up to wipe away his tears. “Sometimes I just can’t control it.”

“You use both?” Jisung asked incredulously. Once again, Minho nodded solemnly. Jisung was silent for a moment, looking Minho over. It seemed whatever debate he was having internally, he came to a decision as he pulled back completely from Minho. He reached into his pocket and pulled his keys. “Here.” he said as he pressed them to Minho’s chest.

“What?” Minho frowned.

“My care is out back. Take it and leave this place.”

“Jisung? I can’t. They’ll see me and m-my cats!”

“I’ll distract them.” Jisung grabbed Minho’s arm and guided him to the back door. “And don’t worry about your cats, I’ll take care of them. Just go.”

Minho pulled his arm free and glared at the other. “Why are you doing this?”

Jisung could only smile as he opened the back door. “Returning the favor.” With that, he shoved Minho out the door and closed it, leaving him standing there stupefied. Only a few moments later he could hear Jisung out front, gathering the enforcers and leading them in the opposite direction. This was his chance and despite the craziness that just happened, he wasn’t going to lose it. Turning, Minho ran to the car and got in. Starting it, he carefully made his way out of the alley and to the back roads that would lead out of the city - his heart still racing and now full of hope.

Until we meet again. Thank you, Jisung.