On most mornings, Kim Heechul pointedly ignored the strange little coffee shop on the corner with its iron-wrought, hand-painted sign and windows adorned in crushed wine-colored velvet drapes – a complete anachronism to modern-day Seoul. When he was a little teenaged snot addicted to Japanese rock music and cheap black eyeliner, he would’ve practically lived in this place. Now, watching punk rock wannabes and weekend mall-goths walk in and out of the shop, he just winced in second-hand embarrassment and hoped no one ever caught him lingering around too long. He was an adult with a solid career and he wore designer suits – he was a paragon of responsibility and good sense now and there was nothing wrong with that.

            

            It wasn’t until a particularly nasty early morning rainstorm caught him unawares that he deigned to enter the shop, the sign emblazoned with the English words “The Witches’ Brew” swinging wildly on its chains in the wind. He noted with very little enthusiasm the little bell on the door that signalled his arrival and a voice from somewhere in the back that yelled Be with you in a moment!.

             

            Soaking wet and none too pleased with the situation, he shook off the water clinging to his jacket, looked around the empty café, and took in the scene – the floors were black and white checkered marble with wooden tables and various kinds of chairs and couches all draped in various old shawls and cloths. Romantic-era paintings and tapestries adorned the walls with the occassional mirror here and there. Candles and oil lamps adorned every corner of the room save for the service bar, which had low-watt incandescent bulbs lighting it, instead. Heechul silently thanked whoever granted him the incredible night vision he needed to navigate his way through the place.

            

            Before he could find a place to sit, a handsome young man that appeared no older than a teenager came out from the back room and made his way over to the counter. The kid was quite the sight, dressed in a bright smile and a pink apron. Heechul raised an eyebrow at the obvious contrast, but said nothing as walked over to the register, water still dripping from his hair and clothes.

            “Didn’t know there was supposed to be a thunderstorm today, did you?” the young man questioned. “I’m not surprised, really; it rolled in before dawn.”

            Heechul grumbled and grabbed a napkin off the counter to wipe off his face and hair. “I guess this just means that this wasn’t meant to be my day.”

            The barista tutted and took the disintegrating napkins out of Heechul’s hands to throw them away. “No such thing as a day that isn’t meant to be yours. If you want, I can go upstairs to my apartment and grab you a towel – I’m sure I can trust you to watch the register, right?” 

 
             Heechul nodded and shuffled over to the nearest overstuffed sofa while he stripped himself of his suit jacket, tie, and dress shoes. He prayed to the Sartorial Gods that the dry-cleaners could salvage his Armani suit and those Gucci leather shoes wouldn’t shrink. He figured he’d be here for a little while, so he called his assistant Donghae to let him know he’d be late. Not even a few minutes later, said barista reappeared with a couple of towels and an umbrella.

 
             “Here, I thought you could use this when you go – in case it doesn’t let up when you decide to leave,” he said as he handed both the towels and the umbrella over. Heechul took them with a grin and thanked him for his kindness. “Say, while you’re here, you want something to drink? You know, to warm you up?”

 
            “Sure,” Heechul replied, “What do you recommend, Mr. Barista? What’s your favorite drink to make?”

            Mr. Barista smiled and started walking back towards the coffee bar. “I’ll make you my rainy-day special. How’s that sound?”

 
            A few moments later, after Heechul toweled off and desperately tried to dry his shoes, the young man returned with a giant cup that almost resembled a bowl filled to the brim with steaming-hot liquid and covered with foam and a drawing of a leaf on the top. He sat it down on the table in front of the sofa and sat himself in the opposite chaise lounge, motioning him to try it.

 
            Heechul laughed as he picked up the cup off the saucer. “The leaf is quite the touch, I have to admit.” He took a careful sip of the coffee and his eyes widened in surprise, warmth spreading throughout his body and his weariness felt as if it were melting away. “Jesus ing Christ, that’s good,” he murmured. “Oh, sorry; I need to watch my language.” He averted his eyes back to his cup and mentally smacked himself for reverting to his old ways.

            The young man only laughed, smiling that damned smile that had no business being so bright on such a gloomy day. “No need to apologize; I have a worse mouth on me. My name is Sungmin, by the way – I’m the owner of this place.” He held out his hand and looked Heechul straight in the eye.

 
           Heechul took the other man’s hand and introduced himself, still clinging to the cup in his other hand. “You’re the owner?” he asked, not at all trying to hide the surprise in his voice. “You look so young, though. I thought you might still be in high school or something.”

            “No, no – I’m 26 years old!” Sungmin’s own eyes widened as Heechul choked on his drink. “A-are you going to be alright?”

            “I’m fine,” Heechul sputtered out. “That’s amazing, though; you age really well. What’s your secret?” 

            Sungmin grinned and said, “Oh, it’s really simple. Every month, on the first night of the full moon, I drink the blood of s and sacrifice small woodland animals to Our Dark Lord Satan. The furrier the better – he likes them extra cute.”

            Heechul blinked at him and let small awkward silence pass before he burst out into laughter. “I like your style, Sungmin-ssi; not many people have that black sense of humor anymore.”

            “Well, you kinda have to have a dark sense of humor running a place like this,” Sungmin said, motioning around him and the interior of the room.

            “Yeah, what is with this place?” Heechul asked, still sipping on his coffee that was still somehow very hot.

            Sungmin snorted. “Well, I got really tired of all these super-modern, ultra-chic cafés that aren’t meant to be enjoyed; they’re just meant to churn out coffee and get you out of there. This place is a place where you can relax and get away from the city – it’s my slice of Victorian, neo-Gothic heaven. Some people find it creepy, but once you get used to it, it becomes quite like home. Most of our customers are regulars and they all have their favorite chair or couch they like to sprawl out on.”

            “Our?” Heechul questioned. “You’re not the only owner?”

            “I am,” Sungmin replied quickly, “but I have another person working for me on weekends when we get really busy. Kyuhyun’s a college student so I try not to take up too much of his time. Sweet enough kid, but he has quite the mouth on him when it comes to rude customers.”

            “I see. Well, I’ll try not to take up too much more of your time,” Heechul sighed as he finished off the rest of his drink. “I really ought to get going; my assistant will flip tables if I’m not there before long. Absolutely sweet kid, but he gets kinda tetchy when things aren’t running as smoothly as they should – namely when I don’t run as smoothly as I should.”

            Sungmin laughed and took the emptied cup and saucer from the table and started heading back towards the bar. “Tetchy? Sounds a lot like my ray of sunshine.”

            Heechul began slipping his shoes back on and sighed in relief that they still fit the same. “It gets scary, I admit – he’s been known to pull some dastardly just to get his way.”

            “Dastardly?”

            “Downright nefarious,” Heechul said as he slipped on his slightly damp jacket. “He does this thing – this weird pouting thing – that instantly melts hearts and makes girls swoon and brings macho men to their knees. None can resist him.” Heechul gathered up the rest of his things and walked over to the counter where Sungmin stood, washing up the little bit of dishes and tidying up.

            “Black magic,” Sungmin laughed as he put everything away. Noticing Heechul reaching back for his wallet, Sungmin shook his head in refusal. “That one’s on the house today, Heechul-ssi; you kept me company on a slow – well, dead – day. I think that deserves a cup of coffee.”

 
          Heechul, never being one to refuse something free, simply backed away and shifted his things in his arms awkwardly. “Well, thanks. I really appreciate it. I’ll see if I can stop by again sometime, alright?”

            

            “You’d better – that’s my umbrella, you know,” Sungmin joked. “If you can make time and you can escape your assistant’s evil wiles, you’re always welcome back. Have a good day, Heechul-ssi.”

            

            With that, Heechul waved and walked out of the shop with umbrella in hand, feeling like it might actually be a better day.

            

-_-_-_-_-_-

 
          As the weeks flew by, Heechul returned Sungmin’s umbrella and made good on his promise to stop in now and then to catch up and whine about work – being a well-known and highly sought-after book editor for a major publishing company was quite the headache, apparently.  He ignored the stares from the kids that lounged about on the couches as they eyed his Italian suits with as much disdain as their heavy eyeliner would allow them to express. (It never once occurred to him to come in when he wasn’t in his work clothes to avoid the attention, but if it meant he could annoy someone, he’d wear his best three-piece suits just for the experience.)

            

            During this time, he saw Sungmin’s hair change from a simple black, short bob to a shock of rose pink with tendrils hanging down his neck. He freely admitted that it looked quite good on him, although he felt pretty self-conscious about saying so. He also met Sungmin’s weekend help and understood why Sungmin was wary of releasing the kid onto the public at large – though usually friendly and cordial, he was quite the ticking time bomb of snark with a hair trigger and a five-megaton yield. Heechul already loved him like the little brother he never had. 

   
           All was well in the world until the day Heechul decided it would be a dandy idea to drop in on Sungmin a few minutes after closing – after all, he would surely still be in the shop and he wouldn’t mind talking about movies for the thousandth time. 

          The moment he opened the door, he was nearly knocked back out as brooms raced around the floor and feather dusters danced all over the walls and dishes swam through oceans of dishwater without any sort of visible human interference, all the while Sungmin happily sat on the counter and conducted the whole show like it was all an orchestra. The little bell on the door finally caught his attention and soon all of the cleaning tools fell to the ground as Sungmin stood up and gaped in complete shock.

            “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE,” Heechul shouted, but not before Sungmin rushed over, pulled him inside the store, and locked it before anyone out on the street could get suspicious. 

            

            Sungmin released Heechul from his grasp when he felt they were safe from any potential busybodies. “Why the hell are you screaming? You’ll attract attention, ,” he hissed.

            

            “BUT THERE WERE THINGS FLYING AROUND AND YOU’RE JUST STANDING THERE LIKE IT’S NORMAL THIS IS NOT NORMAL IT’S NOT EVEN OK WHAT ARE YOU-“

            

            Sungmin’s quick hands cut off Heechul’s tirade and he pulled him over to a chair and sat him down. “Now, I’m going to take my hand off your mouth, alright? And when I do, you’re not going to be screaming anymore. We’re going to be cool, and we’re going to talk this out. Nod if you agree.” Heechul nodded in agreement, eyes still wide in shock. He slowly removed his hand, monitoring Heechul’s reactions in case he decided to do something drastic.

            

            “I think I’ll be alright now,” Heechul gasped as he tried his best to slow his breathing.

            

            Sungmin gave him a cautious grin and took a seat in the chair across from Heechul’s own. “Now, if I make you some coffee, will you not break a synapse?” Heechul only nodded in assent. “Good, now stay there and don’t panic.” 

            

            Sungmin simply waved his hand and kept his eyes on all of the moving parts of the various machines and tools while Heechul watched in pure shock and silence. Before long, a large bowl-shaped cup slowly made its way to their table on its own. 

            

     
            “There we go. Drink your coffee and you’ll feel better, I promise.”

     
            Heechul scooted back into his chair and snarled at the younger man. “And why should I do that? That might be poison. I really have no reason to trust a witch.”

            

            “Wizard. I’m a wizard, Heechul,” Sungmin corrected. “I would’ve thought everyone had read Harry Potter by now. And you’re my friend – I have no reason to want to poison you. That’s the exact same drink I made you when you first came in. Look, there’s the little leaf in it and everything.”

            

            Heechul gaped openly and blinked at his revelation, dragging the cup and saucer over to his side of the table and forgetting his previous misgivings completely. “You mean those books were true? Did you have to fight against Lord Voldemort?”

            

            “Volde-who?”

            

            “Sorry, I meant ‘He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’,” Heechul said, “I forgot that must be a sensitive subject for the wizarding world still. What House were you sorted in? I bet you were a Ravenclaw; you seem pretty bookish.”

           

            Sungmin gave Heechul the most pointed stare of his life, the glare hot enough to set him on fire if he so chose. “Those books are pure fiction. Besides, the author completely misses the point of magic and it is in no way indicative of how magic actually works.”

            

            “Artistic license?”

            

            “That she used to run over, back up, and run over the concept again with her multi-million dollar vehicle,” Sungmin sniffed.

            

            Heechul shrugged. “At least she didn’t give away any of your secrets or anything. That would’ve been bad.”

            

            “I guess you’re right. Last thing we need is some kid attempting magic and accidentally blowing off his arm or something.”

            

            Before Heechul could ask if that’s ever happened, he heard a loud bang from upstairs and a flustered Kyuhyun step out of the stairway. 

           
            “Seongsangnim, what the hell is he doing here? And what was with all the screaming?” Kyuhyun asked, panting from the exertion of rushing down all those stairs.

            Heechul just raised an eyebrow and waved, disregarding the withering stare Kyuhyun gave him in return. 

            “He found us out, Kyuhyun. He knows about who we are and what we do,” Sungmin said with little fanfare.

            Kyuhyun shot looks to the two of them, shrugged, and went back upstairs to continue his current game of Starcraft. 

            Heechul gave Sungmin an incredulous look, even more confused than before. “This isn’t a big deal to you guys? Aren’t you going to threaten to kill me or something? Wipe my memory? Put a hit out on me through your coven’s networks?”

            Sungmin just narrowed his eyes and rested his head in his hands. “First of all, I told you we’re not witches; we don’t live in covens. Wizards are normally solitary unless they have an apprentice like I do. Second, there’s no need to threaten you into silence – there’s not a person in this day and age that would believe you. Please, go ahead and tell everyone that the people running the creepy coffee shop are actually magicians and see how fast you’ll get laughed at.”

            Heechul shot a pointed stare back at him and set the empty cup back on its saucer with a clang. “I’ll have you know that I do know someone that would believe me. Then again, he’s a religious nut that would probably want to burn your place down to purify you. But I guess I see your point,” he conceded. “You know, I have to admit, you being a wizard explains a lot of stuff – the weird store, your weird hair, your weird employee. Glad to have something to attribute it all.”

            “Hey, now – Kyuhyun’s not weird. He’s just in college,” Sungmin retorted. “But I’m glad you’re taking this as well as you are. I’d expect a lot worse, to be honest.”

            Heechul started giggling, which made Sungmin stand a little on edge – giggling suits Heechul like fish suit the sky. “I don’t know if it’s this magic coffee that I’m sure you’ve laced with pot or the fact that I’m a book editor, but really, I find pretty much anything within the realm of possibility.”

            “Wrong herbs and spices; I try not to dabble in things that can get me thrown in jail. I’m not particularly fond of that idea.”

            Not even questioning the actual contents of his highly suspect drink, the editor simply squirmed in his seat and fidgeted with one of the shawls hanging over the back of his chair. “So, we’re alright? You’re not going to kill me and I’ll be allowed to return?” Heechul asked, obviously worried and still somewhat shaken.

            Sungmin rolled his eyes and took Heechul’s cup away from him to walk it back over to the counter. “Did you even have to ask? Besides, you’re now part of the Inner Circle – it’s better that you stay close.” 

            “Is it a magical thing? Keeping the magic in the Circle?”

            Sungmin raised an eyebrow at him, not quite sure how to answer such a blatantly silly question. “If you mean the magical properties of making sure you don’t get your in trouble over something stupid like screaming near a busy street and keeping your holy roller friend from trying to murder me and my student, then sure. We’re keeping the magic in the Circle. The Circle also has free t-shirts – want one?”

            Heechul perked up at the sound of the word ‘free’. “Really?”

            “No,” Sungmin growled. “I think it’s time you went home; you seem quite calm now. Unless you want to ask more dumb questions?”

            “I walk into your shop in the middle of your Las Vegas magic act, you tell me that you and your employee are in fact magicians that can do what fantasy authors only dream of, and then you make me magical coffee that makes me feel alright about all of this? The answer is yes, I have tons more dumb questions for you.”

            Sungmin let out a huge sigh and got out of his seat to drag Heechul out of his. “Well, your dumb questions are going to have to wait until tomorrow – I still need to clean and you need to get home.”

            “Alright, alright,” Heechul huffed as he got out of his seat and walked towards the front entrance. “Before I go, a quick stupid question – is the whole furry-animals-to-keep-you-looking-young thing real?”

            “Good night, Heechul-ssi,” Sungmin intoned as he slammed the door shut after shoving Heechul out of it. Shrugging it off, Heechul headed home while going through a possible litany of questions ranging from the profound to the inane to ask later. 

            

-_-_-_-_-_-

            As time passed on and things became more comfortable, Sungmin had allowed Heechul to come up to his and Kyuhyun’s shared apartment above the store and learn more about their craft. He also learned about their odd situation – Sungmin, being quite the prodigy, had already achieved the rank of Magus within their strange organization (the name of which Heechul had to look through his notes to remember) and they asked Sungmin to take Kyuhyun in and help him study for the examination to reach the third order (whatever that meant).

             

             Occassionally, Heechul would stay over for dinner, helping Sungmin in the kitchen while Kyuhyun stayed in his room and attached to his computer. (After a terrible incident with a greivous mix-up of shiitake mushrooms and The Sleeping Death mushroom, Kyuhyun was no longer allowed in the kitchen.) 

            

            Afterwards, as was the case on this particular night, Sungmin would retire to his study and Heechul would follow to pester him and talk about life. In a way, nothing had much changed other than each possessing a slightly deeper knowledge of one another.

           

            “Alright, so the nature of magic,” Heechul started off, “Is it just illusions and sleight of hand, or is it some mystic force? ”

           

            “That’s a little over-simplified,” Sungmin answered. “The best way to explain it is that magic is science without the seams. Magic follows laws and those laws are closely tied to physical laws – magicians work within the natural order of things in order to make the impossible possible.”

            

            “I think I understand it. But how do they manipulate the physical world in ways we can’t? What’s the source for all this power?”

            

            Sungmin smiled. “You just jump right on into it, don’t you? That’s a great question, actually; we’re really not all that sure. We do know that magicians are born with the ability to use magic and without proper training, it may never manifest itself. There are lots of people right outside of these walls that are born adepts and they will never know it.”

            

            “Oh. So, would it be something in your blood? Like midichlorians?”

            

            “Like what?”

            

            “Midichlorians – you know, what gives Jedi the ability to utilize the Force? Ooh, what color is your lightsaber?”

            

            “Heechul, will you please.”

            

            Heechul scoffed, still imagining Sungmin dressed as Qui-Gon Jinn. “I take it I’m not an adept, then?” he asked as he continued to wander around the study.

           

            “Sadly, no,” Sungmin said. “Then again, at your age, it wouldn’t do you much good to know; if you had any ability, you wouldn’t be able to tap into it. There’s a very small time window to test said ability and it can make you or break you.”

           

            “Yeah?” Heechul asked. “How’s that?”

            

            “Well, for magician families, it’s important that at least one child has the Gift to continue the tradition. If you have it, from the time you’re able to read to the time you’re apprenticed off to a senior witch or wizard, you’re constantly training and studying. For those that don’t have it, they’ll just lead a somewhat normal life – although it can be rough for various reasons.”

            

            Heechul sighed and shook his head. “That’s the life that you and Kyuhyun went through? That sounds terrible.”

            

            “It’s not so bad,” Sungmin shrugged. “There’s still time to be a kid and everything. Well, if they let you.”

            

            Heechul winced at the tinge of sadness in the other man’s voice, wishing he could say something to relate. Luckily, he found something to distract them both as his eye caught a beautifully lacquered mahogany box on a shelf. He took it down and gasped at the way the dim light shone off the detailed diagram of the solar system done completely in filigree and enamel. 

            

            “Sungmin, what’s this? It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

            

            Sungmin looked over from his books and eyed the box in Heechul’s hands with amusement. “Those are my Tarot cards – those were made especially for me and they cost a mint. It’s funny that you picked those up, though; it is the one type of magic that non-adepts can at least play at without any severe consequences. Well, too severe, at any rate.”

            

            Heechul only nodded in acceptance and continued to stare at the box. “Can I open it? I promise I’ll be careful.”

            

            “I’ll do you one better – I’ll read your fortune, if you like. Now, a word of warning – my readings are far more accurate than say, a street performer, or the like. You may hear something that you don’t want to hear.”

            

            “I’m not afraid of the future,” Heechul shrugged. “You and your pretty cards can do your worst.”

            

            “Alright,” Sungmin said as he took the box out of the other man’s hand and motioned for him to sit at the nearest small table. “But remember that I warned you.”

            

            They both pulled up small chairs to the wooden table and sat across from each other. Sungmin opened the box and carefully pulled out the large stack of cards from its silk cloth wrappings. He then gently handed them over to Heechul to take.

            

            “You need to carefully shuffle them – to infuse them with your energy, too,” he prompted. Heechul simply did as he was told, being as gentle as possible. He took them back when they were shuffled enough, still neatly in their pile. “Now, ask the cards a question – it can be anything, past, present, or future.”

            

            “Umm,” the other man said intelligently. “Will I ever find true love?”

            

            Sungmin just smiled at that and started laying the cards out face up – one in the center of the table, another one on top of it and crossing it, then placing four around the middle cards. He then laid four more cards out on the right of the formation.

            

            “This is called a ‘Celtic Cross’,” he said. “It’s a standard Tarot formation and it should work for your question. Each card has its own nuanced meaning, especially with where it’s placed. We’ll just start with the very first one,” Sungmin informed as he pointed to one of the card in the center of the cross.”

            

            As the wizard went through the meanings of each place in the card spread, a chill ran up Heechul’s spine – Sungmin hadn’t mentioned that it would talk about his past as well as his future. He suddenly thought of something that perhaps might come up in this particular reading that Sungmin might uncover and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to confront that yet. This fear became more profound when the first few cards were eerily acccurate – The Fool represented new beginnings (a new job, Sungmin had accurately guessed) and the Three of Wands showed that whatever his vocation was, he was good at it. The third card was about what he wanted to know – if a pure, true love existed for him.

            

            At the fourth card, Heechul wanted to leave the table and the shop right then and there. Sungmin said that this position represented the energies ruling his life for the past few years and the card was the Five of Chalices – painful, obsessive love that ended in heartbreak. Heechul felt himself go completely numb and his breathing become more labored.

            

            “Are you alright, Heechul?” the wizard asked as he stopped the reading, worry evident on his face. “Do you want to talk about it? I mean, that is if you’re comfortable.” A long pause passed between the two, Sungmin staring at Heechul and Heechul staring at the cards.

            

            “His name was Hankyung – sorry, I mean ‘Han Geng’,” the other man muttered, finally breaking the silence. “He doesn’t like being called by his Korean name anymore. I met him at my old job with a publishing company back in Incheon. He was the Chinese liason for our sister company in Beijing. I fell for him the day he brought me some of his homemade fried rice; he told me that I looked too skinny and pale and I needed to eat more. I made him move in with me after a few months of dating and we were so happy – I’d never been happier in my life – but one day, I came home and he just wasn’t there. I didn’t think anything of it because he was off that day and he just might be out shopping or something. That’s when I found the note on the table.”

            

            Sungmin just sat there, his turn to remain silent as Heechul told him that Han Geng had to return to China – his family found out about his relationship and forced him to return – and figured that the best way to save them both the heartache was just to get it over with and not draw it out. Feeling the man slowly falter in front of him, Sungmin made the table move to the other side of the room and moved his chair next to Heechul’s to pull him in for a hug. The other man simply allowed himself to relax in his arms.

            

            “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I don’t know if this is any sort of comfort, but all of the other cards point towards something good in your future,” the wizard whispered. He snapped his fingers and let a card fly towards his outstretched fingers. “This card here is the Magician – it’s my personal favorite out of all the Major Arcana and it’s also one of the more difficult to decipher. This was in the position where the final answer to your question lies. Now, I can’t say for sure what it means right now. What I do know is that it almost always means that you’ll find your way.”

            

            Heechul simply sighed and leaned his head on Sungmin’s shoulder. “Whatever you say, Gandalf.”

            

-_-_-_-_-_-

            The next day, Heechul showed up to The Witches’ Brew on the way to work with a giant bouquet of neon pink hydrangeas. He looked around and saw only Kyuhyun at the counter, intently reading and paying no attention to the man with the ridiculous flowers.

            

            “Good morning, Padawan. Where is Sungmin? Isn’t he the one that usually opens the shop?” Heechul questioned as he set the bouquet on the countertop.

            

            “He’s out for a few minutes running errands; he should be back anytime,” the younger man replied lazily, not once looking up from his book. “Also, I’m quite sure Seongsangnim already explained that we’re not Jedi Knights.”

            

            “Yeah, I know. I’ve just always wanted to call someone that,” Heechul said with a grin. “What are you reading? Odds are I helped make it.”

            

            Kyuhyun looked up from his book at last, annoyance splashed all over his face. “Nothing you had a hand in, I’m sure,” he snapped.

            

             Heechul smiled and reached over Kyuhyun’s book to grab a small cup that was full of liquid milky goodness. “Perhaps not, but I do have my mouth on your coffee,” he said as he took a swig of the drink. “Speaking of which, do you actually drink coffee or do you just like your sugar with a tinge of caffeine? Goddamn, that is sweet.”

             

            Before Kyuhyun could snap at him and steal his mug back, the bell above the door rang and in swept Sungmin, still all bright and sunny despite the gloom of the café.

            

            “Good morning, you two. Are those for me?” he asked, pointing at the hydrangeas sitting on the counter in danger of Kyuhyun’s wrath.

            

            “Uhh, yeah,” Heechul said as he snatched them up. “These were to tha-“

            

            “You didn’t have to do the formal thing and get me flowers, but I appreciate it,” the wizard nearly squealed, taking the flowers out of Heechul’s hands. “Pick me up tomorrow after closing; I know a great Thai place near the shopping district. I’ve got to go upstairs and put these in water. Don’t kill each other!” He took off for the door that led to the apartment and left them to their own devices.

            

            “What just happened?”

            

            “I think you have a date tomorrow night.”

            

            “But why? The flowers were to thank him for helping me out and all the dinners and stuff. I just thought he’d appreciate the pink stuff. I didn’t think he wanted to date me.”

            

            Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and closed his book, finally snatching the cup away from Heechul’s grasp. “He let you stick around after you found out about us, he lets you continually hang around and pester him, and he even feeds you when you come to visit us. What made you think he didn’t like you?”

            

            “Oh.”

            

            “Yeah. So treat him well, alright? Magicians are pretty lonely people and they very rarely let people in. He’s one of the best people I know, so if you hurt him, I will not hesitate to hex your .”

            

            “But what about the Threefold Rule?” the other man asked.

            

            “Worth it,” Kyuhyun said as gave him quite the sinister grin in response, turning to head to the storeroom.

            

            While finally making his way to his office building, he wondered if Sungmin had actually drawn The Magician or if he just pulled that out for his own benefit.

           
The End~ 

 

LOLJK, have an epilogue here:    
      

-_-_-_-_-_-

            “I figured it all out, Sungmin!” Heechul yelled as he burst into the empty coffee shop, startling the other man and almost making him drop his broom.

            

            “What did you figure out, Heechul?”

            

            Heechul grinned triumphantly and started pacing about the room, trying his best to appear as Holmesian as possible. “Alright, so you’re a handsome, powerful wizard that changes his hair color to suit his whims with a snarky assistant and a magical home and shop. This is just like Howl’s Moving Castle.” 

            

            Sungmin just stared at him blankly, wondering if all that bewitched coffee had finally addled his brain. “But there’s no evil sorceress after me, there’s no huge war going on, and I don’t have a fire demon powering my shop – there’s hardly any connection.”

            

            Heechul shrugged and said, “Well, it’s better than the alternative theory.”

            

            “Which is?”

            

            “A young magician-in-training with a passion for flight sets out for the big city and apprentices himself to a local shop-owner as part-time help while perfecting his own magic and learning lessons about growing up.”

            

            “Oh God, Heechul not –“

            

            “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” they said as they nearly doubled over in laughter at the image of grumpy Kyuhyun in a bright red bow with a talking cat hanging onto his broom.

            

            In a college classroom somewhere in Seoul, Kyuhyun sneezed violently and vowed vengeance on his boss and said boss' stupid boyfriend.          


A/N: So, I'm happy this is finally done! (I just really wanted to write this.) Even though I'm sure no one will actually read it, I'm just glad it's out there. A couple of notes, though - I did a -ton of research on Tarot readings and card meanings, but if I messed up somewhere, please don't hesitate to let me know! Also, the organization is in reference to The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which was an actual thing. The Threefold Law is more a tenet of Wicca rather than esoteric magic, but I felt it fit here. I hope you enjoyed this stupid little story and don't be afraid to comment. :D (Also, expect a KyuHae side story for this AU; I just can't resist writing for my OTP.)