Confession
Moonless NightsIn another world or another time, Jinki would have waited until things had calmed down more with Taemin igniting and delivering his retribution to Dongwoo and Howon, just a little longer. But Minji was already five months pregnant, and they couldn't wait any longer to speak to Grandmother and his parents.
"Grandmother?" Jinki called softly at dinner, the younger three vampires knowing by his tone that tonight was the night. "I need to speak with you, Appa, and Umma tonight, alone," he said quietly, keeping his gaze lowered.
"Don't delude yourself in thinking I haven't noticed how heavy your heart has been the past few days, Jinki," Grandmother clicked her tongue before nodding. "After dinner, then," she answered, the meal nearly complete anyway.
Taemin, Kibum, and Jonghyun all gave the elder a brief hug or clap on the shoulder, a word of encouragement leaving each of their lips as they made their exit. Knowing from experience that eavesdropping was unacceptable, they had no choice but to wait in Jinki's room to find out what happened.
The nervous vampire took a deep breath when he was alone with his parents and grandmother, making sure that all the servants were dismissed from the room as well. "I've done something bad. I've made some mis- No, I don't think I'd call it a mistake. I regret none of my actions, no matter how serious this is," he started quietly, his eyes closing before he could continue.
"I met a woman about two and a half years ago, and we started seeing each other pretty seriously from the beginning. We... We've slept together, as the relationship went on," Jinki fumbled, not that he expected any of the adults to think he was still a . "And five months ago, we got pregnant," he told the only family that didn't yet know.
Kim Hana hardly ever had reason to be angry with her son, but her lips pressed together tightly and her neatly manicured nails pressed into her palm as she balled her hands into small fists. "I can understand you not bringing home all your girlfriends, Jinki, really. But if you were so serious about this girl, why haven't we met her after this long?" she asked the young man curtly.
Jinki nodded at the question, but his mouth opened too slowly. "Maybe he wanted to wait and see if she was really the one? And there's been a lot going on with Taemin lately, so he probably wanted to wait until there was better timing to tell us about her and the baby," Jaesun smiled at his wife, rubbing her hands to help them relax.
"Well, that's true. I've waited to tell you about the pregnancy because of Taemin, but," Jinki once more bit his lip, chewing on it harshly. "The woman I'm seeing isn't a vampire, and while I know that these things sometimes happen, it's still not as simple as falling for a human..." he sighed, running his hand through his hair slowly because this was much more difficult that he had thought it would be.
"Despite how hard this is, I'm not getting any younger," the eldest eyed her grandson, nodding for him to go on.
The father-to-be nodded back, pushing down his sudden urge to burst into tears and beg for forgiveness ahead of time. "It's not that simple, because she's not a human, either," he whispered, unable to look at any of the three expressions to the news. "The woman I love, the woman carrying my child... I've fallen in love with a witch."
An audible gasp was heard from Hana, and Jinki couldn't bring himself to look up immediately. He slowly raised his head and caught sight of his step father's darkened expression first, his own eyes b with tears at the look of betrayal across the man's face. His mother was still too stunned to properly react, and Grandmother's jaw clenched before she stood and walked to him. The clap of a hand meeting skin filled the room, the flood of emotions coming from the woman hurting more than the stinging of his cheek.
"I'm sorry," Jinki whispered, sinking to the floor quickly and kneeling as low as he could. He sniffled and closed his eyes again, staying motionless until Kim Jaesun raised his head and put him back into his chair.
"What witch?"
The question seemed so simple. What witch. It wasn't like they had a directory of all the witches in the country, or even the city. So it was possible it was some low level witch from a somewhat weak coven. It was possible, but...
"Minji. From the... From the Gong coven..." the younger man breathed, daring to watch the recognition in Jaesun's eyes, the hurt that rushed to his soul. "Gong Minji, the youngest sister of the ruling family, of the Gong witches," he repeated, even though he knew there was absolutely no need to clarify of whom he was speaking.
The older man took his breath in sharply, pacing a few laps back and forth before sitting once more next to his wife. "And the others, they know? Jonghyun, Kibum, Tae-"
"They all know. Those three and Minho. Dongwoo and his personal human fountain-slash-boyfriend know, and we decided to tell Howon as well, as part of the end of the punishment Taemin delivered to them," Jinki revealed as he wiped his eyes slowly. "I know that I've done wrong by seeing a witch, let alone becoming so involved with one, and I know what her family has done to hurt ours, but... I'm in love, and these feelings won't ever fade. So," he took a deep breath and stood, bowing fully at the waist. "I'm begging your blessings."
Grandmother scoffed and folded her arms across her chest neatly. "You want my blessing for your relationship with that witch?" she let out a harsh chuckle. "The Elders are not going to like this. Well, Jaesun already doesn't like it, but I doubt the others will be very happy with you, either, Jinki," she tsked again and tilted her head at his small nod. "What are your plans?"
"If I have to leave the coven, I'll accept that. I won't leave her, or the baby. So if the Elders decide that I deserve banishment or exile, I'll accept their orders," the expecting vampire answered softly. "If they show mercy and allow me to stay, I intend to request she be allowed to join the coven, along with our child. Minji has agreed that she will teach a select few vampires simple potions that will aid us in various aspects of our lives. It would also ensure that no one from either of our covens harm anyone from the the other," he explained, adding the last part delicately because the leaders of both covens would have to make an agreement regarding that.
"Neither of us expect the entire coven to welcome her," Jinki added with a small sigh. "But if the Council would allow her and our child to join the coven, the only people she would associate with would be our family..."
Hana finally sighed slowly and took a long drink of water. "What about her coven? What do they say about all of this?" she asked her son curiously.
Jinki nodded and gave a small smile. "I went with her to meet her sister, Chaerin. As I'm sure you know, Chaerin and her husband Seunghyun are the leaders of the coven, with every right to be, as the strongest witches of them all, even the country," he began quietly. "Chaerin read from their laws, and everything hinges on what our leaders say. If we are accepted here, we are accepted there," he explained, fumbling slightly and knowing Minji or Chaerin could do a much better job.
Grandmother nodded in understanding and pursed her lips. "I need to meet this Minji, and you will speak to the Elders tomorrow," she said quietly, Jaesun nodding in agreement. "I'm going to call the rest of the Elders tonight to arrange an emergency hearing for the tomorrow, probably the afternoon. You will be required to be there, and it would be best to have Minji ready as well, just in case."
"Jinki baby," Hana smiled wryly, standing to walk around the table and hug her son close. "Congratulations, by the way, for the baby," she whispered, kissing his cheek softly before excusing herself from the room. Her husband followed, needing to make the phone calls quickly.
"Well, why don't you take me to meet her now?" Grandmother proposed suddenly, chuckling at the instantly scared look on Jinki's face. "What? You think I'll gobble her up or something?" she sighed, nodding once more to confirm her spontaneous plans. "Get your car ready, I'll be by the door in ten minutes," she ordered him softly, shaking her head in amusement and the rapid bow and bolt from the room.
~*~
After sprinting upstairs to tell the other three what had happened, Jinki told Taemin to call Minho and tell him, then ran outside and to his car to pull it up to the door. His conversation with Minji was fast, and he was terrified when he saw Grandmother open the door to come outside. "Noona's going to be a single mother because I'm going to have a heart attack like right now..." he mumbled, forcing himself to breath regularly once his grandmother reached the car.
"Come to think of it, I remember that the Gong household is quite a drive from here," Grandmother thought aloud as Jinki turned the car to go down the driveway.
"Minji is staying at Minho's right now, actually," Jinki explained, shutting off the radio, at least for now. "When we went to see Chaerin, it marked the beginning of Minji's suspension from her coven, pending the results of what the Elders say here. She didn't have another place to live already, so Minho has been letting her stay with him," he told the older woman, who commented that she hadn't ever seen the place Minho lived, either. For that matter, Grandmother hadn't been to the city in a few years, and it had been several months since she had gone to visit anyone.
"Minji was helpful when Taemin ignited, as well," the soft-gazed vampire smiled. "She stayed up all night to help keep him cool, and she helped all of us who fed him to be comfortable. She was even able to calm a lot of the tension of Dongwoo showing up, when most of us would have rather just ripped his head off. I know how crazy all of it sounds, but I know there's no love potion or anything she did to drug me to fall in love with her. It's really, Grandmother, really really real..."
The elder took a deep breath and let it back out in a soft sigh. "I can tell how truly in love you are, just from the way you talk about her. And even Jonghyun seemed to be supportive as he left you tonight, so she must be a tremendous person for him to be at all accepting of her," Grandmother mused on the way, more and more curious to meet this woman who was carrying her great-grandchild.
~*~
Minho took a deep breath as he opened his apartment door, having just rushed around making the apartment as spotless as possible. Not that it was all that messy to begin with, especially with Minji there and helping with the upkeep.
"Please, come in," the human bowed slightly and backed away from the doorway.
"Thank you, Minho," Grandmother smiled as she walked in, letting Jinki lead her to the living room. She stayed quiet as an obviously pregnant woman stood and her grandson embraced her tenderly.
Minji, although the elder, bowed as low as she could manage with her growing stomach. She nodded silently as Grandmother beckoned her forward, placing her hand in the vampire's waiting palm. A small gasp left as the woman opened hers and bit lightly, pushing her fangs into her skin only deep enough to reach a small vein. It was shorter than when Taemin had tasted her, the elder vampire nodding to herself once she pulled away. Minji wasn't sure, but she knew it was possible Grandmother tasted the baby's blood as well, and might know the gender. She just hoped the woman would keep it to herself and that she could tell Jinki herself.
Standing awkwardly to the side, Minho cleared his throat. "I um, I know this is all serious and stuff, but how about we all sit down and talk comfortably," he suggested quietly, flushing slightly when all three supernatural faces turned to him and smiled gently.
Once Grandmother was seated in his recliner, Minji sat at the end of the couch closest to her, Jinki right by her side. Minho handed the three of them a cup of tea, bringing in a chair from the kitchen to use. He took a deep breath, curious about how the conversation was going to go.
After a few moments of silence that was growing more and more awkward by the second, Grandmother placed her cup on the stand beside her chair and hummed out a sigh. "So, you're the minx who's bewitched my grandson..."
Minji smiled softly and shook her head. "Besmitten, really. Fallen in love with," she replied just as coolly. "I love your grandson, Lee YoungOk, I love him very much."
Jinki gasped at the way Minji addressed his grandmother, squirming uncomfortably at the mostly unfazed look on the older vampire's face. Minho just blinked slowly, this being the first time he had ever heard the woman's name. It was a nice enough name, so he could only assumed her demand to be called 'Grandmother' was a power thing.
"Do you really expect me to believe magic had no hand in this? That the two of you just happened upon one another and decided to break countless laws, just because?" Grandmother lifted one eyebrow, challenge evident in her voice.
"Of course not. Please forgive my rudeness," Minji said quietly, lowering her gaze calmly. Despite what she was feeling, what she really wanted to say, the woman was her boyfriend's family, and she wanted her blessing. Or at least her acceptance. "I'm sure you are familiar what wolfsbane does to vampires. I slipped some in his drink at a club, and I made him my servant for one week in exchange for the antidote," she told the woman softly.
"But she didn't make me do anything bad. She was really nice the whole week," Jinki cut in quickly, biting his lip and lowering his head slowly when his grandmother narrowed her eyes at him.
The vampire crossed her legs and leaned back, nodding for Minji to continue. The witch took a deep breath before nodding back. "At the end of the week, we had become friendly, comfortable, with each other. I swear on the life of my child that I did not use any of my powers on Jinki during that time. The last night, we slept together. After that, we began dating, taking things very slow until we really got to know one another. The only magic involved has been a potion to hide any thoughts of me from any prying minds," she explained, reaching over to take and hold Jinki's hand tightly.
"I believe it would be safe to assume the same potion has been given to Minho, Taemin, Kibum, Jonghyun, Dongwoo, Sungyeol, and Howon?" Grandmother sighed, although she had confidence none of them would face any consequences for the association with the witch. They all had a lot going on anyway, and this was the best instance of special circumstances she had ever heard of.
"Taemin, Kibum, and Jonghyun have also had a small taste of my blood, to prove my sincerity. Well, Jinki has as well, but that was my choice. Blood and tears, both of us have complete access to one another," Minji said quietly, squeezing her boyfriend's hand gently.
Grandmother nodded slowly. "Jinki said he would leave the coven for you and the child. Would you do the same for him?" she asked, curious about the witch's answer.
Minji took a deep breath before meeting the vampire's eyes. "I would. It would break my heart to leave my coven, my friends. I would beg permission to continue seeing my family, however. I would not mourn the loss of my sister Bom, but the others and their husbands. It kills me even now to not be able to see them," she whispered, her hands wrapping around her stomach unconsciously to calm her. "But if your Elders demand I cut all ties in order to join you and be with Jinki, I have no choice."
Grandmother nodded slowly, taking a deep breath herself as she considered the short conversation she had with the witch. "I believe you. I won't give my blessing until the Elders have reached a decision, but I can accept that you do really love each other. There is no denying what you feel," she sighed softly.
"Minho, would you care to drive an old woman home?" the vampire smiled at the human. "Jinki and Minji should be together to get ready for the meeting tomorrow. And I'm sure you could tell the boys what happened better than I can," she explained, a light chuckle leaving her lips as he scrambled to find his keys and jacket.
"Thank you, Grandmother," Minji whispered, standing to bow once more. "I cannot tell you how much your support means to me," she said quietly as she and Jinki walked the pair to the door.
Minho was awkward for a good deal of the ride through the city, but the woman beside him took pity and started telling stories of when she was younger. About her family, stories about Taemin's childhood. The awkwardness came back, however, when she opened to pose a question.
"So, how much thought have you given to joining our coven, Minho, as a vampire?"
~*~
Jinki trembled outside of the Elder Council's room, everyone having been given the antidote to reveal what knowledge they had of Minji.
"They're going to kick me out, I know it," he breathed, pacing back and forth rapidly. The other vampires tried to calm him, but there wasn't much time, as the door opened and Jinki was called inside.
The oldest of the group hugged each of them tightly before going inside and gasping upon seeing the head of each of the coven's families there as well. Oh holy ... he thought to himself as he walked deeper into the room. He lowered himself to his knees quickly, bowing completely flat to the floor before slowly pushing back up to sit on his heels.
"Lee Jinki, do you understand the charges against you, and the possible consequences?" the leader of the Council asked of the young man before him.
Jinki swallowed thickly and nodded. "Yes, Sir, I do. I know what I have done, and I beg your mercy and forgiveness," he whispered, lowering himself to the floor once more.
"I understand you intend to plead guilty," the man in charge of keeping notes said quietly. "For the record then, your plea for breaking our second coven law, to refrain from commonly or freely associating with werewolves, witches, or demons?"
"Guilty..."
"In regard to law numbered eight, for neglecting to inform any of the elders of the arrangement you made with the witch nearly three years ago either during or after the incident?"
"Guilty."
"Blood consumption law eight, strictly forbids you to provide your blood to a witch, as well as from drinking from one. Your answer?"
"Guilty, of both."
"On being a foolish boy caught up in love?" Kim Jaesun added, clearing his throat and glancing down awkwardly. He'd sworn he would behave properly, but the whole room knew it would be a struggle.
"Guilty, Sir," Jinki answered quietly, biting his lip as he lowered his gaze immediately.
"The record shows that Lee Jinki pleads guilty to three counts of forbidden contact with a witch," the record keeper announced to bring attention back to the trial.
The leader nodded, gazing down at Jinki slowly. "Very well. Let's hear your account of your relationship with this witch," he nodded once more, letting the focus rest on the young vampire.
After a small breath, Jinki began his tale once again, leaving out many of the less important details. He had no choice but to be honest about who all knew about Minji at that point, but he was sure to also include how helpful she had been during Taemin's ignition.
"I love her. I would do anything for her, go anywhere. I will respect your decision and follow your ruling, but my feelings for Gong Minji and our child will not change," he ended, feeling more confident in that room than he ever dreamt possible.
Lee YoungOk couldn't help but smile at her grandson's firm tone. Despite the seriousness of the entire situation, she was rather proud of how proper he was behaving. Firm but respectful, almost like he was telling the Council what he was going to do before they had even discussed it.
"The witch, Minji," another of the Elders spoke up after a moment of letting the younger's words settle. "She is here, correct?" he asked of Jinki, tilting his head down to the other vampire.
The hair on the back of Jinki's neck stood as he thought about his girlfriend being in his place in a room full of vampires. "Yes, she is here. She wanted to wait outside though, so Minho stayed with her in his car," he said quietly. "If that is all you need from me, I will go retrieve her now," he added even softer, his heart dropping when he was dismissed to call her in.
~*~
"I have to go, Minho," Minji sighed just before the door to the building that served as a courthouse of sorts for the coven opened. "Do me a favor and keep him out here for a few minutes, will you? Jinki is worried enough and I need him to calm down before he comes back in," she explained and leaned over to kiss the human's cheek softly in thanks for all he had done for them so far.
Jinki hugged the woman tightly, nearly in tears because he was so nervous. He couldn't see what was going to happen, he couldn't bear the thought of having to separate from her or his family, and he was still freaking out about how soon he was going to become a father. "They um... They want to se-"
Minji shushed her frantic boyfriend with a gentle kiss. "I know, and I'm going," she whispered, combing through his hair with her fingers. "I'm scared, too, you know. I'm really scared. But Minho's good for talking, so sit your down and talk to him. Really talk..." she ordered the younger and pushed him a little toward the car. "I'll be okay, I promise." The witch didn't give Jinki a chance to protest before turning and walking away.
Taemin was the first face the witch saw, the youngest vampire taking her hand to lead him toward the room where the council was waiting. Kibum gave her a reassuring smile, but the most surprising offer of support was a firm, warm hug given by Jonghyun's strong arms.
"You guys are going to make me cry, jerks," the woman pouted, smiling easily at the trio. "And I don't cry. Mean ole' baby," she sighed and rubbed her swollen stomach slowly. She bit her lip as Taemin peeked inside the room to inform the Council she was there. After another round of hugs and pecked cheeks, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Here goes nothing..."
The room fell silent as she walked inside, bowing first before settling slowly onto her heels. Grandmother huffed and rose silently, pulling an empty chair out for Minji to sit in. "Pregnant. Witch or not, she's pregnant," she shook her head at the men staring at her blankly before taking her seat.
The witch smiled gently, nodding her head in another thanks at the woman before squaring her shoulders once more and looking up to the council. "I am Gong Minji, of the reigning coven of witches in the country. Please forgive any ignorance of the customs of these proceedings," she introduced herself quietly, bowing for the last time before she would leave.
"As you are aware, Minji, your relationship with Lee Jinki is forbidden on several levels," the leader began, not bothering with introducing everyone. "As there is a child involved, we wish to more carefully consider what consequences shall befall the vampire. What assurance can you give us to tell the truth here today?" he challenged the woman.
"I swear on the life of the baby growing inside me," Minji answered quickly, then pulled a small vial from her pocket. "And with your permission, Sir, someone may drink this and be able to search me for any falsehoods," she added, eyes finding someone quickly. "Due to the circumstances, I believe Kim Jaesun would be best. He will be my lie detector, and you will be his," she offered the Council, taking a small breath and letting it out slowly as her potential father-in-law rose to retrieve the vial. After a nod of approval, he swallowed the red liquid and settled back into his chair shakily.
"What are your intentions with regard to Lee Jinki?" the question was asked, hanging in the air for a few seconds.
"I intend to spend the rest of my life with him, and our child," Minji told the room bluntly. "If at all possible, I would like to join your coven and be with his family as well. I would very much appreciate being able to go between our covens, born into my own and... and married into yours," she said quietly, choosing her words carefully because she had no ability to predict any of the vampires' reactions, aside from their facial expressions or actual words.
Jaesun nearly spit out his water at the mention of marriage, earning himself a few looks of compassion from the other fathers in the room. One of the Elders from the family Dongwoo belonged to tilted his head curiously down at the witch.
"Jinki claimed that your union had the potential to create the first allied vampire and witch covens. He said you would teach simple potions to a select few vampires to aid our defenses," the man commented to provoke some sort of response.
The witch nodded and smiled to herself. "Yes. My sister Chaerin leads our coven. She has expressed an interest in working with a vampire coven, even before I met Jinki. As the mother of the coven, she has the authority to amend any pertinent laws and allow such an arrangement," she nodded again. "Chaerin has limited involvement with a small handful of werewolf packs as well, for various reasons. But one thing about my sister that all our witches respect and admire is her outstanding ability to keep different parts of her life separate," Minji explained, hoping that the damn mutts would have no interference with their covens working together.
"And the potions?"
"There are several potions and antidotes that I believe you would find useful," Minji answered. "Wolfsbane and the antidote, blood clotting, blood thinning, various poisons, potions to help relieve or even stop pain, at least for a while," the witch told the vampires, hoping it was a good enough list.
The Council Leader gave a slow nod before posing his final question. "Have you seen what this child of yours will be? Will it be a witch? A vampire? Some new hybrid that none of us have ever heard of?" he inquired of the woman, eyes naturally falling to her swollen stomach.
With a small sigh, Minji shook her head slowly. "No, unfortunately, I have yet to see anything about the powers or abilities the child will have. I know the gender of my child, but I've chosen to keep that a secret until Jinki decides he wants to know. We might still keep it a surprise until I deliver. All I can tell you is that our child will be healthy. That much I have seen," the woman reported softly, wishing she could consult Chaerin about such matters, but unable to see her very often.
"Then let the record show that our interview with the witch, Gong Minzy, has concluded," the leader announced, rising respectfully as Minji stood because he knew enough about her to know she was just barely older.
Minji smiled gently and bowed once she stood. "Thank you. And as I'm sure Jinki said, we beg your acceptance of our relationship and your mercy of all transgressions," she murmured, walking out once more and smiling as she was met with five worried faces.
"And now we wait..."
~*~
The door to the 'courtroom' opened slowly, six anxious faces snapping up as they all reached out to squeeze the hand next to them. "Well, I was just planning to call Jinki and Minji back in," the recordkeeper started. "But I suppose you'll all find out immediately anyway. The verdict has been reached," he informed the group quietly.
Jinki nodded slowly and stood, pulling Minji to him and hugging her tightly. "We're going to be okay. No matter what, I'm here for you and our baby. I love you, Minji," he whispered against her lips before kissing her tenderly.
Minji nodded, for once unable to speak or answer what he said. She hugged the vampire tighter, noticing as they pulled away that the other four had decided to give them a moment alone and had gone in ahead of them.
The couple on trial walked back into the room, this time hand in hand. Jinki helped his girlfriend down carefully so they could both bow and kneel on the floor before the room. Minji squeezed his hand again tightly, glancing over with reassuring smile.
"After much discussion and the weighing of every detail at our disposal, the Council of Elders, along with the head of each of the coven's houses, has reached a verdict. As far as Jinki's guilt, there is no doubt. He admitted everything freely himself. And while the witch, Minji, has no charges against her from our laws, she has admitted as well to causing others to break them," the vampire who led the Elders began. "And so, our decision is to accept the relationship between Jinki and Minji.
"Minji, you and your child will be permitted to join our coven. You will be also be permitted to remain in your own coven and contact your friends and family from the Gong coven. As you offered, you will be expected to instruct a handpicked group of vampires in alchemy relevant to us. You will arrange a meeting between your leader, Chaerin, and a representative of our coven, in order to discuss and contract the arrangement between our two groups.
"Jinki, you will be allowed to remain in our coven. However, as punishment for the laws you have so clearly broken, you are exiled until the child is born, beginning tomorrow. You must find your own source of blood for that time. Until the child is born, you are not permitted to enter the home of any member of the coven. And although you will remain with us as our brother in the coven, your title and position is hereby removed."
Taemin gasped loudest at what the man said, covering his mouth as his eyes widened. He shook his head when Minho looked over at him, lowering his gaze and just focusing on his breathing to keep from letting his nerves get to him too badly.
"Thank you, your Honor," Jinki whispered, bowing lowly once more and rising shakily because he still couldn't wrap his mind around how generous his consequences had been.
Minji echoed his thanks and copied his bow, smiling gently as she stood as well. She was curious about what Jinki's home looked like, excited to see it as she went with him to gather his things.
The meeting was finally officially dismissed, Grandmother and Jaesun joining the group near the door. "Congratulations, Jinki sweetie," the woman smiled gently, embracing her grandson. "And you, Minji, welcome to our family," she added quietly, only going as far as to extend her hand and accept a handshake with the witch.
Jinki's step father hugged the younger vampire as well, clearing his throat as he turned to look Minji up and down. "I still have no words for you," he informed the woman and took a deep breath to let out slowly. He opened his mouth to say something else, then thought better of it and shook his head as he walked away from the group entirely. Not even Jonghyun's soft calls made him stop and turn back around.
Minho opted to go with his boyfriend and the other pair of boys, leaving Jinki and Minji alone to gather themselves after the verdict. He took Taemin's hand, trying not to think of the question Grandmother had asked of him. There was too much going on already. And, he really had no idea if he or Taemin were ready for that.
The car full of boys arrived at the Lee estate first, helping Jinki's mother get a few preparations ready. The woman hugged her son to her chest as soon as he walked in, kissing his face with tears falling down her cheeks slowly. Minji stood awkwardly to the side, smiling when Sungyeol came out of the dining room and gave her a welcoming hug.
"Umma, this..." Jinki finally said quietly as he reached out for his girlfriend, pulling her closer to wrap his arm around her waist. "This is Minji, my girlfriend," he whispered, biting his lip nervously as the women exchanged curt bows.
Kim Hana drew in a sharp breath before reaching up to cup the other woman's cheek. "I know this is all a lot, but it's so very obvious that my son loves you very, very much," she smiled gently and placed her other hand on Minji's stomach. "Welcome to our family, Minji."
The witch's eyes filled with tears, sniffling when her boyfriend's mother pulled her into a tight hug. "Damn hormones..." she mumbled when she pulled away, smiling softly at the light chuckle Hana let out.
"Yes, Jinki was a pain when I was pregnant. It's a shame you have to receive the cosmic revenge for that instead of him."
The vampire in question groaned, not exactly a fan of a friendship between his mother and girlfriend. He blinked when Dongwoo and Howon came out of the dining room as well, holding a cake even.
"Congratulations," Grandmother's voice called from the door, the entire room turning toward the woman and bowing. She nodded in response and walked to the dining room, taking her place at the head of the table and letting her daughter-in-law's husband join her, as he had no real desire to spend extra quality time with the sister of the witch who killed his first wife.
"We were all hopeful, so we planned dinner and a pretty small party to celebrate," Hana explained, kissing her son's cheek and the witch's forehead. She turned to follow the rest of their ever-growing group, stopping when Minji called her name.
"I just thought this should be a bit private," Minji said softly, clearing as she lifted her arm. "Everyone else can read me, and I thought it only fair that you were able to as well," the witch explained.
Understanding the importance of the gesture, Hana nodded and unsheathed her fangs slowly. She took a deep breath before piercing through the other woman's skin and gently to fill with blood and swallow a few times. "Oh..." she blinked as she pulled away, smiling gently and tilting her head. "I could taste the baby. You're having a-"
"Wait!" Minji flushed, biting her lip and glancing toward the dining room. "I haven't told Jinki yet. But you won't have to keep it secret very long," she smiled, letting Hana lead her into the cozy looking room. She sighed softly as she took her seat next to Jinki, helping fill in the story of what happened with the Council to everyone who had not been able to attend.
As dinner wound to a close, the mood was much heavier. When Jinki and Minji left, neither of them would be allowed back for months. Minho looked up slowly, tilting his head at Jaesun. "The ruling was that they were not allowed to come here, right? Is it permitted for members of the coven to meet them at another place?" he asked the older vampire quietly.
The man nodded slowly. "If they had an established place to live, anyone from the coven would be allowed to meet them. As far as Jinki's blood source, he would be allowed to either buy a fountain, or even pay the coven's source from his own pocket for his own small supply of blood for these months," he explained, eyes traveling slowly to Minji. "Because carrying a vampire child takes a harder toll on a human woman, we expect that you may encounter such difficulties. In the interest of the child, if you require medical attention for you or the child, you may contact the coven and we will arrange your care," he said professionally, taking a sharp breath before looking away from the woman's face.
Taemin's master, boyfriend, friend, whatever his current label was, looked to Jinki with a small smile. "You can move in to my place, Hyung. You and Minji can live there together, and if you don't mind, I can stay in your room here," he offered quietly, smiling as Jinki's eyes widened and he smiled widely.
"That's more than generous of you, Minho," the vampire said softly, chuckling at the excited look on Taemin's face.
Biting his lip, the youngest vampire looked up to the head of the family. "Would that be acceptable with you, Grandmother? Minho has stayed before, but only for a few nights at most..." he spoke in a low voice to keep from letting his excitement bleed through too much.
"I think that would be just fine. You're the next in line to lead the coven, now, so what do you think?"
Taemin opened his mouth, blinking when he caught what she said, biting his lip harder when Minho's chopsticks fell to the table, one balanced too awkwardly and falling to the floor.
"You're the what?!" Minho gasped, blinking rapidly at his boyfriend. "How did you... You're the next in line?" he breathed, thinking back to the meeting with the Elders. "Is that why Jinki's title being stripped made you freak?"
Taemin sighed and took a deep breath. "The head transfers among the families routinely. Four families. Most of the time, parents pass their place on to their children when they are old enough. Someone of Grandmother's respectable age has the experience, of course, to be the head, but we've found that it actually works better for them to work more as an advisor. My father's father passed his place to my father, the same in Jinki's case. As both our fathers died, that was automatically given to us, although I became under Jinki because of our age," he explained slowly, making sure his human boyfriend was following what he explained. "So with all the shuffling, Dongwoo and Jinki both losing their places completely, another person having long ago announced their intention to never lead the coven, various things that have come up... I'm the next in line," he said quietly, his heart still heavy with the new responsibility. "And since I know that Kim Jongin has no plans to assassinate me... I'm the next head, the next leader of our coven," he whispered.
An odd silence filled the room, only a few slow bites eaten for a few moments. "I have an announcement as well," Minji said softly to break the silence, reaching out to hold Jinki's hand tightly. "The baby, this unknown hybrid child I'm carrying..." she smiled as she looked to Jinki and squeezed his hand. "We're having a girl, a daughter," the witch murmured, giggling when her husband leaned in and hugged her tightly.
"I knew it, and I'm so happy," Jinki whispered, kissing her cheek and hugging her even more.
"You did not, you big dummy," Kibum stuck out his tongue. "I saw you looking at baby boy clothes online and you've been thinking about boy names for a month," he shook his head in amusement at the crestfallen look on Jinki's face.
"That's because I said 'when he is born' about a month ago, just to trick him," Minji grinned, poking at Jinki's side teasingly.
As dinner wrapped up, Jinki took Minji to his room so she could help him pack. It was an odd feeling, not quite like moving out, but not quite like a vacation, either. He was allowed to take a week's worth of blood, not counting what had been restocked at Minho's already.
Minji stood to the side once more as Jinki embraced his parents, taking a deep breath as he pulled away. She gasped when Hana pulled her into a hug as well, smiling gently and keeping the expression on his face as she bowed politely toward Jaesun.
There was a three car caravan to Minho's apartment. Well, Jinki and Minji's temporary apartment. Minho's things packed easier, since he still had to work at the bar near his usual home and he could stop by for anything he forgot. All in all, the entire life switch went smoothly, Minho driving Taemin back to the Lee estate with Jonghyun and Kibum following.
The human's phone buzzed, but he waited until he was parked to check the message from Kibum. "Just because you're officially living under the same roof, doesn't mean I won't feed your balls to you if you touch my baby."
Taemin scowled when he saw the message over Minho's shoulder, smirking as he pulled him out of the car and sat on the hood. With a small glance to Kibum as the elder got out of his car, Taemin wrapped his arms and legs both around Minho and kissed him deeply. The younger vampire pulled his boyfriend closer, leaning back until Minho was practically lying on top of him.
"Minho's balls are mine to touch, Kibum hyung," Taemin declared, slipping his hand between the human's legs. "They're mine to touch, mine to kiss, mine to , mine to feel slapping against my ," he taunted the elder with another smirk. "I'm going to have someday, Kim Kibum, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."
Kibum's eyes widened, and Jonghyun had to hold him back from going over and beating some sense into Taemin. "Fine. Fine, Taemin. Just remember our deal. I always keep my promises, and frog boy gets no mercy."
Minho tilted his head as Kibum stormed inside with Jonghyun trailing after him. "What sort of deal do you have with Kibum about your life, Taemin?"
A/N: Yay Minji and Jinki are okay ^^ It's a girl~ And Taemin is next in line to run woo hoo!
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