You’re staring. Seconds fly by, and you’re just staring. Sehun is gaping as well, and he’s covered his mouth with his hand in complete shock. Taemin is trying very hard not to laugh out loud; he’s shaking all over, a hand clasped over his mouth to stop any sounds from escaping.

Not for long, though.

He bursts out laughing and nearly collapses. That makes you snap your eyes at him. Suho is still red, the witch is still a bit ashamed and looking away, and Kai is just…standing there.

“He’s got s,” Sehun deadpans. “Dude, how—what—?”

Taemin is wheezing now. “I am dying,” he announces, grabbing at the wall for support and then coming into the apartment. He walks past you, your shoulders brushing, and has a fit of laughter again, once he’s in the corridor. You look down at Kai’s chest to state that yes, Kai does indeed have s. He’s wearing boy’s clothes, but the s are visible.

“It was—um,” Suho starts.

“I’d still bang you,” you interrupt, deadpan, looking Kai in the eyes.

The tension that can be felt in the room then is almost unbearable. Kai’s cheeks go pink, and God, she’s pretty. Kai is now a she. What. The. Hell.

I’m Kaiual, you think in horror.

“Oh God,” Sehun says. “You guys are not going to make out now, are you?”

“Please do,” Taemin says breathlessly from the floor. You turn towards him, outraged, and you close the distance between the two of you to snap your fingers at his ear. Taemin squeals in pain. You grab at the door.

“Come in,” you say in a hurry. “This is too weird to handle, even for me.”

“Suho, look at your face,” Taemin says, crying now. He’s literally sitting on the floor, laughing, his face red and covered in tears; Sehun is slowly getting out of shock. He pulls Taemin up into his feet. Kai, Suho and the witch get inside, and you lock the door behind them.

When you turn towards the room, Kai is standing right in front of you.

He’s still taller than you, even in his girl form. His eyes haven’t changed at all.

You stare at each other for a few seconds. Then you tiptoe and pull him into a hug, your magic coming alive under your skin, washing over you like a wave that’s been held in for way too long. You exhale sharply, and Kai’s now slimmer arms tighten around you. You can feel his long hair on your cheek and under your hands; you’re not used to hugging a girl this tall.

“This is too weird,” Sehun announces.

You pull away. Your brain seems to be working slower; it’s like it can’t get used to the idea of Kai being a girl. And yet he is. A girl.

You could definitely feel his certain lady parts when you hugged him, that’s for sure.

“They feel weird,” Kai voices, pointing at his s. It’s the first time he’s spoken, and oh God.

Sehun opens his mouth. Taemin bursts out laughing again.

His voice is different too. Pleasant. Smooth.

“Okay,” you say, taking a step back from him. You’re holding his hand (which is a girl’s hand!), but you need some distance. “What the hell happened and is it going to be like this forever?”

Everybody in the room look at the witch, Jieun. She only realizes that after three seconds, and snaps her head up to look at you. Her cheeks go pink and she looks down again, taking a step back. She seems shy and scared at the same time; you don’t know which of these emotions prevail.

“I’m sorry,” she mutters very quietly. “I—I panicked. I can’t control my powers very well. I saw him approaching, I reached out to protect myself, and my magic just…it just happened. I hexed him.”

You look at Suho and Taemin. Kai stands next to you, holding your hand. His skin is so smooth, you can’t focus.

“Uhh,” you say, closing your eyes and trying to gather your thoughts.

“Are you having the hots for girl Kai?” Taemin asks you. He’s now lying on the floor, like he’s sunbathing. “I honestly can’t blame you.”

“You sick ,” Sehun hisses, slapping Taemin on the cheek. Taemin lets out a painful moan. “That’s your brother!” he says, pointing at Kai angrily. He makes a double-take. “Sister!” he corrects himself.

Suho giggles at that.

“Even you?” you ask, giving him a betrayed look.

“I mean,” Suho says, his face going red again once he sees Kai staring at him. He mutters something under his breath and looks away, baffled. Taemin bursts out laughing.

“Ten bucks on Suho flirting with Kai later on,” he says. He starts giggling uncontrollably. “Oh my God. Should I call you Kaia now, or something? That’s a pretty name.”

“Shut it,” Kai says angrily. You snort, unable to stop yourself, and you can feel him eyeing you from the side. “This isn’t funny.”

“I didn’t mean to do it,” Jieun says, her voice squealy. “I didn’t mean to hurt anybody. I thought he’s a shapeshifter. He showed up out of nowhere—I didn’t know what I was doing.”

There’s tears in her eyes. She’s really panicked; even Taemin stops laughing, although he’s still smiling.

“It’s okay,” Suho says, taking a step towards her.

“Okay?!” Kai parrots, his (her?) voice very high. “Suho, you’re not the one who got their s replaced!”

At this, everyone either laughs or smiles. Even the witch. Though at the same time, she starts crying for real, so her laughter turns into desperate sobbing, which leaves everyone very uncomfortable and panicked. Suho places a comforting hand on the witch’s shoulder and she trembles under his touch. She wipes away her tears.

“I didn’t want to turn him into a girl, I swear,” she says and hiccups. “It was an accident.”

“Okay, how about we all sit down and calm down a little?” Suho says, glancing at you for support. You nod, approaching the witch, and you push her towards the kitchen as gently as you can. Your apartment isn’t that big, and the kitchen is literally a few steps away. You walk past a wall mirror and enter the right room, and then you sit the witch down on a chair by the table. It’s small, and only three people can actually sit around it, especially since it’s placed in the corner of the kitchen.

Jieun looks up at you, her eyelashes wet from tears, eyes and cheeks red. Her breathing is unsteady.

“I’ll make tea,” Sehun proposes. The boys all enter the kitchen, except for Taemin, who’s giggling on the corridor’s floor; there’s no door separating it from the kitchen, so you can see him having a laughing fit very well. He’s messaging someone, passionately.

“Taemin, don’t be a ,” Kai grouses. Her hair gets into and she starts spitting it out angrily; she glares at the strands like they have offended her.

“Well, someone has to,” Taemin jokes, then laughs, very hard. Sehun snorts under his breath, which makes him receive a glare from Kai. Sehun outwardly shivers at it.

“Jesus,” he mumbles, turning away from his Alpha. “You’re even scarier as a girl.”

“Okay,” you say, turning your attention away from them completely and trying not to think about the fact that Kai is currently a woman. You hear the boys talking and bickering, but you tune your ears out of their conversation and focus solely on Jieun.

She’s pretty, you think to yourself. She has very soft features and a baby-like face with small lips and big eyes. If it wasn’t for her acting weird and wearing odd clothes, you’re sure that she’d be quite popular on campus. Not that you judge her clothing choices, or the way she is – you’re all in for weirdness, God knows you embrace it every day. And you actually like her clothes. But, at the same time, you know that in this day and age, it’s not the kind of style that turns heads – not in the good way, at least.

Her weirdness makes sense though. She’s a witch, and it looks like she knows about supernatural all together. She can’t control her powers, so she probably doesn’t talk to people, afraid of hurting them. At least that’s what you assume.

“Why are the shifters after you?” you ask, leaning closer to her. Being this close makes it easier for her to focus on you, and she soon starts to calm down, probably relieved to see that you’re not angry with her. Or evil.

She takes a deep inhale, then exhales shakily. “I—they said they’re from an organization. That they’re recruiting.”

Silence fills the kitchen all of a sudden. You don’t take your eyes off Jieun, but you can see her glancing at the boys; they’re all frozen in their spots. Jieun looks back at you. “I said no, and they started coming to my house and threatening me. They said that if I don’t join, they’ll—“

She shuts with an audible click, and you can see her lips wobbling.

“Calm down,” Suho says softly from the side. “You’re safe with us. We’re gonna protect you.”

“Dude, might I remind you that we broke into her apartment and tried to knock her out?” Taemin asks. You snap your eyes at him, your eyebrows nearly reaching the line of your hair.

“What?”

“We thought she was the one to poison you,” Kai defends, taking a step closer towards you and Jieun. Your eyes soften a little. “Sehun saw the shapeshifter who looked like her. We assumed it was her, so we went after her before she could do any more harm. You know how witches are.”

Jieun tenses. You roll your eyes, then send Kai a pointed look. He realizes his mistake when he hears Jieun’s breath hitch in her lungs.

“I didn’t—not all witches,” he tries, flustered. He stutters a little, wanting to explain himself, but he ends up even more flustered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

“We’ve had some bad experience with witches in the past,” you explain quickly, softly. “Most of them tried to kill us. They were just being cautious.”

“Well, I’m not evil,” Jieun says a bit angrily, choking back tears. “I’d never hurt anyone on purpose. I’m a white witch.”

“And we know that now,” Sehun says, nodding at her. “And we’re sorry about this whole situation. We’re not going to hurt you.”

“I promise,” you add quickly. “Now, tell me: did they tell you what organization they come from?”

Jieun nods, blinks away the tears. They drop down her cheeks. “Mabeob.”

Suho takes a sharp inhale of air.

“Three of them came to me. Three shapeshifters. I think you k-killed one of them,” Jieun continues, stuttering on the word. “Sorry,” she adds, shutting her eyes and looking away, as if ashamed of her weakness. “You seemed used to this kind of thing. The way you swung your bat—“

She cuts off. She holds in her breath and avoids your eyes.

“Take it easy,” Suho reminds her, listening in into her erratic heartbeat. “Breathe.”

Sehun finishes making tea, and places it in front of the girl, together with some sugar. She looks at it, confused, like it shouldn’t be there.

“We deal with monsters like them,” you explain. “We’ve been fighting them for a long time now. And it’s not the first time we’re meeting someone from Mabeob.”

Jieun raises her eyes at that. She looks at you with curiosity and fear mixed together. She looks like a scared bunny unsure as to whether it should run away or stay and try not to move. Both reactions point to her being completely and utterly afraid of the situation she’s in.

Something occurs to you. “They didn’t hit you, did they?” you ask, pointing at Suho, Kai and Taemin. Jieun shakes her head.

“I was about to,” Kai says, hissing a little at the end. She scratches the back of her head, visibly sorry. “I wanted to knock her out. But she heard me, turned with her arms raised, and I feel a spell hit me. Next thing I know, I wake up on the floor with—hair and stuff.”

“And stuff,” Taemin snorts. Sehun grins.

You lean towards Jieun again. “Okay, listen,” you say to her. The boys start to joke around again, not minding you. “The people from that organization are dangerous. You saw it,” you glance down to her bruised neck. She touches it with her hand, self-conscious. “They’re not going to stop coming for you. You join them, or you die.”

“But I don’t want to join them,” Jieun says, frustrated. She places her other hand on her neck as well, and squeezes in anger, her head tilted forward. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“That’s why we’re gonna choose the third option,” you assure her. Jieun lets out a shaky breath again. She’s not looking at you, her eyes pinned to the table. “They attacked us once, too. But they saw that we’re too strong for them, that a lot of them will get killed before they can get to us, and they became uninterested. Right now they’re focused on recruiting people who are interested in their ideals, and people who are afraid to die and forced to join. If we show them that you can protect yourself, there’s a chance they might give up on trying to convince you to join them.”

Jieun finally looks up at you, from behind her eyelashes, and tears well in her eyes.

“I’m no fighter,” she whispers, voice shaky.

“Good thing we are,” you say, showing her a tiny smile.

And then you look up, at Kai, just in time to see Taemin walking up to her from behind and grabbing at her s.

Kai screams, Taemin gets elbowed in the face, and Jieun, freaked out by the sudden commotion behind her back, stands up from the chair and hits the table as she goes. Her tea spills all over the surface, drips down at your legs, and you shout when you feel the burn of it.

“Oh my God! Take off your jeans! Your jeans!” Suho shouts at you.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Kai screams at Taemin, turning on her heels and pushing his brother away. Taemin is a bit red on the face.

“I was just curious!” Taemin screams. “And I gotta say, man, you got yourself a real nice pair of—“

Kai punches him in the face. It’s glorious. Taemin staggers back, confused, and places a hand on his aching cheek. He looks up at Kai.

“Damn,” he says. “It felt just like Sooyoung’s.”

Everybody looks at him either confused or disgusted, and his face goes red.

“Kai’s punch, not s! I never touched Sooyoung’s s, Jesus,” he says loudly. “I don’t have a death wish.”

“Taemin, you’re sick in the head.” Sehun states, looking like he’s about to fall into hysterics.

“Oh come on, like you’re not curious,” Taemin says, waving a hand at Kai and sending Sehun a deadpan look. “If I didn’t do it, you would.”

Sehun is about to argue, but then you all hear a sudden thud in the living room and your triangle tattoo heats up so fast and so hard that you stand up from your chair at the sole ache of it. The boys throw themselves towards the living room, and you follow shortly. Kai is the last one to enter, and Jieun stays in the kitchen.

In the middle of the room stands Jaejoong, Amber, Sulli, Kris, Luhan, and Baekhyun. They must’ve teleported here, which is rude – Kai, Suho and Taemin drove all the way here.

“Okay, what’s the situation?” Amber hollers.

“Dal!” Luhan screams, showing up at your side and scooping you up into his arms. He turns on his heels, spinning you around, and you scream, surprised.

“Luhan!” you shout back.

“What the ?” Baekhyun asks, making Luhan stop and put you down.

You look at them. Everyone’s staring at Kai, who’s standing in the threshold, with her arms crossed over her chest. Wow, that must feel weird for him. Her. Him.

Silence fills the room. There’s so much confusion, you swear it’s even better than when Kai turned into a kid. Taemin is holding in his laugh; he’s about to cry.

“Really?” Kris asks. “Really?”

“Wait,” Amber mutters. She points at Kai. “Don’t tell me she’s the long lost twin.” She looks around the room, eyes wide. “Does Kai have a long lost twin?”

“I think I’d know if he did,” Jaejoong whispers, more to himself than anyone else. At this point, you, Sehun, Suho and Taemin are all trying hard not to laugh, and Kai’s face is dark from anger and embarrassment.

“Okay, calm down!” Amber calls. No one is freaking out – actually, they’re all frozen – but okay. “Why do I feel like that would happen to you guys? Oh my God. She’s totally the long lost twin, isn’t she?”

“No,” Kai grunts out, speaking up for the first time. “It’s still me.”

Oh God, she’s pissed. That’s hot.

Every werewolf in the room suddenly looks at you. Mixed expressions show up on their faces.

“Did you just get aroused?” Luhan asks, taking a step away from you. You go completely red. Jieun shows up behind Kai, but the boys don’t even notice her, except for Luhan, who waves at her with a smile, completely ignoring the fact that he just made you flustered.

“Have you guys kissed yet?” Kris asks, looking between you and Kai. “Girls and boys kiss completely differently.”

Luhan opens his mouth at him. “And how would you know that?” he asks, crossing his arms on his chest. Kris has his ‘busted’ face on. Wide eyes, slightly tense posture; practically ready to jump out the freaking window.

“I’m not gonna lie,” Baekhyun butts in. “You look hot, dude.” He winks at Kai. Amber elbows him, but laughs all the same.

“How did that even happen?” Jaejoong asks. “I’m lost.”

“This one,” Sehun says, pointing a thumb over his shoulder and only now making some people in the room realize that Jieun is lurking in the background. She nearly squeals. “Accidental spell casting.”

“Dope,” Amber says, grinning. “So, Kai, how is it like to have s?”

“Why does everyone point out my s?!” Kai screams, her voice high-pitched. Baekhyun puts his clenched fist between his teeth, feelings washing over him – shock, the need to laugh, everything. Jaejoong bursts out laughing, Luhan sits down, blinking rapidly, and Sehun pulls his phone out to take a photo. Everyone hears the click when he does.

“So she’s not the long lost twin,” Amber says. “Sad.”

“You guys are impossible,” Suho says, rolling his eyes.

Kris suddenly steps out of the group and approaches Kai in quick strides. He looks deathly serious, with his brows furrowed like he’s about to tell Kai a secret, or something. Kai gets all tense; it’s the same look Kris gives him on the battlefield sometimes.

Kris stares down at him. Her.

And then he suddenly puts his hands on Kai’s s.

Luhan throws a TV remote at him, and Kai tackles him onto the floor, knocking a floor lamp down as they go.

*

“They’ll keep on trying to hunt you down,” you say, looking at Jieun pointedly. “So we’ll hang around you until they come, and then we’ll take care of them.”

Jieun nods at you. She bites her lip.

“Are you sure I can stay for the night?” she asks.

“Yeah, of course,” you nod. “The rest are staying too. You’re gonna have bodyguards all around you.”

She exhales. You can see relief wash over her face. You hand her your spare pajamas. “Here,” you say. “The bathroom is free. Go take a shower if you like.”

Jieun nods at you and walks away. Jaejoong passes her in the door, and enters your room.

“I’m gonna get going,” he says.

You send him a worried look.

“Mabeob is after Jieun,” you say, nodding at the direction the witch went. “I thought Father is trying to find the spirit guy?”

“He’s not here,” Jaejoong tells you. “The leader, I mean.”

“Where is he then?”

“I don’t know, but Father seems to,” Jaejoong supplies. He leans against the nearest wall. “I know he’s being all mysterious about it, but it’s for your own good.”

You wonder about that.

“How did you come here?” you ask after a few seconds of mutual staring.

“Sulli and Amber were training with us,” Jaejoong says. “Me and Father. Sulli got a text from Sehun and Amber somehow convinced Father to let us go. He sent us here.”

“You’re going back alone?”

He grins. “I’m taking Kris with me. He has work.”

“Right,” you say, nodding. “Well. It was good to see you.”

Jaejoong smiles. “You too.”

*

 

“Okay, come on, bring him out,” you say.

“No!” Kai screams, grabbing at the table when he sees Luhan and Baekhyun appear in the kitchen. The two boys grab her – Luhan by her arms, Baekhyun by her hips and legs, and they yank her away from the table. It scrapes over the floor. “Noooo!”

“Oh don’t be such a coward!” you scream at him, laughing. He almost kicks you in the face as the boys carry him towards the living room. He manages to escape – he hits the floor, landing on his , so Sehun steps in to help Baekhyun and Luhan. They drag him to the living room, where Sehun’s laptop is on, and where the rest of the pack is waiting, their faces visible on the screen.

“Look at the things we do for you!” Baekhyun yells to them, just when Kai puts a hand over his face and drags her nails over it. Baekhyun yells in pain.

When they throw Kai on the chair in front of the laptop, it’s too late.

“Dear God,” Eun says, covering with her hand. “It was actually true.”

“I’m not even surprised anymore, honestly,” Tao says as he stares at Kai.

They can all see her in the camera, and she’s fuming, her chest heaving with every breath.

A new window pops up on the screen and Minjoon goes online. His face goes from blank to utterly confused, to the point he looks offended. Heejin’s face shows up on the screen as well, and it takes her a while to comprehend.

“Is—is this you, Kai?” she asks, her voice squeaky.

“Call her Kaia,” Sehun says, winking at her.

“What,” Chen deadpans. “How are you guys there? Why didn’t anybody tell me you were going?!”

“You were working,” Sulli supplies.

“ work! Kai is a girl!”

*
 

Kai – sorry, Kaia – tries to fight it for a while, but in the end, she gives up on trying to resist the boys. In the end, they all get a selfie with her.

It’s nine pm by the time they calm down a little. Jieun has collapsed on Sehun’s couch, and nothing can wake her up; you figure she’s had a terrible day. You take turns showering, Suho and Sulli go get some food, and an hour later, you’re all in the kitchen, huddled together, taking every possible empty spot that’s available, including the floor and the induction stove. Amber accidentally turns it on with her , and Baekhyun almost gets his jeans burnt. Nothing new.

Your magic is flowing in your veins. You haven’t felt this good in weeks. Kai seems lively, too, even though he’s currently in a wrong body.

“How come it’s always Kai this happens to?” Luhan questions at some point. “He got turned into a kid once, now he’s a girl. He had werewolf flu, his other universe twin visited us—one day he’s gonna get stuck in the body of a bunny, or something.”

“I can see that happening,” you say.

“Would that make him a werebunny?” Sehun asks, smirking.

“Don’t give Dal any ideas,” Kai threatens, pointing a finger at him. Sehun quirks a flirtatious brow at him, and it’s so weird that you and Sulli sputter. Kai makes a weird face. “What did you just do?”

Sehun’s face goes blank. He looks down at his plate.

“I think he just unconsciously flirted with you,” Taemin supplies with a huge grin.

“Oh my God, is that what it was?” Kai gasps out, shocked.

“Sehun, leave my girlfriend alone,” you shoot at him, nudging Kai’s foot with your own. The boys laugh, while Kai’s face softens.

*
 

You’re the last one to shower, and when you exit the bathroom and look left, you see your friends sleeping. Jieun, Sulli and Amber have taken the couch (well, a sofa bed), and Sehun has taken three sponge mattresses out of the wardrobe. You’re always, always prepared when it comes to mattresses and blankets. You’re sure that if you combined every mattress and blanket that you had, the whole pack could start some real business with them.

Luhan is spooning Suho, who has his arm and leg flung across Taemin’s chest and legs; Baekhyun is clinging to Taemin’s outstretched arm, drooling on his shoulder. They didn’t leave a single spot for you and Kai, but that’s alright, since you can just take your room.

You close the door to the living room and tiptoe to the kitchen. Kai’s leaning over the counter, her hair wet. He – well, she, technically – looks like someone very similar to Kai, but not exactly him. She feels like him, but she’s—not. It’s similar to when you meet someone who looks like one of your friend’s doppelganger. And not in the literal sense. There’re just some people on Earth who look oddly similar to other people. You once met someone who looked almost like Baekhyun, and you were so shocked and so disturbed that you could only stare at them in confusion. It felt out of place. Like something wasn’t right.

You feel like that right now, though you’re not disturbed. You got used to a baby Kai, you will get used to a girl Kai.

She’s pretty, you think to yourself. He’s hot in every version of his, dammit.

You wonder how you’d look as a boy, and you shiver. Kai sends you a quizzical look.

One thing hasn’t changed for sure – his expressions are the same.

“They’re all asleep,” you say, approaching him. You stand in front of him, leaning over the table. You cross your arms over your chest. “Jieun looked exhausted.”

“I judged her too fast,” Kai says. She moves her head to the side when she feels her hair get in the way. You take a step forward toward her, taking a hair band off your wrist, and you hand it to her. Kai looks at it in confusion, but takes it nevertheless.

Then she sends you a look.

“Just tie them,” you say, giggling. Kai takes the band, puts it around his fingers, and goes to tie her hair. She looks so silly doing it that you can’t stop yourself from laughing. You stifle it with your palm.

“Ha, ha,” he says. “I never did it on myself.”

“Good thing you’ve done it on me, otherwise I’d have to be the one tying your hair,” you say. “We should braid it tomorrow.”

“You think I’m gonna wake up like this?” she asks, pointing at her face.

“Possibly,” you shrug. “Jieun’s inexperienced, so the spell should just wear off after some time. Granted, she was scared when she saw you, so it might be quite strong. If you don’t turn back into a boy, we’ll have to think of a counter-spell.”

Kai nods. She’s very tall; there’s not that many tall girls in Korea. It’s pleasing to look at her.

You take a step towards her. Before you can stretch your arms out, Kai does it, and soon, you’re hugging her. She still smells like Kai, but she’s leaner, softer, and there’s long hair. It’s so freaking weird.

“Okay, this is odd,” you laugh. “Sooo odd.”

“Are you guys kissing yet?!” comes from the living room, followed by a loud slap.

“Well, Taemin just got his slapped,” Kai decides to inform. You giggle into her neck. 

Hope you're enjoying this arc :D Please don't hold it against Taemin for being touchy. It's just because it's Kai. I can promise you he's not as thoughtless when it comes to girls. Also, I'm dedicating this chapter to emchan. I used a lot of her ideas here. We had a long conversation about this arc and I'm really hoping you'll enjoy it! Love you caramel apple pies!