A/N: this is backstory type stuff ^^

It’s a quiet morning in the shop. Minho flips over the open sign at 9am like normal, moving back to sit behind the counter to eat his breakfast. The regular customers -- mainly elderly in need of health potions and students in need of luck -- slowly start to trickle in at 9:30 and it stays busy until noon. After 1pm, the stream runs out. Minho’s left alone to reorganize the displaced potions, to recount the number of bottles, to count the amount of money in the cash register. At 2pm, he changes the sign; though he doesn’t technically close for lunch, he still likes to limit the people coming in so he’s able to eat his soup. Since it’s Tuesday, he brings out his mirrored bowl and drops his amulet in, trying to contact his mother. When he hums, the amulet refuses to cooperate. He takes it out, on it briefly, and puts it back into the bowl. Again, the amulet refuses. There’s a frantic knock on the door and it sets off a vision: there’s a feeling of warmth, the taste of fear, a sigh of relief. When he comes back to, the knocking has only increased. He turns around and sees a man seemingly around his own age. If the man can’t get in himself, he must also be a witch. Now that it’s just Minho, now that everyone else has gone on, the shop has been reluctant to let any other magical persons in. He opens the door to ask what the man’s business is and he grabs at his sleeve. It triggers another vision.

Kibum’s been running for three days now. Ever since he heard the whispers that the coven was coming for his blood, ever since he saw the Head’s plans, ever since Dongwoo slipped him out the back tunnels. No food for three days, besides the occasional herb he recognizes enough to trust. Eleven years in the coven, just to be marked as a sacrifice. First everyone gone in the fire now everyone trying to burn him if he could just get somewhere safe if he could just-

The vision ends abruptly and the return to reality is jarring.

“Please, sir, please I need help please I-” the man, Kibum, starts begging.

Minho pulls him inside without a word, switching the door sign to ‘unexpectedly closed’ and charming the blinds to close. Minho starts going in and out of visions: he sees bits of Kibum’s childhood, of his family before the coven; the fire, the coven coming, the second fire; Kibum learning potions and attempting little spells. He’s so enraptured in it that he almost loses the present. Minho’s never been able to see the past before and it frightens him. Eventually it stops and he realizes that he and Kibum are still holding each other’s sleeves. They let go of each other and each take a step back.

“Thank you for letting me in. My name is-”

“Kibum, right?”

There’s understandable fear in Kibum’s eyes and he glances at the door, taking another step back.

“I’m sorry, my gift is visions. I...I’ve seen your past, I know why you’re here. Or at least part of it. You’re safe here, I swear. My name is Minho.”

He reaches out his hand and to his relief, Kibum reaches out towards him as well. The moments their palm touches, there’s a blinding light. It’s a warm feeling about it, and though they’re both apprehensive, there’s a sigh of relief on both sides. When the light disappears there’s a mass of flower petals accumulating below their hands in shades of gold and white and purple. They both recoil. Minho looks down, realizing the purple flowers are coming only from his palm; the gold are coming only from Kibum’s.

“What does...Minho what does this mean? This hasn’t...I’ve never....I don’t know what this means what does it mean?”

“I have a book upstairs that talks about these things. It’s our magic, our energies reacting to each other. Flowers seem like a good sign to me. You can come up if you like.”

Minho picks up a handful of the flowers and walks towards the back of the store where the stairs are. Kibum stays firmly in place.

“How do I know I can trust you?” he asks quietly.

“I don’t want to be pushy, Kibum, but as of now, I seem to be the only friend you have. If I wanted to hurt you I would’ve done it by now.”

“Oh.”

Kibum follows him to the stairs, following him upstairs. He seems twice as on edge when they reach the second floor.

“How protected is this building?”

“Very.”

“That’s not specific.”

Minho pauses from where he’s scanning his bookshelf to look back at him.

“My family has lived in this shop in one form or another for over 300 years. It’s been imbued with magic from each person who’s lived here. It kept my mama and I safe when my pa and my grammy died. It kept me safe these 7 years I’ve lived alone since mama died. You’ll be safe here, Kibum. There’s not an inch of this place that isn’t enchanted somehow or another.”

“The coven is very powerful, Minho. You don’t know them you don’t know what they’re like-”

“Kibum. I know you’re scared. Trust me, I can feel your fear. Literally. But this place, this house, is safe.”

“How do you know?”

“Kibum, let me find my book first, alright? And then after that, after we know what happened, you can ask me any question you like.”

Kibum hushes and Minho turns back to his books. He finds his book -- Magical Energies: A History and Guide -- and he turns back to Kibum.

“There’s a basement too. Would you feel better if we sit down there? That’s where my workshop is.”

“That’d...yeah, that’d be good I guess.”

Minho leads the way back down the stairs, opening the hatch door behind the counter. He puts his book in his bucket and heads down first. He waits at the bottom of the ladder. Kibum misses his footing and falls right into Minho’s arms.

“Did you know that was going to happen?” Kibum asks as Minho sets him back on his feet.

“Not in the vision sense, but I’ve fallen enough to know that’s not the greatest ladder.”

Kibum looks around at the workshop and Minho looks to find something comfortable for them to sit on. He finds a mass of pillows and waves Kibum over. They sit, though still at a distance, and Minho starts flipping through the pages as Kibum spreads out the flowers.

“Okay, I know the yellow and purple ones are freesia. Those mean trust and it’s a sign that our magical energies will interact reliably. They’re colored according to our magic eyes, so that it shows that it’s reliable on both sides.”

Kibum nods slowly, picking apart the petals off of one of the purple freesia.

“There’s two white flowers,” Kibum comments quietly.

After finding the appropriate page, Minho takes a second look.

“Lilies are a sign of...devotion. It means our energies pair comfortably and that the bond between it will have a positive effect on our spells and potions, especially the longer we work in proximity or in tandem.”

“And then?”

“I don’t know what it is. My book only has names and descriptions, no pictures.”

“It’s wintergreens.”

Minho watches Kibum pick up a blossom and twirl the stem around between his fingers. Their eyes meet after a moment and Minho feels a pang of something. Whether it’s the feeling of having a friend after so long, or interference from the knowledge that they’re -- according to his book -- practically soulmates in an energy perspective, or some sort of divine affection, he can’t deny the warm feeling spreading in his chest as Kibum shyly turns his gaze back to the flower.

“They used to grow at the house I lived in when I was little. I always picked them for my mother. That’s how I know what they’re called.”

Minho hums and looks back to his book.

“It says that wintergreens mean harmony. So in summary, we have a positive bond that will grow stronger and more reliable the longer we’re around each other.”

“Does that...does that mean I can stay here?”

“Of course. You can stay with me as long as you like, as long as you feel safe. I could use some help, if you’d be willing. I promise I’m not a mean boss.”

The corner of Kibum’s lip turns up. Minho hopes it’s a cautious attempt at a smile and can’t help but to wonder what a proper one looks like.

“Thank you, I appreciate it. I wasn’t fully...I didn’t finish...”

“I saw. Don’t worry, I have more textbooks than you could ever want. My mama was a potions maker so that’s what I was mostly trained in anyway.”

“Then, if you don’t mind me being here and you don’t mind teaching me a little before I start properly helping, then I accept your job-and-lodging offer.”

Minho smiles and stands.

“How about some lunch to seal the deal?”