Luhan’s in deep sleep on the sofa when Minseok goes to get himself a mug of hot milk. 

After the nightmare of a party his brothers had gone to, he found himself lying awake and wondering just what kind of town it was that they just happened to move into. There was just way too much going on recently that had his head spinning.

Minseok releases a heavy sigh as he readjusts the blankets that are slipping off of his... former lover's frame. He cringes as he thinks about it, because there's no denying the fact that the two of them still love each other in almost a desparate manner.

The blankets aren't going to stay on, and Minseok knows this, but with a fond shake of his head, he walks into the kitchen. The kitchen is enveloped in the cool breeze that alerts the residents of the house that the ghost, Yifan, is in the room.

"What's wrong?" Minseok asks in hesitancy. Usually, Yifan isn't around this late at night. Minseok would know, as Yifan is almost around whenever one of the brothers are awake.

"Min?" Luhan's groggy voice calls as he walks into the kitchen, one hands rubbing at his eye as he barely conceals a yawn. He's even shivering a little, considering how cold it is in the kitchen.

"You were awake?" Minsek asks in disbelief, since Luhan's always been a pretty heavy sleeper.

"I heard footsteps and saw you walk into the kitchen." Luhan answers sheepishly, and he looks around the kitchen like he's confused,

"It's so cold down here."

Minseok wants to answer it's because of the ghost, but he doesn't need to. Luhan seems to realize it a little later himself, even taking a step closer so that he and Minseok are standing side by side.

"The full moon makes me anxious." Yifan's voice rumbles, and it does sound anxious. There's fear laced into every syllable like he doesn't know what's going on.

"Is there anything I can do?" Minseok asks him, and he's worried about Yifan's state.

He's a ghost and may not deserve the concern, but the past few days spent together makes Minseok consider even Yifan as a part of his family. Hearing the uncertainty in the ghost's voice reminds him of Jongin the first time he had come home bloody and bruised from being picked on.

"Take Luhan to your room. Stay there until full moon passes." Yifan instructs them, and Minseok can feel the room get colder.

"Are you sure you should be alone?" Luhan asks, though he's already starting to retreat. It's the day supernatural beings get a spike in their powers, after all.

Who knows how dangerous Yifan can be right now.

"Go." Is all Yifan says, and though it's meant as a command, there's a desperate tone in his voice as he says it.

"Lu, let's go." Minseok says quietly, and he instinctively grabs Luhan by the hand.

Luhan lets himself be dragged off, but it seems even he's concerned. It's not too surprise, what with the coldness in the kitchen spreading like the house is being frozen from the inside out.

"How is going to your room going to help?" Luhan asks as they walk into Minseok's room.

Minsek turns to stare at Luhan for a moment with his eyebrows furrowed, "I don't think he's able to come into my room without being allowed in. At least that's what it was like last time."

"Oh." Luhan says, and he clears his throat.

Minseok gets why Luhan is suddenly unable to say much. Since before their breakup they haven't been alone in a room together. The closest they had gotten was with Yifan in the room with them.

"You can take the bed," Minseok supplies as he opens the door to his closet to dig through it,

"I'll take the floor tonight."

But he's caught by the wrist and Minseok pulls him back quickly. Minsek turns in surprise and there's that same hardened look in Luhan's gaze that had worried him earlier.

"Why do you keep brushing me off?" Luhan asks, and his tone is bitter and hurt.

"We broke up, Lu." Minseok replies in a gentle manner, and he tugs his hand back.

Or at least, he tries to. Luhan just pulls him back, and his grip tightens around Minseok's wrist.

"Bull." Luhan spits out, and Minseok's eyes widen in a comical manner,

"You love me and you know it. So why are you pretending like this is best for us?"

Minseok's gaze falls to the ground, and he's absolutely dumbfounded by Luhan's behavior. Luhan's never been this assertive and Minseok has never been this afraid of himself.

"I don't want want you giving anything up for me, Lu." Minseok admits quietly as he turns his head in a shameful manner.

Luhan releases his wrist with a sigh, and for a moment, Minseok's heart drops. Does that mean Luhan agrees? He turns back to Luhan slowly, and is completely taken aback when he sees the tears trailing down his cheeks.

"Why do you keep doing this?" Luhan bawls, and he drops his head into his hands, and his hard and uncaring facade fades away,

"Goddammit, Min. I was going to ask you to marry me! But you're always doubting me, and-"

"What?" Minseok cuts him off, and he's speechless by Luhan's tearful confession.

Luhan looks up at him and there's heartbreak written all over his face. Minseok himself is shaking in place, because he thought he was strong enough to move on, but his heart continues to yearn for Luhan like it had when they first started together years ago.

"You heard me, Min." Luhan says, and he even releases a hollow chuckle as he treads back to Minseok's bed and takes a seat,

"I've been taking so many gigs lately to buy a ring."

"A ring?" Minseok echoes, but he hasn't moved. He's too scared that if he moves, his knees are going to fail him,

"But I thought you loved to model."

And there's nothing sure of confidence in Luhan's gaze when their eyes reach one another,

"I quit and came here to win you back."

Joonmyeon wakes up from his somewhat unpleasant dreams due to a heavy shudder that racks his entire body. He sits up slowly, his head heavy and even a little confused about why it was so cold all of a sudden.

"Yifan?" He asks, to see if the ghost is in his room and that could possibly be why his room is suddenly at freezing temperatures.

There's no answer, and a concerned Joonmyeon forces himself out of bed to investigate why it's so cold. He wraps his blanket around him to provide some warmth and sets out to follow the cold.

It gets colder in the direction of the living room, and he follows the breeze all the way to the kitchen with cautious footsteps. It's still the night of the full moon, after all. There's no telling what's going on in their house.

He steps into the kitchen, and his eyes widen in horror as he sees Yifan in the center of the room and sitting on the floor in a fetal position. His translucent frame looks distorted as he sits there, and Joonmyeon feels his heart shatter.

"Yifan?" He hears himself asking for the second time that night, and watches as Yifan raises his head.

There's this lost, vulnerable look in his eyes for a moment, but he turns away quickly and Joonmyeon hates how rejected that makes him feel.

"Go sleep, Joonmyeon." Yifan mutters, and he visibly draws further into himself,

"It is not safe to be near me tonight."

"I know that." Joonmyeon replies, and despite Yifan's words of caution, he steps closer and drops himself beside the ghost, even going as far as to draping his blanket around them.

Yifan stills as soon as Joonmyeon gets closer, and is tense for a moment as Joonmyen holds onto him. Soon, however, he relaxes into Joonmyeon's hold and the house recognizably gets warmer. Yifan himself is still pretty cold, but Joonmyeon doesn't mind it.

"I am glad." Yifan speaks after a few minutes together, and Joonmyeon looks over to him in confusion.

"I thought I would be alone for the rest of eternity."

Joonmyeon's heart shatters again, and Joonmyeon doesn't really understand why. Yifan... wasn't alive. He wasn't a human. In all honesty, Joonmyeon should be terrified and should be trying to move his brothers away from this dangerous town.

"You'll never be alone." Joonmyeon finds himself promising, even though he knows that isn't up to him.

Yifan is quiet again, but Joonmyeon catches the slightest of smiles that forms on the ghost's face. He's also solidifying a little, back to how Joonmyeon is used to him looking.

"I think your mother would be proud of you." Yifan finally tells him, and Joonmyeon's caught off guard.

"My mother?" Joonmyeon asks, and his tone is as confused as it is in his head.

"The first night you were here, you were by yourself and talking to your mother." Yifan recalls thoughtfully, and Joonmyeon is a little embarrassed that someone was around to witness it.

"You really think she'd be proud of me?" Joonmyeon asks, then, and his tone is quiet and unsure.

"I do not know for certain," Yifan admits with a quiet chuckle,

"but I know that your brothers are."

Joonmyeon smiles despite himself, because it's true. His brothers have always been on his side, and even though the move has turned their lives upside down, they were still as close as they had been from the start.

"Is he still doubting us?" Jongdae's voice calls out, and Joonmyeon's head snaps to the doorway to where all three of his brothers and Luhan are standing and watching them.

"How long have you guys been there?" Joonmyeon demands, and for some reason, he feels shy to have been caught with a ghost they couldn't even see.

"Too long." Jongin answers curtly, but there's a smile on his face and he walks up to them and takes a seat on the other side of Yifan.

"You two sound like an old married couple." Luhan notes in a teasing manner as he takes the seat on the other side of Jongin.

Minseok watches Luhan, but his movements are jerky as he sits beside Joonmyeon instead of his ex partner. Jongdae notices, too, but doesn't say anything as he also takes a seat next to Minseok.

"Did I wake all of you?" Yifan asks, and though no one else can see him, Yifan looks a little flustered to Joonmyeon.

"You're fine now and that's all that matters." Joonmyeon reassures the ghost, and Yifan relaxes just slightly.

"Now that we're all together!" Jongdae suddenly exlaims like he'd forgotten something important.

His gaze then shifts to Jongin, who stares back at him with a blank expression,

"What the hell were you thinking pulling a switchblade out like that, Jongin?"

"I was trying to save your ." Jongin answers, just as curtly as earlier.

Joonmyeon reaches forward and puts a hand on Jongin's knee. He knows Jongin had saved him earlier, and was grateful for it, but also acknowledges that he could have lost Jongin just as easily.

"Thank you, Nini, but I don't want your past catching up to you." He tells his youngest brother, and Jongin stares at him for a moment before dropping his gaze.

"Sorry. It's just that Sehun-- something's off about him." Jongin says while releasing a slow breath.

"Does that mean you know him, too?" Minseok asks Jongin with his eyebrows drawn in suspicion.

"We go to school together." Jongin explains, and Minseok and Joonmyeon share a glance.

"What happened at the party?" Yifan asks slowly, and Joonmyeon just realizes he never told Yifan what happened.

So for the next ten minutes, they recount the events of the day and just what happened at the party, up until they had left it. It's as they explain what happened that Joonmyeon remembers that Chanyeol person and how he'd been treated.

"He called you a traitor?" Yifan asks, and though there's a spark of anger in his eyes, it's mostly clouded by the confusion that they all felt.

But why?

Jongdae takes a little longer to get ready for class the next morning.

He doesn't want to risk running into Chanyeol again because he's not sure if Chanyeol might try to attack him in the same way he had tried to attack Joonmyeon the night before.

He wasn't able to sleep at all the night before, due to the fact that he and his brothers, as well as Yifan and Luhan, had spent the whole night talking. Part of it was because they didn't want Yifan to be left alone again and be affected by the full moon.

The other part was to try and figure out why Chanyeol and the others had been so hostile to Joonmyeon despite never knowing one another.

At least, as far as the brothers knew.

"Dae!" Baekhyun calls, and he's effective at pulling Jongdae out of his thoughts.

Jongdae smiles as soon as he sees his neighbor, and he just can't help it. What with how close they had become in the short amount of time they'd known each other. He crosses the lawn in his eagerness to meet up with his neighbor, and the two of them walk in the direction of campus with their hands brushing against one another.

He's tempted to reach out and clasp his hand around Baekhyun's, considering how natural it had felt just the day before, but he's content with them just walking together.

"You look like you didn't sleep last night." Baekhyun notes, and Jongdae turns to see Baekhyun staring at him maybe a little too deeply.

"Oh, yeah," Jongdae says with a little shrug as he turns back to the road ahead of them,

"Yifan was acting weird last night because of the full moon so we stayed up talking with him."

Baekhyun's eyebrows furrow in confusion, and he even comes to a halt besides Jongdae. Jongdae stops too and turns to his neighbor in confusion, considering they had to get to campus soon. They skipped a couple of classes the day before, after all. They can't afford to skip more, and especially not Jongdae.

"The full moon shouldn't affect Yifan." Baekhyun tells him with wide eyes and he turns back in the direction of his house.

Jongdae blinks rapidly, and in confusion. He knows what he saw the night before, and how Yifan had gone unstable, but he also knows Baekhyun is well versed in information about supernatural beings.

"What I'm saying is true, Baek." Jongdae says to defend himself, in case Baekhyun just thought he were going bonkers,

"The whole house was freezing."

"The... whole... house?" Baekhyun echoes, and it looks like he's in pure disbelief of the possibility of it happening,

"I don't know as much as my parents know, but the only beings that are really affected by a full moon are supposed to be shape shifters."

"But-" Jongdae starts, but he's cut off when a car engine is heard.

Both Baekhyun and Jongdae tense because they know exactly who it is without looking, but sure enough, there's Sehun's convertible and both Kyungsoo and Chanyeol are in it with them. The three of them stare at Jongdae and Baekhyun.

"At times like this I wish I knew how to fight like Jongin." Jongdae mutters under his breath, and Baekhyun shoots him a confused frown.

"What should we do?" Baekhyun says through tight lips, in case the trio can catch on to being talked about.

They can't run, not while the trio are in a car and also wolves that can more than likely outrun them. Is there really anything that they can do? Jongdae his lips in concern, noting that the one that goes by the name of Sehun is stepping out of the car and towards them.

He remembers Sehun from the party, but just briefly. Sehun is fast, and strong by the looks of it. And, above all, he was dangerous.

"You. You were at the party last night, were you not? You and your... brothers?" Sehun asks, and he looks like he's unsure of how to word what he's saying, but his tone is hard.

"Yeah, the brothers you guys threatened." Jongdae replies, and he curses himself mentally for not being able to use his filter at times like these.

Sehun, on the other hand, seems amused, "I see the resemblance between you and Jongin."

Jongdae tenses at the mention of his brother's name. That's right, Jongin did alert them that he went to school with Sehun. It was alarming, though, how Sehun could speak about Jongin like they were well acquainted.

"Is there something you need from us?" Baekhyun asks, as if to remind the pair that there was more to be done than just standing around with one another.

Sehun's gaze flickers over to Baekhyun for a moment, but is quick to focus onto Jongdae like Baekhyun's existence didn't particularly serve a purpose for him.

"I just wanted to issue a warning to you." Sehun says under his breath, and he glances at the friends in his convertible that seemingly grow impatient as the moments pass,

"One of your "brothers" possesses blood that is not human. Now that he's been exposed, you'll find yourselves in more situations much like the one you had been in last night."

"Do you not have anything better to do?" Jongdae spits out in annoyance, and he hates that this strange boy has the gall to spew nonsense about his family.

"I have plenty of better things to do." Sehun answers, and the amusement in his face disappears. There's something lonely in his expression now as he turns and returns to his car.

They watch the trio drive away in silence for a moment, though Jongdae can feel himself shake in fury.

"Do you believe him?" Baekhyun asks after another moment, and he shifts in place. He's not used to Jongdae being mad, after all.

Jongdae's lips part to answer, and he wants to say no because he knows his brothers, but finds himself unable to produce the words.

His textbooks weigh him down as he runs to class, but Jongin can't think of that right now. He's already running late, due to staying up all night with his brothers and oversleeping for the half hour he did manage to get some sleep.

He doesn't regret staying up, of course. And he's reluctant to admit it, but he was wrong about the ghost, now known as Yifan. After telling him what had happened at the party, Yifan sounded frustrated that he wasn't there himself to aid in protecting Jongin and his brothers.

It wasn't his fault that he wasn't there, and Jongin knew that. The night-long conversation ended with Jongin feeling like he had gained another older brother. He had enough already, sure, but someone had to make up for Jongdae's irresponsible behavior.

What he does regret, however, is the fact that he's going to see the very person he had stood up to the night before. He goes out of his way to stay out of Sehun's sight throughout the schoolday, and finally breathes a sigh of relief at the end of the day when the final bell had run and alerted him that it was time to go.

Except that Oh Sehun was waiting outside of his classroom.

"." Jongin grits out, and he turns around to take the long way home.

"I thought you said you weren't afraid of me anymore." Sehun calls out to him in amusement, and Jongin freezes in place.

"I'm not afraid of you." Jongin says, and he turns around to glare at Sehun, but his heart lurches into his throat.

He's still standing there and leaning against the wall, but there's the smallest of smiles on his face and his eyes are closed. He almost looks... serene.

"You also like what you see," Sehun says, almost in a smug manner as he opens his eyes and their gazes catch one another.

Jongin's half tempted to punch that smirk right off of Sehun's face. Other students brush past them like they're invisible, and though Jongin wonders why, his mind is mostly stuck on how Sehun and his friends had treated Jongin and his brothers.

"What do you want from me, Sehun?" Jongin sighs, and he runs a hand through his hair. If Sehun took all this time and effort to find him, he'd better have something important to say.

"Let me walk you home." Sehun states easily, and though that should have been a request, it sounds more like a statement that can't be denied.

"Why would you do that?" Jongin asks skeptically, and he sounds a little bitter in his own ears.

There's no answer that follows. Sehun just starts to walk away, and Jongin just follows. He knows Sehun is dangerous, and he knows that being around Sehun and his friends put Jongin's brothers at risk. But he's also not afraid, like he'd said the night before. To him, there was nothing scarier than the thought of losing one of his brothers.

"You're not going to attack me, are you?" Jongin asks under his breath. They're walking side by side, both with their hands in their pockets and the silence is nice but Jongin's still wary.

"Now why would I do that?" Sehun asks with an eyebrow lifted, but he doesn't even turn in Jongin's direction. It's like he was expecting for Jongin to be wary.

"Are we pretending nothing happened last night?" Jongin asks, and he's bitter again, angry even.

What the hell was Sehun's problem and why did he act so nonchalantly like Jongin and his brothers' lives weren't at risk for simply arriving at a party?

"You pulled a knife with someone that had the attacking power of a bear." Sehun states simply, like it's common sense and Jongin should have been thanking him.

"What the hell is with you?" Jongin can't help but ask, and his voice is rising in octaves due to the sheer confusion of what Sehun's putting him through emotionally,

"You threaten me and my brothers and then you protect me? I don't get it. Are you trying to be my friend?"

"No," Sehun responds instantly, and for some reason, Jongin's heart drops,

"I'm not trying to be your friend. I'm trying to keep you alive because anyone in this town can easily turn on you and I don't want you running into a battle you can't win."

Jongin finds himself with more questions than answers. Sehun, the boy who had been acting suspicious since the start, was suddenly exlaiming that what he was doing was for Jongin's best interest? Where was the logic in that?

"Why does whatever happens to me concern you, Sehun?" Jongin asks, and suddenly, he's exhausted like he's been exercising for hours withut a break.

Sehun stares at Jongin for a long moment, and there's a heavy emotion filling his eyes that Jongin's not used to receiving from anyone, let alone someone as dangerous and mysterious as Sehun. For some reason, it fills Jongin with excitement.

"I also wanted to issue you a warning after what happened last night." Sehun tells him as he turns away, and he pulls a cigarette out of his pocket. He lights it and takes a long drag of it. Jongin knows smoking is bad but doesn't think Sehun would stop if Jongin told him to. And, anyway, whatever Sehun chose to do with his body was his own choice.

"I'm proud of you for being able to stand up for yourself and your family the way you did last night," Sehun murmurs, and Jongin's startled by the compliment,

"but not everyone will take that lightly. If you can't protect yourself properly, don't risk your life for something small."

Jongin stares at Sehun's back as the taller of the pair continues walking, and his heart aches for reasons he wasn't even sure of himself. Was Sehun actually... concerned about him?